Wondering what nutrients are essential for your child’s growth and energy? Knowing the right balance of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients can set your child up for lifelong health. Food is essential not only for your child’s growth and well-being but also as part of a shared, social experience. Today, let’s focus on the nutrients that support your child’s physical and mental development.
Introduction to Key Nutrients
To understand how food nourishes the body, we can break it down into three main types of nutrients: macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
- Macronutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fats, fibre, and water, which are essential for energy, growth, and bodily functions.
- Vitamins such as vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B vitamins (including B12 and folate), pantothenic acid, biotin, and vitamins C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K . These vitamins play key roles in immunity, brain development, and more.
- Minerals and Trace Elements including calcium, chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc are needed for bone health, muscle function, and other vital processes your body need to function.
More information on these nutrients can be found on this nutrient reference value website
Core Food Groups and Serving Sizes
To ensure your child gets all these vital nutrients for healthy growth, they should eat from each of the five core food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and meat or meat alternatives (high-protein foods). Here’s a look at what each group offers and how much is in a serve:
- Fruit – Example of one serve
- 1 medium fruit like a pear or an apple
- 2 small fruit like kiwi or mandarin
- 1 cup of canned fruit (ideally in natural juices / no added sugar )
- Vegetables – Examples of one serve:
- ½ cup cooked vegetables like broccoli or carrots
- 1 cup uncooked leafy greens (e.g., lettuce, cucumbers)
- ½ cup cooked legumes, which can count as a protein for vegetarian families
- 1 medium tomato
- Dairy – Examples of one serve:
- 1 cup (250 ml) of milk
- 1 tub (200g) of yoghurt
- 2 slices of cheese
- Tip: Plant-based options like calcium-fortified soy milk can be used as a dairy alternative to replace milk
- Grains – Examples of one serve:
- 1 slice of bread
- ½ cup of cooked rice, pasta, porridge or quinoa
- ¼ cup of muesli
- 1 crumpet or 1 English muffin
- Tip: Choose whole grains or high fibre options to boost fibre intake
- High Protein foods – Examples of one serve:
- 65g of cooked red meat (beef, pork, lamb or veal) – about the size of a deck of cards or size of your palm.
- 80g of cooked lean poultry – about the size of a smartphone.
- 100g cooked fish fillet (115g raw) – about the size of your whole hand (palm and fingers); or one small can of fish
- Vegetarian / meat alternatives:
- 1 cup cooked or canned legumes/beans
- 2 eggs
- 170g tofu – about the size of a small paperback book
What Each Food Group Provides
Each food group provides different nutrients that are essential for your child’s growth, health, and daily function. Here’s a summary of what each food group provides and how they are important for us.
Fruits and Vegetables and legumes: supply energy, protein, fibre, and a wide range of vitamins (especially vitamin A and vitamin C), antioxidants, and water. Green leafy vegetables are also rich in minerals and trace elements. Fruits and vegetables and legumes are key to keeping your child healthy, support immunity and helping prevent chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Dairy: a critical source of protein and calcium, meeting most of your child’s calcium needs. Calcium important for your child’s teeth and bone health. For children under two, full-fat, pasteurized cow’s milk is recommended. After the age of two, low-fat options can be introduced. For those following a vegan or vegetarian diet, plant-based milk options fortified with calcium are a good alternative to meet calcium needs.
Grains: provide energy from carbohydrates and B vitamins. Whole grains and whole wheat options are preferred as they are not only higher in fibre, they are also lower in glycaemic index, helping children feel full longer and providing lasting energy. Whole grains or whole wheat options can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases compared to diets high in refined Fortified grains also help meet iron needs and are beneficial for overall health.
Meat / meat alternatives: important sources of protein and energy that are used for muscle and tissue growth. These foods are also rich in minerals like iron and zinc, along with vitamin B12. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for brain health
N: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!“
Don’t forget hydration and the power of physical activity
Water is the best choice for hydration, supporting bodily functions and overall health. Many countries add fluoride to tap water, contributing to dental health.
Finally, don’t forget that movement is essential for health! Aim for at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity, which supports mental health, improves mood, and reduces stress, anxiety and depression.
Ensuring your child gets a balanced intake from these food groups—and plenty of water and movement—will support their growth and set a foundation for lifelong health.
