Objective: To present a review on the methods of assessment of the nutritional status of children and adolescents, emphasizing anthropometry and the various methods of evaluation of body composition, and discussing their advantages, limitations and risks.Methods: Chapters of textbooks, theses, articles relevant to the theme, as well as personal files and previous publications of the authors were selected.Results: Anthropometry, which consists of the assessment of physical dimensions and global composition of the human body, has been the isolated method most frequently used for the nutritional diagnosis, mainly in childhood and adolescence, due to its easy execution, low cost and innocuousness. The most frequently adopted measures aim at determining body mass, expressed by weight; linear dimensions, especially height; body composition and reserves of energy and proteins, estimated through subcutaneous fat and muscle mass. Laboratory methods mainly developed to obtain an accurate evaluation of body composition are presented. The justification for methods that expose children and adolescents to ionizing radiation represents another raised issue.Conclusions: On selecting methods for the evaluation of the nutritional status, the choice should be on those capable of better detecting the nutritional problem under analyses, also considering the cost, the level of personal ability and the time required to adequately apply them, their receptivity by the studied population and possible risks to health.