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Following the MyPlate Food Guide for Children: Care Instructions

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MyPlate is a food guide from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You can use it to know how much fruit, vegetables, grains, milk products, and protein foods to offer your child every day. These amounts are for children ages 2 to 18. Offer younger children the smaller serving sizes. Give older children the larger serving sizes.

Serve 1 to 2½ cups of fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned fruit.

These count as 1 cup of fruit:

  • 1 cup of fresh fruit, frozen fruit, or 100% fruit juice
  • 1/2 cup of dried fruit
  • 1 large banana, large orange, or small apple

Serve 1 to 4 cups of vegetables. Try to include dark green, red, and orange vegetables.

These count as 1 cup of vegetables:

  • 2 cups of raw leafy greens
  • 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables
  • 1 cup of vegetable juice

Serve 3 to 10 oz (ounces) of grains, such as bread, cereal, rice, tortillas, or noodles. Choose whole-grain products for at least half of the grain servings.

These count as 1 oz of grains:

  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1 tortilla (6-inch)
  • 1/2 cup of cooked rice or noodles

Serve 2 to 3 cups of milk products, such as nonfat or low-fat milk, soy milk, cheese, or yogurt.

These count as 1 cup of milk products:

  • 1 cup of milk, soy milk, or yogurt
  • 1/3 cup of shredded cheese
  • 1½ oz of hard cheese, like cheddar

Serve 2 to 7 oz of protein foods. These include lean meats, poultry, fish, soy products, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils.

These count as 1 oz of protein foods:

  • 1 oz of meat, poultry, or fish
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup of cooked beans or tofu

Where can you learn more?

Go to http://www.healthwise.net/patientEd

Enter H145 in the search box to learn more about "Following the MyPlate Food Guide for Children: Care Instructions".

The Health Encyclopedia contains general health information. Not all treatments or services described are covered benefits for Kaiser Permanente members or offered as services by Kaiser Permanente. For a list of covered benefits, please refer to your Evidence of Coverage or Summary Plan Description. For recommended treatments, please consult with your health care provider.