Healthy Eating Options for Fueling Your Child

Woman eating a strawberry while sitting at a table with others.

Healthy Eating Options

“You’ve likely heard the old adage before: ‘You are what you eat!’ When I ask my students about their breakfast, I often hear responses like ‘A Pop Tart,’ ‘A piece of toast,’ ‘A glass of O.J.,’ or even ‘I don’t eat breakfast.'”

That tells me they aren’t what they don’t eat. They aren’t nourished with a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. They aren’t filled with nutrition that will provide them with energy to sustain their mental and physical well-being throughout the school day.

Imagine children who are asked to be on task throughout the day and don’t have the energy to do so. It’s a struggle for them. It’s like driving in your car with very little gas and expecting it to carry you on a long-distance road trip for the next seven or so hours. It’s not going to happen.

Later on in the school day, when I ask many of my students what their lunches consist of, I often hear things like a can of soda, a bag of chips, a box of cookies, and some ice cream. The myth is that kids can get away with a poor diet more so than adults.

Children need fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy. Their nutrition is based on the same principles as that of adults, with the only difference being the amount of specific nutrients required at certain ages.

So what is the best diet for your child?

Based on the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans²:

Children 4-8 years old require 1200-1600 calories/day*
Children 9-13 years old require 1600-2200 calories/day*
Children 14-18 years old require 2000-2800 calories/day*

*These values depend on physical activity levels (the greater the levels, the more calories required; males require more calories than females). Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2020 – 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov.

“A healthy outside starts from the inside.” ~Robert Urich (American actor)

Next Steps for Healthy Eating

There is no one diet-fits-all approach for kids. You will find what works best for your child through trial and error. However, getting your child into a healthy eating pattern starts with promoting healthy choices. This can be done by providing different healthy options each week, encouraging a wide variety of healthy foods, and stocking your homes with only those healthy options.

I recommend reading up on the current dietary guidelines to determine the specific nutrients that are essential during certain milestone years of childhood and adolescence. Lastly, your actions outweigh your words. Setting a good example can go a long way toward helping your children see and ultimately make healthy choices on their own as they get older.

Douglas Haddad is an award-winning educator and best-selling author. You can go online or to a local bookstore and order his best-selling-book The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens: Strategies for Unlocking Your Child’s Full Potential, you will find specific strategies to help guide your child with time management, setting goals, and motivation to achieve greatness in their life. www.douglashaddad.com

https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/article/benefits-of-special-diets-for-special-needs-children/

https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/article/popular-gluten-freecasein-free-products/

https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/article/dinners-on-how-to-cook-once-and-feed-all-eaters/

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This post originally appeared in our May/June 2018 Magazine, Update 2023

Healthy Eating Options for Fueling Your Child

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