Portion Sizes for Children

redlady_1

Jesus!! Even I dont wear a 14 and I am 42!! That is so wrong.

My mum used to try and make me clear my plate but the fact was I was just full. So I would sit at the table until it was bedtime. I was a stick until about 5 years ago and Im not exactly massive now.

How about giving them some nuts, ragz? Or dried fruit?

PixieDust

Hmm....well I am significantly larger than a 14 and I'm 36 :cool:

But I take your point about the child.

For children, I favour giving them very small amounts (one fishfinger/sausage, a tablespoon of beans and one of carbs for example) and then they can probably have the satisfaction of being able to clear their plates, whereas a bigger portion can look like a mountain to them, and they give up before they're even half way through. They can always have more

redlady_1

That was the point I was making Pixie and am pleased you took it as such. How can it be good that a child of 8, who will be shorter than me too, can be bigger than me? The health problems it will bring in later life will be awful.

JulieGeorgiana

I mentioned that a 5yo needs 8tbs in a 48 hour period.

However I looked this issue on NHS, and an adult portion of pasta/rice is 75g and a child's portions is half that size.

However, to make this so much easier because weighing food is a pain...

the carbs portion should not be larger then the size of your childs palm. Carbs should be 1/4 of the meal, proteins (lean meats/eggs/lentils) should be 1/4 and veg should be 1/2 of your meal.

Good Luck with your daughter x

wannabee_in_credit

Thanks again fantastic people.
Apart from anything else I am starting to throw lots of food away. DD normally has a digestive biscuit or a couple of breadsticks in the car on the way home (we don't get in until about 5.30). There is always fruit available for them both and we enjoy making puddings so maybe I should do that more often.
I'm quite lucky (or she is) that she's not even close to overweight. She's very long and lean, but I doubt healthy. Long road but we're making a start with it.
I'll let you know how we get on.

valk_scot

The child fist size portion is a good starting point and if your child is satisfied with that (two veg, one carb, one protein) at a meal than there's no need at all to worry. Some kids are hungrier though because they're so active and for them you need to up the carbs and veg a little, but not the sugars and fats. Fruit, bread (no extra butter), cereal etc are good snacks to fill kids up.

For after school snacks my kids have toast or oatcakes with peanut butter, or yoghurt and banana, or oatcakes with low fat cheese spread, or fruit or cereal and milk. On a cold day they like a mug of HM soup or hot chocolate.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I use tea plates most of the time. Side plates for big meals. The big plates only come out for jacket potatoes - as that actually means one large spud and a mountain of different salad vegetables, fruits, and other raw stuff. We also only ever have the small loaves of bread with the tiny slices.


Perhaps your daughter would respond more to the Japanese style of food presentation? Each thing is in tiny bowls, plates and the space on the plate is as important as the bit the food takes up. It's quite fun really, as nothing looks too much, it's not smothered in everything else and food can look really special even when it's really just been bunged onto something about the size of a saucer or a tiny rice bowl. Oh, and you slice things up before they go on the plate, which makes them far easier to eat (as cutting food up is sometimes one of the reasons people refuse to eat, get fed up or just cram a huge lump in at once).


It worked for us - I managed to reduce my portions to about an eighth of my originals and DD increased hers so that she doesn't overeat but eats more than she did, as she knows it's OK to have another serving.

wannabee_in_credit

Well, I halved her portion size with the chilli - then she had flapjack for pud. All food gone and not an argument in sight! Thanks SO much.
I cannot believe how much my life has changed in 5 short days since I started posting on here.
All for the better.

GeDink

I've learnt to become a lot more relaxed over 'food issues' with my 2 girls.

As a child my eldest was under the dietician for 3 years and I had to learn that every child was different.

For example, my 10 yr old is now a healthy sz 8, stands at 5ft 3 and wears sz 6 shoes - bless her. Yet in her class her mate still wears sz 7-8 yr old clothing. Each child is different. Gauge what they eat and go by your instincts.

I know on days that my 2 have physical activities or after school clubs then they prefer a 'lighter meal' and later on something such as soup or egg on toast.

Everything is served in the middle of the table at dinnertime. The only rules are you HAVE to have something from every dish - even a tsp counts. If you want pudding then you have to clear your plate. This I started after advice from the dietician and dr and have used this for years now. It does seem to work with my 2.

It did take a bit of time for them to gauge their own appetites....eyes were bigger than their belly at first......but they will now happily pile bits and pieces on their plates.

Oscar_the_Pug

Wanabee, if you're worried about how much food you're chucking out, please feel free to join us on the Don't throw food away challenge (also on this board). We'd love to hear from you, and to lend our support.