Meats, Fats, and Grains

Meats, fats, and grains are important pieces of a child's healthy diet.

Most of the fats served to children should come from unsaturated fat sources like fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. High-fat meat and dairy products should be limited to meet age-appropriate dietary recommendations. Frying, even with vegetable oils, should also be limited. At least half of the grains consumed should be whole grain sources. Below you will find resources that can help you serve healthier food options to the children you care for.

Best Practices

Select the best practice to find resources that can help you reach that best practice.

“Offer beans or lean meats at least once a day.”
“Offer fried or pre-fried meats or fish less than once a week or never.”
“Offer fried or pre-fried potatoes less than once a week or never.”
“Offer high-fat meats less than once a week or never.”
“Offer high fiber, whole grain foods at least 2 times a day.”
“Offer sweets or salty foods less than once a week or never.”

Resources to: “Offer beans or lean meats at least once a day.”

Child Meal Pattern for Child and Adult Care Food Program

Summary: Outlines the CACFP federal program food pattern requirements for infants and children.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.cacfp.org/meal-pattern-guidance/

Child Nutrition Recipe Box

Summary: USDA standardized recipes that support child nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://theicn.org/cnrb/

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Summary: This Food Buying Guide is available in three formats: an interactive web-based tool, a mobile app, or a printable document. It makes it easy to search and navigate food lists for the CACFP program. In both the web-based tool and the mobile app, a profile can be created to save food items to a favorites list.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/fbg

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Summary: Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the Go NAPSACC assessments opens up a suite of planning, learning, and implementation tools to understand further what the health best practices are and how to reach them at your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Access: https://gonapsacc.org/our-focus-areas

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Summary: Under the section of "Nurture Healthy Eaters," find child activities and other resources by clicking on the left-hand menu.
Source: The Nemours Foundation
Access: https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org/5-healthy-goals/nurture-healthy-eaters/resources/

Making Healthy Choices: Newsletters for Parents

Summary: Nutrition newsletters designed for parents, featuring tips for healthier diets. In particular, see Week 6 – Plan for protein and Week 7 – More than meat.
Source: Michigan State University Extension
Access: https://www.canr.msu.edu/making_healthy_choices/newsletters-for-parents

Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children

Summary: Collection of tip sheets for nutrition and physical activity. Each tip sheet focuses on a specific topic and includes a practical application section to help apply the tips to a child care program for children ages 2 through 5 years old. See pages 19-26 and 41-50.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.yoursforchildren.com/nutrition-resources/TeamNutrition/Nutrition%20&%20Wellness%20Tips%20for%20Young%20Children%20--%20English.pdf

Team Nutrition Resources for Child Care

Summary: Team Nutrition, under the USDA, provides training and technical assistance to child care providers and program operators, CACFP best practices, nutrition and developmental education for providers and families, and resources to support a healthier environment. Educational or promotional material can be downloaded for free, or ordered from Team Nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/child-care-organization

Resources to: “Offer fried or pre-fried meats or fish less than once a week or never.”

Child Meal Pattern for Child and Adult Care Food Program

Child Nutrition Recipe Box

Summary: USDA standardized recipes that support child nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://theicn.org/cnrb/

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Methods for Healthy Cooking

Summary: Improve health by replacing frying foods with other methods.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/methods-healthy-cooking

Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children

Team Nutrition Resources for Child Care

Resources to: “Offer fried or pre-fried potatoes less than once a week or never.”

Child Meal Pattern for Child and Adult Care Food Program

Child Nutrition Recipe Box

Summary: USDA standardized recipes that support child nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://theicn.org/cnrb/

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Methods for Healthy Cooking

Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children

Team Nutrition Resources for Child Care

Resources to: “Offer high-fat meats less than once a week or never.”

Child Meal Pattern for Child and Adult Care Food Program

Child Nutrition Recipe Box

Summary: USDA standardized recipes that support child nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://theicn.org/cnrb/

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Making Healthy Choices: Newsletters for Parents

Summary: Nutrition newsletters designed for parents, featuring tips for healthier diets. In particular, see Week 6 – Plan for protein, Week 7 – More than meat, and Week 8 – Don’t forget diary.
Source: Michigan State University Extension
Access: https://www.canr.msu.edu/making_healthy_choices/newsletters-for-parents

Methods for Healthy Cooking

Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children

Team Nutrition Resources for Child Care

Resources to: “Offer high fiber, whole grain foods at least 2 times a day.”

Child Meal Pattern for Child and Adult Care Food Program

Child Nutrition Recipe Box

Summary: USDA standardized recipes that support child nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://theicn.org/cnrb/

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Making Healthy Choices: Week 5 – Whole grains

Summary: Newsletter for parents featuring tips for consuming whole grains.
Source: Michigan State University Extension
Access: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/TR.5.pdf

Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children

Team Nutrition Resources for Child Care

Resources to: “Offer sweets or salty foods less than once a week or never.”

Child Meal Pattern for Child and Adult Care Food Program

Child Nutrition Recipe Box

Summary: USDA standardized recipes that support child nutrition.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://theicn.org/cnrb/

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future

Nibbles for Health: Nutrition Newsletters for Parents of Young Children

Summary: Nibbles for Health has reproducible newsletters that can be given to parents to address many of the challenges they face every day, even as they reinforce lessons being taught to children in child cares. Topics include portion sizes, reducing sugar, reducing sodium, picky eating, increasing nutritious food groups, and more. Newsletters can be downloaded, or hard copies may be ordered.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service
Access: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/nibbles