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Helping Your Child Eat Healthy and Balanced Meals (cont.)

Food Guide Pyramid

The Food Guide Pyramid is a tool developed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help parents steer kids toward balanced eating habits. By dividing food into groups, the pyramid includes the types of food children typically like to eat, and it gives parents guidelines on how much food their child should be eating for good health. The lower its placement on the pyramid, the more of that food group your child should be eating. Here's the breakdown of food groups:

• Grains, such as bagels, pasta, bread, crackers, tortillas, pancakes, rice, and cereals

• Vegetables, such as broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, leafy greens, potatoes, and peas

• Fruits, such as oranges, strawberries, apples, bananas, and fruit juice

• Meat and protein, such as fish, chicken, red meat, dry beans, peanut butter, and eggs

• Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and pudding

• Fats and sweets, such as candy, chips, oils, butter, and soft drinks

The number of servings your child eats of each food depends on age. Two- to 6-year-olds should be eating approximately 6 servings of grains, 3 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of dairy products, and 2 servings of meat/protein. A 6- to 18-year-old should be eating 6 to 11 servings of grains, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables, 2 to 4 servings of fruits, 2 to 3 servings of dairy products, and 2 to 3 servings of meat/protein. Fats and sweets should be used sparingly by all age groups.

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