Daily Diet and Water Tracker Printable for Kids
Eating healthy can be a challenge. Maybe you have a picky eater, a child with allergies or food intolerances as I do, or you’re schedule is just crazy and your exhausted!
This chart gives your child a visual representation of their diet and water intake. It encourages them to take responsibility and control over their eating habits and health.
I have found it helpful for Mom too. Having five children with all distinct tastes and preferences of course, along with food restrictions, I sometimes find it impossible to keep track of everyone’s intake of fruit, veggies and water every day. This chart allows you to check in and assess each child’s eating and drinking habits.
The Importance of Hydration
Here are daily water recommendations by age.
- 1-3 years old (girls and boys): 4 cups of water/day
- 4-8 years old (girls and boys): 4 cups of water/day
- 9-13 years old (girls): 7 cups of water/day
- 9-13 years old (boys): 8 cups of water/day
- 14-18 years old (girls): 8 cups of water/day
- 14-18 years old (boys): 11 cups of water/day
Talk to your kids about why water is so important.
Without water, your body would stop working properly. Water makes up more than half of your body weight, and a person can’t survive for more than a few days without it. Why? Your body has lots of important jobs and it needs water to do many of them. For instance, your blood, which contains a lot of water, carries oxygen to all the cells of your body. Without oxygen, those tiny cells would die and your body would stop working.
Water is also in lymph (say: limf), a fluid that is part of your immune system, which helps you fight off illness. Water helps keep your temperature normal. You need water to digest your food and get rid of waste. Water is needed for digestive juices, urine (pee), and poop. And you can bet that water is the main ingredient in perspiration, also called sweat.
Besides being an important part of the fluids in your body, water is needed by each cell to work. – Nemours Children’s Health
Educational Opportunities
For a great educational activity you can purchase some urine ph strips and start examining your pee!
This is an ideal opportunity to learn about their bodies and hydration. Have your child compare the color of their urine with the chart above. How much water did they consume that day? What foods did they eat that day? How do food and water affect the color and acidity of their urine? How do they think that affects your whole body?
According to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, the average value for urine pH is 6.0, but it can range from 4.5 to 8.0. Urine under 5.0 is acidic, and urine higher than 8.0 is alkaline, or basic.
What do abnormal pH levels mean?One of the major factors affecting urine pH is the food that a person eats. A doctor will likely ask a person about the foods they typically eat before evaluating their urine pH results.
Acidic foods include:
- grains
- fish
- sodas
- high-protein foods
- sugary foods
Alkaline foods include:
- nuts
- vegetables
- most fruits
So what counts as water?
Water is the number one choice for you to stay hydrated and healthy, but you still reap benefits from other beverages like milk, juice, soda and tea or coffee. These are recommended in small doses as they also contain fats, sugars, and other things that affect your overall health.
Here’s a great graphic from http://www.infographicsonline.net that breaks down different drinks and a guide to consumption.
On my Free Printable Daily Diet Tracker there is also a food pyramid for further references to daily recommended food groups and servings.
I hope this printable helps your family get on track or stay on track with a balanced diet. 🧡
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