Food Menus for Children

MyPyramid

• MyPyramid was created by the United States Department of Agriculture as a guide for a healthy diet. Children should eat foods from the five basic food groups: grains, dairy, vegetables, fruit and meat or protein. MyPyramid shows that your child should eat a large amount of grains, vegetables and dairy, a smaller amount of fruits and meats or protein, and a very small amount of oils each day. The USDA website includes interactive tools; you can enter your child's gender, weight and height to find out how many servings of each food group your child should eat every day.

Breakfast

• Include servings of dairy, vegetables or fruit, and whole grains when preparing breakfast for your child. Serve milk with whole wheat french toast; slice bananas or peaches on top and add a little brown sugar or syrup. Try cold cereal (whole grain is best) with milk and a piece of fruit. Melt a slice of cheese on a piece of toast and serve it with fruit juice. Warm up with oatmeal, brown sugar and berries or serve wheat pancakes with syrup or fruit preserves and yogurt.

Lunch

• Include grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy and meat in your child's lunch. Try turkey, ham, tuna and chicken sandwiches with a variety of cheeses and vegetables. These can be served on wheat bread, pitas or tortillas. Spread two tablespoons each of peanut butter and jelly onto wheat bread. Try a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich. Add a piece of fruit to a turkey sandwich or baby carrots with a peanut butter sandwich. Try a serving of wheat bow-tie pasta with marinara sauce or a bean burrito. Serve lunch with fruit juice, water, milk or chocolate milk.

Dinner

• Make healthy and tasty chicken strips. Dip chicken tenders in egg whites and then dip them into a mixture of Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and bake. Serve with ranch or marinara sauce and your child's favorite fruits and vegetables. Make mini pizzas with wheat crust, sauce, meats and low-fat mozzarella cheese. Purchase an assortment of vegetables such as olives, mushrooms, onions, and peppers and ask your child to pick two for his pizza. Make turkey burgers or hamburgers; finely chop zucchini, onions or peppers and mix them into the meat; you might sneak in extra vegetables without your child knowing. Put out a vegetable tray with dip and ask your child to choose at least two different types of veggies at dinner.

Things To Remember

• Continue to serve foods that your children claim they don't like. Kids often refuse a new food several times before they try it. Use caution with juice; if you serve it too often your child may feel full and miss out on other nutrients. Check the USDA guidelines for serving sizes appropriate for your child's age, weight and height. Remember that MyPyramid is a guideline; do the best you can but don't fret if your child doesn't eat perfectly every day.