Download Help Your Child Learn Healthy Eating Habits

Introduction to CACFP Family Materials
Help Your Child Learn Healthy
Eating Habits
We are proud to provide your child with nutritious meals and snacks through the
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP),
administered by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA). Through this program, we balance nutritious meals and snacks with
activities that help children have fun, learn, and get used to an active lifestyle.
The food choices you make and the activities you do are a model for healthy habits. Remember, parents are the most important teachers a child ever has.
You can download and print Dietary Guidelines
for Americans, 2010 Consumer Brochure: Let’s
Eat for the Health of It!, and other resources for a
healthy lifestyle from the USDA Web site at www.
choosemyplate.gov.
You and Your Child Build a Healthy Plate
1. Choose foods and drinks with little or no added sugars.
• A 12-ounce can of soda has about 10 packets of sugars; drink water instead.
2. Make at least half you grains whole.
• Select 100% whole-grain breads, cereals, rice, and pasta.
3. Switch to skim or 1% milk.
• They have less fat and calories, but the same amount of calcium and other
nutrients as whole milk.
National Food Service Management Institute
National Food Service Management Institute
The University of Mississippi
1
Introduction to CACFP Family Materials
Help Your Child Learn Healthy Eating Habits
4. Make half you plate fruits and vegetables.
• Eat orange, red, and dark-green vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, broccoli,
and tomatoes.
5. Vary your protein food choices.
• Beans are a low cost protein choice and also a good source of fiber.
• Eat seafood twice a week.
• Keep meat and poultry portions small and lean.
6. Eat fewer foods that are high in solid fats.
• Sources of saturated fats, such as cakes, pizza, cheese, hot dogs, and
sausage, should be occasional foods, not everyday foods.
7. Look out for salt (sodium) in foods you buy.
• Compare the sodium in foods such as bread, soup, and frozen meals and
select those with a lower sodium number.
• Use spices or herbs to season food instead of salt.
Visit MyPlate at www.choosemyplate.gov for more great ideas.
National Food Service Management Institute
National Food Service Management Institute
The University of Mississippi
2