http://www.choosemyplate.gov

Most people have seen the My Plate by now. This is the new model for healthy eating and it works great when teaching kids about healthy choices. I love it because it is simple and easy to explain to children of all ages. It has helped me explain healthy eating to my own kids and they use it when meal planning or snack planning all the time. Before you can use it in meal planning though, kids need to know where foods fit into the 5 different groups represented (fruits, veggies, dairy, protein, grains). Some of this is easy and kids already know - like apples are a fruit.  And some of it takes a bit more explaining – like beans, nuts or eggs are a protein. Once they get that part down, kids can plan (or help plan) healthy meals very quickly by using the model of 5 different food groups (each group represented by a color) at each meal. This is the ultimate goal, but maybe not practical to aim for at every meal.  Just as we are not perfect, neither are our meals (and sometimes kids don’t need that much food at once). I like to tell kids and adults to aim for 3-5 different food groups for a healthy meal. This gives flexibility and makes things a bit easier and more realistic, especially when on-the-go. Examples of the 3-5 My Plate rule to healthy meals:

peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread with mandarin oranges and milk (4 different food groups).
Triscuits with cheese, rolled deli meat and grapes (4 different food groups)
hard-boiled egg on lettuce salad with cottage cheese (3 different groups). (add a dinner roll and peaches and you’ve got your 5!)

You get the idea. Kids and adults can use this and it makes the confusing world of meal planning a bit easier. Plus, it empowers kids and gives them autonomy while still eating healthy. You will find many foods not on the plate (chips, desserts, fruit snacks, etc.) and I usually tell my kids that this means these are “every now the then” foods; certainly opposite of foods on the plate, which are “every day” foods or even “many times a day” foods. Try my 3-5  MyPlate rule and I bet it helps both your kids in eating better and you in knowing they are getting good nutrition. Let me know what you think!