10 Tips to a Great Plate

Eating good food helps you grow strong.
These 10 tips can help.
They help you pick good foods.
They help you eat less of not-so-good foods.

1. Balance your calories
Calories are the energy in food.
Find out how much energy you need each day.
Moving your body helps too.

2. Enjoy your food, but eat less
Slow down when you eat.
Notice your food.
Stop eating fast food or eating while doing other things.
Listen to your tummy.
Eat when you are hungry.
Stop when you are full.

3. Don't take too much food
Use a smaller plate.
Use a smaller bowl and cup.
Put a little food on your plate first.
At a restaurant, pick a small size.
Share your food, or take some home.

4. Foods to eat more often
Eat more vegetables and fruits.
Eat more whole grains.
Drink fat-free or low-fat milk.
These foods have good things in them.
They help your body grow strong and healthy.

5. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Pick red, orange, and dark green veggies.
Try tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli.
Add fruit to your meals too.

6. Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk
This milk still has calcium.
Calcium makes your bones strong.
But it has less fat.

7. Make half your grains whole grains
Try whole-wheat bread instead of white bread.
Try brown rice instead of white rice.

8. Foods to eat less often
Eat less cake, cookies, and ice cream.
Eat less candy and sugary drinks.
Eat less pizza and fatty meats.
Save these foods for treats.
Don't eat them every day.

9. Check the salt in foods
Look at the food label.
Pick soups and breads with less salt.
Pick cans that say "low sodium."
Sodium means salt.

10. Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Water has no extra sugar.
Soda and sports drinks have lots of sugar.
Drink water instead.

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10 Tips to Add More Vegetables to Your Day

Vegetables are good for you.
They have vitamins and minerals.
Most veggies are low in calories.
Here are easy ways to eat more.

1. Cook them fast
Cook veggies in the microwave.
Try green beans, carrots, or broccoli.
It is quick and easy.

2. Get ready ahead of time
Cut up peppers, carrots, or broccoli early.
Keep them ready to eat.
Put them in a salad or a wrap.

3. Pick colorful veggies
Choose red, orange, and dark green veggies.
Try squash, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, or greens.
They taste good and are good for you.

4. Try frozen veggies
Frozen veggies are quick to use.
They are just as healthy as fresh ones.
Try frozen corn, peas, or spinach.

5. Keep canned veggies at home
Try canned tomatoes and beans.
Pick ones that say "low sodium" or "no salt added."

6. Add color to your salad
Try black beans, red peppers, and red cabbage.
Your salad will look bright.
It will taste good too.

7. Try vegetable soup
Try tomato soup or vegetable soup.
Pick soups with less salt.

8. Ask for veggies when eating out
Ask for extra vegetables.
Pick a side salad instead of fries.

9. Buy veggies in season
In-season veggies taste best.
They can cost less too.
Check your store or a farmer's market.

10. Try something new
Pick a new vegetable.
Try a new way to cook it.

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10 Tips to Focus on Fruits

Eating fruit is good for you.
Fruit has vitamins like vitamin C.
It has potassium and fiber too.
Fiber helps your tummy.
Most fruit is low in fat and calories.
Fruit can be fresh, frozen, dried, or canned.

1. Keep fruit where you can see it
Put fruit in a bowl on the table.
Or keep it in the fridge.

2. Pick fruit that tastes best
Buy fruit when it's in season.
It tastes best then.
Add fruit to make food sweeter.

3. Try different kinds of fruit
Buy fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruit.
Then you always have some ready.

4. Eat whole fruit, not just juice
Whole fruit has more fiber.
Fiber is good for your body.

5. Show kids how to eat fruit
Eat fruit with your meals.
Eat fruit for snacks too.

6. Eat fruit at breakfast
Add bananas or strawberries to cereal.
Add blueberries to pancakes.
Drink 100% fruit juice.

7. Eat fruit at lunch
Pack a banana or some grapes.
Pick fruit from a salad bar.

8. Eat fruit at dinner too
Add fruit to a salad.
Try oranges or dried cranberries.

9. Snack on dried fruit
Dried fruit is easy to carry.
It keeps well too.

10. Wash your fruit
Rinse fruit under clean water.
Rub it gently to clean it.
Dry it with a clean towel.

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10 Tips to Make Half Your Grains Whole

Grains come from wheat, rice, oats, and corn.
Bread, pasta, and cereal are grains.
Whole grains have the whole grain kernel inside.
Refined grains do not.
Whole grains can help keep you healthy.

1. Make an easy switch
Eat whole-wheat bread instead of white bread.
Eat brown rice instead of white rice.

2. Try whole-grain snacks
Popcorn is a whole grain.
Try whole-wheat crackers too.

3. Cook extra and save time
Cook extra barley or bulgur.
Freeze half for later.

4. Mix whole grains into meals
Add barley to soup.
Add bulgur to a stir-fry.

5. Try whole-wheat foods
Try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
Use them in your favorite recipes.

6. Bake with whole grains
Try using oat flour in pancakes or muffins.

7. Show kids how to eat whole grains
Eat whole grains with meals.
Eat them for snacks too.

8. Check the fiber on the label
Look at the Nutrition Facts label.
Pick foods with more fiber.

9. Read the ingredients list
Look for "whole wheat" or "brown rice" first on the list.
That means it has whole grain.

10. Be a smart shopper
A brown color does not mean whole grain.
Words like "multi-grain" may not mean whole grain either.
Check the label to be sure.

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Got Your Dairy Today?

Dairy foods are milk, yogurt, cheese, and some soy milk.
They give you calcium, vitamin D, and protein.
These help your body grow strong.
Pick low-fat or fat-free dairy.
This helps cut down on fat.