Energy density = no. of calories/weight (grams)

Some parents may find it challenging to manage the amount of food their child eats, in particular making sure their fruit and vegetable intake is proportionally larger than the foods providing carbohydrates, proteins and fat. Furthermore, the total energy intake of the amount of food may be too much, increasing the risk of overweight and obesity.

Here are five ways to maintain the correct proportion and quantity of foods:

1. 1. Serve nutritious foods that have a low energy density as a first course. Examples are vegetable soups (e.g. lentils, tomato) and sliced fruits. These will fill up some tummy space while providing vitamins and minerals.
2. 2. Serve vegetables and fruits as side dishes to the main meal. Most fruits and vegetables are low in energy density because of their zero-fat and high-water content.
3. 3. Offer vegetarian meals about twice a week. Tasty examples are tofu scramble on toast, potato and lentil curry, phuthu pap with fermented milk (maas) or morogo or roti with soya mince
4. 4. Encourage older children to dish up their own food as they are in that way likely to serve themselves quantities they believe will satisfy their hunger. However, children should not be allowed to serve themselves energy-dense foods.
5. 5. Use plateware that is the appropriate size for the child’s age. Using large bowls or dinner plates will likely lead to large amounts of food being dished up.

There are two things to keep in mind when you think about portion size. The one is how much of the different foods make up a plate. The second is how much food in totality is on the plate. The goal is a meal that has the correct proportions of nutrients, with those nutrients in quantities appropriate for the child’s needs.

As explained in ‘What does eat nutritious and varied options mean?’, carbohydrates, proteins and fats are needed in larger quantities, with vitamins and minerals required in smaller quantities. Using breakfast as an example, a slice of buttered brown bread and a boiled egg with a small glass of milk will provide enough carbohydrates, proteins and fats to start the day. However, on their own, these foods will provide only some of the 26 vitamins and minerals they need for that day. Adding a small bowl of fruit salad will increase the number of vitamins and minerals needed, in that way creating a nutritionally balanced meal. If you were to put all of those foods in one plate, proportionally the fruits will be in larger quantities than either the bread or the boiled egg. In fact, the fruits alone will be equal to the bread and egg together. This is generally what a nutritionally balanced meal looks like in terms of proportion – double the quantity of fruits and vegetables on the plate, or served as a side, compared to the carbohydrates and protein.

The total amount of food a 3- ,7- and 10-year-old need is different, and one needs to consider the size of their stomachs. The preschool child’s stomach can manage five small meals spread throughout the day served on a plate that size of a regular bowl, while primary school kids should be served three meals on a small plate and two snacks a day.