Preschool Alphabet: Healthy (or Food groups or Nutrition)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Healthy (or Food groups or Nutrition)

Did you know that the USDA just (June 2011) changed the food guide pyramid to this new “My Plate” symbol?! I really like it. I think the colors are great and the simplicity makes it very easy for kids to understand. It’s given me, as a mom, motivation to fill our plates with more fruits and vegetables, smaller portions of protein (ha! if I can get my kids to eat any meat at all) and having a serving of milk with our meals. We will be getting to know “My Plate” during preschool this year!

Talk about the new My Plate guide from the USDA and their recommendations:
1. Enjoy your food, but eat less.
2. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
3. Make at least half your grains whole grains
4. Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
5. Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Taste test while you talk about “My Plate”
1. Try some freshly sliced strawberries
2. Eat some sliced red, yellow or orange bell pepper sticks
3. Have a whole wheat roll
4. Try a handful of peanuts, almonds or walnuts
5. Wash it all down with a glass of milk.

Color your own “My Plate”
1. Grab a red, orange, green, blue & purple crayon and print one of the coloring pages above.
2. Use the full-color guide above to color each section the correct color.
3. If you use the blank plate, cut out a fruit, vegetable, grain, protein & dairy from a magazine and glue them into the sections so your pre-reader can “read” them.
4. If you use the plate with words, trace the words and read them together.
5. Laminate your plate and use it as a placemat.
Make your own “My Plate”
1. Using a paper plate, section it into the food groups using the picture above.
2. Color the sections with crayons the same as the plate above or cut out colored paper sections and glue them onto the plate.
3. Don’t forget to add the important “Dairy” serving! Use a yogurt lid colored blue inside or simply a blue circle set next to your plate.
4. Cut foods from a magazine and sort them into the correct food group on your plate!
5. Hang it on your fridge or somewhere near the dinner table and compare their plates at mealtime!
Make an "I Am Healthy" chart ... include daily healthy habits (eat breakfast, brush teeth, wash hands, drink a glass of water, take a bath) with checkboxes. Let the kids check off or put a sticker next to each healthy habit they perform.
30-60 minutes of exercise every day is important for a healthy body. So play hopscotch, hoola-hoop, try hula dancing or take a hike!

snack idea: strawberries & nuts or carrots & broccoli … and a glass of milk

If you’d like to buy an actual plate to use for meals, check out the blog Super Healthy Kids. Amy actually designed and sells this plate that is sectioned just like the new recommendations! She sells them on Amazon too!