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Preschool children are not "little adults" that simply require less amounts of the same foods as adults. For instance, according to Wittman (2013), young people aged 3 and 4 years are typically called preschoolers and have special nutritional needs that must be satisfied in order to ensure proper development. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Choose My Plate" recommendations for 3- and 4-year-old children for various food groups are set forth in Table 1 below.
Recommended Daily Servings for 3- and 4-Year-old Children
3-Year-old Children
4-Year-old Children
Fruits
cup of fruits
to 1-1/2 cups of fruit
Vegetables
cup of vegetables
1-1/2 cups of vegetables
Grains
ounce equivalents of grains
ounce equivalents of grains
Protein
ounce equivalents of protein
ounce equivalents of protein
Dairy
cups of dairy
2-1/2 cups of dairy
Oils
teaspoons
teaspoons
Source: Adapted from Wittman, 2013
Studies have confirmed...
Moreover, preschool children from low-income families also have a higher prevalence of obesity compared to their middle-class counterparts, which has been attributed to higher consumption levels of high-fat content foods such as fast and junk foods (Doong & Shariff, 2008). A number of health conditions related to obesity that were once believed applicable to adults only have recently been seen in children with increasing frequency, including hypertension, early signs of hardening of the arteries, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, disordered breathing during sleep and polycystic ovary disorder (Daniels, 2006).
Parents typically try to promote healthy eating habits among preschoolers by providing them with the recommended portions of vegetables and fruit each day and ensuring they eat breakfast (Cariun, Taut & Baban, 2012). In fact, research indicates that poor eating habits such as consuming too many sweets or skipping breakfast typically begin during the transition period between…
References
Cariun, C., Taut, D., & Baban, A. (2012, March). Self-regulatory strategies for eating behavior in children and adolescents: A concept mapping approach. Cognitie, Creier,
Comportament, 16(1), 49-54.
Daniels, S.R. (2006, Spring). The consequences of childhood overweight and obesity. The Future of Children, 16(1), 47-51.
Doong, J.Y. & Shariff, Z.M. (2008, April). Growth status of low-income preschool children and the relation of birth weight to short stature and overweight. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 90(2), 12-17.
Wittman, L. (2013). The nutrition requirement for preschoolers. Healthy Eating. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrition-requirements-preschoolers-4372.html.
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