Bee-Z Foods for Bee-Z Kidz— Food Pyramid 101
By jennylee | Category: Recipes & Kitchen Tips
Welcome to a new series called ‘Bee-Z Foods for Bee-Z Kidz’©. As a certified nutrition specialist and inventor of the Bee-Z Snack Shop™, I know about the importance of having kids eat healthy foods and snacks but as a mom of two, a 5 and 2 year old, I also understand the struggle we as moms face in having them chose to eat foods that are good for them.
Through this blog and many more to come, I will share childrens nutritional information as well as fun and easy healthy recipes and fun food ideas for you and your child. To understand nutrition we must first start at the beginning with the food pyramid and what it means to our kids. Did you know that the food pyramid’s servings differ from children to adults? When it comes to kids, the food pyramid is divided into 5 categories: Grain, Vegetable, Fruit, Milk and Meat Groups.
Grain Group (6 servings)
Grain Group foods help give us carbohydrates which is very important for all of us but not as important as it is to our kids. Carbohydrates give our children the energy they need to play, learn, sleep and keep their bodies running 24-7, as we all know so well! Grain Group Foods, such as bread, muffins, bagels, cereals, rice, pasta, tortillas, crackers and pancakes, come from many different grain plants: "Whole-grains" like whole-wheat bread, also provide fiber and other substances that help keep them healthy.
Vegetable (3 servings) & Fruit Groups (2 servings)
Vegetables and fruits provide our kids with many different vitamins that result in many different ways that help their bodies grow big and strong. For example, Vitamin C, helps heal their cuts and fight infections, Fiber, helps them digest their food and Phytochemicals that help our children prevent disease. While Vitamin A help our children’s vision and keep their skin healthy.
Milk Group (2 servings)
Did you know our bodies have 206 bones that are alive and growing? Believe it or not, your kids will eventually have 32 permanent teeth! Milk Group foods provide calcium that helps build strong bones and teeth as well as stop bleeding if you get cut or bruised. They also provide other important nutrients for our children, including protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, and B vitamins.
Meat Group ( 2 servings) Meat Group foods help kids build strong muscles. Foods in this group provide protein and iron as well as carry oxygen to all parts of their bodies. Protein also makes energy to help get your child through busy days!
So why is understanding the food pyramid important for your child’s health? It can help us, as parents, become more aware of what guidelines to follow for our children nutritional needs but most importantly it helps us realize that the most important information one can take away from the food pyramid, specially when it comes to picky eaters like mine, is moderation. I personally would have a hard time to make my child eat 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit a day, every day! So knowing what the recommended servings are, help me become creative in how my little picky eaters can take it in. For example, I buy only 100 % juice with no added sugars or preservatives and offer it along with their lunch or snack.
Did you know 1 cup of orange juice, for example, is equal to two servings of fruit? Or if I serve broccoli, I sprinkle some cheese on top, covering one vegetable and one milk serving in one shot. The bottom line is that if my kids eat at least some veggies and fruit a day or during the week, and not necessarily meet the recommend servings every day, I feel like I still have accomplished a lot! Remember they are kids and we must willing to work with them and encourage food in a positive way and not as a punishment. In doing so, our kids will slowly want to try different types of food by themselves!
Jenny Lee
Proud mommy, certified nutrition specialist and founder of the Bee-Z Snack Shop™
www.Beezsnackshop.com
Sometimes I worry because my son wants so much FRUIT! I know – call me crazy – but really 2 plums and enough berries to cause an adult man toilet trouble all in one sitting?!! But, his tummy seems to handle it well and we only have diaper dilemas every so often…what’s your opinion on so much fruit??
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Dear Sue,
Thank you for your question! First of all congrats on getting your child to eat fruits in thefirst place! It is very commom for young children to get fixated on certain food items once in a while. It is part of their exhibiting independence and control of their world around them.
To answer your question the key is moderation. Evethough fruits are healthy for us they are still high in natural sugars and don’t provide us with other vitamins and minerals that meat for instance provide. Obviously if you had a choice of your child eating cookies or fruit, fruit would be best.
The only concern would be, like with any other food, eating to much of the same thing deplenishes the body from getting other important minerals and vitamins that other foods may otherwise help supply. In other words, eating too much fruit, makes him fill up, and therefore keeps him from eating a well balanced diet.
But again if he will only eat fruit or oreo cookies, fruit is the better alternative…..
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