Growing Children—Why a Balanced Diet Is So Important

A balanced diet is especially important for children to optimally support their rapid growth and development. We’ll show you which nutrients play a key role in this process and offer practical tips on how to encourage healthy eating habits.

Rapid Growth and Development

School-age children face very specific challenges: They must meet the high demands of school and their free time. At the same time, they are growing and developing very rapidly. Starting around age 4^, children gain about 2 kg of muscle mass and 5 cm in height each year^{.¹, ²} By the time they reach puberty, they have already reached nearly 80% of their final height.¹ Their brains are extremely active and working at full capacity. Although it accounts for only 5 to 10% of body weight, it requires about half of the total energy the body consumes at rest.³

Which nutrients are particularly important for children?

Children are not just small adults. Their nutritional needs differ significantly from those of adults. For example, relative to their body weight, children need twice as many calories, three times as much iron and vitamin D, and more than twice as much calcium and iodine as ^adults¹⁴.

The 10 most important nutrients for growing children are:

• Protein
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Iron
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Folic acid
• Vitamin A
• Iodine

What Does a Healthy Diet for Children Look Like? The 6 Cornerstones

So what does a healthy diet that provides all the essential nutrients in sufficient amounts look like? The Swiss Society for Nutrition recommends a varied, ^balanced diet for children.¹⁷ The rule of thumb is: In principle, all foods are allowed. It all comes down to quantity and frequency. The goal is to provide all the nutrients needed for healthy growth, development, and performance18. But how can this be ^achieved17?

1. Five servings a day

Vegetables and fruits should be the most frequent items on the menu. At least five servings a day—three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. The rule here is: the more colorful, the better.

A simple tip: A child’s hand can serve as a measure for a serving—whatever fits in one hand is one serving. The serving sizes listed for the various food groups should be considered a rough guide. Actual needs depend on how big and active a child is.

2. Bread, Grains, and Side Dishes—Whole Grain Whenever Possible

The second most important food group in terms of quantity consists of potatoes, legumes, and grain products such as bread, pasta, rice, and other grains. They contain valuable carbohydrates that provide energy. Children should have 3 to 4 servings of these per day. When it comes to grains, choose whole-grain varieties whenever possible, as they contain more vitamins and minerals—and, most importantly, dietary fiber, which keeps you feeling full for longer.

3. Enough Protein for Growth

Milk and dairy products are valuable sources of protein and calcium and are therefore particularly important for children’s nutrition. Children should eat two to three servings of these per day. In addition, they should eat one serving per day of meat, fish, eggs, tofu, Quorn, seitan, or an additional serving of dairy products as another source of protein.

4. Limit Oil and Fats

Oils and fats are important for the body. However, they are high in calories and should therefore be used sparingly. The quality of the oils is particularly important. Canola oil is especially good for this purpose.

5. Sweets and snacks only once in a while

Children would love to eat sweets, cookies, salty snacks, or sugary drinks every day. However, all of these foods contain a lot of sugar, salt, or fat but almost no nutrients. They should therefore be included in the meal plan no more than once a day in a small portion.

6. Staying Hydrated Is Important

Tap water, still mineral water, or unsweetened herbal and fruit teas are best for quenching thirst. As a guideline, children ages 6–12 should drink about 1 liter per day.

Many children are deficient in nutrients

Children have their own food preferences. Some absolutely refuse to eat vegetables or will only accept a very limited selection of foods. Others are so-called “picky eaters” who eat only reluctantly and in small amounts. Two recent studies from Germany show that most children do not consume enough fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich foods such as whole-grain bread and potatoes.¹⁹ Instead, meat, processed meats, sweets, and salty snacks are too often on the menu.¹⁹ As a result, many children’s high nutritional needs cannot always be met. In particular, they do not consume enough dietary fiber, iron, and calcium, as well as vitamins B2 and D and iodine¹⁹^,²⁰.

How can we make a healthy and varied diet appealing to children so they can meet their high nutritional needs?^¹⁷

• Foster a love of healthy eating: By shopping and cooking together, children discover the variety of foods available and can have a say in what’s served at the table.
• Shared meals: Eating meals together as a family is important for promoting healthy eating habits.
• Setting a good example: When parents eat healthily, children follow their lead. This increases the likelihood that children will adopt healthy eating habits and continue to eat healthily as adults.
• No strict bans: Sweets and fast food are allowed once in a while, since otherwise they become even more tempting.
• You eat with your eyes first: Children are more likely to eat healthy foods when they’re presented attractively on the plate, such as funny vegetable faces or radishes shaped like mice.
• “Hide” vegetables and fruits: Children are more likely to accept them in pureed form—such as in a smoothie, creamy soup, or a hearty vegetable sauce.
• Separate ingredients: Some children don’t like mixed dishes like stews or one-pot meals. For these children, it’s worth trying to serve the ingredients separately on the plate.
• Accept when the child is full: Children have a natural sense of hunger and fullness and should be encouraged to listen to their bodies. Therefore, they don’t have to finish everything on their plate.
• Nutritional supplements: To meet children’s high nutritional needs, it may be helpful to temporarily give them a multivitamin drink. In addition to vitamins and minerals, this should also contain high-quality protein to support growth and dietary fiber to promote longer-lasting satiety.

Sources

1. 1) Swiss Society of Pediatrics. Growth Charts 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2024, from paediatrieschweiz.ch
2. 2) Meinhardt U. Puberty and Competitive Sports. Pediatrics. 2016;5:21-24.
3. 3) Steiner P. Brain fuel utilization in the developing brain. Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;75(suppl 1):8-18.
4. 4) Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs. Swiss Reference Values for Nutrient Intake. 2022. blv.admin.ch
5. 5) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Selected Questions and Answers on Protein and Essential Amino Acids. As of January 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from dge.de
6. 6) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Selected Questions and Answers on Calcium. Last revised: March 11, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from dge.de
7. 7) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Selected Questions and Answers on Magnesium. As of January 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from dge.de
8. 8) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Selected Questions and Answers on Zinc. As of July 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from dge.de
9. 9) Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE). Iron. As of 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from sge-ssn.ch
10. 10) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Selected Questions and Answers on Iron. Last updated March 11, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024, from dge.de
11. 11) Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE). Iodine. As of 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from sge-ssn.ch
12. 12) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Overview of Reference Values. Iodine. Retrieved on July 23, 2024, from dge.de
13. 13) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Overview of Reference Values. Vitamin D. Retrieved July 23, 2024, from dge.de
14. 14) Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE). Vitamin C. As of 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from sge-ssn.ch
15. 15) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Selected Questions and Answers on Folate. As of December 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from dge.de
16. 16) German Nutrition Society (DGE). Selected Questions and Answers on Vitamin A. As of November 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from dge.de
17. 17) Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE). Children’s Nutrition. Updated: December 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from sge-ssn.ch
18. 18) Kersting M, Kalhoff H, Lücke T. From Nutrients to Foods and Meals: The Concept of an Optimized Mixed Diet for Children and Adolescents in Germany. Aktuel Ernahrungsmed. 2017;42:304-15.
19. 19) Mensink GBM, Haftenberger M, Barbosa CL, et al. EsKiMo II – The Nutrition Study as a KiGGS Module, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, 2020. Retrieved on July 23, 2024, from edoc.rki.de
20. 20) Alexy U, Fischer M, Weder S, et al. Vegetarian and vegan diets among children and adolescents in Germany—VeChi-Youth Study. Last updated on February 17, 2021. Retrieved on July 24, 2024, from vechi-youth-studie.de
21. 21) Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE). SGE Info Flash: Proteins. As of December 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from sge-ssn.ch
22. 22) Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE). Info Flash: Calcium. As of December 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from sge-ssn.ch
23. 23) Swiss Society for Nutrition (SGE). Zinc. As of 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from sge-ssn.ch