Food groups and number of daily servings | Age 1 to 2 years | Age 2 to 3 years | Age 4 to 8 years |
Dairy Includes all fluid milk products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese and calcium-fortified soy beverages. | 2 cups/day* (whole milk or milk products) | 2 to 2.5 cups/day | 2.5 to 3 cups/day |
1 cup equivalent = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces natural cheese, 2 ounces processed cheese, 1/3 cup shredded cheese | |||
Protein foods Includes meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, eggs, nuts, seeds, and processed soy. | 2 ounces/day | 2 to 3 ounces/day | 3 to 5 ounces/day |
1 ounce equivalent = 1 ounce cooked meat, poultry, or fish; 1/4 cup cooked beans; 1 egg; 1 tbsp nut butter¶; 1/2 ounce nuts¶ | |||
Grains Includes any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or other cereal grain product. One-half of all starches should be whole grains. | 2 ounces/day | 3 to 4 ounces/day | 4 to 5 ounces/day |
1 ounce equivalent = 1 slice whole-grain bread; 1 6-inch tortilla; 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta; 1 cup dry cereal | |||
Fruits Includes any fruit or 100% fruit juice. | 1 cup/day | 1 cup/day | 1 to 1.5 cups/day |
1 cup equivalent = Limit fruit juiceΔ, 1/2 cup dried fruit, 1 small whole fruit, or 1/2 large whole fruit | |||
Vegetables Includes any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice. | 1 cup/day | 1 to 1.5 cup/day | 1.5 to 2 cups/day |
1 cup equivalent = 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, 2 cups raw leafy greens | |||
Oils Includes oils, avocado, olives, nuts, seeds, soft margarine, and dressings. | Do not limit* | 3 tsp/day | 4 tsp/day |
1 tsp equivalent = 1 tsp oil, margarine, mayonnaise, or nut butter; 1 tbsp dressing | |||
Calories for other uses Desserts, sweets, soft drinks, candy, jams, and jelly. | Limit to small amount, use sparingly | ||
Use sparingly | 100 to 150 discretionary calories | 100 to 130 calories |
tbsp: tablespoon; tsp: teaspoon.
* Low-fat products are not recommended for children under the age of 2.
¶ May be a choking hazard for children under the age of 3.
Δ Recommend to limit fruit juice to no more than 4 ounces for children 1 to 3 years of age, 4 to 6 ounces for children 4 to 6 years of age, and 8 ounces for children 7 to 18 years of age.From: Texas Children's Hospital Pediatric Nutrition Reference Guide, 12th ed, Beaver B, Carvalho-Salemi J, Hastings E, et al (Eds). Copyright © 2019, Texas Children's Hospital. Reproduced with permission.
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