Healthy eating is good for all the family, but a balanced diet is particularly important to meet your child’s nutritional needs for energy and growth. Eating the wrong balance of foods can lead to problems in the long term. 

The best way to provide a healthy, balanced diet for your child is to offer her a variety of foods each day from each of the four main food groups. Together, they contain all the essential nutrients, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. 

The Food Groups

The first group includes bread, cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes. Beans and pulses can be eaten as part of this group, which is important for complex carbohydrates and also provides energy, fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. Aim for one serving each mealtime for the under fives, more for older children. 

Fruit and vegetables (including fresh, tinned and frozen), salads and fruit juice form the second group. They provide vitamins, particularly vitamin C, minerals and fibre. Aim for three to four servings daily for toddlers, five for older children. Fruit juice counts as only one serving, even if given more than once. 

The third group incorporates meat, fish, eggs, pulses (peas, beans, canned baked beans and lentils), nuts (finely ground for the under fives) and Soya bean products. They supply protein, vitamins and minerals. Meat is a good source of iron. Fish includes fresh, frozen and canned fish and fish fingers.  

Aim for one serving daily from an animal source or two servings from a vegetable source. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter, the fourth group, provide protein, fat, vitamins (especially A and D in whole-milk products) and minerals, especially calcium. Aim for about 12 fl oz of milk daily or two servings of dairy products for toddlers. Always give full-fat milk to children under the age of two. 

The Main Food Groups

A balanced diet should include foods from all the food groups; starchy foods, bread, cereals and rice, meat and fish; fruit and vegetables; and dairy products. A serving is a child-sized portion, about half or one-third of an adult’s portion.

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