9 Easy Steps to Analyze Your Menu

Here are some simple, easy steps to analyze your childcare facility's menu. These steps will help to decrease unhealthy fats, increase fiber/vitamins/minerals, and decrease sugar. Remember you provide the majority of the child's food intake for the day. Providing nutritious food and teaching children to eat healthy is important!

1. Do you have fried food on the menu more than 3 times per week?

2. Are you serving any items that have trans fat on the food label?

• Do you use margarine with trans fat?
• Current recommendation: 2 to 4 grams or less per day.

3. Are you serving any whole grain items?

• Ingredients must say whole wheat or whole grain.
• Current recommendation: 1/2 of the grains eaten a day should be whole grains.
• Tips to increase whole grains:
• Change to: whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, whole grain crackers, whole wheat flour, brown rice.

4. Are you serving high sugar foods everyday? (i.e. cookies, cake, ice cream, popsicles, etc.)

• Tips to decrease added sugars:
• Fruit dipped in sauce made with low-fat cream cheese or sour cream
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Yogurt (low-sugar)
• Unsweetened cereal
• 100% Fruit juice popsicles
• Trail mix (dried fruits, nuts, low-sugar cereal)
• Use 1/3-1/2 the amount of sugar in a recipe

5. Are you serving at least 2 servings of fruits & vegetables per day?

• Current recommendation: 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables daily. (Make at least 1 serving a dark leafy or orange veggie)
• Tip: Serve canned fruit packed in light syrup, juice, or water only.

6. Are you serving fish at least once a week?

• Current recommendation: Eat more fish, especially oily fish, broiled or baked.

7. Are you serving beans at least once a week?

• Current recommendation: Eat more beans in place of meat for some entrees.

8. Are you using appropriate serving utensils?

• Teaches children appropriate serving sizes
• Think about the cost savings!