A Guide to Healthy Food & Eating Well

It can feel overwhelming to figure out how to feed kids a nutritious, balanced diet. But by focusing on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein, and healthy fats, families can develop healthy eating patterns.

Tips on Eating Healthy

It’s important to make smart food choices when you want your family to eat healthy.

Try these helpful tips:

• Choose variety. The best meals have a balance of items from different food groups.
• Fill half your child's plate with vegetables and fruits.
• Include protein from various sources, like poultry, seafood, beans, and seeds.
• Serve whole grains, like oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice.
• Offer milk and water rather than sugary drinks.
• Avoid serving oversized portions.
• Limit processed foods (foods made from ingredients that have been changed from how they are naturally, like potato chips or hot dogs) and added sugars.

How to Plan for Healthy Eating

You might wonder: Do I have to serve all the food groups at each meal? Do I really have to give my kids veggies for breakfast? After all, it might be hard enough to get kids to eat them at lunch or dinner. If breakfast doesn't include a vegetable, try fruit instead (like in a smoothie or on oatmeal). Include fruit and veggies with lunch (like apple slices and carrot sticks) and give them at snack time.

Think of the goals as an entire day's worth of eating. So, throughout the day, try to make half of what your kids eat fruits and vegetables, and the other half grains and protein foods. An occasional treat is fine but be careful to limit foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients.

If you're thinking it might be hard to get your kids to eat this way, practice what you preach. These guidelines are not just for kids, but for adults too. Kids who see their parents following good nutrition habits are more likely to do so themselves.

The Five Food Groups Explained

Different food groups have different nutrients and health benefits. If you regularly skip a group, over time you won't get the best nutrition.

Vegetables

The vegetable group includes:

• dark green vegetables (like broccoli, spinach, and kale)
• orange and red vegetables (like squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes)
• beans and peas (like kidney beans, lentils, and black-eyed peas — also included in the protein group)
• starchy vegetables (like corn, potatoes, and plantains)
• other vegetables (those that don't fall into the first four food categories, like cauliflower and green beans)

Vegetables have many of the vitamins and minerals kids need for good health, are naturally low in calories, and contain fiber to help kids feel full. Fiber can also help prevent and treat constipation. As part of a healthy diet, serve a variety of vegetables to your family each week. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned veggies.

Fruits

Fruits, like apples, pears, oranges, bananas, plantains, mangoes, and melons, are another important part of a balanced diet. They contain nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned fruit.

When buying canned fruit, choose fruit packed in juice rather than heavy or light syrup. And it's best to serve whole fruit instead of juice. Fruit juices have more sugar and calories with less fiber per serving than whole fruit.

As with veggies, it's good to mix up your fruit choices.

Grains

The grain group includes any food made from wheat, oats, cornmeal, barley, or other grain. Bread, tortillas, cereal, rice, and pasta belong in this group.

At least half of the grains kids eat each day should be whole grains, like oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-wheat bread. Whole grains are full of fiber. Eating a diet rich in whole grains also might decrease the chances of getting heart disease and diabetes.

Refined grain products — like white bread and white rice — are more processed, which removes many of the nutrients. Most refined grains are enriched, which means that nutrients, except fiber, are added back after processing.

Protein Foods

Protein-rich foods include beef, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Soy products like tofu and veggie burgers are also good sources of protein. When eating meats, choose lean or low-fat options.

Foods that are high in protein help the body build and maintain muscles, skin, blood, and other tissues of the body. They also have important vitamins and minerals, like iron.

Dairy

This group includes milk and other dairy products, like yogurt and cheese.Calcium-fortified soy milk and soy yogurt are also included in the dairy group. Besides calcium, dairy products have protein and vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium for healthy bones and teeth.

Meal Planning

Most meals will likely mix different food groups together. Here are some examples:

A healthy sandwich might start with two slices of whole-wheat bread — your grains. Add a slice of meat, cheese, or other protein. Then fill the sandwich with vegetables like lettuce, tomato, or grated carrots. Add a side of fruit and a cup of plain milk and you've got your balanced meal.

For one-dish meals (or salads), try to include vegetables and fruits, lean protein, and a whole grain. A spaghetti dish could be whole-wheat pasta with meatballs, tossed with chopped tomato along with other veggies, like spinach or carrots. A stir-fry might be mixed veggies with tofu or chicken and brown rice. Avoid or limit high-fat sauces (like cream sauces) and don't add too much dressing to salads.

Not every meal you prepare will have every food group, but try to include three or more. Take breakfast, for example: If you serve a whole-wheat bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, add some fruit and maybe a glass of milk. You can make up any missing food groups, like veggies, later in the day.

Other Common Questions

What Is MyPlate?

MyPlate was an easy-to-follow food guide made to help people figure out how to make nutritious, balanced meals. The colorful plate image was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and was divided into sections for each food group: vegetables, fruits, grains, protein foods, and dairy. MyPlate has been replaced with a food pyramid-style chart.

What If My Child Is a Picky Eater?

It’s common for toddlers and other kids to be picky eaters, which can make mealtimes tough. Offer a mix of healthy foods, encourage your child to try them, and show good habits by eating them yourself.

Let kids help choose and prepare foods and use things they already like to make healthy options more fun. Keep mealtimes calm by serving one food your child enjoys with every meal. Ask kids to take just a couple of bites of everything.

If you’re concerned about your child’s nutrition, talk with your doctor or a nutritionist.