Feeding your kids

Although ultimately your child will decide what to eat, you can help him start healthful eating habits by providing wise selections.  Children know how much they need to eat, but they don't know what kids of food to eat.  

Children should have 6 servings or bread or grains daily, 3-5 servings of vegetables, 2-4 servings of fruit, 3-4 servings of milk, and 2-3 servings of protein.

Something I always wonder about is serving size.  According to WIC, we should give our children one tablespoonful of each food for each year of the child's age (a 5-year old should have 5 tablespoons of vegetables and 5 tablespoons of rice) and let them ask for more if they're still hungry.

A serving size for bread, grain or cereal is roughly 1/2 cup;

for vegetables a serving size is 1/3 - 1/2 cup raw or cooked;

one serving of fruit is 1/2-1 small piece of fresh fruit, or 1/3-1/2 cup canned fruit;

3/4 cup is a serving of milk (or 1 ounce of cheese);

1 1/2 ounce (3TB) is a serving of meat or fish, 1/2 cup is a serving of vegetable protein (lentils, tofu, peanut butter.)