The right portion of food for 4 years old children so that nutrition is still fulfilled

Your little one often doesn't finish his food? Maybe because the food portions given are too large for children aged 4 years. Apart from portions, another thing that needs to be considered is the amount of nutrients and nutrients in one plate of the food menu. Has it met the needs of children at their age or not. The following is a guide and explanation about the portion of meals for children aged 4 years,

What are the portion rules for 4 year olds?

Preparing one meal for a 4 year old child is not easy. He can refuse and choose the food he likes or not.

Plus feeling bored with certain menus that often come suddenly. This makes parents worry about the nutrition and nutrition your little one will get.

The first thing that needs to be addressed is your little one's eating schedule. Children actually really like regular routines.

What time does he wake up, take a shower, play, including eat. When children get used to following the meal schedule that has been made, they will know their own body clock when they are hungry. In fact, this will be felt until he grows up.

Main meal

This food is given in the morning, afternoon and evening with a schedule that has been made, for example, breakfast is done at 7 am, lunch at 12.00, and dinner at 18.30.

If you already have your own schedule, you should follow a meal schedule that has been made regularly.

The reason is, eating according to a schedule that is done regularly can form eating habits into adulthood. At one meal, set no more than 30 minutes so that children can focus more on their diet.

Have a snack

Don't underestimate the benefits snacking in children aged 4 years, because this is important to meet the energy needs that the child's body needs. As the name suggests, a snack is done when the main meal breaks.

Citing the book Nutrition for Children and Adolescents, the time lag between main meals is breakfast - snack - lunch - snack - snack - dinner.

The ideal portion of meals for children aged 4 years

Make a meal portion for children aged 4 years indeed tricky or need a special strategy. Sometimes children want to eat a lot, but when the portion has been added a little, they actually leave the rest on the plate.

As a guide, here are the ideal meal portions:

Carbohydrate

Based on the 2013 Nutrition Adequacy Rate (RDA) issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the energy needs of children aged 4-6 years are 1600 cal per day. To make ends meet, carbohydrate intake should not be missed.

If your little one doesn't want to eat rice, there are other sources of carbohydrates that can be selected, such as potatoes, bread, sweet potatoes, and corn.

Based on Indonesian Food Composition Data, the following is a complete explanation of 100 grams of carbohydrates that can be given to your little one:

• 100 grams of white rice or one scoop of rice contains 180 calories of energy and 88.9 carbohydrates
• 100 grams of potatoes contain 62 cal of energy and 13 grams of carbohydrates
• 100 grams of bread contains 248 cal of energy and 50 grams of carbohydrates
• 100 grams of corn contains 142 cal of energy and 30.3 grams of carbohydrates

You don't need to eat all of the carbohydrates above at the same time. You can choose it according to your little one's taste and varied so that the child doesn't get bored.

Animal protein

In order for 1600 cal of energy to be fulfilled in a day, you must add animal protein to the food portion of a 4 year old child.

The following is the dose of animal protein in 100 grams based on Indonesian Food Composition Data:

• Beef: 273 cal of energy and 17.5 grams of protein
• Chicken: 298 cal of energy and 18.2 grams of protein
• Fish: contains 100 cal and 16.5 grams of protein
• Chicken eggs: 251 cal of energy and 16.3 grams of protein

Pay attention to the process of cooking beef and chicken, make sure it is cooked and tender so that your little one has no trouble chewing it.

Vegetable protein

There are many vegetable proteins that can be given in one meal for a 4 year old child, for example, tofu, tempeh, and various types of nuts.

Here are some types of vegetable protein that can be used as a menu option for your little one in a 100 gram dose:

• Fried tofu: 115 cal of energy and 9.7 grams of protein
• Fried tempeh: 335 calories of energy and 20 grams of protein
• Boiled green beans: 109 calories of energy and 8.7 grams of protein
• Boiled kidney beans: 144 cal energy and 10 grams of protein

Adjust the food menu with your little one's tongue and favorites.

Fruit Vegetable

The need for vegetables and fruit for children aged 4 years is 100-400 grams a day at different meal times. It can be at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack between main meal breaks.

For example, you can provide two pieces of melon a day, then replace it the next day with watermelon, dragon fruit, or orange.

Milk

It doesn't have to be in the form of a drink, milk can also be used as a cooking ingredient that makes the food menu more delicious creamy . Apart from being filling, milk-based foods can also increase your little one's weight.

Some food menus that use milk as a cooking ingredient, namely Skotel macaroni, pancakes , soup, milk pudding, even soto betawi as a substitute for coconut milk.

Based on the 2013 Adequacy Rate (RDA), the calcium needs of children aged 4-6 years are 1000 mg per day. Meanwhile, 100 ml of milk contains 143 mg of calcium so that if the child consumes 3 glasses of milk it can meet their calcium needs.

The need for calcium will be more fulfilled if you add it to foods from dairy products such as cheese and yogurt.

Tips when children don't finish their food

Tried various ways so that your little one wants to finish his food, but the results are not satisfactory? Even though it often makes you anxious, don't worry.

There are several other ways you can do if a 4 year old child does not finish the portion of the meal that has been given, as reported by Healthy Children:

Provide healthy snacks

When the main food is not finished or is not even touched at all, you can try to give him a healthy snack so that the nutrition is maintained.

One way is to make cereal with milk and wheat or a salad with fresh fruit slices plus yogurt and a little mayonnaise.

The thing that needs to be considered when giving healthy snacks is the time. Make sure your child is given a snack at main meal times, when he or she is unable to eat.

If given outside of that hour, he will be addicted to snacking without wanting the main menu.

Avoid forcing 4-year-olds to finish eating portions

Sometimes there are conditions that are far from your expectations, including your little one who doesn't finish his food. Avoid forcing children to finish the portion of food that has been given because at the age of 4 they already understand the concept of hunger and fullness.

In addition, at the age of 4 the child is exploring new food flavors mood or mood can be influenced by the food you want to eat.

Eat with children according to the schedule made

As mentioned earlier, if children like something routine, it's best to sit down together when it's time to eat. When eating, create a pleasant atmosphere so that children do not perceive eating as a tough, annoying task.

Create an interesting menu

Children like visuals that are interesting and different from the usual. Perhaps one of the reasons why 4 year olds do not finish the portion of the meal that has been provided is because it looks less attractive. In addition, maybe he is also bored with the same processed food.

In this case, the mother's creativity will be tested. To outsmart, make fried noodles decorated like a face with curly hair, plus cucumbers are made like ears, and eyes using tomatoes or.

Drink less while you're eating

When eating, avoid drinking water as much as possible unless he is really thirsty. Drinking too often when eating makes children full faster and the portion of food that is made is not spent.

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