Feeding kids well can feel challenging. Between school lunches, fussy eaters, after-school activities, growth spurts and a steady stream of conflicting advice online, there is a lot to juggle. From young children to busy teenagers, the amount of food they need will change, but the principles stay the same: start with a balanced foundation and adjust portion sizes as they grow and become more active.
Start with fruit and vegetables
5 to 7 servings a day
Many parents worry that their child doesn’t eat fruit and vegetables, or that they eat very little. Variety across the week is the goal, but if your child is eating some, you’re already doing well!
The aim is two to three servings of fruit a day, plus vegetables or salad at lunch and dinner. A good guide is for vegetables to make up around a third to a half of the plate. Give smaller portions to younger children and adult-sized portions to growing teens. Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh. Keep a bag of peas, broccoli or mixed vegetables in the freezer for busy days. Offer fruit with breakfast or as a snack during the day. Homemade smoothies can also be a great way to add fruit, especially for children who don’t enjoy eating it whole.
What counts as a serving?
Fruit
- 1 medium piece of fruit, for example, an apple, orange or banana
- 2 smaller pieces of fruit, for example, kiwis, plums or mandarin oranges
- Half of a large fruit, for example, a mango or avocado
- 150 ml of unsweetened fruit juice (best limited to once a day, with a meal, to protect children’s teeth; avoid juice for children under one)
- 6 strawberries, 10 grapes (cut into pieces for smaller children), or 16 raspberries or blueberries
- 30 g of dried fruit, such as raisins, apricots or sultanas (best eaten with meals)
Vegetables
- 3 dessertspoons of cooked vegetables
- 1 bowl of vegetable soup
- 1 bowl of salad, for example, lettuce, tomato and cucumber
- 3 dessertspoons of beans or lentils
- 1 dessertspoon of tomato purée
Breads, cereals and pasta
Some at every meal
These foods are a great source of carbohydrate, the body’s main source of energy. They’re particularly important for children, fuelling growing bodies, busy school days and after-school activities. Wholegrain versions, such as wholegrain bread and high-fibre cereals, also provide fibre, B vitamins, magnesium and iron.
Children need some carbohydrate-rich foods at every meal. This can be cereal or toast in the morning, a wrap or a sandwich at lunchtime, and potatoes or pasta at dinner. Try to move towards the higher-fibre or brown versions, such as wholemeal or wholegrain bread, brown rice and higher-fibre breakfast cereals. Younger children do not need as much fibre, but it is good to get them into the habit of choosing brown bread at lunch or porridge for breakfast.
Younger children need smaller portions of carbohydrate-rich foods than adults, typically about half as much. As a rough guide, pasta, rice or potatoes should fill around a third of their plate at lunch and dinner. Children who are very active may need bigger portions, an extra snack between meals, or both.
Dairy and calcium foods
3 to 5 servings a day
Calcium is important for growing bones and teeth, and children need plenty of calcium-rich foods every day. Milk, cheese and yoghurt are excellent sources of calcium. Plant-based milks, such as soya milk with added calcium, can also be good sources. Check the label to ensure that the product is fortified with calcium, as not all are. Although green vegetables do contain some calcium, it can be difficult to absorb, so it is best not to rely on green vegetables alone.
How much calcium?
Children aged 5 to 8 need three servings a day. Children and teens aged 9 to 18 need five servings a day. This is due to the rapid growth seen from around the age of 9. Children build about 90 per cent of their bone mass by the age of 19. It is important that they get all the calcium they need now to help keep their bones strong throughout adult life.
What counts as one serving?
- 200 ml milk or calcium-fortified soya milk
- 1 pot of yoghurt, around 125 g
- 1 bottle of yoghurt drink, 200 ml
- 25 g of cheese
Protein foods
Protein helps children grow, building healthy muscles and strong bones. Children do get small amounts of protein from carbohydrate foods such as bread, as well as from dairy foods like milk and yoghurt, but they do need specific protein foods too. Beef, lamb, pork, beans, lentils, tofu, chicken and eggs are all good sources of protein. Children should have a protein food at two meals every day. Protein foods can also be good sources of nutrients such as iron and B vitamins. Red meat, chicken legs, beans and lentils are all great sources of iron.
What is a serving of protein?
One serving is:
- 50 to 75 g of cooked meat or chicken
- 100 g of cooked fish, soya or tofu
- Three-quarters of a cup of beans or lentils, around 120 g
- 2 eggs
Healthy fats for kids
Children need fat in their diet every day. It’s just as important as protein or calcium. Most Irish children, though, get more than they need, and the type matters as much as the amount. Olive oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are the healthier choices for cooking. Use a dessertspoon to measure the oil: one or two dessertspoons are enough to cook most family meals or dress a salad. Try to limit saturated fats such as butter, coconut oil and ghee, as too much is linked to an increased risk of heart disease later in life. Getting children used to healthier oils early can help build a lasting habit.
Omega-3 fats
Oily fish such as salmon, trout and sardines are rich in omega-3 fats, particularly EPA and DHA. DHA is especially important for healthy brain development and eyesight. Not all children take to fish straight away, but there are lots of ways to introduce it: add plenty of flavour with herbs, spices and seasonings, or try fish in dishes such as fish pie, fish cakes or curries, where it can be easier to enjoy. There are also omega-3 fish fingers (such as Donegal Catch 10 Omega), which can be a useful starting point if your child is reluctant to try fresh fish, since most standard fish fingers are made from white fish, which contains very little omega-3.
School lunchbox ideas
A nutritious lunchbox doesn’t need to be elaborate or Instagram-perfect. The aim is to include four things:
- A carbohydrate: wholegrain bread, a wrap, a bagel, pitta bread, pasta, rice cakes or a cold pasta salad
- A protein: chicken, turkey, ham, a hard-boiled egg, hummus, tuna, cheese or yoghurt
- Fruit, vegetables or both: an easy-peel mandarin, a small apple, a banana, grapes, carrot or cucumber sticks, pepper strips or cherry tomatoes
- A drink: water or milk is best.
And remember, lunchboxes get repetitive. A simple sandwich they’ll actually eat is better than a fancy lunchbox that comes home untouched.
What about treat foods (or sometimes foods!)?
Foods such as biscuits, chocolate and crisps can be a lovely part of life, and it is fine for children to have them occasionally. Banning treat foods can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, so it is best not to make a big deal of them. If children are having these foods, choose smaller sizes, look for fun-size options and offer just one. This may look small to adult eyes, but in Ireland we do tend to eat more of these sometimes foods than is good for us.
These foods aren’t a problem in themselves. The issue is when they take up space that nourishing foods need. A child who fills up on biscuits or crisps before a meal is unlikely to be hungry for what comes next. So it’s less about cutting sugar and more about keeping space for children to eat nourishing foods that fuel growing, healthy bodies.