The nutritionist from the Restaurant Association has good advice for parents. But for some perspective on the Kids LiveWell guidelines keep in mind the general recommendations for total calorie intake for girls at different ages;
- 1200 calories at 5 years old
- 1600 calories at 10 years old
- 1800 calories at 15 years old.
The guidelines for calories for the Kids LiveWell initiative is < 600 calories. 600 calories is half the calories/day needed by a 5 year old girl, over 1/3 of the calories needed for a 10 year old and 1/3 for a 15 year old who is not eating a kids meal anyway.
The latest recommendation for sodium intake for everyone up to 50 years old is 2300 mg or less/day. American children start to exceed that recommendation by 6 years old based on national data from 2005. The Kids LiveWell criteria is <770 mg which I think is reasonable. It is 1/3 of the sodium they should have for the day.
I think the big message from this initiative is that parents are asking for healthier options. If you have not had a chance to look over MyPlate.gov the nutritionist mentions in the video, check it out. It is a great visual to start making a big change in how we eat. Even during the holidays you can load up half your plate with fruits and vegetables then fill the other side with the delicacies of the season.
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