Key points about food groups and serving sizes for children
- tamariki need to eat lots of different foods to grow and be healthy
- give your child a range of foods from the 4 main food groups
- how many servings of each food group your child needs will depend on their age, body size and energy levels
What makes up a balanced diet for children?
Tamariki need a wide range of nutritious foods for growth and development. The 4 main food groups have a mixture of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Tamariki need daily servings from all of these food groups.
The 4 main food groups are:
- fruits and vegetables
- grain foods
- milk and milk products
- lean meats, chicken, seafood, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds
How much is a serving?
Eating the recommended number of servings from each food group each day helps your child get the nutrients they need. Serving sizes depend on your child’s age, body size and energy levels.
Recommended serving sizes are a guide only. For some tamariki, this may be too much food to eat in a single meal. You can divide 1 serving into several smaller amounts for your child to eat throughout the day.
Start your child’s meal size smaller than yours. Often young tamariki don’t need to eat as much as adults. If they're still hungry, offer more of the meal.
Encourage your child to eat slowly so their stomach has time to tell them when it’s full. If your child is full, let them stop eating. Don’t force them to finish everything on their plate.
How much food from each food group does my child need?
How many servings your child needs from each food group will depend on their age. Encourage your child to eat a variety of foods from each of the 4 main food groups each day.
The following recommendations are from the 'Eating for Healthy Children aged 2 to 12 years' resource.
Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat. They provide carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Include them in most meals. They also make great healthy snacks.
Recommended daily servings of vegetables
Age 2 to 3 years
Girls and boys - 2 ½ servings each day.
Age 4 to 8 years
Girls and boys - 4 ½ servings each day.
Age 8 to 11 years
Girls and boys - 5 servings each day.
Age 12 to 13 years
Girls - 5 servings each day.
Boys - 5 ½ servings each day.
- ½ cup of cooked coloured vegetables (choose fresh, frozen, or canned)
- 1 medium tomato
- ½ a medium potato, kūmara, yam or taro
- 1 cup of salad
Recommended daily servings of fruit
Age 2 to 3 years
Girls and boys - 1 serving each day.
Age 4 to 8 years
Girls and boys - 1 ½ servings each day.
Age 8 to 11 years
Girls and boys - 2 servings each day.
Age 12 to 13 years
Girls and boys - 2 servings each day.
- 1 medium apple, banana, orange or pear
- 1 cup of fresh fruit salad
- 2 small apricots, kiwi fruit or plums
Grain foods
Grain foods are a great source of energy for tamariki. Examples include bread, cereals, rice, pasta and oats. As often as possible, choose wholegrain varieties such as brown rice or wholegrain bread. Wholegrain foods are higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Recommended daily servings of grain foods
Age 2 to 3 years
Girls and boys - 4 servings each day.
Age 4 to 8 years
Girls and boys - 4 servings each day.
Age 8 to 11 years
Girls - 4 servings each day.
Boys - 5 servings each day.
Age 12 to 13 years
Girls - 5 servings each day.
Boys - 6 servings each day.
- 2 breakfast wheat biscuits
- ½ cup of cooked pasta or brown rice
- ½ cup of cooked porridge or rolled oats
- 1 sandwich slice of wholegrain bread or ½ a wholegrain bread roll
- ¼ cup of muesli (make sure it has less than 10 to 15 grams of sugar per 100 grams - check the label)
Milk and milk products
Milk products provide tamariki with energy, protein and many vitamins and minerals. They are a great source of calcium, which helps build strong teeth and bones.
From 2 years of age, you can gradually introduce reduced-fat and low-fat milk and milk products. Encourage tamariki who don’t drink milk to eat other milk products such as yoghurt and cheese.
Recommended daily servings of milk and milk products
Age 2 to 3 years
Girls and boys - 1 ½ servings each day.
Age 4 to 8 years
Girls - 1 ½ servings each day.
Boys - 2 servings each day.
Age 8 to 11 years
Girls - 3 servings each day.
Boys - 2 ½ servings each day.
Age 12 to 13 years
Girls and boys - 3 ½ servings each day.
- 1 cup (250 milliliters) of low or reduced-fat milk
- 2 slices (40 grams) of cheese, such as edam cheese
- ¾ cup of low or reduced-fat yoghurt
- 1 cup of plant-based milk with calcium added to it (check the label and aim for at least 100 miligrams of calcium per 100 milliliters)
Lean meats, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds
Lean meats, legumes, chicken, seafood, eggs, nuts* and seeds all contain protein. Protein is important for children’s growth. These foods also contain fat and lots of vitamins and minerals, especially iron. Iron is important for the blood and brain.
Where possible, buy lean meat or cut off any fat you can see from meat and chicken. Limit processed meats such as salami, bacon and luncheon as they are high in fat and salt.
The body absorbs iron from meat more easily than from plant foods like legumes. Legumes include lentils and dried beans and peas.
See the page on vegetarian and vegan eating for more information.
Vegetarian & Vegan Eating In Children
Recommended daily servings of protein-rich foods
Age 2 to 3 years
Girls and boys - 1 serving each day.
Age 4 to 8 years
Girls and boys - 1 ½ servings each day.
Age 8 to 11 years
Girls and boys - 2 ½ servings each day.
Age 12 to 13 years
Girls and boys - 2 ½ servings each day.
- 1 cup of cooked dried beans, peas or lentils
- 2 eggs
- ½ cooked chicken breast (80 grams)
- small handful (30 grams) of nuts* or seeds
- ½ cup of cooked mince (about 65 grams)
- 2 slices (65 grams) of cooked meat, such as roast lamb or beef
- 1 large piece of cooked fish (100 grams)
*Nuts are a choking hazard - use peanut butter or other nut spreads for tamariki under 5. Peanut butter and other nut spreads are OK from age 6 months.
See the checklist of foods to avoid to reduce the choking risk in tamariki.
Checklist For Preventing Your Baby From Choking
What if my child is a fussy eater?
Fussy eating is common, especially in young tamariki. Appetites can change from day to day and are affected by growth, tiredness and activity. It’s important to remember that tamariki often have different tastes to adults.
If your child is a fussy eater, you could try:
- keeping regular meal and snack times
- offering a variety of foods for your child to explore
- making mealtimes relaxed and positive
- providing an enjoyable eating environment
Most tamariki will eat when they're hungry. Talk to a health professional if you are worried.
See the page on fussy eating to learn more about how to manage it.
More information
You can find the Eating for healthy children information booklet on the HealthEd website.
