- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- iparenting fitness articles
- iparenting fitness q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Square Meals
Do Kids Need Three Square Meals a Day?
By Donna Smith
The thought of sitting down to three meals a day is unthinkable for some families. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 15 percent of children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 years are 
overweight. One step families can take to fight back against this startling statistic is to provide healthy, balanced meals throughout the day.
Did Grandma have it right when she served a meat, starch and vegetable? According to Peggy O'Shea, a Boston-based registered dietician and president of the Massachusetts Dietetic Association, a "square meal" is simply one that's balanced. "A square meal is one that is balanced in nutrients and provides adequate calories," she says. "Generally speaking, this would include representation [from] different food groups, but does depend on what other foods have been eaten throughout the day."
The Food Pyramid outlines how many servings of each food group kids and adults need daily, but the numbers can seem overwhelming for busy parents. O'Shea says the most important to remember is to make sure there are no "empty calories," which are high-calorie foods without nutrients. "Because kids are small, they do not eat as much at each sitting and there is not room for empty calories," she says. "As a general guideline, try to provide protein, bread or cereal, milk and fruit and/or vegetable."
"Although our busy schedules do not always accommodate completely 'square' meals, I try to include all food groups at each meal," says Candy Stephens, a mother of three from Katy, Texas. "Although I am lenient concerning time schedules and will occasionally allow more frequent healthy snacks to replace larger meals, I insist my children eat well. I firmly believe that a child's diet affects their behavior."