• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Creative Nourish
  • Home
  • Starting Solids
  • Meal Plans
  • Recipe Index
  • Advice
  • eBOOK
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Starting Solids
  • Meal Plans
  • Recipe Index
  • Advice
  • eBOOK
×

Home » Food Group Daily Requirements

Food Group Daily Requirements

Food group daily requirements

Measurements

The daily requirements listed below are guidelines (not rules) for approximate requirements of each food type, by age and gender.

Daily requirements change rapidly between birth and 2 years of age, so we recommend you check out the age-specific meal plans for those ages. Otherwise, this time is used to introduce solids and develop healthy eating habits as a priority. Just make sure your child is getting enough calories and nutrients overall, is gaining weight as expected and producing dirty diapers consistently.

For everyone else, again, the below should serve as a guide, but everyone is different – some are naturally bigger and some naturally smaller. Some people eat a little more, and some less. And if you or your child eat more or less on any given day, that's nothing to panic about.

Click here to see portion size guides for each of the food groups below.


Daily Requirements for Boys / Men

AgeFruitVegGrainsProteinDairyFats/Oils
2 - 31 cup1 cups3 oz eq.2 oz eq. 2 cups3 tsp
4 - 81–1.5 cups1.5 cups5 oz eq. 4 oz eq. 2.5 cups4 tsp
9 - 131.5 cups2.5 cups6 oz eq. 5 oz eq. 3 cups5 tsp
14 - 182 cups3 cups8 oz eq. 6.5 oz eq. 3 cups6 tsp
19 - 302 cups3 cups8 oz eq. 6.5 oz eq. 3 cups7 tsp
31 - 502 cups3 cups7 oz eq. 6 oz eq. 3 cups6 tsp
51+2 cups2.5 cups6 oz eq. 5.5 oz eq. 3 cups6 tsp

Daily Requirements for Girls / Women

AgeFruitVegGrainsProteinDairyFats/Oils
2 - 31 cup1 cups3 oz2 oz2 cups3 tsp
4 - 81–1.5 cups1.5 cups5 oz4 oz2.5 cups4 tsp
9 - 131.5 cups2 cups5 oz5 oz3 cups5 tsp
14 - 181.5 cups2.5 cups6 oz5 oz3 cups5 tsp
19 - 302 cups2.5 cups6 oz5.5 oz3 cups6 tsp
31 - 501.5 cups2.5 cups6 oz5 oz3 cups5 tsp
51+1.5 cups2 cups5 oz5 oz3 cups5 tsp

Resources

  1. https://www.choosemyplate.gov

Primary Sidebar

Created by two sisters, we bring together nutritional expertise, delicious recipes, and a desire to make life easier for parents everywhere without sacrificing healthy food Read more about us!

Seasonal

  • Mediterranean Sweet Potato Salad with Lemon Mint Vinaigrette
  • Date-sweetened Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream for Kids
  • Mediterranean Summer Salad for Every Day
  • 10 Min No-Bake Energy Balls

Popular Posts

  • How To Make The Most Delicious Strawberry Baby Puree
  • Healthy Blueberry Pancakes
  • Oven-baked Spanish Tortilla (Spanish Omelette)
  • Apple Pancakes for Baby-led Weaning & Toddlers
Wean With Confidence eBOOK

Wean With Confidence eBOOK

This is so much more than a recipe book. This is a full weaning plan written by a PhD nutritionist for your child's entire first year, based on the latest science. This will take away the mental load of wondering if you're feeding your child the right food. It's what we wish we had when we were weaning our own children.

$39.00
Shop now

Footer

Stuff

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! to receive recipe updates and the 6-12 month old meal plans.

Contact

  • About
  • Contact
  • Affiliates - register and login

Copyright © 2022 Creative Nourish