Best Food Portioning Practices for Our Kids

Trying to figure out what the right amount of food is for your child has always been a challenge. In this day of overweight kids, parents have a tendency to overfeed their children, or chastise them if they ‘don’t clean their plate’.

It’s incredibly easy to figure out the right portions, as we need to relate to their size. If you are thinking about the meat dish, the amount should be approximately the size of the child’s palm. Other foods require different, but simple comparisons: When considering pasta or rice, use the child’s fist as an easy measurement. This is also the same portion ratio when thinking about vegetables, fruits or even dairy, such as that favorite yogurt. When thinking cheese, use the child’s thumb size. However, the concept of snacks, just use the ‘handful’ concept. The portion size will increase as the child grows, so it’s balanced

Sources:
http://www.parenting.com/article/portion-control-for-kids?src=syn&dom=cnnhealth&lnk=rss
http://www.buildhealthykids.com/servingsizes.html

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.