Kids diet chart: a healthy Pakistani meal plan by age
Children aged 2 to 12 do well on three small meals and two snacks a day: a protein (egg, daal, chicken, fish, dahi), a starch (chapati, rice, oats) and vegetables or fruit at each meal, plus 2 to 3 servings of milk or dahi. Cut juice boxes, chips and sweets. Growth on a growth chart matters more than calories; slow growth or an overweight child needs a paediatrician.
What children need every day, by age
These are the amounts used in international guidelines for healthy children. They are targets for the whole day, not for one meal, and they come mostly from ordinary home food.
| Age | Calories (about) | Protein | Calcium | Iron | Milk or dahi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 to 3 years | 1,000 to 1,400 | 13 g | 700 mg | 7 mg | 2 cups |
| 4 to 8 years | 1,200 to 2,000 | 19 g | 1,000 mg | 10 mg | 2½ cups |
| 9 to 13 years | 1,400 to 2,600 | 34 g | 1,300 mg | 8 mg | 3 cups |
Calorie ranges depend on activity: the lower number for a child who sits most of the day, the higher for a very active child. Vitamin D: 600 IU (15 mcg) a day for children from 1 year.
8 rules of a healthy child diet
- Regular meals and snacks: three meals and two planned snacks. Grazing on biscuits and juice all day kills the appetite for real food.
- Protein at every meal: egg, daal, chana, chicken, fish, dahi or paneer.
- A fruit and a vegetable at most meals, served in small, cut-up, colourful pieces. Let the child help to wash, mix or choose.
- Milk, dahi or lassi 2 to 3 times a day, but not so much that the child is too full to eat.
- Water as the main drink. Limit juice, cold drinks, sweet milkshakes and flavoured drinks.
- Iron every day: daal, meat, egg and leafy greens with kinnu or lemon. Avoid tea; it lowers iron absorption.
- Family meals without screens, and no force, bribes or threats. Children copy what they see on your plate.
- Active play for at least 60 minutes a day, outdoors when possible.
The picky eater: what works and what does not
| What works | What backfires |
|---|---|
| Serve a tiny portion of the new food next to a food they like; repeat 10 to 15 times | Making a separate meal on demand |
| Eat the same food together, calmly | Forcing, "one more bite" and pleading |
| Let the child serve and choose how much | Using dessert or sweets as a reward |
| Fixed meal and snack times, 2 to 3 hours apart | Constant snacks, milk or juice between meals |
| Hide nothing; add vegetables in kofta, rolls or paratha and also serve them plain | Lying about what is in the food |
| Be patient; most children outgrow it by about age 6 | Starting medicines or syrups to "increase appetite" |
If a child eats fewer than about 15 foods, gags at new textures, or is not growing, ask a paediatrician about a feeding assessment. More help: a dietitian for kids.
Sample one-day kids diet chart diet chart
| Nashta (7 to 8 am) | 1 egg (boiled or omelette) with ½ to 1 chapati or 2 slices of whole-wheat bread, and 1 glass of milk; or oats cooked in milk with a chopped banana | protein + calcium |
|---|---|---|
| School snack | 1 fruit (banana, seb or kinnu in pieces) and a small box of roasted chanay, plain dahi or cheese slice | no chips, no juice box |
| Lunch | ½ to 1 chapati or ½ cup rice, 3 to 4 tablespoons of daal, chicken or kofta, 2 tablespoons of sabzi, cucumber or carrot sticks | small, colourful portions |
| After school (4 to 5 pm) | 1 glass of milk or lassi, with a homemade snack such as a chicken or vegetable roll, boiled corn, peanut butter on bread or fruit chaat | homemade, not packet |
| Dinner (7 to 8 pm) | ½ to 1 chapati or ½ cup rice with 1 katori (small) of daal, chicken, fish or egg curry and sabzi; a small bowl of plain dahi | family meal, no screen |
| Before bed (optional) | ½ glass of milk if the child is hungry (at least 30 minutes before brushing teeth) | not sweetened |
Pakistani food swaps for kids diet chart
Small changes to everyday food, without a separate menu.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| Chips, kurkure, noodles, biscuit packets in the lunch box | Roasted chanay, popcorn without butter, a roll, boiled egg, fruit |
| Juice boxes, cold drinks, energy drinks | Water, plain milk, diluted fresh juice only occasionally |
| Chocolate spread and sweet bread | Peanut butter or egg on whole-wheat bread |
| Tea or sweet chai with biscuits for a child | Milk (warm or cold), lassi, plain dahi |
| Fried nuggets, samosay and fast food for rewards | Homemade chicken roll, shami in a little oil, fruit and a treat once a week |
| "Appetite" and "weight gain" syrups from the pharmacy | Regular meals with protein and fat; see a paediatrician if you are worried |
| Sweet halwa and mithai after every meal | Fruit, or one small piece of mithai only on special days |
School lunch box ideas (Pakistani)
- Roll: chapati with scrambled egg, chicken tikka or paneer and cucumber, with a small dahi.
- Stuffed paratha (aloo, daal or mooli) made with little oil, plus dahi or raita.
- Shami kebab with a small roti and cut tomato.
- Pasta or fried rice with vegetables and chicken pieces, and a fruit.
- Cheese or peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread, with carrot sticks.
- Snack box: boiled egg, roasted chanay, boiled corn, fruit chaat, a few almonds (ground for under 4s).
Cook some meals so they can be reheated the night before. A cold roll made at 6 am is better than a canteen packet.
See a paediatrician first if
- Your child is under 2 years, or has difficulty feeding, swallowing or chewing (this page is for ages 2 to 12)
- Weight or height is falling off the growth chart, or your child has stopped growing or lost weight
- Vomiting, diarrhoea for more than 2 weeks, blood in stool, belly pain, or constipation that does not improve
- Pale skin, tiredness and breathlessness (possible anaemia), or frequent infections
- A known or suspected food allergy, coeliac disease, diabetes, kidney disease or a medical condition on medicines
- Extreme fussiness with only a few accepted foods, gagging, or fear of eating (could be a feeding disorder)
- An overweight child: see a paediatrician before changing the diet; never use a crash or weight-loss diet for a child
In these cases a general chart can be wrong for you. Book an online consultation.
Kids diet chart diet: common questions
How many calories does a child need?
It depends on age, sex, size and activity. Typical ranges from the US Dietary Guidelines are about 1,000 to 1,400 calories for 2 to 3 year olds, 1,200 to 2,000 for 4 to 8 year olds and 1,400 to 2,600 for 9 to 13 year olds, with the lower number for children who are not active. Children eat by appetite, and the best measure is steady growth on a growth chart, not counting calories.
What is a healthy diet chart for a 5 year old?
Three small meals and two or three snacks a day. Each meal has a protein food (egg, daal, chicken, fish, dahi), a starch (chapati, rice, oats) and vegetables or fruit; add 2 to 3 servings of milk or dahi. A 5 year old needs about 1,300 to 1,600 calories, 19 g of protein, 1,000 mg of calcium and 10 mg of iron a day. The sample chart above shows how that looks.
How do I deal with a picky eater?
Picky eating is common between ages 2 and 6 and usually passes. Follow the division of responsibility: you decide what, when and where food is served, and the child decides whether and how much to eat. Offer a new food 10 to 15 times in tiny portions, eat the same food yourself, do not force, bribe or use dessert as a reward, keep milk to 2 to 3 glasses so it does not replace meals, and keep a 2 to 3 hour gap between snacks and meals. Turn off screens at meals.
My child is underweight. What should I do?
First check weight and height on the WHO growth chart with a paediatrician, because many small children are simply small and healthy. If growth is really faltering, look for causes (anaemia, worms, coeliac disease, repeated infections, feeding problems). Offer energy-dense food: full-fat milk and dahi, ghee or butter on chapati, egg, peanut butter, nuts, banana and daal with oil. Avoid appetite syrups and herbal weight-gain products unless a paediatrician prescribes them.
Should I put an overweight child on a diet?
Not a strict diet, and never without a paediatrician. Children are growing, so the goal is usually to slow weight gain while height catches up. Change the whole family's habits: no sugary drinks, home-cooked meals, fruit and vegetables, fewer fried snacks, more outdoor play and less screen time, and 60 minutes of active play a day. A dietitian can help the family.
How much milk should my child drink?
About 2 cups (500 ml) a day for 2 to 3 year olds, 2½ cups for 4 to 8 year olds and 3 cups for 9 to 18 year olds, counting dahi, lassi and cheese. Toddlers under 2 should have whole milk. More than about 3 glasses a day fills the child up and lowers iron intake.
Which foods give a child iron and calcium?
Iron: daal, chana, eggs, chicken, meat, liver (small, occasionally), palak and dates, eaten with lemon, kinnu or tomato. Calcium: milk, dahi, lassi, paneer, cheese, almonds, til. Tea reduces iron absorption, so avoid chai for children. Children aged 4 to 8 need about 10 mg of iron and 1,000 mg of calcium a day; 9 to 13 year olds need about 8 mg of iron and 1,300 mg of calcium.
Is my child getting enough vitamin D?
Many children in Pakistan are low in vitamin D, especially those who stay indoors. Safe daily outdoor play and foods like eggs and fortified milk help, but only a doctor can say if a supplement is needed after a blood test. See our vitamin D page.
What are good lunch box ideas for school?
Chicken or egg roll with cucumber, vegetable paratha made with little oil and dahi, daal-stuffed chapati, shami kebab with a roti, cheese and cucumber sandwich on whole-wheat bread, pasta with vegetables and chicken, fruit, boiled corn, roasted chanay, and a small bottle of water or plain milk. Keep sugar and fried packets for rare days.
Which foods are choking hazards?
Children under 4 can choke on whole nuts, whole grapes, hard raw carrot, popcorn, chunks of meat and sticky sweets. Cut grapes into quarters, grate or cook carrot, and give nuts as paste or ground. Always have a child sit while eating. Never give honey before age 1.
How much sugar is allowed for a child?
The WHO advises that free sugars (sugar added to food and drinks, honey and juice) stay below 10 percent of daily calories, and below 5 percent is better. For a child, that is about 25 g (6 teaspoons) or less a day. One cold drink or a juice box can contain this much.
Can children fast in Ramadan?
Fasting is not obligatory before puberty. Young children can try a half-day fast if they are healthy and willing, but they should not be pushed. Children with diabetes or other health problems should not fast without a doctor.
Want a plan made for your body?
Send your weight, height, reports and goal on WhatsApp. A qualified dietitian makes your personal chart and adjusts it at follow-ups.
Sources
- US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025 (calorie ranges, dairy servings)
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. National Academies Press, 2011
- WHO. Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children, 2015
- WHO. Child growth standards
- WHO. Healthy diet fact sheet
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Choking prevention