If you find that your child's intake of calories is much higher or lower than standard recommendations, it is very important to consult with your pediatrician or a registered dietitian to get some help in planning a more balanced eating plan so that your child is meeting their nutritional needs. Modeling good eating habits is important for helping children consume a wide variety of foods. In addition, avoidance of labeling foods as "good" and "bad" will be important to enforce a healthy relationship with food.
You may be concerned because your child is a picky eater and you think they may not be getting enough calories. Or, you may worry that your child eats more than their body needs. Understanding how many calories your child actually needs might help you worry a little less.
It might also help you avoid overfeeding your child, as it's common for parents to overestimate how many calories their kids need and get. Most of the time, however, if your child is eating enough wholesome foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, protein, and healthy fats, and getting enough physical activity, you don't need to count calories. Counting calories is usually a temporary strategy to help provide you with more information about your child's eating habits.
Here's how you can figure out how many calories your kids need each day. You can also use the following charts to calculate your child's daily calorie needs. The estimated daily calorie needs for moderately active boys aged 2—18 include:. What does it mean to be moderately active? Some good definitions include:. It includes structured and unstructured physical activity. The estimated daily calorie needs for moderately active girls aged 2—18 include:.
Some good examples of girls who are moderately active include those who are:. What counts as a moderate physical activity for toddlers and preschoolers? The estimated daily calorie needs for boys aged 2—18 who are not active include:.
Boys who aren't active don't do any moderate or vigorous physical activity or any activity outside the activity of day-to-day living. For example, walking from the car to the front door of the school and from class to class is just part of the physical activity of your child's average day.
However, if they ride a bike to school, that would count toward being active. Whether your child is overweight or at a healthy weight, encourage them to be active, as it is a good healthy habit for everyone. The estimated daily calorie needs for girls aged 2—18 who are not active include:. Whether your child is overweight or at a healthy weight, encourage her to be active, as it is a good healthy habit for everyone. Your child's approximate daily calorie needs can be used as a guide, but that doesn't always mean you have to start counting calories.
Healthy kids come in all shapes and sizes, and each individual's body burns energy calories at different rates. While we have estimates or ranges of calorie needs we can refer to, these numbers will still vary based on the child.
Remember that overall, your child's daily eating habits and level of activity are more important than what they consume at one meal. If your child eats more in one meal than another, this is usually considered normal and healthy. Back to Children's health. Children aged 7 to 10 years old need lots of energy and nutrients because they're still growing. The amount of energy that food and drink contains is measured in both kilojoules kJ and kilocalories kcal , and is commonly referred to as calories.
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition estimates the average daily energy requirements for children aged 7 to 10 years old are:. But these figures are only a guide. The recommendations are a general guideline based on age and activity level. So a serving of bread for a 2- to 3-year-old would be half of a slice. Most 2- to 3-year-old children need to consume about 1, to 1, calories per day. Here's how to distribute those calories in a healthy eating plan:.
For more information about eating plans and serving sizes for preschoolers, visit MyPlate.
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