While in grade school a lot of us had health science as a subject we took. In the middle of the health science text book there was a topic called food pyramids and the major foods listed there were rice, bread, cereal and other kinds of grains.
The subject of building a suitable food pyramid for kids is one that must be taking very seriously because what kids eat now has a long lasting effect on their growth. To pattern a food pyramid that is patterned after what we have in our grade school health science textbook would give us up to 11 servings. This seems like a whole lot for a kid but is it the right kind of meal to give a child. A child must have varieties in the food pyramid and they must also be balanced in diets.
Something you will find lacking in our society today is Good Health Plan; it is just not what our society is defined by. All we seem to have are junks that we call food. It is a common sight in homes today to see kids having cocoa puffs, cornflakes as breakfast with no fruits or vegetables to go with the meals. Our food pyramids for kids don’t have quality foods that can help our children in the long run. Good health now seems like a mirage, an unattainable entity that one can’t seem to have. The complexity of this is the fact that good health is very attainable and not expensive as long as you eat properly. I am not saying that you will never get sick no on the contrary sickness is inevitable because the world we live in is polluted. We can simply reduce the rate we fall sick by simply eating right.
As with the adult version of MyPyramid, children are encouraged to eat a variety of foods from all the different food groups, but especially from the food groups with the widest colored bands—grains (including three servings of whole grains), fruit and vegetables, and milk. Meat and dairy choices should be lean, low fat or fat-free. That’s not to say children should be on ultra low-fat diets, since fat is essential for kids’ proper growth and development. But establishing healthy eating habits and promoting regular exercise at an early age could help prevent the next generation from becoming obese and dying prematurely.
MyPyramid Resources for Kids
Appealing to computer-savvy elementary-school kids, the centerpiece of the MyPyramid for Kids campaign is Blast Off, a computer game that encourages kids to supply their pyramid rocket with the right kind of fuel (food), plus an hour’s physical activity, to help it reach Planet Power. There are plenty of classroom materials and coloring sheets to reinforce the message.
MyPyramid Outside the Classroom
Will MyPyramid for Kids encourage children to eat better and exercise more? A cynic would say that even encouraging kids to sit at their computers to play an educational game is time that could be spent kicking a ball around outside, but it does at least encourage kids to think about food in the right way. Translating what kids learn into what they actually eat depends on the foods offered to them at home and at school. So long as junk food continues to be readily available, and well advertised, the government’s message may well stay in the classroom.
The food pyramid for kids emphasizes the five groups of food that are necessary for good health: protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, fat and dairy products. Special mentions warn users that fats and sweets should only be used sparingly for children between 2 and 6. By using a variety of foods only can you meet the nutritional needs of a growing child, and also create the premises for good eating habits to develop later in life. Among the food practices that contradict the specificity of the food pyramid for kids we should mention:
-large desserts,
-plenty of soft drinks and fruit-flavored drinks;
-sugar coated cereals,
-hard candy,
-tough meats,
-chewing gum etc.
The subject of building a suitable food pyramid for kids is one that must be taking very seriously because what kids eat now has a long lasting effect on their growth. To pattern a food pyramid that is patterned after what we have in our grade school health science textbook would give us up to 11 servings. This seems like a whole lot for a kid but is it the right kind of meal to give a child. A child must have varieties in the food pyramid and they must also be balanced in diets.
Something you will find lacking in our society today is Good Health Plan; it is just not what our society is defined by. All we seem to have are junks that we call food. It is a common sight in homes today to see kids having cocoa puffs, cornflakes as breakfast with no fruits or vegetables to go with the meals. Our food pyramids for kids don’t have quality foods that can help our children in the long run. Good health now seems like a mirage, an unattainable entity that one can’t seem to have. The complexity of this is the fact that good health is very attainable and not expensive as long as you eat properly. I am not saying that you will never get sick no on the contrary sickness is inevitable because the world we live in is polluted. We can simply reduce the rate we fall sick by simply eating right.
As with the adult version of MyPyramid, children are encouraged to eat a variety of foods from all the different food groups, but especially from the food groups with the widest colored bands—grains (including three servings of whole grains), fruit and vegetables, and milk. Meat and dairy choices should be lean, low fat or fat-free. That’s not to say children should be on ultra low-fat diets, since fat is essential for kids’ proper growth and development. But establishing healthy eating habits and promoting regular exercise at an early age could help prevent the next generation from becoming obese and dying prematurely.
MyPyramid Resources for Kids
Appealing to computer-savvy elementary-school kids, the centerpiece of the MyPyramid for Kids campaign is Blast Off, a computer game that encourages kids to supply their pyramid rocket with the right kind of fuel (food), plus an hour’s physical activity, to help it reach Planet Power. There are plenty of classroom materials and coloring sheets to reinforce the message.
MyPyramid Outside the Classroom
Will MyPyramid for Kids encourage children to eat better and exercise more? A cynic would say that even encouraging kids to sit at their computers to play an educational game is time that could be spent kicking a ball around outside, but it does at least encourage kids to think about food in the right way. Translating what kids learn into what they actually eat depends on the foods offered to them at home and at school. So long as junk food continues to be readily available, and well advertised, the government’s message may well stay in the classroom.
The food pyramid for kids emphasizes the five groups of food that are necessary for good health: protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, fat and dairy products. Special mentions warn users that fats and sweets should only be used sparingly for children between 2 and 6. By using a variety of foods only can you meet the nutritional needs of a growing child, and also create the premises for good eating habits to develop later in life. Among the food practices that contradict the specificity of the food pyramid for kids we should mention:
-large desserts,
-plenty of soft drinks and fruit-flavored drinks;
-sugar coated cereals,
-hard candy,
-tough meats,
-chewing gum etc.
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