Daily Nutrition Requirements for Kids

A balanced diet is important for proper growth and development in children. A child's regular diet serves as an educational experience that he will carry with him into adulthood. Once you know what a child needs to eat and how much is required of each type of food on a daily basis, you can plan meals and snacks that meet these requirements and give your child the building blocks he needs for a healthy life.

Fruits

• Kids should consume two to three servings of fruit per day. A serving of fruit represents one small piece of fruit or ½ cup of sliced fruit or berries. Offer children a variety of fruits including bananas, apples, oranges, berries and melons. Children who do not like to eat raw fruit may be enticed to meet daily requirements by a serving of sugar-free apple sauce, apple slices with fat-free caramel dip or strawberries dipped in fat-free Cool Whip. A half-cup serving of 100 percent fruit juice also represents a serving of fruit, but fruit juices lack the fiber of whole fruit and should not be a regular substitute.

Vegetables

• Kids should eat two to three servings of vegetables a day. A quarter cup of cooked vegetables or ½ cup of raw vegetables represents a serving of vegetables for children. Children should be offered a variety of colorful vegetables including sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, spinach, carrots and zucchini. Many children do not have a natural taste for vegetables, but daily requirements can be met by incorporating them into kid-friendly foods such as lasagna, casseroles, cheese omelets and meat loaf.

Proteins

• Kids should consume three servings of lean, protein-rich foods per day. A serving of protein for a child is equal to one egg, 2 to 4 tbsp. of peanut butter, ½ to ¾ cup beans, or 1 to 2 oz. of meat, poultry or fish. Ways to incorporate protein into a child's daily diet include serving scrambled eggs for breakfast, packing a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and offering grilled poultry or fish for dinner.

Whole Grains

• Kids should eat four to seven servings of grains per day. One serving for a child is equal to ¾ cup dry cereal, one slice of wholegrain bread, ½ cup cooked rice or pasta or ½ cup cooked cereal. Serving a child oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich made with two slices of whole-grain bread for lunch, a bag of dry cereal for a snack and chicken stir fry over brown rice for dinner meets these whole-grain requirements perfectly. Most kids love these types of foods and simply need help choosing the most healthful varieties.

Dairy

• Kids need to consume four servings of dairy-rich foods per day. A serving of dairy for a child includes ¾ cup of milk or yogurt or 1 oz. of cheese. Choose low-fat varieties of these dairy foods, and be sure not to offer more than 2 cups of milk a day to leave room for other foods.