Kid's Corner: My Plate Kids Place

A healthy diet is both delicious and fun, but sometimes it takes a little creativity to get our kids to eat balanced meals.  With MyPlate Kids Place, you can turn healthy eating into a game to help your child learn healthy habits for their whole life.  MyPlate Kids Place, created by the USDA, includes games, activities, videos, songs, and more to help make healthy eating exciting for the kids in your life.  Have your child learn healthy ways of eating while playing a fun computer game. 

 

Games

For kids, life is all fun and games. With MyPlate kids place, their food can be full of fun and games too!  MyPlate Kids Place offers several links to games involving food groups and healthy eating. One game called “Blast Off” lets kids fuel their rockets with servings from each food group and daily physical activity.

Songs and Videos

MyPlate Kid’s Place provides videos for you and your children to watch together about eating healthy and physical activity as well as a few songs you can dance and sing to together.  One song called “Alive with Five Groups” sings about getting all five food groups into your diet.

MyPlate Champions!

Once your child has learned all about MyPlate and healthy eating, you can print a certificate and help your child pledge to become a MyPlate Champion! Getting kids excited about healthy eating can be easy when you use your resources, and MyPlate Kid’s Place is a favorite for kids, parents and educators alike. Log on to www.choosemyplate.gov/kids and become a MyPlate Champion today!

Celebrate National Nutrition Month

National Nutrition Month is celebrated each year in March.  The theme for 2016 is "Savor the Flavor of Eating Right", which encourages everyone to take time to enjoy healthy foods while eating with your family and friends.

How can you make that happen?


Make a family goal to try a new fruit or vegetable each week during the month of March.  Did you know that MyPlate recommends 1/2 of your plate be filled with fruits and vegetables.  Have you tried mango, kiwi, radishes, or edamame?  Trying something new adds variety and makes the meal more interesting.

Play a game while introducing a new food!  Put the new fruit or veggie in a bag or box, have your family try to guess what it is without looking. Ask them about the texture and smell.  Can they guess what it is?

Try the new food in a recipe or just taste it alone.  Make some rules for the tasting:

• Everyone must try the food (unless they are allergic)
• Words such as "yuck" or "ugh" are not allowed
• If they do not like a food, they may say "I don't care for this"

Your child may not like the new food and that's okay.  Sometimes children have to taste a food as many as 10 times before they begin to like it.  The important thing is to try it.  Take this opportunity to celebrate National Nutrition Month and try some new foods all month long!

Other fun ways to celebrate National Nutrition Month: 

• Looking for a way to entertain the kids before dinner is ready?  Print out this word search to do while they wait.
• Use this sheet to color in the theme for National Nutrition Month
• Work on a fun puzzle with your child. Give this Nutrition Sodoku puzzle a try.

Did You Know? March is National Nutrition Month!

Every March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) hosts National Nutrition Month to help highlight the importance of making healthy food choices.  This year's theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape". 

By now, hopefully you have seen the USDA's new food icon, MyPlate, which replaced the food pyramid last year.  MyPlate shows the five food groups on a plate, making it easier to see the variety and portion size of each food group.  This month we hope you and your family can fine-tune your plate by following these simple tips. 

1. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables:  Any way works!  Choose fresh, frozen, canned or dried.  Make sure to eat a variety of colors.
2. Choose whole grains: Make at least half your grains whole.  Whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, quinoa, and barley, provide more nutrition than processed, white grain products.
3. Lighten up your dairy:  Select fat-free or low-fat dairy products to lower calories and fat intake.  Great choices include low-fat yogurt, 1% or non-fat milk, and low-fat cheeses like mozzarella and swiss. 
4. Smart protein choices: Choose lean meats or plant-based proteins.  Good choices include: chicken, turkey, fish, beans, eggs, tofu or nuts.  Avoid greasy or fried foods.

For more information and free National Nutrition Month materials, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and ChooseMyPlate