Mothers of School-Age Children

Healthy Eating

“My name is Alison but I prefer Ali. I am 9 and I don’t like dolls or ballet. I like soccer, climbing trees, and riding my bike!”

Ali is a very active 9-year-old girl. An active 9 or 10-year-old needs about 2,000 calories a

day to give them all the energy they need. This is almost the amount that many adults need. This may help you when you are wondering what portion sizes are best for your school-age child.

Should I be feeding my active 9 year old special foods?

Yes. Your child should be eating a variety of foods from all four food groups. This will ensure that she is getting all the nutrients she needs. Because she is growing, it is very important that she gets enough calcium. This will give her healthy bones as she grows and as she gets older. The correct amount of calcium for children 9 to 13 years old is 1300 mg a day. This is slightly higher than what adults need. Don’t panic! You can make sure she gets this amount by adding any of these foods each day:

Three to four 1 cup servings of low fat milk or combination of milk and other milk products such as yogourt and cheese
1 serving (3/4 cup) of yogourt
1 serving (50 grams) of cheese

Any of these choices will provide all the calcium your child needs to keep her growing bones healthy.

Here are some tips for snacks, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This could be a sample one day meal plan for you and your family.

Breakfast

1 cup of whole grain ready-to-eat cereal with ½ cup low fat milk
½ whole grain bagel with natural nut butter (½ bagel is about the size of a hockey puck and is the same as 1 serving from Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide); choose the smaller Montreal-style bagels rather than large bready-type bagels.
1 cup unsweetened orange juice

Morning snack

1 banana
175 ml yogurt (most individual containers are 175ml)

Lunch

6 inch tortilla spread with mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (low fat versions if possible), chicken breast, chopped lettuce, and grated cheddar cheese
6 cherry tomatoes
½ cup grapes
yogurt tube that has been frozen; it will be ready to eat by lunch time and will have helped to keep the rest of lunch cool inside the lunch bag or box
bottle of water
juice box (make sure you buy real juice, not fruit drink)

Afternoon Snack

8 whole wheat crackers
3 cubes of cheddar cheese cut into thin slices (a cube is just a bit bigger than one die from a pair of dice)

Dinner time

Salmon and pasta bake
½ cup steamed broccoli
½ to 1 cup serving of canned fruit (in its own juice) or a piece of your favourite fresh fruit
glass of water

Evening snack

½ cup low fat milk
1 slice whole grain bread with 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter