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Preschoolers are children ranging from ages 3-5 years old.

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Preschoolers are children ranging from ages 3-5 years old.

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This article gives basic nutrition guidelines for children& displays the correct amount of daily nutrients needed per food group, specific to age and gender.

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Nutrition for kids: Guidelines for a healthy diet

You want your child to eat healthy foods, but do you know which nutrients are necessary and in what amounts? Here's a quick overview.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Introduction

Nutrition for kids is based on the same principles as nutrition for adults. Everyone needs the same types of nutrients - such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Children, however, need different amounts of specific nutrients at different ages.

So what's the best formula to fuel your child's growth and development? Check out these nutrition basics for girls and boys at various ages, based on the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Consider these nutrient-dense foods:

Protein. Choose seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.

Fruits. Encourage your child to eat a variety of fresh, canned, frozen or dried fruits - rather than fruit juice. If your child drinks juice, make sure it's 100 percent juice without added sugars and limit his or her servings. Look for canned fruit that says it's light or packed in its own juice, meaning it's low in added sugar. Keep in mind that one-quarter cup of dried fruit counts as one cup-equivalent of fruit. When consumed in excess, dried fruits can contribute extra calories.

Vegetables. Serve a variety of fresh, canned, frozen or dried vegetables. Aim to provide a variety of vegetables, including dark green, red and orange, beans and peas, starchy and others, each week. When selecting canned or frozen vegetables, look for options lower in sodium.

Grains. Choose whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, or brown or wild rice. Limit refined grains such as white bread, pasta and rice.

Dairy. Encourage your child to eat and drink fat-free or low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese or fortified soy beverages.

Aim to limit your child's calories from:

Added sugar. Limit added sugars. Naturally occurring sugars, such as those in fruit and milk, are not added sugars. Examples of added sugars include brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, honey and others.

Saturated and trans fats. Limit saturated fats - fats that mainly come from animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. Look for ways to replace saturated fats with vegetable and nut oils, which provide essential fatty acids and vitamin E. Healthier fats are also naturally present in olives, nuts, avocados and seafood. Limit trans fats by avoiding foods that contain partially hydrogenated oil.

If you have questions about nutrition for kids or specific concerns about your child's diet, talk to your child's doctor or a registered dietitian.

See more In-depth

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What nutrients does your child need now?

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You want your child to eat healthy foods, but do you know which nutrients are necessary and in what amounts? Here's a quick overview. By Mayo Clinic Staff Nutrition for kids is based on the same principles as nutrition for adults. Everyone needs the same types of nutrients - such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and fat.

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This page helped us find all the essential nutrients a preschooler needs in their diet in order to grow in the right way and eat healthy meals with good nutrients.

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Blend Images/Veer

Every parent has heard that children should be eating a "balanced diet." But a balance of what? Here are the nine nutrients that every child should be getting on a daily basis:

1. Protein

Protein helps a child's body build cells, break down food into energy, fight infection, and carry oxygen. Foods that contain high levels of protein include:

2. Carbohydrates

While the latest diet trend is to "cut the carbs," carbohydrates are actually the body's most important source of energy. They help a child's body to use fat and protein for building and repairing tissue. Carbohydrates come in several different forms (sugars, starches, and fiber), but kids should be eating more of the starches and fibers and less of the sugar. Foods that contain high levels of carbohydrates include:

3. Fats

Fats are a great source of energy for kids and are easily stored in a child's body. They are also important in helping the body to properly use some of the other nutrients it needs. Foods that contain high levels of fats include:

4. Calcium

Calcium is essential in helping to build a child's healthy bones and teeth. It's also important for blood clotting and for nerve, muscle, and heart function. Foods that contain high levels of calcium include:

5. Iron

Iron is necessary for a child to build healthy blood that carries oxygen to cells all over the body. Foods that contain high levels of iron include:

6. Folate

Folate, necessary for soon-to-be moms, is also very important for kids. One of the B vitamins, folate is necessary for healthy growth and development of a child's cells. Lack of this vitamin can cause anemia. Foods that contain high levels of folate include:

Whole-grain cereals

Lentils

Chickpeas

Asparagus

Spinach

Black or kidney beans

Brussels sprouts

7. Fiber

Fiber helps produce bowel regularity in a child. It can also play a role in reducing the chances of heart disease and cancer later in life. Foods that contain high levels of fiber include:

8. Vitamin A

Vitamin A serves a variety of purposes in kids and adults. It helps growth, assists the eyes in adjusting to dim and bright lights, keeps skin healthy, and works to prevent infection. Foods that contain high levels of Vitamin A include:

9. Vitamin C

Vitamin C does more than just fighting off the common cold. It also holds the body's cells together, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, helps the body heal wounds, and is important for building strong bones and teeth. Foods that contain high levels of Vitamin C include:

Sources: The Nemours Foundation; National Network for Child Care; Meals That Heal for Babies, Toddlers, and Children; U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The information on this Web site is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child's condition.

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Every parent has heard that children should be eating a "balanced diet." But a balance of what? Here are the nine nutrients that every child should be getting on a daily basis: 1. Protein Protein helps a child's body build cells, break down food into energy, fight infection, and carry oxygen.

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This article showed how unhealthy diets can effect a child's diet in tremendous ways. Just by what a kid puts in their mouth can effect them as adults. This article shows us to be careful about what we eat.

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Kids with unhealthy eating habits often exhibit a failure to thrive.

Childhood is a time of critical growth in which proper nutrition is absolutely necesary. Children who have poor diets -- whether because of a lack of food or because of patterns of eating that lead to inadequate intake of nutrients -- are prone to significant short-term and long-term health impacts and diseases. Children afflicted by sustained poor nutrition are at greater risk for obesity, mental and emotional health problems, and a failure to thrive academically.

Poor nutrition is one of the leading causes of obesity in children, a condition which can be very dangerous and lead to a lifetime of health complications. The Children's Defense Fund notes children in families with insufficient access to nutritious foods are in fact significantly more likely to be obese in early childhood than other children. This is the result of excessive calorie intake and an emphasis on foods that have high levels of fat, sugar and sodium. This is especially true of children who regularly consume fast food. Once the groundwork for these habits is formed, children tend to perpetuate them. According to the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, obesity in children can lead to conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and a variety of other health problems. Obesity can also result in a negative self-image, eating disorders, a decreased quality of life and other long-term psychosocial problems that are extremely difficult to reverse.

Mental and Emotional Health

According to the Children's Defense Fund, children who do not have access to proper nutrition are much more likely to suffer from psychological disorders, such as anxiety or learning disabilities. These children are also significantly more likely to require mental health counseling. Poor nutrition negatively impacts a child's ability to develop properly and adapt normally to certain situations. A study in the "Indian Journal of Psychiatry" in 2008 noted a link between iron deficiency and hyperactivity disorders in children. Iodine deficiency has also been linked to some developmental impairments. Certain nutritional habits that children may be prone to, such as skipping meals or overindulging in sugary foods, have also been linked to depression. Additionally, these mental and emotional health problems in children are often reinforced by obesity and low self-esteem, which may be the result of poor nutrition.

Data taken from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed children with poor nutrition are more likely to miss days of school and be required to repeat grades. When a child does not get the required amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for health, it could lead to lethargy, a lack of energy and a general failure to thrive. The World Bank notes an association between improper childhood nutrition and lower IQ levels as well. These children are also more likely to be suspended and have difficulty maintaining friendships, in part due to their behavioral problems. A failure to thrive academically and socially, resulting from improper nutrition, can have lasting impacts throughout a person's life if it's not corrected early.

Poor nutrition and obesity have the potential to result in many long-term, chronic illnesses. One of these conditions is type 2 diabetes, which is preventable with healthy lifestyle changes. Unchecked type 2 diabetes, resulting from poor nutrition in childhood, can lead to a lifetime of problems including heart disease, stroke, limb amputation and blindness, in addition to extreme financial burden. Poor nutrition in childhood also has the potential to negatively impact a person's reproductive health. Poor nutrition also influences the development of high blood pressure, stroke, cancers and heart disease. Ingrained eating habits that lead to these diseases are very difficult to reverse.

About the Author

Alissa Fleck is a contributing writer for several community newspapers in New York City. She writes book reviews for an online magazine and hosts a monthly reading series. Fleck has also interned at a literary agency and worked as a university teaching assistant. She holds a B.A. in English and an M.F.A. in creative writing.

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Childhood is a time of critical growth in which proper nutrition is absolutely necesary. Children who have poor diets -- whether because of a lack of food or because of patterns of eating that lead to inadequate intake of nutrients -- are prone to significant short-term and long-term health impacts and diseases.

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Energy Bite: These snacks are a perfect on-the-go treat that still contain the necessary nutrients to help a child have sustainable energy.

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Energy Bite: These snacks are a perfect on-the-go treat that still contain the necessary nutrients to help a child have sustainable energy.

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5 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER ENERGY BITES
PREP TIME: 10 MINS TOTAL TIME: 10 MINS
SERVES: 12 BITES

No Bake 5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Energy Bites. Loaded with old fashioned oats, peanut butter and flax seeds. A healthy protein packed breakfast or snack!

INGREDIENTS
⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup old fashioned oats
½ cup ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes so they are easier to roll.
Roll into 12 bites and store in the fridge for up to a week.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving size: 1
Calories: 185
Saturated fat: 2.2 g
Carbohydrates: 17.6 g
Sugar: 6.1 g
Sodium: 69 mg
Fiber: 3.6 g
Protein: 6.3 g

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We used this cite to see how essential vitamins are to a child's diet. It showed that a child must have vitamins starting at a young age, so their bones and teeth develop properly.

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We all need a variety of vitamins and minerals to be at our healthiest, and for the most part we can count on getting them through eating a balanced diet. What you may not know is that vitamin D, which delivers a variety of health benefits and is especially important for children's growing bodies, is present in only a few kinds of foods. For this reason, it's important to be aware of the ways in which your child can get enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D and Children's Health
Both adults and children need two kinds of vitamin D in order to maintain a healthy body. Those are ergocalciferol (vitamin D2), which is made by plants, and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), which is made by the human body when the skin is exposed to UVB rays from the sun. Both D2 and D3 assist in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the diet into the bloodstream, which aids significantly in building and maintaining strong bones.

"What vitamin D does is allow us to use the calcium that we eat," says Daniel J. Raiten, PhD, Program Officer of the Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Growth Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Md. "You get [calcium] from food and vitamin D is involved in getting it absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract."
Vitamin D: Dairy Foods and Other Sources
Vitamin D can be found in a select number of foods including fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, and fortified milk, cereal, and juices. Smaller amounts are found in eggs, beef, and cheese.

"Vitamin D is fat soluble, just like vitamins A, E, and K," says Raiten. "In order to be absorbed, they usually need to be associated with fat or oil. That's why dairy is ideal for fortification - the addition of vitamin D; it has dairy fat." Now juices and cereals can be fortified with vitamin D. If your child doesn't like dairy products, those fortified foods are a good way to get a dose of the vitamin.

It is especially important that infants who are breast-fed and who don't get supplemental formula get vitamin D drops. This is because human breast milk does not supply vitamin D to your baby. Children who drink fortified cows milk get 100 IU of vitamin D per cup, or 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance.

A potentially good source of vitamin D is exposure to sunlight, between 10 and 20 minutes a day on bare skin. Of course, UV rays have also been found to cause cancer, so sunlight is a somewhat controversial means of getting the nutrient (your body does not make vitamin D if you're wearing sunscreen). The color of your child's skin, the amount of cloud cover, and your geographic latitude can also decrease the amount of vitamin D your child will make from the sun, so it is an unreliable way to get vitamin D, especially in the winter and in northern areas.
Vitamin D: Healthy Bones Now, Healthy Bones Later
Children with a vitamin D deficiency can get rickets, a disease that causes deformities in the skeleton. While vitamin D has historically been associated with strong bones, recent research has found that it may also be an important factor in maintaining a healthy immune system and warding off cancer, autoimmune diseases, and high blood pressure. "These studies are all preliminary so we don't know the cause and effect," says Dr. Raiten, "but they've led us to think about vitamin D in a broader way."

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently issued a statement recommending 400 IU as a recommended and safe daily intake for both infants and children, and that is the current official recommendation for children from 1 to 18 years old. To get this, your child needs to drink four cups of milk or eat six ounces of tuna.

When results of further vitamin D research are available, it is possible that this recommendation will change to even higher doses. However, it is not recommended that children get more than 2000 IU per day from the diet and supplements combined. For now, getting those 400 IU a day in conjunction with calcium will also set the stage to help maintain bone health in adult years and prevent osteoporosis, the bone thinning disease, later on.

Last reviewed: March 2, 2009 | Last updated: March 2, 2009

This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com.

© 2009 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.

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We all need a variety of vitamins and minerals to be at our healthiest, and for the most part we can count on getting them through eating a balanced diet. What you may not know is that vitamin D, which delivers a variety of health benefits and is especially important for children's growing bodies, is present in only a few kinds of foods.

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The reason that we chose this article was to help you get a better visual of what exactly a preschooler should be eating and an exact meal plan for all times during the day.

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Hopping, jumping, skipping, running, playing pretend or dress-up are all part of an active preschooler's life. Feeding your child healthy meals and snacks will help him stay active and keep ...

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Video Clip Promoting Healthy Diets For Preschoolers

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Video Clip Promoting Healthy Diets For Preschoolers

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How to promote healthy eating in your early childhood service.

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Short Term: A poor diet doesn't only effect a child's outward appearance, but effects their inward nutrition. Their educations are damaged by harmful diets. Children with unhealthy diets are known to miss a lot of school days due to sickness and lack of energy. This  results when children don't get the appropriate amount of minerals and vitamins.

Long Term: Poor nutrition in children can lead to potential health issues in adult years like obesity, type 2 diabetes, risk of a stroke, heart disease, high blood pressures, and cancer.

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By: Miranda, Ava, Brooke
& Lexi

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What do preschoolers need in their diet ?

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What do preschoolers need in their diet ?

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Preschoolers need a number of nutrients and vitamins, such as..
- Calcium for strong, healthy bones and teeth.
- Folate is used to help development and grow cells.
- Vitamin A helps keep skin healthy, as well as helping with the overall growth of a preschooler's body.
- Iron helps carry oxygen into the blood to stay healthy.
- Vitamin D is used to maintain a healthy body and assists in the absorption of calcium.

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Breakfast:  a small bowl yogurt, granola and strawberries.
Snack: graham cracker and cut up grapes.
Lunch: whole-grain crackers with cheese and turkey slices, half a banana and a glass of water.
Snack: cup of cottage cheese and peach slices.
Dinner: grilled cheese on whole-grain bread, with a cup of tomato soup, and a side of apple sauce.

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Breakfast: scrambled egg, half a piece of whole-grain toast & small glass of milk.
Snack: 5 slices of apple with tablespoon of peanut butter.
Lunch: half a peanut butter & jelly on whole-grain bread, orange slices, and a glass of 100% juice.
Snack: string cheese and pretzels.
Dinner: ham & cheese roll-ups, a dish of steamed carrots, a cup of  banana slices with a glass of milk.