How much food is enough for children?

To provide enough energy for children every day, parents need to pay attention to the amount of calories consumed depending on age.

The idea of ​​eating a full meal at the right time and adding a lot of protein and starch is not suitable for children. Depending on their age, parents need to calculate the amount of calories needed each day according to the formula: 1,000 cal + 100 x age. Children of school age have a calorie requirement ranging from 1,300 cal to 2,100 cal.

In addition to the three main meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, mothers need to feed their children 1-2 snacks depending on their age and the amount of physical activity. Children who are just starting school need to eat at least 2 snacks per day. Older children can vary from 1 to 2 snacks depending on their physical condition. This is the result of a study by Jo Ellen Shield and Mary Mullen posted on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.

Children need to eat 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks to ensure adequate nutrition and energy each day.

Explaining the role of snacks, the Hong Kong Institute of Nutrition assessed: "Due to the small size of the baby's stomach and the habit of doing a lot of physical activity, the energy from 3 main meals is not enough to meet daily needs. Babies need to eat nutritious snacks for the body to function well."

Contrary to the thinking of some parents that snacks are not important and make children eat less at the next main meal; or that snacks cause overweight or obesity; in fact, snacks on time and in the right amount will provide the necessary energy, helping to develop healthily.

Snacks help replenish energy for children.

A study by Alice Park published in Time magazine shows that snacks provide 42% of a child's daily calories. However, the author also points out that children's snacks today often contain too much sugar and saturated fat and lack nutrients necessary for health such as fiber, vitamin D, and zinc.

Snacks provide the necessary energy for children.

In addition to the nutritional content of each meal, the key point of organizing meals reasonably and scientifically is to create the habit of eating on time. Snacks should be 2-3 hours apart from main meals to help children eat well, not get bored or skip the next main meal. Children should not eat snacks right before main meals.

During the holidays, the whole family goes on vacation, so some parents ignore their children's eating habits, leading to undisciplined eating habits. To avoid this situation, parents should feed their children 3 main meals and prepare a light, convenient, nutritious and attractive snack. A good suggestion is to prepare 1-2 Custas cakes for your children every day.

According to Zing