Healthy Foods For Kids To Eat

A balanced diet of healthy foods provides your child with essential fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals for normal development and growth. By knowing the recommended daily servings of food groups and what foods to choose, you can make healthy choices about your child's health. The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, suggests children limit beverages and foods with sugar as the main ingredient. Instead, they should eat more whole grains, vegetables, fruits and dairy products.

Vegetables

You child's diet should include a variety of vegetables. The daily recommendation depends on the level of physical activity, gender and age. The recommended daily allowance, or RDA, is 3 cups of vegetables for teenage boys, 2 1/2 for adolescent girls and 1 cup for toddlers, notes the USDA. Good dark green vegetables are spinach, bok choy and broccoli. Kid-friendly vegetables include corn, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes and carrots. Beans such as black-eyed peas, pinto beans and lentils are also options. One cup of cooked or raw vegetables each count as a serving.

Fruits

Children up to 8 years of age need 1 cup of fruit daily. According to the USDA, the recommended daily allowance increases for boys and girls to 1 1/2 cups. Any fruit, either dried, frozen, canned, raw or 100 percent fruit juice, belong to this group. Fruits such as bananas, grapes, diced watermelon, dried apricots and raisins make for healthy snacks.

Grains

Any cereal, bread, cracker or pasta that is made from oats, barley, cornmeal, wheat or rice is considered grain sourced. Although the bran and germ are removed from refined grains, whole grains contain the entire grain. Good sources of kid-friendly whole grains include oatmeal, whole-wheat cereals, whole-wheat bread, popcorn and brown rice. The USDA reports that 3 ounces of whole grains are recommended for children 2 to 3 years, 5 ounces for children 4 to 8 years and 5 to 6 ounces of daily grains once they reach adolescence. When choosing grain sources, select whole or multigrains.

Dairy

Calcium is important for healthy bone development. It should be incorporated into your child's diet on a regular basis. KidsHealth.org notes that children up to 8 years of age should consume 2 cups of milk daily. During adolescence and teen years, both girls and boys need 3 cups per day. All milk, either skim or whole, cheese such as cheddar or Swiss, pudding and yogurt are made with milk and contain calcium.