Kids and Diet

The Indianapolis Star reports on kids and calories:

No pain? Plenty of gain
Here’s a sampling of high-calorie foods, nutrient-rich alternatives and the average number of calories burned per activity for a 70-pound 11-year-old. The USDA recommends children ages 9-13 with low activity levels consume roughly 1,700 calories a day.

BREAKFAST
Non-nutritious
• 6 mini-doughnuts (3 oz.), 340 calories
• 12 oz. soda pop, 140 calories
CALORIE INTAKE: 480

Nutritious
• 1 cup of corn flakes, 1/2 cup of skim milk 155 calories
• 6 oz. orange juice, 82 calories
CALORIE INTAKE: 237

LUNCH
Non-nutritious
• 8 oz. fruit cocktail, in heavy syrup, 190 calories
• 2.5 oz. bag of potato chips, 400 calories
• 2 slices of pepperoni pizza, 580 calories
• 20 oz. soda, 243 calories
CALORIE INTAKE: 1,413

Nutritious
• 8 oz. fruit cocktail, in juice, 70 calories
• 3 oz. snack pack carrot sticks, 33 calories
• Turkey on wheat sandwich, 360 calories
• 8 oz. unsweetened iced tea, 2 calories
CALORIE INTAKE: 487

DINNER AND DESSERT
Non-nutritious
• 4 oz. medium french fries, 350 calories
• Quarter-pound cheeseburger, 7 oz., 510 calories
• 22 oz. large pop, 290 calories
• 12 oz. milkshake, 430 calories
CALORIE INTAKE: 1,580

Nutritious
• Medium baked potato with sour cream, 270 calories
• Skinless 3 oz. chicken breast, roasted, 140 calories
• 1 cup steamed vegetables, 35 calories
• 12 oz. lemonade, sweetened, 165 calories
• 1/2 cup of soft low-fat frozen yogurt, 120 calories
CALORIE INTAKE: 730


Hours needed of each activity to burn calories eaten

Cleaning your room
Burns 111 calories an hour.
• Non-nutritious: 4 hours
• Nutritious: 2 hours

Watching TV
Burns 32 calories an hour.
• Non-nutritious: 44 hours
• Nutritious: 15 hours

Jumping rope
At a moderate speed burns 318 calories an hour.
• Non-nutritious: 4.5 hours
• Nutritious: 1.5 hours

Brisk walking
Burns 121 calories an hour.
• Non-nutritious: 13 hours
• Nutritious: 6 hours

Reading
Burns 41 calories an hour.
• Non-nutritious: 38.5 hours
• Nutritious: 17.8 hours

Sleeping
Burns 29 calories an hour.
• Non-nutritious: 54.5 hours
• Nutritious: 25 hours

NOTE: Calorie content in food and calories burned an hour are approximate and have been rounded. The numbers of calories needed and burned vary by age, weight and activity level (inactive — less than 30 minutes a day — or active — 30 or more minutes a day) and intensity level of activity (slow, moderate or fast). Children and teens should not burn all of the calories they consume. They need to take in some extra calories because they burn calories when they grow.

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