Do you have a favorite food? Unfortunately, you can’t eat just that food if you want to grow tall and stay healthy. No one food contains all the nutrients and vitamins you need. That’s why you should make sure to eat several kinds of food every day.
The Food Pyramid
But what kinds of foods keep us healthy? Everyone needs to eat a certain number of servings (a measured amount, like 1/2 cup full of rice, one slice of bread, one egg, or one banana) from each food group:
4-8 year olds (servings per day)
Grains: 4 to 5 ounces (one ounce is one piece of bread, 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, 1/2 cup of rice or pasta or 1 cup of cold cereal)
Vegetables: 1 1/2 cups
Fruits: 1 - 1 1/2 cups
Milk and other calcium-rich foods: 1-2 cups
9-13 year old girls (servings per day)
Grains: 5 ounces (one ounce is one piece of bread, 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, 1/2 cup of rice or pasta or 1 cup of cold cereal)
Vegetables: 2 cups
Fruits: 1 1/2 cups
Milk and other calcium-rich foods: 3 cups
9-13 year old boys (servings per day)
Grains: 6 ounces (one ounce is one piece of bread, 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, 1/2 cup of rice or pasta or 1 cup of cold cereal)
Vegetables: 2 1/2 cups
Fruits: 1 1/2 cups
Milk and other calcium-rich foods:3 cups
You can tell how many servings you need to eat each day if you look at the food pyramid. See a picture of the food pyramid, and learn more about it:
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html
Some Kids Don’t Have Enough to Eat
But eating lots of different kinds of food every day can be expensive, so a lot of kids don’t get enough nutrients and vitamins. These kids get tired easily in school, can’t pay attention to the teacher, or may even be grouchy.
Some kids eat fewer than three meals per day, skipping breakfast, lunch, or dinner because they don’t have enough to eat. Other kids do not have enough money to buy healthy foods, so they fill up on foods that are cheap, like fast food, that aren’t good for them. Neither of these is healthy.
Schools have breakfast and lunch programs so students can eat the food they need to pay attention in class. Food is an important school supply, just like pencils and books. Some kids pay for their meals, and others get a discount or eat for free, depending on how much they can afford. These programs give kids the food they need during the day so they can learn.
