Get Your Plate In Shape - National Nutrition Month Tips

Happy National Nutrition Month® everyone!  We are continuing our celebration with more new free printables, tips and giveaways.

This is such a great month to help kids "Get their Plate in Shape!"  Here are some tips on how to help kids get their plate in shape.

The plate can really serve as your guide to putting proper portion sizes and healthy foods to create a balanced meal.

Teach kids to look at their plate and divide it into four equal parts.

A healthy meal starts with foods from each of the five food groups.

• Look at half of their plate and fill that with fruits and vegetables.  
• You can say "Color half your plate with fruits and vegetables"
• Or "Color half your plate with the colors of the rainbow"
• Kids love color and fruits and vegetables come in all the colors.
• Kids can help find different colored fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market or produce section of your grocery store.  

• You may be surprised that you only need one serving of grains to make a healthy balanced meal!
• Often, we have too many grain foods in one meal and that makes our plate "out of shape!"
• Teach kids to choose more whole grains instead of refined grains where all the healthy fiber has been stripped away.
• See a list of whole grains to choose from.
• Many grocery stores now have a whole grains section with  whole grains sold in bins.  
• Have kids help scoop, bag. weigh and label the whole grains!

• Help kids vary their protein with nuts, legumes and seeds
• Choose lean cuts of meat
• You don't need a lot of protein in one meal.  Usually 3-4 ounces is a healthy servings.  

• Have kids add a nice cold cup of lowfat or nonfat milk is the perfect way to balance out your plate
• You can choose other foods from the milk group but teach children to look for lowfat or nonfat.
• Lowfat options are 1% fat