Healthy Food

Child Nutrition Basics

As parents work to avoid junk food, they often struggle to find alternative foods for their kids to eat.

What is the alternative to junk food? It is healthy food, of course. But what does it mean to eat healthy food? Is it all about eating only health food, whole foods, fruits, and vegetables and avoiding fast food?

Not necessarily. It is more about following the food pyramid and making healthy food choices.

Healthy Food

In general, healthy foods include:

• low-fat foods, and foods that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol
• high-fiber foods, including whole grain foods, vegetables and fruits
• foods that have only a moderate amount of sugar and salt
• calcium-rich foods, such as low-fat milk, to meet a child's daily calcium requirements
• iron-rich foods, including lean meats and iron-fortified whole grains, to meet a child's daily requirements for iron
• healthy snacks

Put another way, eating healthy food usually means avoiding:

• high-fat foods
• high-calorie foods
• foods high in salt
• soda and too much fruit juice
• junk food