Understanding Preschooler Nutrition

Knowing the basics about preschooler nutrient and calorie requirements can help you plan healthy diets for your preschooler. Here you will get the facts about important vitamins and minerals, dietary guidelines, portion sizes, nutrition labels and more. You might be surprised by what you learn. Did you know that most three-year-olds can get enough protein for the whole day by drinking just two 8 oz glasses of milk?

Featured Preschool Nutrition Articles - Understanding Nutrition

Preschoolers and Sugar - Grams per Day Recommendation
Find out how many grams of added sugar are the limit for your preschooler. Some healthy foods like whole fruit and milk have naturally occurring sugars which don't need to be limited. Added sugars, however, supply extra calories and no nutrients and limiting them is a healthy goal for your preschooler.

Added Sugars in Common Preschooler Foods
Sugar is added to many foods for sweetness and appeal. But eating lots of added sugars isn't healthy for your preschooler. Use this list of added sugars in foods to help make healthier food choices for your preschooler. Save the really sweet stuff for desserts and special occasions!

Preschooler Calcium Needs
Getting enough calcium early in life is important to bone health later in life. Find out your preschooler's calcium requirements and offer these calcium-rich foods and drinks.

More Understanding Preschooler Nutrition Articles

The Food Guide Pyramid for Preschoolers

Raising a Healthy Preschooler

Healthy Food for Healthy Preschooler Teeth

Preschooler Calorie Needs - How Many Calories Does Your Preschooler Need? 

Whole Grains for Your Preschooler

Preschooler Iron Needs

Preschooler Nutrition Basics

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Featured Preschool Product

Pretend Play With Food
Preschoolers will enjoy hands-on playtime with food, especially when they are allowed to cut with a play knife! The set includes colorful wooden replicas of fruits, vegetables and bread that can be sliced and placed back together like a 3-D puzzle. Preschoolers can explore foods and food groups while developing sorting and small-motor skills. All this while learning what it takes to make dinner!

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Eat Healthy, Feel Great
by William Sears, M.D., Martha Sears, R.N., and Christie Watts Kelly
Want to teach your preschooler  to eat healthy foods? This is a wonderful picture book for teaching health and nutrition to preschoolers that parents and children will both benefit from reading. It teaches your preschooler that he needs good foods “that make you grow stronger, help you think better, and give you more energy to play.

Rock Through the Alphabet - A is for Apple
A is for Apple and preschoolers will love learning about the letter "A" through these simple hands-on activities. Teach preschoolers about the letter "A" with exciting circle time activities, arts and crafts projects, math and science activities, music and movement, and pretend play.

Preschool Science Experiment - The Orange Juice Taste Test
Teach your preschooler how processing foods changes the taste of common products such as orange juice with this easy preschool science experiment.

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Print a Food Pyramid for Kids Poster
Use this fun and colorful poster to show preschoolers the basics of a healthy lifestyle: "Eat Right. Exercise. Have Fun."

Customized Food Plan and Dietary Assessment for Your Preschooler
My Pyramid is a healthy eating plan based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid. Enter your preschooler's age, gender and activity level for a customized list of what and how much to eat (under My Pyramid Plan). Enter foods your preschooler eats in a day to get an assessment of diet quality and nutrient levels (under My Pyramid Tracker). Also, find lots of detailed information about foods, nutrients, and health.