- Eat regular meals and snacks: you should eat 3 meals and 2 snacks each day to help meet your calorie needs. you should also eat a variety of healthy foods to get the nutrients you need, and to maintain a healthy weight.
- Calcium . Calcium is needed to build strong bones. Children who are 9 to 18 years old need 1300 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. To get enough calcium, you should eat foods high in calcium. Good sources of calcium are low-fat dairy foods (milk, cheese, and yogurt). Other foods that contain calcium include tofu, kale, spinach, broccoli, almonds, and calcium-fortified orange juice.
HAVE THESE FOODS:
- Variety of fruits and vegetables. Half of your child's plate should contain fruits and vegetables. Buy fresh, canned, or dried fruit instead of fruit juice as often as possible. Offer more dark green, red, and orange vegetables. Dark green vegetables include broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, and collard greens. Examples of orange and red vegetables are carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and red peppers.
- Whole grain foods. Half of the grains your child eats each day should be whole grains. Whole grains include brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole grain cereals and breads.
- Low-fat dairy foods. Dairy foods are a good source of calcium. Dairy foods include milk, cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
- Lean meats, poultry, fish, and other healthy protein foods. Other healthy protein foods include legumes (such as beans), soy foods (such as tofu), and peanut butter. Bake, broil, and grill meat instead of frying it to reduce the amount of fat.
- Use healthy fats to prepare foods. Unsaturated fat is a healthy fat. It is found in foods such as soybean, canola, olive, and sunflower oils. It is also found in soft tub margarine that is made with liquid vegetable oil. Limit unhealthy fats such as saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. These are found in shortening, butter, stick margarine, and animal fat.
TRY TO HAVE AS LEAST AS POSSIBLE OF THIS:
- Foods high in fat and sugar do not have the nutrients your child needs to be healthy. Foods high in fat and sugar include snack foods (potato chips, candy, and other sweets), juice, fruit drinks, and soda. If you eat these foods too often, you may eat fewer healthy foods during mealtimes. you may also gain too much weight. You may not get enough iron and develop anemia (low levels of iron in your blood). Anemia can affect your growth and ability to learn. Iron is found in red meat, egg yolks, and fortified cereals, and breads.
- Caffeine is found in soft drinks, energy drinks, tea, coffee, and some over-the-counter medicines. You should limit your intake of caffeine to 100 mg or less each day. Caffeine can cause you to feel jittery, anxious, or dizzy. It can also cause headaches and trouble sleeping.