For Health Professionals of 2-5 year olds MyPlate. How Do I Rate?

What are the benefits of good eating habits? What is MyPlate? How can MyPlate be used to teach parents to plan healthy meals for their toddler/preschooler? How can parents use MyPlate to easily evaluate their child’s diet? What are some useful MyPlate resources for the parents I reach? Overview

Benefits of Good Eating Habits Promote optimal growth and development Maintain good health Establish good lifelong eating habits and behaviors

Switch to fat- free or low- fat (1%) milk Make at least half your grains whole grains Make half your plate fruits and vegetables Balance calories: Enjoy your food but eat less Avoid over-sized portions Reduce: Sugary drinks by drinking more water Sodium Key Messages of MyPlate

Grains Why eat more grains? They are a great source of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fiber can prevent constipation in young children. Whole wheat bread and crackers, brown rice, and oatmeal are some great grain choices for young children. Try a whole wheat English muffin pizza—great size for kids!

Dairy Why eat dairy foods? Dairy foods build strong bones and teeth for growing children. What foods are in the dairy group? Milk, yogurt, cheese, and foods made with milk. What are some tips for parents? Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese Fruit and yogurt or low-fat cheese and whole wheat crackers Yogurt dip with fruits and veggies Smoothie

Protein Why eat protein foods? Protein is vital to the optimal growth and development of kids. What foods are in the protein group? Meats, fish, poultry, nuts, eggs, dried beans and peas. What are some tips for parents? Serve a variety of lean meats and other protein foods Make your own healthy fish sticks or chicken fingers

Vegetables Why eat vegetables? Veggies are packed full of vitamins and minerals and healthy carbohydrates. Serve a variety of vegetables in different colors What are some tips for parents? Let the child pick out a vegetable at the grocery store. Offer cut veggies for a snack. Be a good role model. Don’t give up!

Fruits Why eat fruits? Fruits are packed full of vitamins and minerals. What foods are in the fruit group? Among others--strawberries, apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, peaches and pears. What are some tips for parents? Make fruit kabobs for a snack. Make a smoothie with fruit and yogurt. Be a good role model.

MyPlate Key Messages Balancing calories: Enjoy your food but eat less Avoid oversized portions Foods to Increase: Make half your plate fruits and vegetables Make sure at least half your grains whole grains Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk Foods to reduce: Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals and choose the foods with lower numbers Drink water instead of sugary drinks

Limit Empty Calorie Foods Limit solid fats Eat less butter, stick margarine, shortening, lard Eat less cakes, cookies, pizza, hot dogs, sausages, ice-cream Choose baked, steamed, or broiled rather than fried Limit foods with partially hydrogenated oils Empty Calorie Foods: Foods with solid fats and/or added sugars but little nutritional value High in solid fats Healthier choice Regular ground beef (75% lean) Extra lean ground beef (95% or more lean) Fried chicken Baked chicken (breast without skin) Whole milkFat-free milk Apple pie and ice cream Fruit and yogurt parfait

Limit Empty Calorie Foods Limit foods and drinks with added sugar Allow few or no regular soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks Set a reasonable limit on candy, cakes, cookies, and ice-cream, and enjoy them in small portions Don’t use food as a reward Empty Calorie Foods: Foods with solid fats and/or added sugars but little nutritional value High in added sugar Healthier choice Sweetened applesauce Unsweetened applesauce Regular soft drink Water DonutWhole wheat bagel MilkshakeFat-free milk

How can parents use MyPlate to easily evaluate their child’s diet?

What else is on MyPlate? MyPlate is more than a meal planning tool. It provides a wealth of information for parents of toddlers and preschoolers such as: Physical activity information Developing good eating habits Dealing with the picky eater Food safety Tips and recipes for specific groups

Tips for Feeding Success Offer different foods from day to day. Eating a variety of foods is important. Serve foods in small portions. Offer meals and snacks at the same time each day. Choose healthy snacks. Make smart beverage choices. groups/downloads/TenTips/DGTipsheet1 1KidFriendlyVeggiesAndFruits.pdf groups/downloads/TenTips/DGTipsheet2 4MyPlateSnackTipsforParents.pdf olers/picky-eaters.html

Help! My Child Won’t Eat Veggies MyPlate can even help parents of “picky eaters.” Some tips include: Let the child help pick foods at the grocery store. Have the child help prepare the meal at home. Make meal time enjoyable by talking about fun things. Offer the same foods to the whole family. Relax – it is only temporary! ate.gov/preschoolers/pi cky-eaters.html

Steps to Good Eating Habits How parents can help their child develop good eating habits: Be a good role model. Enjoy family meals together. Make meal time “stress-free” time. Promote positive family time. Limit mealtime interruptions. late.gov/preschoolers/h ealthy-habits/set-a- good-example.html

How Will You Use MyPlate? In your small group, discuss the following points: 1.How will you use MyPlate when working with parents? 2.What are some tips you can give parents to make MyPlate more actionable? 3.What do you think is the most valuable part of MyPlate?

MyPlate is Great! Why? It is an easy to use resource for planning healthy meals and snacks. It shows the amounts foods needed for kids to grow. Parents can use it to evaluate their child’s diet. It has tips for dealing with a variety of feeding issues.

But, most of all... MyPlate is designed for everyone. It is for every member of the family to make healthy food and physical activity choices. For more information, go to ChooseMyPlate.gov

For more nutrition information Visit for more tips, articles, and recipes! Looking for a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist? It’s easy. Go to and click, “Find a Registered Dietitian.” You can narrow your search by zip code and specialty area, such as sports nutrition, pediatric nutrition, or heart health. Content expertise contributed by: This presentation was developed with an educational grant to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation from Dannon.