Why a balanced diet is so important for your child!

By promoting a balanced and varied diet, you can ensure that your child receives important nutrients for good development and the energy needed for his or her daily challenges and adventures.

A balanced diet for your child not only has a significant impact on growth, development and performance, but also influences their later health in adulthood.

Of course, pizza, chips and similar foods can occasionally be served, but these should be the exception. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends that parents offer their children a varied and preferably plant-based diet, with the following particularly important for fruit and vegetables:

The more colorful, the better .

Meals, snacks and snacks

When considering the amount of food or portion sizes for children, one can use the “rule of fist or palm of the hand”. The portion size depends on the age of the adolescent, with the size of the hands roughly determining the measurement. The appropriate portion of the food would be the amount that fits in both of the child’s palms.

In addition to the regular main meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks are also recommended. For example, another sandwich or a portion of fruit in the afternoon. This counteracts hunger and provides additional energy for the day.

In addition, snacks and sweets should be avoided, especially less than an hour before meals, in order not to reduce hunger for the main meals.

Drinking quantity and drinks

Parents should also keep an eye on their children's drinking habits by making sure their child drinks enough fluids throughout the day.

The DGE specifies the following average daily drinking amounts for children:

Old	Drinking amount per day
1 to under 4 years	820ml
4 to under 7 years	940ml
7 to under 10 years	970ml
10 to under 13 years	1170ml
13 to under 15 years	1330ml

To meet fluid needs, low-sugar and low-nutrient drinks such as water and unsweetened teas should be offered regularly and throughout the day.

Little tip:

It is especially important that school children choose an attractive drinking bottle that motivates them to drink enough. Make sure that the bottle comes home regularly and check whether and how much your child has drunk during the day.

Important:

Long-term, low fluid intake in children can lead to acute and chronic kidney damage.

If your child regularly brings a full or almost full bottle, explain clearly how important regular drinking is for the body, concentration and brain performance in class.

Leading by example

Parents, daycare centers and care facilities are the most important influences on children’s nutrition.

While daycare centers and schools base their catering on the recommendations of the DGE, unfortunately the knowledge and implementation of healthy and balanced nutrition is lacking in many family households.

Often, poor eating habits are passed on from parents to children because parents have also adopted them from their own parents.

However, if you as a parent want to integrate a healthy and balanced diet into your child's lifestyle, it is advisable to start quite early.

Offer your child plenty of snacks with fruit and vegetables from the start and enjoy them yourself in front of your child. This increases the likelihood that your child will accept this healthy habit and adopt it themselves.

If you would like more information about how you can implement a varied and balanced diet in a practical and delicious way, then take a look at our second article: Healthy and varied nutrition for children - but how?

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