A healthy, balanced diet offers your preschooler the nutrients she needs to develop properly. Offering nutritional foods helps her learn to enjoy the healthy foods, establishing healthy eating habits at an early age. A positive attitude at mealtime without power struggles over eating may encourage your child to try new healthy foods.
Whole Grains
A preschool child needs between six and 11 servings of grains per day, according to the National Network for Child Care. Whole grains provide the most nutrition for your preschooler, including fiber, minerals and vitamins. Whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain cereal, oatmeal, whole wheat toast and muffins are examples of food that fit into this category. Try different toppings for the breads to give your preschooler variety. Fruit and nut butters add flavor to oatmeal and other hot cereals.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables also offer a variety of vitamins and minerals essential for a growing child's development. Produce provides a preschooler with dietary fiber, with the amount varying depending on the specific fruit or vegetable served. The National Network for Child Care recommends three to five vegetable servings and two to four fruit servings for a preschool-aged child. A vegetable serving size for this age group is 1/4 cup, whether cooked or raw. Leafy vegetable servings are 1/2 cup. A half of a fruit, 1/4 cup cooked or canned fruit, or 1/2 cup 100 percent fruit juice qualifies as a serving.
Dairy
Dairy products supply the much-needed calcium that supports bone growth in preschoolers. Milk also contains protein. Four servings of dairy food satisfies your preschooler's daily needs. The National Network for Child Care lists a dairy serving size as 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of yogurt or 3/4 ounce of cheese. Dairy products work well at snack time or as a side dish at a meal. Combine cheese with deli meat and crackers for a well-rounded snack.
Lean Protein
Protein sources, such as poultry, meat, fish, beans and eggs, help fuel your child's body. Many of these food items also provide iron, which helps your child avoid iron-deficiency anemia. Aim for about three to five servings of lean proteins for your preschool child. An ounce of meat, half an egg, 1/2 cup of beans or 2 tablespoons of nut butter constitute one serving.
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