Nutrition pyramid for children from 3 to 11 years old

Currently, there are many pyramids for children. However, there are very few towers that give specific instructions on what to eat or not to eat and how to eat for each specific age so that children have a balanced diet. 

Nutrition pyramid is a model modeled in pyramid form, providing information about foods, specifying the average amount of food needed by a person per month.

Nutrition pyramid for children from 3 - 5 years old

3 - 5 years old is the age of children in kindergarten. At this age, your baby needs about 1,300 kcal per day. Children mainly eat in preschools, you should find out whether the child's diet at school is nutritious and diverse or not? Try to give your child a balanced, varied, nutritious diet for dinner and weekends.

Each child has its own development, so it has its own dietary needs. So, you should be an easy-going and smart mother by letting your baby decide how much and what to eat. It is very helpful because your baby will find joy in eating and develop good eating habits later on.

What to feed children 3 - 5 years old and what not to eat and how to eat a balanced diet should comply with the following criteria:

1. Avoid sugar, salt

Children under 5 years of age should not consume any foods or drinks with added sugar or salt.

2. Fat

Your baby needs an amount of fat each day to support the heart and brain functions. Fat provides a lot of energy and is a solvent that helps in dissolving vitamins in oil easily. Choose polyunsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil or sunflower oil when preparing baby food.

3. Protein

Provides protein for children's growth and development. The amount of protein your baby needs a day is 2 parts. Make sure your baby's daily diets contain all the protein they need. Eggs, beans, fish, poultry, beef, pork ... are good sources of protein. In addition, you should feed your baby fatty fish like salmon and herring at least 2 times / week.

4. Milk and dairy products

Milk and dairy products are good sources of calcium for healthy development of baby's bones and teeth.

You should give your baby whole milk and use dairy products like yogurt and cheese. You can let your baby drink milk while eating or drink milk according to your baby's preferences. In this age, babies often drink about 3 meals / day (equivalent to 3 servings).

Note: Children under 2 years old should not be given low-fat milk. If your baby is older than 2 years old, eats well and has a varied diet, you can give her this milk. For babies under 5 years old, you should not give skim milk to your baby. In addition, you should not give your baby coffee, because coffee reduces calcium absorption.

5. Cereals

Cereals (starches) are a source of energy for babies to learn and play every day. You should make sure your baby's main meals are always full of carbohydrates. In addition to rice, vermicelli, pho, noodles, pasta, you can feed your baby sweet potatoes, boiled corn, mashed potatoes, bread, pasta ... if your baby likes.

The amount of cereal that your baby should eat each day is about 3-5 servings, divided equally among three meals.

6. Vegetables and fruits

This is a source of vitamins and minerals necessary for children. You should give your baby fresh fruits and vegetables according to the season to have the highest source of nutrients and somewhat limit the residue of plant protection drugs.

The amount of vegetables and fruits in your baby's daily diet should be about 5-7 servings. Make sure your baby's meals include this food group. If your baby does not like to eat vegetables, you should replace it with fruit and vice versa. Vegetables and fruits good for babies include: oranges, apples, pears, carrots, spinach ... because they are rich in vitamins.

7. Water and other beverages

Your baby needs to drink at least 1.3 liters of water, milk and juice every day (equivalent to 6 cups of water) or more in hot weather or when he is active. You should not let your baby drink juice instead of water.

If you give your baby juice, make sure the juice has been diluted 1: 5 with no added sugar. Fruit juices are acidic and contain natural sugars, which you should give them with meals. You should not give them carbonated drinks because they contain a lot of sugar and acids, which are harmful to teeth.

In addition to a balanced and nutritious diet, encourage your child to be active. Children at this age need to be able to exercise freely for about an hour each day to develop physically and mentally.

Nutrition pyramid for children from 6 to 11 years old

At this age, children are in primary school and begin to enter pre-puberty, even if they have started puberty. Children need about 1,350 - 2,200 kcal / day, often needing to eat more foods than before. It is also important for children to eat snacks between meals, as these snacks can contribute up to a third of a day's calorie intake. However, you should remind your child that instead of choosing to eat snacks, cakes, carbonated drinks ... choose healthy foods such as fruit, milk, sandwiches, cheese, biscuits ...

Children at this age have formed eating habits. Babies usually eat 4-5 times / day, including snacks. To have a balanced diet for children 6-11 years old, need to comply with the following criteria:

1. Salt, sugar

Children need to limit their consumption of sugar and salt. Children 6–11 years old should only consume no more than 15g of sugar and no more than 4g of salt a day. In natural foods such as meat, fish, and vegetables, there is also a certain amount of salt and sugar.

2. Fat

Fat is not a food group but contains essential nutrients, especially fat pressed from nuts such as peanuts, soybeans, sunflower ...

Note: The amount of grease in the daily diet of children 6-11 years old is classified by age groups as follows:

6 - 7 years old: 5 servings

8 - 9 years old: 5.5 servings

10 - 11 years old: 6 parts

One part fat is equal to 5g fat (about 1 teaspoon), one part oil is equal to 5ml cooking oil (about 2 teaspoons).

3. Protein

Protein is the source of energy for the body, helping to form tissue masses. Pork, poultry, fish, shrimp, eggs are the most common foods that provide protein for the body. Legumes such as chickpeas, black beans, and peas, along with soy products (such as tofu, soy milk, and tofu) are a rich source of plant-based protein.

Limit your child to eat fried meats that contain high amounts of saturated fat to avoid uncontrollable weight gain and increase the risk of heart disease . Instead, choose chicken and fish. Always make sure your baby is eating shrimp, fish (seafood) and legumes at least two days a week so that he or she gets protein from these sources. If you want your child to have a low-fat diet, feed him mackerel, salmon, and herring.

The amount of meat, seafood, eggs and protein-rich seeds in the daily diet of 6-11 year old children classified by age groups are as follows:

6 - 7 years old: 4 parts

8 - 9 years old: 5 servings

10 - 11 years old: 6 parts

Note: In your baby's daily diet, a portion of meat, seafood, eggs ... and protein-rich seeds provide 7g of equivalent protein:

Lean pork: 38g

Beef: 34g

Chicken with bones: 71g

Tofu: 71g (about 1 piece)

Sea shrimp: 87g

Fish fillet: 44g

Chicken or duck eggs: 1.

4. Milk and dairy products

You choose to buy milk and dairy products with the criteria of non-fat or low-fat, high-calcium content for your baby. Children at this age are developing skeletal system, so they need more calcium.

The amount of milk and milk products of children 6-11 years old according to the daily diet is classified by age groups as follows:

6 - 7 years old: 4 - 5 servings

8 - 9 years old: 5 servings

10 - 11 years old: 6 parts

One serving of milk and dairy products provides 100mg of calcium equivalent: 1 piece of cheese weighs 15g or 1 cup of 100ml milk or 1 100g yogurt box.

5. Starch

More than half of the cereal-derived foods your baby eats should be whole grains to ensure your baby gets the highest amount of nutrients.

The amount of cereals and cereal products in the diets of children 6–11 years old:

6–7 years: 8 - 9 servings

8–9 years: 10 - 11 servings.

10–11 years: 12 - 13 parts.

One serving of cereals and cereal products provides 20 grams of glucide, which is equivalent to:

Rice: 1/2 bowl of rice about 55g

Pho: 1/2 small bowl about 60g

Noodles: 1/2 small bowl, about 80g

Bread: 1/2 loaf about 38g

Corn: 1 boiled corn, about 122g.

6. Vegetables and fruits

Vegetables

Vegetables are rich in essential nutrients. You should choose fresh vegetables and can be eaten raw and cooked depending on each type of vegetable or child's eating habits. Vegetables are rich in vitamins, fiber that helps to purify the body. Your child's daily meals should contain at least two or three different types of vegetables. Choose colorful vegetables to stimulate your baby's eyesight, helping your baby eat better.

One serving of vegetables is equivalent to 100g. The quantity of vegetables of children 6-11 years old is classified according to the following age groups:

6 - 7 years old: 2 parts.

8 - 9 years old: 2 - 2.5 servings

10 - 11 years old: 3 servings

Fruit

Many studies have shown that people who eat fruit regularly reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers, type 2 diabetes . A quarter of your child's daily diet should have one of the fruits like bananas and oranges, watermelon, dragon fruit, apple ...

Fruit is a source of vitamin C and many other vitamins and minerals and nutrients that are essential for a child's growth. You should feed your baby fruit according to the season to ensure that the fruit is always fresh and somewhat limited residue of plant protection drugs. You can feed the whole fruit or cut it according to your child's needs and preferences.

If your baby does not like to eat fruit, give him juice instead. Pure fruit juice is counted as part of the fruit group. You should avoid adding sugar, cream ... to the juice because they can be bad for your baby's health.

The amount of ripe fruit / fruit in the diet of 6-11 year old children is classified by age groups as follows:

6 - 7 years old: 1.5 - 2 servings

8 - 9 years old: 2 parts

10 - 11 years old: 2 - 2.5 servings

7. Water and liquid drinks

Every day, children 6-11 years old need to drink an average of 1,300 - 1,500ml including water, milk and juice, equivalent to 6-8 glasses of water per day for a healthy body and good metabolism.

In addition to milk and juice, you should give your child water to drink boiled and cooled. Restricting children to drink carbonated drinks, soft drinks and sugary beverages because they are rich in energy but have very low nutritional content increases the risk of obesity in children.

In addition to a balanced and scientific diet, your baby needs at least 1 hour of physical activity per day to have a healthy diet. Exercise time can be divided into several times a day. You should encourage your child to run, jump, kick a ball, play chase, jump rope, kick ball ... to increase flexibility, speed, flexible response and coordination.

Hopefully the article has provided you with a lot of useful information around building a nutritional pyramid for your baby to have a balanced diet and healthy physical activity.