How will healthy eating and physical activity help my child?

All children benefit from healthy eating and physical activity. A balanced diet and being physically active help children:

• Grow
• Learn
• Build strong bones and muscles
• Have energy
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Avoid obesity-related diseases like type 2 diabetes
• Get plenty of nutrients.
• Feel good about themselves.

What should my child eat?

Just like adults, children need to eat a wide variety of foods for good health.

In January 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jointly released the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These new guidelines outline recommendations to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease through nutritious eating and physical activity.

The new guidelines encourage Americans over 2 years of age to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods. Recommended items include fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and whole grains. The guidelines also recommend a diet low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Sources of Calcium

Calcium helps build strong bones and teeth. Milk and milk products are great sources of calcium. If your child cannot digest milk or if you choose not to serve milk products, there are other ways to make sure he or she gets enough calcium.

• Serve calcium-rich vegetables like broccoli, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, and brussels sprouts.
• Include high-calcium beans like great northern beans, black turtle beans, navy beans, and baked beans in casseroles and salads.
• Try calcium-enriched soy- and rice-based drinks. Serve chilled, use in place of cow’s milk in your favorite recipes, or add to hot or cold cereals.
• Serve lactose-reduced or lactose-free dairy products like low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and ice cream. (Lactose is the sugar in milk and foods made with milk. People who cannot digest lactose often have stomach pain and bloating when they drink milk.)
• Try low-fat yogurt or cheese in small amounts—they may be easier to digest than milk.

How can I help my child eat better?

• Give your child a snack or two in addition to his or her three daily meals.
• Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as grains, vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat or beans.
• Serve snacks like dried fruit, low-fat yogurt, and air-popped popcorn.
• Let your child decide whether and how much to eat. Keep serving new foods even if your child does not eat them at first.
• Cook with less fat—bake, roast, or poach foods instead of frying.
• Limit the amount of added sugar in your child’s diet. Choose cereals with low or no added sugar. Serve water or low-fat milk more often than sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavored drinks.
• Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children may be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.
• Have family meals together and serve everyone the same thing.
• Do not be too strict. In small amounts, sweets or food from fast-food restaurants can still have a place in a healthy diet.
• Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast provides children with the energy they need to listen and learn in school.

Simple Snack Ideas

• Dried fruit and nut mix
• Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables or fruit served plain or with low-fat yogurt
• Rice cakes, whole-grain crackers, or whole-grain bread served with low-fat cheese, fruit spread, peanut butter, almond butter, or soy nut butter
• Pretzels or air-popped popcorn sprinkled with salt-free seasoning mix
• Homemade fruit smoothie made with low-fat milk or yogurt and frozen or fresh fruit
• Dry cereals served plain or with low-fat or fat-free milk

What if my child is overweight?

Children who are overweight are more likely to become overweight adults. They may develop type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses that can follow them into adulthood. Overweight in children can also lead to stress, sadness, and low self-esteem.

Because children grow at different rates at different times, it is not always easy to tell if a child is overweight. For example, it is normal for boys to have a growth spurt in weight and catch up in height later. Your health care provider can measure your child’s height and weight and tell you if your child is in a healthy range for his or her gender and age. If your provider finds that your child is overweight, you can help.

How can I help my overweight child?

• Do not put your child on a weight-loss diet unless your health care provider tells you to. Limiting what children eat may interfere with their growth.
• Involve the whole family in building healthy eating and physical activity habits. It benefits everyone and does not single out the child who is overweight.
• Accept and love your child at any weight. It will boost his or her self-esteem.
• Help your child find ways other than food to handle setbacks or successes.
• Talk with your health care provider if you are concerned about your child’s eating habits or weight.

The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) is a national information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health, which is the Federal Government’s lead agency responsible for biomedical research on nutrition and obesity. Authorized by Congress (Public Law 103-43), WIN provides the general public, health professionals, the media, and Congress with up-to-date, science-based health information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues.

Publications produced by WIN are reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts. This publication was also reviewed by Lisa Kelly, M.P.H., R.D., International Food Information Council.