Menu Planning with Nutrition in Mind

Child Care Provider’s Role *Nutrition* Serve nutritious meals & snacks Teach healthful food choices Positive attitude about food & eating

Child’s Role To try and, hopefully, eat the nutritious foods offered to them. A food may be offered times before a child accepts it.

Consider a Nutrition Philosophy Food from home Eating attitudes Mealtime practices Snacks Food as reward/punishment Advertising Vending machines Physical activity Meals served

Food for Thought… We all know that offering children a wide variety of foods is the basis of good nutrition. We also know that most families buy the same 15 foods every week at the grocery store What are some ways a provider can be sure to serve a variety of foods when preparing meals for children?

Food for Thought… Explain why it is worth the effort to serve a variety of foods along with healthy options

Importance of Variety Each color provides a different set of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and disease fighting compounds. Help create the habit of meal and snack association with healthy food choices. –Snack food –Eat a Rainbow

Start when they are young Most children in the U.S. are not eating enough fruits and veggies Over 50% of all elementary students eat no fruit on any given day and three out of 10 students eat less than 1 serving! 25% of all vegetables eaten by elementary students are French fries, a high-fat, low nutrient vegetable option.

Food for Thought… Name some foods that could be offered to children ages 1 to 3 years old to increase the variety in their diets.

Food for Thought… Eating too much fat is one of the concerns about the American diet. What kinds of foods add fat in children’s diets? What are some foods that could be substituted for the high-fat foods? Name some foods that are popular with children and also lower in fat.

Sugars to limit Candy Soda Sweetened breakfast foods Marshmallows Syrup & honey Fruit juice Icing Cotton candy Candy coated popcorn Popsicles Chewing gum Desserts

 Get adequate nutrients within calorie needs  Manage weight  Encourage fruits, vegetables, whole grains & low-fat dairy foods  Limit fats (especially saturated & trans-fats)  Limit simple sugars  Limit sodium & get adequate potassium  Daily physical activity  Limit alcoholic beverages  Practice food safety

Using the Dietary Guidelines in Menu Planning Reduced-fat or low-fat milk Low-fat or fat-free cheese & yogurt Whole grains with fiber Vitamin A & C sources

Infant Meal Pattern Birth through 3 months: Breakfast, Lunch/Supper, Snack –4-6 ounces breast milk or formula

Infant Meal Pattern 4 months through 7 months: Breakfast –4-8 ounces breast milk or formula –0-3 tablespoons infant cereal Lunch/Supper –4-8 ounces breast milk or formula –0-3 tablespoons infant cereal –0-3 tablespoons fruit/vegetable Snack –4-6 ounces breast milk or formula

Infant Meal Pattern cont. 8 months through 11 months Breakfast –6-8 ounces breast milk/formula –2-4 tablespoons infant cereal –1-4 tablespoons fruit and/or vegetable Lunch or Supper –6-8 ounces breast milk/formula –2-4 tablespoons infant cereal and/or 1-4 T meat/meal alt.; or ½ -2 oz cheese; or 1-4 oz cottage cheese –1-4 T fruit and/or vegetables Snack –2-4 ounces breast milk, formula, juice –0-1/2 slice bread or 0-2 crackers

Breakfast Pattern Fruit/Vegetable/Juice Bread/Grain Milk

Lunch Pattern Meat/Meat Alternate Fruit/Vegetable/Juice Fruit/Vegetable Bread/Grain Milk

Snack Pattern Choose Two: Meat/Meat Alternate Fruit/Vegetable/Juice Bread/Grain Milk

Serving Size? Ages 3-5 years Fruit or vegetable Hot cereal (oatmeal) Pasta/noodles Milk Egg Peanut butter Meat or poultry Yogurt ½ cup ¼ cup ¾ cup (6 ounces) ¾ egg 3 Tablespoons 1 ½ ounces 6 ounces

Menu Planning Principle #1 Flavors Fat Strive for balance

What’s Wrong? Sausage Pizza Cajun Potatoes Coleslaw Brownie Chocolate Milk Too many strong flavors in one meal!

What’s Wrong? Monday: Sausage Pizza Tuesday: Hot Dog Wednesday: Chicken Nuggets Thursday: Fish Sticks Too many fatty entrees in one week!

What’s Wrong? Grilled Cheese French Fries Broccoli with Cheese Sauce Whole Milk Too many fatty entrees in one day!

Menu Planning Principle #2 Day to day Main courses Forms of foods New & unfamiliar foods Emphasize variety

What’s Wrong? Monday: Spaghetti with Meatballs Tuesday: Meat Lasagna Wednesday: Beef Tacos Thursday: Sloppy Joe Too much beef in one week!

Menu Planning Principle #3 Texture Taste Appearance Size Shape Temperature Add contrast

What’s Wrong? Meatloaf Mashed Potatoes Applesauce Noodles Milk Too many “mushy” foods in one day!

What’s Wrong? Cubed Meat Diced Potatoes Mixed Vegetables Fruit Cocktail Milk Too many similar shapes in one day!

Menu Planning Principle #4 Variety Vegetables & fruits Balance Spices Think about color

What’s Wrong? Sliced Turkey Steamed Rice Cauliflower Bread Slice Pears Milk All of the foods are the same color!

Menu Planning Principle #5 Presentation Placement Consider eye appeal

Consider Nutrition! Vitamin C = 2-3 times a week Vitamin A = 2-3 times a week Iron = every day Whole grains = at least 1 time per week Fresh fruits & vegetables Reduced-fat milk, cheese & yogurt Lean meats

Don’t forget snacks! Plan Vitamin C & Vitamin A sources Whole grains Fresh fruits & vegetables Reduced-fat milk, cheese & yogurt Lean meats Water as a beverage

Menu Planning Steps Collect menu resources & schedule a time to plan menus –Month at a time Review children’s preferences Involve children & parents Select & test food products & recipes –Pull together resources

Resources: recipes & more This one is great for special diet needshttp://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/index.html

Menu Planning Steps Think about changes that you want to make –Review menus, products, preparation –Review nutrition

Menu Planning Steps Select a timeframe –Consider cycle menus

Menu Planning Steps Select the main dish –Central focus & framework of the meal –Plan for variety –Try not to duplicate during 2- week period

Menu Planning Steps Select the other food items –Complementary items –Variety –New foods

Menu Planning Steps Evaluate what you have planned –Use the Menu Planning Checklist

Menu Planning Checklist 1.Meet minimum requirements for meal pattern 2.Appealing colors & textures 3.Different shapes, sizes & colors 4.Menus complement each other 5.Seasonal foods included 6.Introduced new food items 7.Foods are not repeated 8.Cost considered 9.Adequate calories & nutrients while low fat, saturated fat & sodium 10.Vitamin C two-three times per week 11.Vitamin A two to three times per week 12.Iron-rich food daily 13.Whole grains at least once a week 14.Assorted dry cereals at least once a week 15.Fresh fruits or vegetables on several different days Yes/No

Tuesday Fried chicken Stuffing Apple slices Peach crisp Whole milk Wednesday Chicken nuggets Mashed potatoes Orange sections Homemade roll Whole milk Thursday Salisbury steak French fries Applesauce White bread Whole milk Let’s Practice!

Shopping & Ordering! SHOPPING Make a grocery list for a specific time period Separate groceries by area of the grocery store Be specific on your list - choose low-fat, low- sodium items Follow food safety guidelines when shopping Perimeter shopping

Shopping & Ordering! ORDERING Discuss specifics with supplier – ask for low-fat, low-sodium options Ask ahead of time about available ethnic items

Group Activity Consider variety of flavor, texture, color, and temperature Food presentation