Raising healthy children under the nutrition pyramid

The tower is divided into groups of foods such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, etc., which indicates the level of nutrition to provide for developing the menu for the child.

Experts recommend the amount of food consumed, arranged in a pyramid shape to balance nutrition for each age group. The tower is divided into several layers, from the top to the bottom of the tower is the food group to provide in small or large quantities including salt, sugar, fat, protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, water. Your child's daily diet according to the nutritional pyramid needs all 4 basic groups including protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals.

Starch: the basic ingredient in a meal, provides a lot of energy for the body, including rice, corn, bread, sweet potatoes, pasta, noodles ... Sugar starch accounts for about 60-65% of the total energy. daily rations. Every gram of carbohydrate provides 4kcal of energy.

Nutrition pyramid is usually calculated by unit of food. A unit of cereal, potato tubers provide 20g of carbohydrates. Children 6-7 years old need 8-9 eating units (equivalent to 160-180g), 8-9 years old are 10-11 eating units (200-220g), 12-13 eating units for 10-11 year olds (240-260g).

The recommended nutrition pyramid helps to balance the nutrition of children from 6 to 11 years old according to the National Institute of Nutrition.

Vegetables and fruits: Providing a variety of vitamins and minerals, which contribute to the prevention of constipation and obesity, are encouraged to use. Because babies often do not like to eat vegetables leading to micronutrient deficiencies. Parents should enhance green vegetables (3-5 types of leafy vegetables and vegetables) in their children's diets, which can be processed with their favorite dishes, beautifully decorated, made smoothies ... A unit of vegetables leaves, fruits equivalent to 100g, children 6-7 years old need 200g (feeding unit), 8-9 years old is 200-250g (2-2.5 eating units), 10-11 years old is 300g (3 single taste). Fruits need variety to provide many nutrients.

Protein: including animal protein from meat, fish, eggs ...; Plant proteins like legumes, tofu. Chicken, beef, eggs ... provide a lot of iron, B vitamins. The percentage of obese children in Vietnam tends to increase in part because of the high protein in animal diet. Children are encouraged to eat a lot of fish such as mackerel, salmon ..., restricting fried meats. Children of different ages can eat 3-4 eggs a week. Milk and milk products (cheese, yogurt ...) are necessary for growing babies, so it is indispensable. Each serving (meat, seafood, eggs, protein-rich seeds ...) is equivalent to 7g of protein.

The food unit of some foods helps parents calculate food for children from 6 to 11 years old.

Fat: Young children need lots of fat because they provide a lot of energy and solvents dissolve vitamins A, D, and E. Plant-based fats are good for health, need to limit fat from fats animal. Children aged 0-5 months need about 40% of their dietary fat requirement, from 6 months to 2 years providing 30-40%, 3-5 years of age 25-35%, 6-14 years old need 20-30% .

Sugar, salt: the components need to be limited. Eating a lot of sugar increases the risk of diabetes, while a diet high in salt can cause heart disease. Every day children 6-11 years old should use less than 4g of salt, 15g of sugar per day,

Water: children need to drink enough water. 1.3 liters of water per day for babies 3-5 years old; 1.3-1.5 liters for children 6-11 years old.

Besides, practicing sports also helps your child exercise toughness, height, and health. According to the recommendations from the nutrition tower, children can be physically active about 60 minutes a day.

Susan Kevork, senior nutritionist in charge of Asia and Pacific, Nestlé Group, said the nutrition tower helps the community to choose food that provides enough nutrients, so it should be simple and easy to understand. The nutrition pyramid is popular in countries, used by public health organizations, government agencies, and nutrition experts to guide people in balancing food according to their recommended needs (RDA). The nutrition pyramid of Vietnam is very carefully made, clearly indicating how many grams of food are consumed per day for each age group.

Ms. Susan Kevork adds, besides the nutrition tower, the experts also made a nutrition dish that is easy to make, can be used for adults and children. If there is not much time, parents can apply this model to quickly estimate the amount of nutrients needed to provide for their children's meals.

The nutrition plate is divided into 4 parts including carbohydrates, protein, vegetables and fruits; each of which takes up a quarter of the plate. On the right side of the plate may be a small circle of recommendations for milk and milk products. Just like the recommendations of the nutrition pyramid, your child's meal needs a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially dark green and orange-yellow vegetables. The amount of greens can be greater than the fruits. Protein also includes eggs, fish, meat, legumes ...; Starch flour such as rice, oatmeal, sweet potato ... needs to be balanced according to needs.

The nutrition plate is divided into sections of vegetables, fruits, protein, and carbohydrates easily applied to meals.