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Module 7: Healthy Practices: Nutrition and Fitness

Menu Planning

Module 7 Menu

Page 2


Planning Meals and Snacks

Nutrition is the most important part of a well-planned menu. However, many other factors also contribute to a well-planned menu. For instance, scale serving sizes to the children's appetites. Children manage best with small servings. Their appetites often vary from day to day.

Food Appeal

Children will eat more if the food appeals to them.  Variety, texture, flavor, color, form, temperature, and food preferences all affect how much a child enjoys a meal.
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Variety

Children like variety in the foods served to them. A meal with all the same texture or color could be boring for children. Children also enjoy trying new foods. A new food should be added with a meal of familiar and well-liked foods. This is because children may be overwhelmed if given too many new foods at once.

Texture

Soft, hard, chewy, mashed, chopped, crisp, creamy, and rough are all textures. It is wise to combine textures when planning meals and snacks for young children. This makes the meal more interesting for the children. For instance, at mealtime, serve one soft food, one crisp food, and one chewy food. Combine contrasting textures for a pleasing effect. This also provides you with an opportunity to include language concepts during meals and snacks.

Dry foods are hard for children to eat. Serve dry food only in combination with two or more moist foods.

Some meats are difficult for young children to chew.  Their teeth cannot grind meat as easily as adult's teeth. Because of this, children usually prefer hamburgers. Chili, spaghetti, and casseroles are other ways of serving meat with varied textures.

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