Rainbow Blog

Serving Sizes for Kids

posted by: Kia

There is a lot of confusion as to what exactly is a serving size and how it changes depending on age. We all have heard that we need 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day but just how much is that? It sounds like a lot but in reality it is an achievable daily amount!

I think there are two ways to go about this:

1. Be exact by following specific serving size requirements such as the ones put together on this site http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/quantit-eng.php or this site http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/nutrition-howmuch.asp

2. Start off by just focus on getting your children to eat their fruits and veggies and not being too worried about the exact amount they are getting. As they become expert produce eaters then you can start focusing on the exact serving size requirements! As a general guide to portion size for toddlers’ nutritional needs, offer one tablespoon of each food for every year of age. For kids, a serving is about the same size as their fist

There is merit in both ways so do what works best for you and your family!

Happy Healthy Eating,
Kia