Diet gun

In the last 20 years, lifestyle has brought significant blows to the nutrition of preschool children.

Nowadays, our young children eat less breakfast, consume less homemade food, while the intake of ready-made food that is not prepared at home has increased.

Unfortunately, they now get more calories from snacks, consume more fried foods and foods with low nutritional value. They also consume large portions per meal, consume many juices and sugary soft drinks. They drink less milk, eat less fiber, fewer vegetables and fewer fruits. They also consume large amounts of sugar and salt.

The food pyramid is a pyramid that has the basic food categories according to their nutritional value and has 5 positions.

The foods that are at the base of the pyramid have greater nutritional value and should be eaten in larger quantities and more times a day, while its top has foods that should be consumed rarely, with all other foods in the intermediate 3 positions.

The food pyramid for babies from 6 months to 2 years and for children from 2 years to 5 years is almost the same except for its base.

The base for babies from 6 months to 2 years is milk and dairy products and in the next position are cereals and complex carbohydrates, while for children from 2 years to 5 years it is the opposite, at the base there are cereals and complex carbohydrates and in the next position dairy products. In the next positions are, in order, fruits and vegetables (in 3rd position), followed by meat, eggs, seafood, legumes and nuts (in 4th position) and followed by, at the top of the pyramid (in 5th position) sweets, salty foods, fatty snacks and fast food.


Base of the pyramid – 1st place – Cereals and complex carbohydrates

Potatoes, corn, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and cereals provide significant amounts of complex carbohydrates such as starch and are very important if consumed at breakfast because they provide energy and are rich in fiber since they are whole wheat products.

Their consumption should be daily in almost all meals of the day.

Muesli and oatmeal for breakfast are rich in B vitamins and minerals, since they do not have added sugar.

If our young child gets used to the taste of whole wheat bread from such a young age, we will help him significantly in his health.


2nd place – Milk and dairy products

Until the age of about 2 years, this food group is at the base of the pyramid. After 18-20 months, the main role in the child’s diet is now played by cereals and complex carbohydrates, followed by milk and its products.

Milk and its products provide proteins for the child’s development, vitamins, calcium and many other minerals.

Babies 1-2 years old do not need more than 600 ml of milk per day. Over 2 years old and up to the age of 5 do not need more than 400 ml per day because the greater amount will be at the expense of solid foods and will create nutritional imbalances, while limiting the child’s development of skills around food so that at some point the baby bottle will be abolished and replaced with a cup.

The intake of fortified milk can delay the child’s education for the consumption of solid foods. Low-fat milk is not recommended for children up to 2 years old, while it is recommended for older children up to 5 years old ONLY if there is a serious family history of cardiovascular diseases.


3rd place – Fruits and vegetables

Vegetables and fruits should be consumed daily and preferably fresh. Vegetables are consumed by toddlers less often than fruits.

Fruits and vegetables have fiber that helps in proper bowel function and in smoother blood glucose fluctuations. They also contain minerals and many antioxidants and act as moisturizers with the large amount of fluids they have.

The daily amount of vegetable intake for a 2-year-old baby is approximately 1/4 cup, from 2 to 3 years old 1/3 cup and from the age of 4 to 5 years old 1/2 cup.

The daily amount of fruit intake for children up to 4 years old is approximately 2-3 small fruits (1 fruit = fruit weighing approximately 80 grams), while from 4-5 years old it is approximately 3-5 small fruits.

We never give fruit juices before the age of 6 months. After 6 months we can give small amounts of fruit juice diluted with water, e.g. apple, and we do not give juice from acidic fruits, e.g. orange, from the beginning. Up to 100 ml of juice intake (it is like eating 1 fruit) per day is enough to not stop the intake of water and solid foods.

We never offer them in the baby milk bottle but only in special baby cups.

We do NOT give fruit nectar or soft drinks.

If we offer juice, it is better to give it with breakfast to avoid blood sugar fluctuations.


4th place – Meat, egg, seafood, legumes, nuts

All these foods are rich in calories and contain proteins, fat, fiber, few carbohydrates, minerals and trace elements that are essential for a child’s balanced diet.

Red meat can be consumed 1 to 2 times a week and poultry can be consumed another 1 to 2 times a week.

It is NOT a good choice to consume cold cuts because they have many calories from fat, many preservatives and many food additives that improve the taste.

The egg is an excellent choice due to its high protein value and the minerals and trace elements it contains. It is not necessary to consume it every day, up to 5 times a week is a good choice.

Seafood is a source of protein, unsaturated fatty acids and a very good source of phosphorus. It should be consumed 2 times a week.

We DO NOT give the child fish until he is 8-9 months old, because fish and seafood have been linked to the presence of allergies.

Sardines, herring, mackerel and salmon are excellent choices because they have a high content of beneficial omega 3 fatty acids.

Legumes are a great plant source of protein, slow-release carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. We give legumes after the 10th month and up to 1 time a week. We start by putting a few lentils in vegetable soup or grind this small amount of lentils together with potato and carrot. If it is tolerated, we can give the child normally cooked lentils with olive oil and tomato, but without salt or spices.

Nuts are rich in fiber, antioxidants and vitamins and minerals. Their consumption can improve the overall quality of the child’s diet, replacing other, less healthy foods that they often consume.

The limitation that exists regarding nuts is mainly the potential risk of choking. For this reason, we avoid giving whole nuts to children under 5 years of age. We choose a small amount of crushed unsalted nuts in a homemade cake or yogurt and this after the child turns 1 year old.

Another possible risk is the occurrence of an allergy. We should NOT offer them to children with a known allergy.


Top of the pyramid – 5th place – sweets, salty foods, fatty snacks, fast food

Foods such as sweets, cookies, chips, ice cream, fatty snacks, fried and fast food should be avoided because they are foods with poor nutritional value.

They have excessively large amounts of sugar, even yogurt desserts, and large amounts of fat and it has been associated that their frequent consumption at young ages greatly increases the likelihood of future obesity.


These are the nutritional tips for the content of the diet for children who start solid food after the 6th month and up to 5 years.

Tomorrow will follow the continuation of the article, Nutrition for healthy preschoolers (PART 2 – Tips for implementing the nutrition).