The Healthy Eating Plate for Children

Read in EnglishDuring childhood, nutrition is fundamental for the health and development of motor and mental skills and abilities. If our children have the proper diet, they can avoid diseases such as overweight, cavities, anemia, and even more severe conditions like childhood diabetes and cancer. But what is the key to healthy eating? It’s all about the balance between the quantity and quality of food. It is very important for children to eat a variety of foods, but in moderation and balance, prioritizing the most natural and healthy foods, such as vegetables and fruits, while avoiding sugars and processed foods. The Healthy Eating Plate A good way to ensure that children (and even ourselves) eat correctly is the Healthy Eating Plate, an initiative by the Ministry of Health to help you understand how proper nutrition should look.How does the Healthy Eating Plate work?The Healthy Eating Plate represents the three food groups that should be included in your daily diet and is divided according to their nutritional characteristics. The green part represents fruits and vegetables; the yellow part represents cereals and tubers, and the red part represents legumes and animal-derived foods.In the green section, we can group foods that should be consumed in larger portions, as they are nutritious and have many benefits for well-being. This group includes fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins, minerals, and fibers. About 5 servings of fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily to meet the recommendations of the World Health Organization.The foods in the yellow section are cereals and tubers, which provide the necessary energy to carry out daily activities. It is recommended that most of the consumption from this group comes from whole grains to increase fiber intake.Additionally, it is recommended to combine this portion of the plate with legumes, a source of proteins essential for the formation and repair of tissues.Finally, the red section consists of meats, fish, dairy products, and eggs, which provide necessary animal protein, and legumes, which should be preferred in consumption.It is important for children to eat foods from all groups, as each provides something necessary for the body, but this should be done in the indicated amounts and by correctly combining the groups. This task of balanced eating is not only carried out at home. There are foundations such as Drawing a Tomorrow or associations like Eat and Grow, which advocate for the development of children and youth, their nutrition, and their future, and you can support them with donations here, so their work can continue.