nutrition for children and adolescents

Balancing nutrition for children and adolescents

To balance energy IN, choose foods that will help you and your family maintain a healthy weight and provide the nutrients they need while keeping their calories under control.

This can be easy if you keep in mind that calories DO count, no matter what kind of food or drink they come from. The trick is to find balance between food (Energy IN) and physical activity (Energy OUT).

The keys to balancing energy IN are:

Choose foods that are low to moderate in fat and calories
Enjoy small portions at home and in restaurants

Think about food choices

An easy way to eat foods lower in fat and calories is to think in terms of GO, SLOW and WHOA foods.

GO foods are the lowest in fat, sugar and relatively low in calories. They also are "nutrient dense," which means they are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients important to health. GO foods are great anytime.

Fruits and vegetables are great GO foods.

GO for color—choose dark green, deep yellow, orange, red, blue and purple
GO for sensory appeal—juicy, crunchy, tart, crisp, sweet, yummy
GO for variety—berries, other fruits, leafy greens, dry beans and peas, starchy vegetables like potatoes, and other vegetables

SLOW foods are higher in fat, added sugar, and calories than GO foods. Have SLOW foods sometimes, at most several times a week.

WHOA foods are the highest in fat and added sugar. They are "calorie-dense" (high in calories), and many are low in nutrients as well. Have WHOA foods only once in a while or on special occasions. And, when you do have them, have small portions.

Translating GO, SLOW, and WHOA into daily food choices means:

Emphasizing fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
Including lean meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
Cutting back on foods and drinks that are high in fat and added sugar.

GO foods are great anytime, SLOW foods are all right to have sometimes, at most several times a week, and WHOA foods should be eaten only once in a while, or on special occasions.

Think about portion size

Balancing your family's energy IN is challenging today because average portion sizes of foods served at restaurants and home or purchased in convenience stores have grown over the past 20 years. Learn what the difference is between a portion and a serving.

What is a portion?

A "portion" is the amount of food that you choose to eat for a meal or snack. It can big or small - you decide.

What is a serving?

A "serving" is a measured amount of food or drink, such as one slice of bread or 1 cup of milk. Some foods that most people consume as a single serving actually contain multiple serving sizes (e.g., 20-ounce soda or a 3-ounce bag of chips). Nutrition recommendations use serving sizes to help people know how much of different types of foods they should eat to get the nutrients they need. The Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods also lists a serving size. The serving sizes on packaged foods are not always the same as those included in nutrition recommendations. However, serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar foods.

Portion distortion

Balancing your family's energy is challenging today because average portion sizes have grown over the past 20 years. It's challenging to find a small portion in a restaurant these days. The plate arrives and there's often enough food on it for two or even three people.

These ever-larger portions are changing what Americans think of as a "normal" portion, and that affects how much we eat at home as well. Cutting back on portion size is a great way to help keep calories in check. It doesn't take lots of calories to disturb energy balance.

Still aren't sure how much portion sizes have changed? Check out these examples:

20 Years Ago Today

Portion Calories Portion Calories

Bagel 3'' diameter 140 Bagel 6'' diameter 350

Cheeseburger 1 333 Cheeseburger 1 590

Spaghetti w/meatballs 1 cup sauce
3 sm meatballs 500 Spaghetti w/meatballs 2 cups sauce
3 lg meatballs 1,020

Soda 6.5 ounces 85 Soda 20 ounces 250

Blueberry muffin 1.5 ounces 210 Blueberry muffin 5 ounces 500

Fat-Free Isn't Always "Free"

Remember that a calorie is always a calorie whether it comes from fat or carbohydrate. Reducing fat and saturated fat in your family's diet is important to maintaining heart health and reducing calories. However, fat-free or reduced-fat food choices aren't always low in calories. They can be high in sugar or other nutrients that increase calories.

Some reduced-fat or fat-free foods provide almost the same number of calories as the regular food. Often times, they are not the solution to weight loss. This is especially true if you think you can eat more of a reduced-fat food than you would eat of a regular item. For example, did you know:

A serving of three reduced-fat chocolate chip cookies (30 grams) contain 118 calories, while an equal serving of the regular version has 142 calories?
A 1-ounce serving of baked tortilla chips has 113 calories, versus 143 calories for the same amount of regular tortilla chips?
A 2 tablespoon serving of fat-free caramel topping contains the same number of calories (103) as an equal amount of homemade caramel topping with butter?

Think differently about calories, fat, and sugar

Remember that energy balance begins with the understanding that calories are still calories, no matter the source. We know that fat and sugar are important to limit in your family's diet. For example, fat has twice as many calories as protein or carbohydrate, so it's easy to see that reducing fat is important to energy balance.

Sugar is found naturally in some foods, like the fructose in fruits or lactose in milk. However, added sugar in prepared foods and drinks like the high-fructose corn syrup in sweetened beverages and breakfast cereals need to be cut back.

Why? Health experts offer several reasons:

Studies show that people who consume many foods and drinks with added sugar tend to consume more calories than people who consume fewer of these foods. They also show a link between weight gain and drinking sweetened beverages. Cutting back on added sugars, especially from sweetened beverages such as regular soda and fruit punch, can help you and your family maintain a healthy weight.
Added sugar provides calories but no additional nutrients. An eating plan that helps you and your family maintain a healthy weight is one that focuses on getting plenty of nutrients within your calorie needs.
Many children and teens, especially girls, don't get enough calcium, a mineral that's important for strong bones and teeth and other body functions. Giving your children fat-free or low-fat milk instead of sweetened beverages can give their bodies a boost.

Balancing energy IN: food intake guidelines

You can check the amounts of various foods that are recommended each day in the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Pay attention to the Nutrition Facts label

Most packaged foods have a Nutrition Facts label. The label can help you and your family choose foods that are lower in calories and fat.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Obesity Education Initiative (OEI) in January 1991. The overall purpose of the initiative is to help reduce the prevalence of overweight along with the prevalence of physical inactivity in order to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and overall morbidity and mortality from CHD. In addition, reducing the prevalence of overweight will help reduce the prevalence and severity of sleep apnea.

For more information on the NHLBI OEI, contact:
NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative
NHLBI Health Information Network
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, Maryland 20824-0105
(301) 592-8573 phone
(301) 592-8563 fax
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Posted March 2008