1. For Parents of 2-5 year olds
MyPlate.
How Do I Rate?
For Parents of 2-5 year olds
Hi, my name is ___________ and I’m a ______________ (RD, DTR, intern, etc.). I am a Kids Eat Right Campaign Member for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation and I have come to speak to you today about how you can plan healthy meals for your 2-5 year old. MyPlate, developed by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011, is an excellent tool for this job. Today we’ll discuss the benefits of healthy eating for 2-5 year olds, the 5 main food groups, and tips for helping your kids eat the best food choices in those groups.
Tips for the Presenter:
20 minute presentation + optional 10 minute activity. Handout is available. Links to other helpful resources are found at the end of the presentation.
This presentation is created for a general audience. Please modify images and food examples for your dominant culture as appropriate.
Note to RD: Objectives for this presentation include that by the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
Explain how they can use MyPlate as a tool to plan healthy, well-balanced meals for the family;
Discuss at least one new idea from MyPlate on how to address a difficult feeding behavior in his or her 2-5 year old; and
How to use MyPlate as a checklist tool.
MyPlate Handout for parents (presenter: print prior to presentation)
English:
Spanish:

2. Overview What are the benefits of good eating habits? What is MyPlate?
How do I use MyPlate for my family?
What are easy ideas for foods my kids will like?
Where do I find MyPlate?
There’s so much information out there about what kids should and shouldn’t be eating. Today we’ll talk about the most reliable, science-based information presented in an easy-to-understand format. All the work has been done for us by the United States Department of Agriculture, also known as USDA. Periodically, they, along with respected nutrition scientists, review the research about nutrition and establish a set a guidelines known as the Dietary Guidelines. Today we’ll use the tool that resulted from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, MyPlate, to review the basics of a healthy diet for 2-5 year olds. Specifically, we’ll talk about:
What are the benefits of a healthy diet for kids?
What is MyPlate?
How do I use MyPlate for my family?
What are easy ideas for foods my kids will like?
Where do I find MyPlate?

3. Benefits of Good Eating Habits
Promotes optimal growth and development
Maintains good health
Breakfast eating is associated with better performance in school
Establishes good lifelong eating habits and behaviors
What do you think the benefits are for kids eating healthy?
(Animated slide—show content after you have allowed time for responses)
We all want our kids to grow and develop into happy, healthy adults, and do that they need to have a healthy diet from the beginning!
Good nutrition helps your child grow physically
Maintains good health:
Some children today are actually developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which may lead to heart disease.
Increasing weight can lead to obesity. Some kids are becoming diabetic.
Poor diets can lead to osteoporosis and/or iron deficiency, and of course, too much sugar and no brushing can lead to cavities.
Did you know breakfast is associated with better performance in school? A healthy breakfast is related to improved cognitive function, reduced absenteeism, better behavior in the classroom, and improved mood. Even if your child isn’t in school or preschool yet, breakfast is still associated with improved learning and you know your child is still learning every day!
Lastly, your child will benefit from good eating habits for the rest of his life!
Reference:

4. What is MyPlate?
Visual cue to remind Americans to adopt healthy eating habits
Illustrates 5 food groups using a place setting
Customizable (even for 2-5 year olds!)
MyPlate is an easy-to-understand visual cue to help us all adopt healthy eating habits by encouraging to build a healthy plate, consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is:
Part of a larger communications initiative based on 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, called “Choose MyPlate” to help consumers make better food choices.
Targeted materials for adults, preschoolers, kids, pregnant and breastfeeding women, dieters, and college students.
Has a Web site and materials in English and Spanish at (right on the MyPlate visual itself).
Designed to remind Americans to eat healthfully.
Illustrates the five food groups using a place setting.

5. Key Messages of MyPlate
Make at least half your grains whole grains
Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Balance calories:
Enjoy your food but eat less
Avoid over-sized portions
MyPlate is a visual that shows a plate with the five food groups on a placemat that is suggestive of proportions; i.e., to make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
Selected messages for consumers:
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
Reduce:
Sugary drinks by drinking more water
Sodium

6. Applying MyPlate to 2-5 Year Olds
Balance calories
Kids’ portion sizes are smaller than adults
Enjoy physical activity
Enjoy more fruits, vegetables, whole grains
Make half the plate fruits and veggies
Choose whole grains, like 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal
How do the MyPlate messages apply to my 2-5 year old?
Balance Calories: It’s important to balance the calories your child eats with the amount of activity they do to prevent early and sustained weight gain throughout childhood. In 2012, more than one third of children and teens were overweight or obese. A simple tip to remember is kid’s portion sizes are much smaller than adults (references on portion sizes provided at the end of the presentation). Establish regular activity as an enjoyable habit. Shoot for at least an hour of activity a day and join them to make it a family affair.
Enjoy more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains: We will give you some great tips on how to do this soon.
(continued next slide)

7. Applying MyPlate, continued
Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
Switch milk early so that your child will like it
Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Kids need more water, less sugary drinks
Reduce sodium
Read Nutrition Facts Labels and choose lower-sodium foods
Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk: Your 2-5 year old should be drinking fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk. It has the same nutrients as whole milk or reduced-fat (2%) milk, but less fat and saturated fat. If your child isn’t drinking this yet, we’ll give you some helpful tips for how to switch soon, to.
Drink water instead of sugary drinks: Most people understand that soft drinks have a lot of sugar, but fruit drinks, sports drinks, and others can be tricky. The best advice is to replace these beverages with water. Water is really the best for hydration. Tip: Get your children reusable water bottles of their own and fill them up before you leave the house. As they get older, let them fill the bottles. This will help them develop the habit of drinking water. And, it’s an eco-friendly, healthy option!
Reduce sodium: When purchasing foods, read the Nutrition Facts Label and choose foods that are lower in sodium.
Lets now explore each food group in detail.

8. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Fruit Group
What counts?
Any fruit or 100% fruit juice
Fresh, canned, frozen, or dried
Whole, cut-up, or pureed
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
100% fruit juice, fresh, canned in its own juice, frozen with no added sugar, or diced, whole, cut-up, or pureed – it all counts!
Keep in mind:
Children’s appetites vary from day to day. Some days they may eat less and other days they may want more.
It may take a child several tries before they accept and like a food. Don’t force, but keep offering!
Offer whole fruits most often because they provide more fiber than juice. Offer no more than ½ cup to ¾ cup (4-6 ounces) of 100% fruit juice per day.
2-5 year olds like eating with their fingers, so try “finger” fruits like bananas, peaches, and mangoes
Some foods are easy for your child to choke on while eating – anything the size of your child’s throat – about the size of a nickel – should be cut up.
Tip for 2-5 Year olds:
Try soft “finger” fruits, like bananas, peaches, and mangoes

9. Focus on Fruits Be a good role model Experiment with smoothies
Cut fruit in easy and fun-to-eat servings
Keep it simple – don’t mix fruit with other foods
Include fruit as a regular part of the mealtime
Look for and choose fruit options in restaurants
Focus on fruits:
Be a good role model: Set a good example for children by eating fruit every day with meals or snacks.
Kids seem to have a natural affinity for smoothies. Morning, lunch or dinner time, blenderize some low-fat yogurt, 100% juice, and your child’s favorite fruits for a smoothie delight!
Cut fruit in easy and fun-to-eat servings. A toddler might not like eating a peeled and segmented orange, but try serving an orange wedge. These are easy and fun for kids to put in their mouths and peel the pulp with their teeth. Try slicing a banana while still in ½ of the peel. Or let your child peel the banana. He or she might mutilate the fruit, but its still edible and it gives them a sense of responsibility.
For adults, a mixed fruit salad or adding fruit to your cereal is great. But 2-5 year olds may be a little more sensitive to mixing foods. Keep it simple – offer fruit plain or encourage fruit with other nutrient dense foods like whole grain cereal, and milk or yogurt. On the other hand, if your child decides to mix their fruit with other items on her plate, resist the urge to comment on the more non-traditional pairings. This experimentation is part of the process of enjoying food, and if they eat the fruit, count it a success.
Include fruit as a regular part of the mealtime – plan for it at least 2 out of 3 meals, and at least 1 snack for your child each day. Serve small portions and don’t get discouraged if it gets wasted. Keep trying…day after day. Make a fruit salad and top it with yogurt.
Look for and choose fruit options in restaurants. Lots of restaurants are starting to add fruit options to kids meals – look or ask for it.

10. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Vegetable Group
What counts?
Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice
Raw, cooked
Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated
Whole, cut-up, or mashed
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.
Offer a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green and red and orange vegetables, and beans and peas.
A good tip to help your 2-5 year old like veggies is to make a yogurt dip for dunking! Slice thin strips of veggies for dunking, like bell peppers and cucumbers. You can also use very thin strips of carrots or celery, but you may need to steam slightly to soften and prevent choking. 2-5 year olds often love dunking—you can make different flavors of yogurt dip for them to taste, and even include them in helping to make the dips!
Tip for 2-5 Year olds:
Try yogurt dips to “dunk” veggies in

11. Vary your veggies Yummy Yogurt Dip 1 c. plain low-fat yogurt
Invite your child to help in the kitchen
Keep thinly cut vegetables handy
Try bean dips, guacamole, & mild salsa
Grow a vegetable garden
Yummy Yogurt Dip
1 c. plain low-fat yogurt
1 c. light mayonnaise
1 tsp. salt-free seasoning
Let’s face it, vegetables can be the hardest food group for kids to like. But there are many things you can do as parents to help your kids enjoy veggies!
Invite your child to help in the kitchen. Young children can help wash vegetables, pull the husks of corn on the cob, or snap string beans. They could also help by pulling the frozen vegetables out of the freezer or allowing them to push the buttons on the microwave to prepare it. They could pull canned vegetables from the kitchen shelves (with your help) and stack them on the counter. They could make that yogurt dip we talked about on the last slide. I’m sure you can think of other ways to get kids involved.
Keep thinly cut vegetables handy for quick snacks. If serving with a dip, choose lower calorie options, such as yogurt-based dressings or hummus, instead of sour cream or cream cheese-based dips. Try this Yummy Yogurt Dip made with equal parts plain yogurt and light mayonnaise with a salt-free seasoning of your choice.
In addition to yogurt dips, try other healthy dips, too, like bean dips, guacamole, hummus & very mild salsas. These types of dips are popular for a reason—they’re tasty and nutritious. Guacamole is easy to make (no need to make a fancy guacamole for kids-just smooth an avocado with a fork, add salt, pepper, and a little lime juice). Kids love dips so why not make it a vegetable dip?
If you can, grow a vegetable garden. Even if it’s just a few pots of tomatoes, peppers, or lettuce, it helps children understand the value of vegetables. They are more likely to eat them because they helped to grow them! There’s no need for a huge commitment – just a few pots or a small square for a garden to get kids excited. If really you don’t have any space, you could grow some herbs like basil and cilantro on your kitchen counter.

12. Make at least half your grains whole grains
Grain Group
What counts?
Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or other grain
Two kinds:
Whole grains (whole wheat flour, bulgur, oatmeal, whole cornmeal, brown rice)
Refined grains (white flour, white bread, white rice)
Make at least half your grains whole grains
The grain group contains any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products.
Grains are divided into 2 subgroups: whole grains and refined grains.
Whole grains include: whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), whole wheat tortillas, oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and brown rice. Whole grains have the benefit of fiber that is missing in refined grains, even though most refined grains are enriched with nutrients.
Refined grain examples are: white flour, white bread, white rice. Check the ingredient list to make sure the word “whole” appears before the grain type (e.g., “whole wheat”).
Your child (and you, too!) should eat at least half of their grains as whole grains. Increase whole-grains by replacing refined grains with whole grains.
Note for presenter: If a parent asks about gluten, encourage parents not to place kids on restrictive grain diets without the care of a physician and dietitian.

13. Go lean with your protein
Protein Food Group
What counts?
1 oz. meat, poultry, fish, seafood
¼ cup cooked beans and peas
1 egg
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
½ oz. nuts or seeds
Go lean with your protein
Choose a variety of protein foods, which include seafood, fish, lean meat, poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.
Trim fat off meat to make them leaner.
Beans and peas are also part of the Vegetable Group.
What counts as a 1 ounce serving?
1 oz. meat, poultry, fish
¼ cup cooked beans and peas
1 egg
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
½ oz. nuts of seeds

14. Go lean with protein Serve eggs
Try peanut butter with bananas, apples, or celery
Offer hummus as a snack or with a meal
Use ground turkey or soy crumbles in mixed dishes
Try lean turkey products for pizza, hotdogs, sausage
Serve tender lean meats cut in small bites
Prepare beans and peas with seasonings
Children’s preferences regarding eggs can vary quite a bit depending on how they’re prepared. Some kids like cold, hard boiled eggs, some like scrambled, some like omelets. Eggs are inexpensive and an excellent source of protein. And they are easy to chew for young children.
Peanut butter is another kid-favorite protein food. Kids sometimes like it on sliced apples or on a banana. Older children may want it on a stick of celery. The combination is generally a winner!
Hummus is made from garbanzo beans (chick peas) and has a smooth texture and mild, appealing flavor for young children. Use it as snack with veggies or with a meal. You’ll be surprised what kids like hummus with—burritos, bread, tortillas, crackers. It’s easy and a great way to get kids to eat more beans.
Use ground turkey or soy crumbles in kid’s favorite mixed dishes like spaghetti and sloppy Joes.
Try lean turkey products (like turkey pepperoni) for pizza, hotdogs, and sausage
Serve tender lean meats cut into small bites. Lean meat that is tough, dry, or over-cooked will be difficult for little teeth to chew and enjoy and may be a choking hazard.
Prepare beans and peas without added fat by using chicken broth and spices. Remember to rinse canned beans to reduce sodium.

15. Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese
Dairy Group
What counts?
Milk, yogurt, and cheese
Does not include cream cheese, cream, butter
Does include calcium-fortified soymilk
Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese
For dairy, offer your child a variety of choices, including milk, yogurt, and cheese. Fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk, yogurt, and reduced-fat cheeses are recommended for most of your dairy choices.
Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not counted as a dairy food.
Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage) is also part of the Dairy Group and is an option if your child is lactose intolerant. So is a lactose-reduced milk. Many children with lactose intolerance can tolerate a small amount of milk with a meal and generally tolerate yogurt and cheese well. The live and active cultures in yogurt help to digest lactose.

16. Low-Fat Dairy for 2-5 year olds
Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese
Gradually switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
Keep small yogurt cups available for snacks or meals
Offer reduced-fat cheese with some snacks or meals
Cook with yogurt
Make dips with yogurt
Substitute yogurt for sour cream in recipes
Make smoothies
Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Gradually switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk, especially if your child is slow to adapt to change. If she is drinking whole milk, try mixing ½ cup of whole milk with ½ cup of 1% milk for a week. Then switch to 1% only. After the switch to 1% is successful, you may want to slowly switch to fat-free milk. It’s ideal if your child makes the switch before kindergarten when they’ll be introduced to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk in the School Lunch Program.
Use fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk on cereal and oatmeal.
Keep small yogurt cups available for snacks or meals. Help develop the habit of eating yogurt and try different yogurts including Greek yogurt.
Kids love cheese as a snack because they can eat it with their fingers. Choose reduced-fat cheese slices or blocks of cheese to cut. Use reduced-fat cheese with meals, too. You can melt shredded cheese on veggies, whole grain rice, omelets, bread, whole grain pasta noodles……and more!
Cook with yogurt. Make dips with yogurt or if a recipe calls for sour cream, use the same amount of plain yogurt instead. No one will ever know the difference, and you lowered the fat and increased the calcium in the dish! Kids love smoothies, another great way to enjoy dairy!

17. Balancing calories: Foods to Increase: Foods to reduce:
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
In addition to the five MyPlate food groups, MyPlate has some general consumer messages that are important for you and your child’s health.
(review slide)

18. Limit Empty Calorie Foods
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 milk
Fat-free milk
Apple pie and ice cream
Fruit and yogurt parfait
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
MyPlate also recommends limiting empty calorie foods. Empty calorie foods are foods with solid fats and/or added sugars but with little nutritional value. To limit solid fats, (review slide)
Solid fats should be limited because they can increase your risk of heart disease. Oils on the other hand, provide essential nutrients important to heart health. Does that mean you should have a lot of oils? No! Oils still have the same amount of calories as solid fats, so only small amounts of oils are recommended. Keep in mind that young children need healthy fats and oils for brain development, so providing the right type is important. When preparing food, use vegetable oils like olive, canola, corn, safflower, or sunflower rather than solid fats. Soft margarines with zero trans fat made from liquid oils are preferable to stick margarine or butter. Try to use less butter, stick margarine, shortening and lard. Choose food preparation techniques like baking, steaming, or broiling instead of frying and limit foods made with partially hydrogenated oils (found in the ingredients panel).

19. 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 for your child’s behavior
High in added sugar
Healthier choice
Sweetened applesauce
Unsweetened applesauce
Regular soft drink
Water
Donut
Whole wheat bagel
Milkshake
Fat-free milk
Since limiting empty calories means cutting back on both added fats and added sugars, let’s review some tips for limiting adding sugars.
Allow few or no regular soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks. Water is always the best choice.
Set a reasonable limit on cake, cookies, ice-cream, desserts, and candy and enjoy them in small portions on special occasions.
Don’t use food as a reward for your child’s behavior.
Empty Calorie Foods: Foods with solid fats and/or added sugars but little nutritional value

20. Golden Rules of Feeding
The parent is responsible for what, when, where The child is responsible for how much and whether1
Be a good role model
Offer a variety of healthy foods
Be patient with your child
Let your children serve themselves
Feeding toddlers can often seem like a struggle of wills – you want to feed them healthy foods and they’re set on a limited repertoire of options. Expect that. It’s normal. It’s your job to get your child on the path to healthy eating and that takes time - years, actually. Here are some of the “Golden Rules of Feeding” to keep in mind:
The parent is responsible for what, when, where in the meal equation. The child is responsible for how much they’ll eat and whether they’ll eat. Make sure meals and snacks are set at regular intervals so the child knows the next opportunity to eat.
Your child learns by watching you. Children are likely to copy your table manners, your likes and dislikes, and your willingness to try new foods. It’s important to be a good role model.
Offer a variety of healthy foods. Let your child choose how much to eat. Children are more likely to enjoy a food when eating it is their own choice. Don’t force a child to eat. If you suspect your child isn’t eating enough or growing properly, visit a pediatrician or registered dietitian/registered nutritionist.
Be patient with your child. Sometimes new foods take time. Give children a taste at first and be patient with them. Offer new foods many times over many years. But don’t make a big deal about it.
Let your children serve themselves. Teach your children to take small amounts at first. Let them know they can get more if they are still hungry.
Cook together.
Eat together.
Talk together.
Make meal time family time. Families that eat together stay together.
Reference Accessed

21. Use “MyPlate” as a Checklist!
The handout, Healthy Eating for Preschoolers, can be one of the best tools for you in planning and serving your child healthy meals and snacks (pass out handout). I recommend that you keep this handout on your refrigerator for reference. The front page gives you tips for family meals, healthy foods, etc. all about feeding your preschooler.

22. Use “MyPlate” as a Checklist!
The back of the handout lists each food group, the amount needed by age, and examples of what counts. Ever wonder if your child is eating right? Use this as a checklist to make sure your child eats right every day!
To use this as a checklist, let’s use a 2 year old as an example. If he had ½ medium banana with lunch, that’s ½ cup, and ½ cup sliced peaches with dinner, he now has had 1 cup fruit and met his needs for the day.
For vegetables, he needs 1 cup again. Let’s say he had ½ cup cooked broccoli with lunch, and ½ small baked potato for dinner, that’s 1 cup for the day.
For grains, he needs 3 ounces, so ½ cup oatmeal for breakfast would be 1 oz., ½ sandwich using 1 piece of bread for lunch would be 1 oz., and ½ cup rice with dinner would be another ounce, totaling 3 ounces for the day.
For protein, he needs 2 ounces. If he had a tuna salad 1/2 sandwich, that’s about 1 oz., and ¼ cup beans with dinner, that’s two ounces for the day.
For dairy, he needs 2 cups. Let’s say you make his oatmeal with ½ cup milk at breakfast, he has ½ cup yogurt as a snack, ½ cup milk with lunch, and a string cheese as an afternoon snack, that totals 2 cups.
You can see how using MyPlate as a checklist can help you keep track of the foods your child is eating and making sure he is getting the right amounts of the right foods.

23. Finding “MyPlate” www.ChooseMyPlate.gov
Click on “Preschoolers”
MyPlate has several other excellent resources for parents. There are resources for how to feed your kids, and also resources for how to eat more nutritiously yourself.
There are MyPlate videos, a Super Tracker that provides you with a personalized nutrition and physical activity plan, a recipe program, menu and recipe plans, tip sheets, information on physical activity, brochures, a BMI calculator, information on portion sizes, food labeling, and all of it is FREE!
All of the materials have been developed by nutritionists at the USDA or contracted by USDA and many of the features of the Web site are similar to programs and memberships you’d have to pay for at a fitness club.
You can access it on your computer, mobile phone, iPad, or tablet.
If you don’t personally have an electronic device, you could visit a community or county library and check out the Web site on computers there.
To get started, go to This is what the home screen looks like. Click on “Preschoolers” for more information.
Presenter’s Tip: If you have internet access, you may want to visit the site and “show” parents all that is available.

24. Finding “MyPlate”
When you click on “preschoolers,” you see a variety of topics to explore. Want to know more about how much to feed your child? It’s here. Want to understand growth during preschool years? Here. How about developing healthy eating habits? Picky eating? Physical activity? Food safety? Meal ideas? All here!

25. How Will You Use MyPlate?
In your small group, discuss the following:
What is the biggest feeding issue with your child?
What are some tips you learned today that may help reduce feeding issues with your 2-5 year old?
How do you think your child’s diet compares to MyPlate? How will you use MyPlate to help your child eat healthier?
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY (10 minutes)
Note: If you are not doing an optional activity, please delete this slide and move to the next slide.
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
Have parents break into small groups (2, 3, 4 people depending on the number of participants) for 5 – 7 minutes. In the small groups, have parents discuss the questions on the slide. Bring the group back together and share.
Other Optional Activities:
If internet connection is available, ask parents to find their favorite resource on and share with the group.
If internet connection is available, display and preview some of the existing tools for parents.

26. MyPlate is Great! Why? MyPlate is easy and fun!
ChooseMyPlate.gov has more resources.
Set the example for your children:
Balance calories
Increase fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
Reduce sodium
Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Use MyPlate as a checklist
In summary:
MyPlate is an easy and fun visual in helping your 2-5 year old eat a more healthful diet
Go to ChooseMyPlate.gov for more information to help you and your family
Set the example for your children by:
Balancing Your Calories
Enjoy your food, but eat less.
Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to Increasing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
Make 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 foods with lower numbers.
Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
4) Use the MyPlate handout as a checklist to help your child enjoy healthy foods every day!

27. 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:
Questions?
This presentation was developed with an educational grant to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation from Dannon.