Nutritionists strive to get the message out that there is no one diet that is appropriate for all children. Whether your child is healthy or has been determined to be overweight, Dr. Francine Kaufman recommends parents focus on an overall healthy eating plan which limits empty calories and focuses on nutrient-packed foods.
Kids Nutrition
Founded at the Baylor College of Medicine, the Children's Nutrition Research Center focuses on the growth and nutritional needs of children. Its free website is packed full of educational materials and games to help kids choose healthy foods, and control the portion sizes of the foods they eat. This site features several calculators for kids, and one for parents too. The Kid Energy Needs Calculator allows parents to input their child's gender, age, height and current weight. The calculator then presents a balanced eating plan, complete with the number of calories needed each day to maintain healthy growth.
Keep Kids Healthy
Keep Kids Healthy is an online resource for parents and caregivers. It explains the food pyramid and has separate sections for nutritional needs of children at different ages. Other resources offered by Keep Kids Healthy include information on breastfeeding, eating disorders and a guide to the causes of childhood obesity.
MyPyramid for Kids
Created by the United States Department of Agriculture, the My Pyramid food guides break down foods into categories. The guide educates parents, teachers and children about healthy food choices, eating the right amount from each food group and also teaches portion control. The My Pyramid Blast Off game lets children design a daily eating plan to power their space ship. Kids have to balance servings of healthy foods, treats and even total calories to blast off to Planet Power.
Nourish Interactive
Just like the title implies, this site is totally interactive. It even features a talking Food Pyramid that explains the food groups in a child-friendly way. Games on this site teach kids the importance of foods, how to plan meals and how to identify foods within each food group.
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