Food groups & serving size – children

Like adults, children need to eat a range of foods to be healthy and grow well. There are 4 main food groups which provide a variety of fat, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals – to be healthy, children need all of these.

Provide your child with a variety of foods from these 4 food groups every day:

vegetables and fruit
grain foods such as bread, cereals, rice, noodles and pasta
milk and milk products including cheese and yoghurt
lean meats, chicken, seafood, eggs, legumes (ie, cooked dried beans, peas and lentils), nuts and seeds.

Vegetables & fruit

Vegetables and fruit contain fibre, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals. They're best eaten with most meals and are a great snack option.

Buy fruit and vegetables in season to reduce cost.
Other options include canned and frozen which can be cheaper options. Choose fruit canned in fruit juice rather than syrup.
Include a range of raw and cooked vegetables and fruit in meals and snacks. Sometimes children will eat raw vegetables such as grated carrot or finely chopped cabbage but won’t eat it cooked. This is absolutely fine as long as they are eating it!
We get different nutrients from different coloured fruits and vegetables so try to offer a variety e.g. beetroot or plum, tomato or strawberry, broccoli or kiwifruit, carrot or orange.

How much fruit & vegetables to serve?

Serving size		Preschoolers (2–5 year olds)	Schoolchildren (5–12 years)
Vegetables	Cooked vegetables (50–80 g) – 1⁄2 cup, salad (60 g) – 1⁄2 cup, 1 medium taro, potato, or kūmara (135 g), 1 tomato (80 g)	2 or more servings per day	3 or more servings per day
Fruits	Fresh fruit salad (120 g) – 1/2 cup, 1pear, banana, apple, or orange (130 g), 2 small plums or apricots (100 g), stewed or canned fruit (135 g) – 1⁄2 cup.	2 or more servings per day	2 or more servings of fruit each day
Try to limit or avoid fruit juice and dried fruit as they're full of sugar and can cause problems with teeth. If you do eat/drink these limit to one serving each day: 3 dried apricots or 2 tablespoons of raisins (25gms dried fruit) 1 cup of watered down fruit juice (1⁄2 cup of water mixed with 1⁄2 a cup of juice). Tip: have a piece of cheese afterwards to help get the fruit out of the teeth.

Grain foods

Children should eat these foods every day since these are a high-quality energy source.

These foods include breakfast cereals, breads, noodles, rice, and pasta. They offer carbohydrate (a valuable source of fibre and energy) and a few vitamins and minerals.
Breads and cereals can make healthy snacks for children.
Choose wholegrain options (e.g. brown bread with whole grains, rolled oats, brown rice) as much as possible.

How much grain food to serve?

Serving size	Preschoolers	Schoolchildren
Single bread roll (50 g) single medium piece of bread (26 g) single cup of rice bubbles or cornflakes (30 g) or 2 breakfast wheat biscuits (34 g) cooked cereal e.g. porridge (130 g) – 1/2 a cup cooked pasta, noodles or rice (150 g) – 1 cup single cup of tapioca or cassava	4 or more servings every day	5 or more servings every day
Note: You may need to change the size and/or texture of certain foods to make them safe for young children – to prevent choking (see below).

Milk & milk products

Milk contains energy, protein, and a range of vitamins and minerals including calcium. Children and preschoolers need milk and milk products so they can grow healthy bones and teeth.

When children reach 2 years old, you can begin to slowly introduce low-fat (yellow or green lid) or reduced-fat (light blue lid) milk and milk products.
Try to encourage children who don’t consume milk to eat other milk products like yoghurt, fruit smoothies and cheese.

How much milk & milk products to serve?

Single serving size	Young children	Preschoolers & schoolchildren
Reduced/low-fat milk (250 ml) – 1 cup*	2 cups (500 ml) of milk each day (maximum)*	2–3 servings every day (or more)
Reduced/or low-fat yoghurt (150 g) – 1 pottle 2 slices or 1⁄2 a cup of grated cheese (40 g)	2–3 servings every day (or more)	2–3 servings every day (or more)
*Limit to 2 cups (500ml) milk each day for young children as if they drink too much milk they may feel full and then not eat enough food to get the nutrients they need to grow well.

For more information see our milk and mild products section.

Lean meats, chicken, seafood, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds

These foods contain protein, which is vital for children’s development. They also include fat and a range of vitamins and minerals – including iron, which is important for the blood and brain.

The body gets iron from lean meats, chicken and seafood more easily than from plants.
To help your body take in iron, have foods high in vitamin C with meals. Try fresh fruits and vegetables, like oranges, kiwifruit, tomatoes and broccoli, these are all full of vitamin C.
To lower fat levels, try to choose lean meat, remove bits of fat you can see on meat and chicken, and take off chicken skin after cooking. Children should eat some fat, but too much can cause health issues later on in life.
Restrict processed meats, like luncheon, bacon, salami, and ham, as they are often high in fat, salt and preservatives.
Start adding lentils, chickpeas or beans to meals such as casseroles, spaghetti bolognese and curries to introduce children to these as part of a mixed meal.

How much to serve?

Single serving size		Preschoolers & schoolchildren	Vegetarian preschoolers	Vegetarian schoolchildren
2 slices (100 g) of cooked lean meat – try roast lamb, beef, pork, or chicken 3⁄4 cup (195 g) – mince or casserole Single medium fillet (100–120 g) of fish or steak. Single chicken leg/2 chicken drumsticks Single medium pāua or kina (100–120 g) Single egg 3/4 cup – cooked dried beans (e.g. baked beans). 1/3 cup (50 g) – nuts or seeds 3⁄4 cup (200 g) – tofu		1 or more serving every day	1–2 (or more) servings of nuts, legumes or seeds	2 or more servings of nuts, legumes, or seeds