The truth for all ages!

The children`s meals should include a variety of foods from each food group (breads and cereals, vegetables, fruits, meat and meat substitutes, milk and dairy products) in appropriate quantities in order to offer all the nutrients they need. The portion sizes are increased with age. To make sure that children prefer nutritious foods, they should be given limited access to sweets, soft drinks and sweet trade. However, the consumption of such foods should not be banned completely. Being an active person and practiced enough is essential to be able to enjoy some of these foods without gaining weight.

For healthy eating among children recently guidelines recommendations have been set, presented in “MyPyramid for Kids” at the Ministry of Agriculture of the United States (USDA) (see picture below). The pyramid is based on physical exercise to point out that both healthy eating and physical activity together define a healthy lifestyle for children. Moreover, according to the American Heart Association for children and adolescents, the diet should be based on fruits and vegetables, whole wheat products, dairy products with low or no fat (except dairy products for young children who must be full fat), beans, fish and fresh meat. In conclusion, they emphasize the low intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and foods with added sugar and salt. The proportion of calorie intake and physical activity is good to maintain a normal weight and also to provide sufficient quantities of trace elements.
The consumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables enriches the diet of children with important plant nutrients, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants that are essential for a healthy diet, while enhancing significantly the development of mechanisms of defence against chronic diseases.