Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children

The American Heart Association has dietary recommendations for infants, children and adolescents to promote cardiovascular health:

AHA Scientific Position

Start in Infancy:

Breast-feeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient to support optimal growth and development for about the first 4–6 months after birth. Try to maintain breast-feeding for 12 months. Transition to other sources of nutrients should begin at about 4–6 months of age to ensure sufficient micronutrients in the diet.
Delay introducing 100 percent juice until at least 6 months of age and limit to no more than 4–6 oz/day. Juice should only be fed from a cup.
Don't overfeed infants and young children — they can usually self-regulate the amount of calories they need each day. Children shouldn't be forced to finish meals if they aren't hungry as they often vary caloric intake from meal to meal.
Introduce healthy foods and keep offering them if they're initially refused. Don't introduce foods without overall nutritional value simply to provide calories.

The American Heart Association recommends this eating pattern for families:

Energy (calories) should be adequate to support growth and development and to reach or maintain desirable body weight.

Eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Keep total fat intake between 30 to 35 percent of calories for children 2 to 3 years of age and between 25 to 35 percent of calories for children and adolescents 4 to 18 years of age, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils.

Choose a variety of foods to get enough carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients.

This eating pattern supports a child's normal growth and development. It provides enough total energy and meets or exceeds the recommended daily allowances for all nutrients for children and adolescents, including iron and calcium.

Information for Ages 1 Year and 2-3 Years

Milk listed is fat -free (except for children under the age of 2 years). If 1%, 2%, or whole-fat milk is substituted, this will utilize, for each cup, 19, 39, or 63 kilocalorie of discretionary calories and add 2.6, 5.1, or 9.0 grams of total fat, of which 1.3, 2.6, or 4.6 grams are saturated fat.

For 1-year-old children, calculations are based on 2% fat milk. If 2 cups of whole milk are substituted, 48 kilocalories of discretionary calories will be utilized. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that low fat or reduced fat milk not be started before 2 years of age.

Information for 4-18 Years

Calories / Food	4 to 8 years	9 to 13 years	14 to 18 years
Calories kilocalories per day (kcal/d)	For youth 2 years and older; adopted from Table 2, Table 3, and Appendix A-2 of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005); http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. Nutrient and energy contributions from each group are calculated according to the nutrient-dense forms of food in each group (eg, lean meats and fat-free milk).
Female	4 to 8 years">1200 kcal/d	1600 kcal/d	1800 kcal/d
Male	4 to 8 years">1400 kcal/d	1800 kcal/d	2200 kcal/d
Fat	4 to 8 years">25% to 35%	25% to 35%	25% to 35%
Milk / Dairy	4 to 8 years">2 cups	3 cups	3 cups
Lean Meat / Beans
Female	4 to 8 years">3 ounces	5 ounces	5 ounces
Male	4 to 8 years">4 ounces	5 ounces	6 ounces
Fruits
Female	4 to 8 years">1.5 cups	1.5 cups	1.5 cups
Male	4 to 8 years">1.5 cups	1.5 cups	2 cups
Vegetables
Female	4 to 8 years">1 cup	2 cups	2.5 cups
Male	4 to 8 years">1.5 cups	2.5 cups	3 cups
Grains
Female	4 to 8 years">4 ounces	5 ounces	6 ounces
Male	4 to 8 years">5 ounces	6 ounces	7 ounces

Last Reviewed: Apr 16, 2018