Avoid Over-Feeding ChildrenDo Your Part in Helping to Prevent Childhood Obesity
With childhood obesity being such a growing concern in our country it is time for us to realize that obesity in children can cause many diseases. Portion sizes have become out of hand in the food industry, giving Americans a distorted idea of what's considered to be a normal serving size for many foods that we eat.
As Child Care providers and Parents we should prepare and serve meals that meet the serving size requirements for various age groups of children as outlined on the meal pattern for Infants and Older children governed by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Department. Below you can visit the USDA's meal pattern for children.
For example, a serving size of pasta is 1/2 cup for a child between the ages of 6 and 12 years of age. Serving that child one cup of pasta over a period of time will most definitely give him or her a distorted idea of what's a normal serving size, which in turn will contribute to overeating and obesity.
Yours truly -
Shar
