- Grains provide children with the energy they need. Four-year-olds should have 4 to 5 oz. of grains every day. Breakfast is an easy way to get your 4-year-old to eat most of her daily grains. Toast, oatmeal, and cereal all contain grains and are foods that most 4-year-old children enjoy. Kid-friendly foods like grilled cheese for lunch or macaroni and cheese for dinner will also help meet daily grain requirements. Use whole-grain breads and rice pasta instead of white breads and pastas to establish healthy habits for your 4-year-old.
- Getting children to eat vegetables is a challenge. However, 4-year-olds should eat 1 1/2 cups of vegetables and 1 cup of fruit every day. Leafy dark-green and orange vegetables generally contain the most nutrition. If your 4-year-old does not like vegetables, don't serve the vegetables on their own. Take measures to hide the vegetables in familiar foods your 4-year-old loves. For example, find a brownie recipe that requires spinach; you child will never know. Make lasagna for dinner with lots of fresh vegetables. Put fresh fruit in oatmeal for breakfast.
- Growing children need calcium for healthy bones. Four-year-olds need 2 cups of milk or dairy products every day. This is one of the easiest food groups to get children to eat. Serve a glass of milk with cookies. Macaroni and cheese contains calcium in the cheese. Yogurt or frozen yogurt are also treats that many 4-year-olds enjoy.
- Four-year-olds need 3 to 4 oz. of nutrient-rich proteins each day. This includes meats, nuts, eggs and beans. Chilli and sloppy Joes are just two examples of protein-rich meals that kids like. Many 4-year-olds like eggs scrambled or sunny side up for breakfast. Put peanut butter on toast in the morning for a serving of protein or make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Peanut butter on celery sticks or crackers is also a common favorite childhood snack.
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