6 dietary guidelines for children and teenagers

Snacks, no breakfast, excess sugary drinks, snacks ... are bad eating habits that contribute to the occurrence of overweight.

Here are some dietary guidelines to cover more than just the nutritional needs of your children and teenagers.
The nutritional needs of children and teens
Nutrient intakes should cover energy needs and ensure both growth.

Energy needs of children and teens 4-17 years range from 1750 to 2500 calories, but these values ​​are adjusted according to the age, height and physical activity of each child.

The daily intake should include:

protein (11-15% of total energy intake)
carbohydrates (50-55%)
lipids (30-35%),
and vitamins and minerals.
This division into these different nutritional categories are not necessarily easy to apply, here are some pointers to help you.

6 dietary guidelines
A milk product with every meal.
Equivalences: 1/4 liter of milk yogurt = 2 = 80 g = 60 g camembert county.
In girls and young women, adequate calcium intake is very important to prevent later osteoporosis risk.
Be aware that peak bone mass is reached at 20 years.
Milk and dairy products are the best sources of calcium.

A portion of animal protein per day (meat, fish, egg)
Specifically, it is recommended per day (10 g meat, fish or egg) per year of age + 10 g,
ie for example: 40 g of meat per day for a child 3 years old and 80 g for a 7 year old (preferably one serving per day).

Five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Whatever their presentation: fresh, frozen, canned.

A serving is about 80 grams of fruit or vegetable, including:
A half plate of vegetables or a small plate of salad or a bowl of vegetable soup;

A typical fruit apple, pear, orange or two fruits like apricot, tangerine, kiwi or a handful of berries like strawberries, cherries, lychees ...

Starchy foods at each meal.
Bread, pasta, rice, pulses, potatoes.

Limit sugar without demonizing.
Sugar should be a festive food, reserved for special occasions.
It should not be demonized, but we must avoid excess and do not get the children to sweet taste.
This is often what happens with sweets and more with sugary drinks consumed daily.

Give drink water.
This is the only drink needed by the body, without the addition of sugar as fruit juice or syrup.
6 These benchmarks are set up rhythmically in the day, that is to say around 3 meals per day (breakfast is a real meal) and a snack.