Healthy lifestyle Children
Healthy kids: back to basics
Here's some advice about healthy food for kids and how you can help them stay active
Most adults have a good idea of what and how much they need to eat and how often they should be physically active to keep themselves healthy. But what about children? It doesn’t take an expert to work out that the calorie requirements of a four-year-old are very different to those of a teenager. Plus how active should a toddler be compared with a 10-year-old? We’ve put together a quick guide to what you should know about
how much food children need at different ages, as well as what makes a healthy diet for kids and how active they should be.
How much should children eat? Estimated average requirements (EARs) are estimates of the average energy needs of a group of people, set by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy. Here are the EARs for children and teenagers – as these are
estimates some will need more calories, while others will need less, depending on how physically active they are (see Activity guidelines):
Age 1 - 2
3 - 4 5 - 6 7 - 8 9 - 10 11 - 12 13 - 14 15 - 16 17 - 18
Boys (calories) 765 - 1004
1171 - 1386 1482 - 1577 1649 - 1745 1840 - 2032 2127 - 2247 2414 - 2629 2820 - 2964 3083 - 3155
Girls (calories) 717 - 932
1076 - 1291 1362 - 1482 1530 - 1625 1721 - 1936 2032 - 2103 2223 - 2342 2390 - 2414 2462 - 2462
What should they eat? According to the NHS a healthy balanced diet should include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Their meals should be based on starchy foods, such as potatoes, rice, pasta and bread (wholegrain where possible), and they should also have some milk and dairy products and some protein (for example meat, fish, eggs, beans or lentils). Meanwhile try to avoid giving them too many sugary or fatty foods, as well as sugary fizzy drinks. For meal ideas, visit
www.nhs.uk/change4life. Younger children who have been weaned may need smaller, more frequent meals and snacks throughout the day than older children.
For more advice on your child’s diet, speak to your local Careway pharmacist who can offer lots of tips and support. Find your nearest Careway pharmacy at
www.careway.co.uk/find-a-pharmacy.
Activity guidelines
According to the NHS, babies and toddlers should be active throughout the day and avoid being inactive for long periods (unless they’re asleep). Try to get them moving around as much as possible by reaching and grasping, pulling and pushing, moving their head, body and limbs during daily routines, and during supervised floor play, including tummy time. Then when they can walk on their own, encourage them to run around and play, and to take part in other more energetic activities. Most children will be active in the playground.
But if you don’t think yours are getting enough exercise here are the guidelines. From the age of five onwards, children and
young people should be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day, ranging from moderate activities such as cycling and playground games to more vigorous activities including running and playing tennis. Also try to reduce the time they spend sitting watching TV and playing computer games. On three days a week they should also take
part in activities that help strengthen their muscles and bones, such as gymnastics, tree climbing, football, rugby and basketball.
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