Loving your family, feeding their future : nutrition education through the Food Stamp Program = Ame a su familia alimente su futuro : educaci{acute}on nutricional a trav{acute}es del Programa de Cupones para Alimentos

              1(1...\
Staff Support Kit
Wh::1t' · T ns1(le·
Educator's Handbook
Discussion Sessions
Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
Vegetables and Fruits- Simple Solutions
How Much?- Food and Physical Activity
Family Time- Active and Fun
Loving You; Familygl
Feedmg Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
Dear Nutrition Educator,
SDA's Food and Nutrition Service is pleased to send you the attached
Staff Support Kit for the Loving Your Family Feeding Their Future,
Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program initiative. These
educational and promotional materials were designed to convey the messages in
the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and MyPyramid in a user-friendly
format that would appeal to low-literate and Spanish-language audiences. An
Executive Summary of the Loving Your Family ... initiative that provides back­ground
information on the development and testing of the materials is posted on
the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection (FSNC) Web site at http://www.nal.usda.
gov/foodstamp/LovingYourFamily.html.
Major components of the Staff Support Kit include:
• staff support materials {handbook and discussion sessions)
• English participant education materials (brochure, guidebook, handouts,
and reproducibles)
• Spanish participant education materials (Spanish versions of brochure,
guidebook, handouts, and reproducibles)
An on-line training module housed on FSNC at the same site provides an over­view
of the kit components and ideas for using the materials. Educators may
download materials from this site. Also provided on-line are sample pre- and post­session
feedback questions for educators to get customer feedback. Educators
may need to modify these questions to meet local needs. Extra
copies of selected Loving Your Family ... materials may be ordered at
http://www. fns.usda.gov/fsp/nutrition education/
A User Response Card is attached for you to provide us feedback on these
materials. Completed forms can be faxed to 703-305-2576, Attention NSS.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please call
703-305-2585. We greatly value your input and look forward to receiving
your comments.
Thank you for Supporting the Loving Your Family ... initiative
User Response Card
Loving You; Family~
Feedmg Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
Help us serve you better! Complete this form and fax to 703-305-2576, Attention: NSS. We will use
your suggestions and feedback to improve our materials and continue to provide you the resources
that you need.
Who Is using this Staff Support KHY {check all that apply)
D Food Stamp Program State Agency Staff
D Food Stamp Nutrition Education State Coordinator
D Food Stamp Program Local Agency Staff
Please tell us which components you found most useful.
D Food Stamp Nutrition Education Local Coordinator
D Other Food and Nutrition Service program
D Other _________ _
Components Used (check) Mo~e Useful to Less Useful
Educator's Handbook 5 4 3 2 1
Discussion Sessions
English Handouts
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Spanish Handouts ,\ l
English Brochure !
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Spanish Brochure \ \ I
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English Participant Guidebook i \
Spanish Participant Guidebook / /
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English Reproducibles I / i
Spanish Reproducibles I i \
Overall Theme and Kit i ' r
Tell us what other materials would be useful to you. f /i I J i! \
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Anything else we should know?
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Loving You; Family · •
Feed1n Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
Acknowledgtnents
Loving Your Family Feeding Their Future, Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program is an
initiative of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The educational
and promotional materials are designed for Food Stamp Program participants or eligibles with children
ages 2-18 who may possess low literacy skills and who may be Spanish speakers. The project also
includes educational materials for persons delivering Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE). However,
these materials can be used in other settings with similar target audiences, such as the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Child and Adult Care
Food Program (CACFP), and National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, to help parents and other
caregivers follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans with the goal of improving the eating and phys­ical
activity behaviors of their families.
FNS wishes to thank the local, State and Federal practitioners from the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and
FSNE in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas who have provided
input, reviewed prototypes, or tested these materials. Additionally, the following individuals have
provided technical expertise and excellent guidance for the successful completion of this project.
Jan Adams
Child Nutrition Programs, FNS
Carol Stiller
WIC Program, FNS
Sandy Borrelli
New York State Food Stamp Program
Colleen Bray
Mountain Plains Region, FNS
Sandra Canales
University of Florida
Marisa Cheung
Western Region, FNS
Technical Reviewers
Evelyn F. Crayton
Auburn University
Jamie Dollahite
Cornell University
Mavis Faulknor
Newark WIC Program
Sheldon Gordon
Food Distribution Program, FNS
Wendy Johnson-Taylor
National Institutes of Health
Jan Kallio
Massachusetts WIC Program
Louise Lapeze
Child Nutrition Programs, FNS
Joyce McDowell
The Ohio State University
Chris Sady
University of Southern Maine
Ellen Schuster
University of Missouri
Linda Wells
New Mexico State University
Project Officers: Jane Mandell and Donna Johnson-Bailey, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, FNS
Project Team
Members:
Alice Lockett, Food Stamp Program, FNS
Alicia White and Judy Wilson, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, FNS
Melissa Walker, Food Stamp Program, FNS
2 These materials were prepared through a contract with BestS tart, Inc., Tampa, Florida
with funding from USDA's Food Stamp Program.
What is inside
this handbook?
The Loving Your Family ... initiative .. . . . . .................... 4
An Overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans ·~ -
and MyPyramid . ........................................ 6
A Look at the Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Addressing Low Literacy Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Influence of Cultural Norms on Nutrition Habits ............. 15
Getting the Kids Involved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Promoting and Marketing Loving Your Family:.. . ... . ........... 18
Additional Nutrition Education Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3
Loving Your Family) Feeding Their Future:
Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program ...
4
This Educator's Handbook
serves several functions. It:
-+ Helps nutrition educators
implement Loving Your Family,
Feeding Their Future.
-+ Provides an overview of the
ready-to-use educational tools
and available resources.
-+ Introduces nutrition educators
to the theme developed for
this initiative and encourages
its use in other nutrition
education efforts.
is an initiative of the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
This project provides educational and promotional
materials and techniques to help nutrition educators in
their work with Food Stamp Program (FSP) participants
and eligibles. The client materials are specifically
targeted and designed for English- and Spanish­speaking
women with children ages 2 through 18.
They are written in simple, easy-to-read language
appropriate for a fifth-grade reader. Other nutrition
assistance programs could use these materials with
similar audiences.
This Educator's Handbook provides an overview
of the Loving Your Family .. .initiative, a discussion on
the relationship between Loving Your Family ... ,
My Pyramid, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
(DGAs) , and information on how to use the materials.
Loving Your Family ... Helps Clients
Loving Your Family .. . is a tool that helps you
provide low-literate English and Spanish
speakers access to nutrition education that
is useful, relevant, and reflects the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans and My Pyramid,
USDA'.s food guidance system. Loving Your
Family ... is user-friendly and focuses on how
women and their families can eat better and be
more physically active by changing behaviors.
In particular, the educational materials and
discussion sessions will help clients and their
families stretch their food dollars, fix easy
and tasty meals, eat healthier, and be
physically active.
Focus of Loving Your Family
Loving Your Family .. . supports these behaviors:
-+ Eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and
fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
every day.
-+ Be physically active every day as part of a
healthy lifestyle.
-+ Balance calorie intake with calories expended.
These behaviors are based on some of the
recommendations outlined in MyPyramid and the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to research
completed with FSP participants for this Loving Your
Family. .. project, these are recommendations that
participants would like to be able to follow. These
behavioral outcomes are also emphasized in the Food
Stamp Nutrition Education Guiding Principles and the
FSNE State Plan Guidance1
.
Loving Your Family ...
Helps Educators
As a nutrition educator, you have a tough job.
You provide nutrition education to many
different types of people who often are going
through hard times. FSP participants may have
limited reading skills and English-speaking
abilities. They may also have little or no
income. Loving Your Family ... offers a
consistent model for working with these
groups. This model includes:
• Materials designed specifically for the
target audiences
• Background on their educational needs
• Guidance for teaching relevant,
understandable, and achievable behaviors
• Resources to support your nutrition
education efforts
5
An Overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
and MyPyramid
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are
the basis of Federal food, nutrition education,
and information programs. They provide
science-based advice to promote health
and to reduce risk for chronic disease
through diet and physical activity.
MyPyramid, USDA's food guidance system,
provides information on how individuals can
put the Dietary Guidelines into practice.
MyPyramid depicts how one's total diet meets
nutrient needs from food sources and aims
to moderate or limit dietary components
often consumed in excess. An important
complementary tool is the Nutrition Facts label
on food products. For more information on
this tool, go to www.cfsan.fda.gov.
The recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines
and MyPyramid are for persons over 2 years of
age and support the basic premise that nutrient
needs should be met primarily through consuming
foods . MyPyramid food guidance system is not a
therapeutic diet for any specific health condition.
U::;;:S;--D=A . United States Department of Agnculture
Individuals with a chronic health condition
should talk with a health care provider to
determine what dietary pattern is appropriate for
them. Pregnant women should also follow the
advice of their health care provider regarding
food and physical activity recommendations.
MyPyramid Web site
If the time and situation permits, you can
customize MyPyramid for each participant
using the MyPyramid Web site. 2 On the site,
you can enter information about the participants'
age, gender, and activity level and generate a
MyPyramid plan that is specific to the calorie
and nutrient needs of the participant. The plan
includes how much the individual should eat
from each food group each day. You are
encouraged to review and become familiar with
the information on the MyPyramid Web site,
especially the following sections:
• For Professionals
- Education Framework
- Food Intake Patterns and Calorie Levels
• Tips and Resources
'1111111 MyPyramid.gov
- IIJm About Us · News & Media ; Site Help · Online Ordering Contact Us En Espafiol
Steps to a Healthier you
• My Pyramid Plan
• Inside the Pyramid
• Tips & Resources
• Dietary Guidelines
• For Kids
• For Professionals
• Related Links
6 • My Pyramid Tracker
My Pyramid Plan
Age: Sex:
- {r:I:S:-e:cle- ct-1;- -..,:)
Physlul Activity:
Amount of moderate or
vigorous activity (such as
brisk walking, jogging,
biking, aerobics, or yard
work) you do In addition to
your normal daily routine,
most days.
! (Select) • I
• )
Participants can also visit the MyPyramid
Web site independently. However, participants
with limited literacy skills may have difficulty
reading and understanding some of the text.
Participants may access the Internet through
home, schools, libraries, some public offices
and public health and social service organiza­tions.
The MyPyramid Web site offers
participants more ways to improve the health
of their families. The Web site is available in
Spanish by clicking on the "En Espafiol" button
in the top right corner. Using the MyPyramid
Web site, participants and educators can:
• Work independently to address questions
raised during nutrition education sessions.
• Explore topics of particular interest and
relevance to participants or educators.
• Obtain information on MyPyramid
recommendations for other family members.
• Select educational items and activities
for children.
• Identify healthy lifestyle options for the
entire family.
For those participants who do not have access
to the Internet, you may assist them by down­loading
files for use as handouts. Keep in mind
that some of the information may not be at the
appropriate literacy level for your audience.
Food Intake Patterns
Throughout this initiative, a 2,000-calorie
food intake pattern is used as a reference for
consistency with the Nutrition Facts label on
food products. It was also selected because this
initiative uses a family-based approach and the
2,000 calorie level is the appropriate calorie
level for many sedentary and moderately active
women and children over 8 years old. Although
this calorie level is used as a reference, recom­mended
calorie intakes will differ for individu­als
based on age, gender, and physical activity
level. For example, the following chart shows
three different calorie levels and the amount of
food from each food group that might be
appropriate for a young child (8 years or
younger), a woman (19-50 years), and a
teenaged boy (14-18 years).
Daily Amount of Food From Each Group*
Calorie Level 1 ,400 (young child, 8 yea rs or younger) 2, OOQ (woman, 19-50 years) 2,800 (teen boy, 14-18 years)
Fruits 1.5 cups 2 cups 2.5 cups
Vegetables 1.5 cups 2.5 cups 3.5 cups
Grains 5 ounce-equivalents 6 ounce-equivalents 1 0 ounce-equivalents
Lean meat and beans 4 ounce-equivalents 5.5 ounce-equivalents 7 ounce-equivalents
Milk 2 cups 3 cups 3 cups
* These are approximate amounts and may vary depending on exact age, gender, and physical activity level of each person.
7
8
A Look at the Materials
Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future
The theme for this initiative, Loving Your
Family, Feeding Tbeir Future: Nutrition
Education Through the Food Stamp
Loving You; Family~
Feed1ng Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
Program, was
developed
to provide
brand support
and promote
nutrition
education services for women with
children. Research was conducted with
key audiences for this initiative including
FSP participants, staff and administrators,
and those persons who deliver nutrition
education to FSP participants. This
approach helped ensure that the
initiative theme was relevant and
appealing to the target audiences.
The Loving Your Family ... theme was
selected based on findings from the
audience groups that indicated Loving ...
provides a warm, nurturing, feminine,
and personal message. It directly reflects
reported aspirations of participants for
their families ... to have loving,
supportive homes. It is a positive,
affirming declaration that also suggests
the central goal of mothers is to provide
for the future of their children. Loving . ..
says even in the face of dealing with the
reality of everyday life, they are caring
parents who want to provide a strong
future for their children in spite of the
obstacles they face. The tag line,
Nutrition Education Through the Food
Stamp Program, helps make the
connection between nutrition education
services and the FSP. Loving Your
Family ... is a brand that not only marks
these materials but also could be used
at the State or local level to brand other
FSP nutrition education efforts that are
targeted to women and families.
The three ethnic groups (Anglo­American,
African-American, and
Hispanic-American) that are the focus
for this initiative have much in common
when it comes to food use behaviors.
The research for this project confirms
this idea. These shared characteristics
allow educators to utilize instructional
approaches that cross ethnic and cultural
boundaries in many situations. Messages
in the materials are applicable among all
of the groups for which Loving Your
Family ... is intended. Careful attention
was paid to visually represent all of the
primary groups for this initiative.
While most educators are aware that
different groups bring different challenges to
nutrition education, participants have more in
common than different in terms of their interests
in and difficulties with establishing food behaviors
and physically active lives. The sections of the
Handbook called, Addressing Low Literacy Skills
(page 14) and Cultural Considerations When
Working with Spanish-Speaking Participants (page
14), provide additional information that is specific
to low-literate and Spanish-speaking groups. The
Loving Your Family ... initiative includes a
promotional brochure and materials for clients and
educators as shown in the following chart and
brief descriptions of each material. A number of
complementary resources that may assist you in
your nutrition education efforts are also listed.
Tools for Success
Promotional Tool Educator's Tools Client's Tools
1. Their Future Means 1. Explore Loving Your Family .. . 1. The Healthy Family Guidebook
Everything to You brochure Online Education Module
2. Educator's Handbook
3. Discussion Sessions for leaders 2. Take Home Handouts for
participants
• Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, • Family Meals- Easy, Tasty,
and Healthy! and Healthy!
• Vegetables & Fruits- Simple • What counts as one cup
Solutions of fruits?
• What counts as one cup of
vegetables?
• How Much?- Food and • Ways to Eat Smart and
Physical Activity Move More
• Family Time- Active and Fun
Other Complementary Resources
(These materials are not packaged with this kit, but information on how to access them is provided.)
• Food Stamp Nutrition Connection Web site
• FSNE Guiding Principles
• FSNE State Plan Guidance
• Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• MyPyramid Web site
• MyPyramid large and mini posters
• My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page
• Nutrition Facts label
• Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Power Plans (lessons for adults and children), brochures and music3
9
10
Promotional Tool
Their Future Means Everything to You is a multipurpose
brochure. As a promotional tool, it provides an overview of nutrition
education services and emphasizes the FSP commitment to assisting
families with improving nutrition and physical activity behaviors.
Organizations or agencies can place local contact information on the
brochure to assist with their outreach efforts. It also improves
participant awareness of the Loving Your Family ... initiative. You may
use this brochure with clients as a take-home reinforcement of
program services, and as an information-sharing tool for family
members, friends , or others in the social networks of participants.
Tools for You-the Nutrition Educator
Loving You; Family~
Feedmg Their Future
Nutm!OI'I Education Through The Food Stamp Progtam
Their future
means
everything
to you
Several tools are available for the nutrition educator: an online education module, Explore Loving
Your Family. .. , this Educator's Handbook, and four Discussion Sessions. The online education
module provides a visually narrated tour through this Educator's Handbook and the four
Discussion Sessions. To access the module, go to www.nal.usda.gov/foodstamp/.
The four Discussion Sessions are·ready-to-use plans for conducting educational sessions with FSP
participants and eligibles. The key topics covered in the sessions are linked to The Healthy Family
Guidebook. Handouts for participants are provided or suggested for all of the sessions.
' . ~
All of the discussion sessions are planned for groups of about 5-7 mothers and each session can
be completed in about 45 minutes. The discussion sessions use a participant-centered approach
and include interactive group activities. They support and help the adult learner with low literacy
skills understand the nutrition information and make a commitment to take action to improve
eating and physical activity behaviors. The behavioral objectives for each discussion session are
listed below.
Discussion Session
Family Meals-
Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
Vegetables and Fruits­Simple
Solutions
How Much?-
Food and Physical Activity
Family Time­Active
and Fun
Behavioral Objectives
• Identify and use at least two time-saving or low-cost ways to
prepare healthy family meals each week.
• Name two tasks their child can do to help make a family meal and
commit to letting their child help do a task at least once a week.
• Identify and commit to try at least two vegetables and two fruits
during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable a dark
green or orange one.
• Identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their
children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Recognize what a 1-cup portion of vegetables and a 1-cup
portion of fruits look like.
• Identify the amounts of food most women and children need
from each food group.
• Identify and commit to at least one action to get the right
amount of foods from MyPyramid food groups.
• Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes
of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week.
• Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30
minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity with their family
most days of the week.
• Identify and commit to at least two actions to help kids eat in a
healthy way, every day.
11
These sessions can be used as single session
discussions or combined and taught as a "mini"
course. You could develop additional discussion
sessions using this format as a model and tailor
to your local needs based on the information in
the The Healthy Family Guidebook. For
example, discussion sessions on whole grains
and low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products
would support the behavioral outcomes for the
Loving Your Family ... initiative.
Consider preparing one of the recipes from
The Guidebook for participants to taste at a
discussion session. You may want to avoid
recipes using peanut products since some
persons are allergic to them.
The Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM (ESPH) Campaign
also has Power Plans (discussion sessions)
targeted to parents and children that could be
used in conjunction with the Guidebook.
View these sessions at
www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhard.
12
Tools for Your Clients
The Healthy Family Guidebook communicates
MyPyramid messages in a way that is
appropriate for low-literate audiences for both
English and Spanish language speakers. The
participant Guidebook is the foundation for
the Loving Your Family. .. initiative. The
Guidebook uses a "self-teaching" format to
help participants understand the basics of the
Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid
recommendations for a healthier lifestyle. This
"help" book assists FSNE participants with daily
nutrition management and physical activities for
their families while supporting positive
behavioral changes. The Guidebook provides
information about the amount of food to eat
each day from each food group, tips on buying
foods to stretch food dollars, tips on serving
foods , including low-cost recipes, and ideas for
getting children to eat healthier foods and be
physically active every day.
'. ~
Additional Reinforcement Materials
Take-Home Handouts are provided or suggested for all of the Discussion Sessions. The
handouts are designed to help participants commit to healthy eating or physical activity
behaviors. As noted in the chart below, additional optional handouts are suggested.
Discussion Session Take-Home Handout
Family Meals- Family Meals-Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Optional handout: Power Up with Brealifast
(Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM brochure)
Vegetables and Fruits- What counts as one cup of vegetables?
Simple Solutions What counts as one cup of fruits?
Optional handout: Grab Quick and Easy Snacks
(Eat Smart. Play Hard.TM brochure)
How Much?-Food and Ways to Eat Smart and Move More
Physical Activity Optional handout: Balance Your Day With Food
and Play (Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM brochure)
Family Time- Optional handout: Make Family Time an Active
Active and Fun Time (Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ brochure)
USDA's MyPyramid poster is used in all of the Discussion Sessions. You can download the poster
and the MyPyramid for Kids Coloring Page that is referenced in the sessions from
www.mypyramid.~ov.
Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM campaign materials are used or referenced in several of the Discussion
Sessions, including music, movement scripts, and adult brochures. These materials are available at
www.fns. usda. gov I eatsmartplayhard/ .
13
Addressing Low Literacy Skills
In the 1991 National Literacy Act, the United
States Congress defined literacy as:
an individuals ability to read, write, and speak
in English, and compute and solve problems at
levels of proficiency necessary to function on the
job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and
develop one's knowledge and potential.4
Literacy is not a skill that individuals either
have or don't have. Rather, people fall into a
literacy continuum for different types of skills.
These skills impact their ability to perform real­life
tasks such as:
• Finding information in texts, like
newspaper articles.
• Completing forms, such as a social
security card application.
• Interpreting graphs and charts, such
as a table of employee benefits.
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy
(NAAL) is a nationally representative and
continuing assessment of English language
literacy skills among American adults. For more
information, go to www.nces.ed.gov/ NAAL.
What is most relevant to the Loving Your
Family ... project is that three out of four Food
Stamp Program participants performed in the
two lowest literacy levels. This means that an
alarming number of FSP participants read at
levels that make it difficult for them to properly
use many existing nutrition education materials.
This initiative and the materials for participants
have been developed and designed to help
14
those FSP participants who are having difficulty
reading. Some of the key design features to
make the Loving Your Family ... participant
materials more user friendly include:5-6
• The use of audience-appropriate reading
levels that are at or near 5th grade level
• The use of full-color illustrations and
images to help communicate key
information and elicit reader attention
• Design features that emphasize core
information by the use of text blocks,
bullet lists, and repetition
• The use of real world examples to
emphasize instructional points
• Easy-to-read descriptions of key terms,
for which no low literacy alternatives
are available or that are new or technical
in nature
• Pretesting of all materials to assure that
the intended audience groups view the
materials as attractive, comprehensible,
acceptable, persuasive, and relevant
Cultural Considerations
When Working with Spanish­Speaking
Participants
One of eight people in the United States was of
Hispanic origin in 2002. About 34 percent were
under 18 years of age, and around 70 percent
were citizens. Approximately 17 percent of Food
Stamp Program households heads were Hispanic
in 2004.7
Loving Your Family ... is intended to improve
availability of nutrition education
information to Spanish-speaking FSP
participants and eligibles. This requires
attending to a number of variables that
influence how materials are developed for this
diverse population group. Some factors that
influence nutrition education for Spanish­speaking
participants are related to cultural
differences, language skills, and
transient/ migratory population clusters.
Hispanics in the United States are a multicultural
population, having migrated from different
countries.8 Cultural and language elements vary
across national origins.9
While the Loving Your Family .. . initiative is not
designed as a cultural competencies training,
the materials reflect appropriate ethnic and
cultural images and messages based on the
guidance of this project's formative research
findings. 10 The following suggestions are not a
definitive list of cultural competencies related to
Spanish-speaking FSP participants. However,
they are helpful tips that were reported by
participants during the research phase of the
Loving Your Family . .. initiative.
Effective Cultural Elements11
-13 :
• Promote respect for elders and interest
in their traditions
• Help people to share and discuss
personal experiences
• Rely on extended family to help
with education
• Build on Hispanic/ Latino communal
neighborhood values and attitudes
• Support practices/ events that promote
their culture and traditions
• Emphasize contemporary and historical
role models
• Use specific terms rather than general
(i.e. , chicken, rather than poultry)
• Avoid words that are vague
• Use images culturally relevant to
the audience
• Use culturally familiar foods or activities
The Influence of Cultural Norms on Nutrition Habits
Society and cultural norms influence
participants' abilities to adopt healthier
lifestyles. Generally, contemporary, high-paced
lifestyles and the media influence food use and
physical activity practices.14
-
16
Many modern conveniences make it easier to
avoid physical activity in the course of everyday
lives. These conveniences include cars, elevators,
television, computers, and more mechanized jobs.
• Food advertising and promotions are prominent
features of the commercial mainstream.
• Advertising encourages consumption of
affordable, high-calorie foods.
• Children are increasingly the targets of
food advertising.
15
Getting the Kids Involved
One of the most significant barriers to
introducing healthful lifestyle practices into
the family is the influence of children who often
play a role in food selections and preparation.
Finding ways to encourage the active
participation of kids in healthy food practices
and active lifestyles can have a significant
impact on the success of nutrition education.
Here are some tips to help FSP participants
get their kids involved. These tips reinforce
information found in The Healthy Family
Guidebook.
~ A parent's habits help kids make smart
food choices.17
-19
Kids like to be copycats. They will follow a
parent's example, if it is consistent. If parents
drink milk and eat vegetables, so will kids.
Teach parents to set a good example. This is a
reason to encourage parents to adopt healthier
practices.
16
~ Encourage parents to have healthier foods
in the house.
Teach parents to keep a variety of healthy food
choices around. Allowing kids to decide from
among options like apples, graham crackers,
or carrots is empowering for the children and
maintains a varied nutritional complement of
snack foods around.
~ Parents should eat meals with their children
as often as possible.
Meals are a valuable way to spend time
together, break up the busy days, and provide
opportunities for parents to "catch up on
things" with their kids. Parents can also use
meal times to talk about foods and plan fun
physical activities. Parents can offer
children time to discuss their interests, what
types of physical activity they would like to
do, what foods they've enjoyed recently, or
what new foods they have discovered. Family
meals also provide an opportunity for parents
to model good eating habits.
~ Promote "new food nights" to introduce
foods that the family hasn't tried before.
New foods may take a few tries before the
family likes them. Parents can make an event
out of trying new foods by having "new food
night." Parents can allow the kids to help pick
the foods, plan the meals or snacks, and cook.
This offers kids a feeling of ownership in the
new food experiences and makes experimenting
more entertaining and less like a chore.
~ Teach parents the value of balancing
physical activity with what the family eats.
Eating healthier foods is important but being
physically active is equally valuable for
healthy lives. Kids need at least 60 minutes
of physical activity every day or most days of
the week. Adults need at least 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity on most,
preferably all, days of the week to reduce the
risk of chronic disease.
Moderate physical activity that the family can
do together includes activities like:
• Walking briskly
• Gardening/yard work
• Dancing
• Bicycling
~ Let parents know the importance of
engaging in physical activities with their
children.
Parents can help their children to be more
active by participating in activities with them
and modeling fun, easy, everyday activities
that will help establish an interest in being
more active.
• Walk or play together.
- Walk in an area that is comfortable
for everyone like in the neighborhood,
at a park, or in the mall.
- Walk to school with your kids.
- Walk with your kids to the store when
you only need a few things.
- Play with your children - basketball,
soccer, or chase each other in a game
of tag.
• Involve kids in groups that do
physical activities.
• Teach kids to take the stairs, not
the elevator.
• Park as far away from stores as
possible to add walking steps to
everyday activities.
• When the weather is bad, turn on the
music and dance or march around the
house with the kids. The children will
love doing "kids" things with grownups.
17
Promoting and Marketing Loving Your Family ...
FSP participants and eligibles come in contact
with many organizations, institutions, and
individuals in their communities. Loving Your
Family ... can expand your capacity to influence
change in FSP participants by utilizing all the
available resources within the program and
with your partners at the local, State, and
national levels.
Linking Loving Your Family. . . with
the FSP and Other FNS Programs
Loving Your Family . .. is a subset of the
educational information that is found in the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans and
MyPyramid. Being sure to always present
Loving Your Family .. . as supportive of
MyPyramid will help foster the shared brand
identity and the relationship among the various
nutrition education components.
FSNE is often provided at locations other than
where recipients receive FSP food benefits. The
result is program participants often do not
know that the FSP provides nutrition education.
Communication and networking among the
various FSP staff members who interface with
participants can help to build a team that
shares common goals associated with nutrition
education. Making FSP offices a place where
the promotional brochure, Their Future
Means . .. , is distributed will help bridge this
gap. This will help to include non-nutrition staff
in the promotion and referral process for
18
nutrition education services. It will also
help partcipants access resources and foster
awareness of the Loving Your Family ...
initiative.
Developing Partnerships
According to nutrition educators who
participated in the study that guides Loving
Your Family . . . , partnerships with FNS
programs and other organizations that interface
with FSP participants can foster referrals. These
organizations are also potential sites where
nutrition education may be offered. These
partners can help improve awareness that the
FSP is a source for nutrition education. They
also serve as valuable distribution points for
Loving Your Family ... participant materials.
To improve partnerships:
• Provide promotional brochures (Their Future Means
Everything to You) that frame the initiative as a
FSP nutrition education offering to local FSP
offices, FNS nutrition-related programs, and other
community venues.
• Hold in-service orientations for non-nutrition,
professional, paraprofessional, and clerical staff
to introduce the initiative, review the value of
nutrition education, and solicit support.
• Hold in-service orientations for FNS program
staff associated with other nutrition programs,
such as WIC and Child Nutrition Programs.
Partnerships can provide access to preformed
groups within which educators may establish
nutrition education classes. These include:
Adult Settings:*
• Local Food Stamp and TANF offices
• Food banks and pantries and soup kitchens
• Job training centers, career centers,
and work sites
• Housing authority locations
• Faith-based organizations
• WIC Farmers' Markets
• WI C clinics
• Grocery stores in low-income areas
• School PTAs in low-income schools
• Head Start centers
• Health clinics and public health programs
Children's Settings:*
• Low-income public schools (K through 12)
• Childcare centers
'Refer to FSNE State Plan Guidance for exact requirements.
• Preschool programs
• After school programs
• Summer food programs
• Head Start centers
• Youth recreation programs
The Loving Your Family . .. initiative provides
basic tools to reach food stamp participants and
eligibles with information and skills to help
them adopt several healthy eating and physical
activity behaviors. It is by no means the only
set of nutrition education materials that can be
used in FSNE, but may be a starting point for
your efforts at reaching women with children
who are Spanish speaking and who may have
low literacy skills. The following additional
resources may be helpful in your nutrition
education endeavors.
19
20
Additional Nutrition Education Resources
Nutrition education is an evolving
field. As nutrition educators in the field,
you are asked to master innovative
instructional and curriculum approaches.
Emerging science in the area of nutrition
and physical activity is a constant. In
order to stay current, nutrition educators
must access an abundance of informa­tion
and knowledge from a wide array
of resources.
philosophy under which one's
respective program operates?
To make the search for information
more efficient, this listing of nutrition
education resources provides a way to
access a science-based collection of
resources to complement and expand
your program's educational goals and
to guide clients to more healthful lives.
This wealth of information can be an
asset, or it can be a challenge. How
does one select from among the vast
array of resources? What resources
are the most current, correct, and
user-friendly? And what sources of
information fit the nutrition education
The foundation of all nutrition education
efforts should be the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans and MyPyramid, which
reflect Federal nutrition policy. USDA's
FNS recommends using the following
resources for nutrition and physical
activity information.
Suggested Internet Resources
Dietary Guidelines for
Americans are published
jointly every 5 years by
the Department of Health
and Human Services
(HHS) and the Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
The Guidelines provide
authoritative advice for
people 2 years and older
about how good dietary
habits can promote health
and reduce risk for major
chronic diseases.
Complete information
on the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans can be
found at:
www.cnpp.usda.gov
MyPyramid.gov
STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU
MyPyramid is a Web­based,
consumer-oriented
resource system from
which nutrition education
staff can better understand
the Federal food guidance
system and develop
curriculum approaches
and educational materials
for Food Stamp Program
participants and other
clients. Check the section
titled "For Professionals"
to access accurate nutrition
and physical activity
information and the
science behind MyPyramid.
www.mypyramid.gov
The Food Stamp Nutrition
Connection is a resource
for Food Stamp Program
nutrition educators. This site
provides training, resources,
nutrition education
materials, FSNE State Plan
Guidance, recipes, photo
gallery, information on
particular nutrition topics,
access to other state food
stamp nutrition education
resources, and discussion
groups. The Loving Your
Family .. , materials including
the online education
module can be found here.
www.nal.usda.gov /foodstamp
Food & Nutrition Service
(FNS) Nutrition Link
(www.fns.usda.gov/ nutritionlink) is a
gateway page to some other initiatives of
interest, including:
Eat Smart. Play Hard. ™
Campaign provides
educational and promotional
materials to help motivate
children and their caregivers to eat
healthy and be active.
www .fns. usda. gov / eatsmartplayhard
Team Nutrition supports
the Child Nutrition Programs
through training, nutrition
education for children
and their caregivers, and school and
community support for healthy eating
and physical activity.
www.fns. usda. gov /tn
WIC Works
Resource
System
provides
nutrition service tools for nutrition
education professionals.
www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/index.html
Healthier
US.gov
provides
information
to help Americans choose to live
healthier lives by focusing on nutrition,
physical fitness, prevention, and making
healthy choices. www.healthierus.gov
Additional Federal
Government Resources
Nutrition.gov provides easy access to
the best food and nutrition information
from across the Federal Government. It
serves as a gateway to reliable
information on nutrition, healthy eating,
physical activity, and food safety for
consumers, educators, and health
professionals. www.nutrition.gov
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) is committed to
programs that reduce the health and
economic consequences of the leading
causes of death and disability and
ensure a long, productive, healthy life
for all people. The CDC site provides
nutrition and physical activity related
data and statistics as well as health
promotion information. www.cdc.gov
The Food and Drug Administration's
(FDA) Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition provides valuable
information on food label education
tools. www.cfsan.fda.gov
The National Agricultural Library
(NAL) provides access to a wide variety
of agricultural information to educators
and the public at large. NAL is one of
the world's largest agricultural research
libraries. www.nal.usda.gov
21
References
1. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Food Stamp Program. Food
Stamp Nutrition Education Guiding Principles. Available from:
www.fns.usda.gov/ oane/menu/ FSNE/ GuidingPrinciples.pdf. Accessed February 9, 2006.
2. United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. MyPyramid.
Available from: www.mypyramid.gov. Accessed February 7, 2006.
3. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™
Available from: www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard. Accessed February 7, 2006.
4. National Institute for Literacy. National Literacy Act of 1991 , Pub. Law No. 102-73, 105 Stat. 333.
1991. Available from: www.nifl.gov/ public-law.html. Accessed August 15, 2006.
5. Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health.
Clear and simple: Developing print materials for low-literate readers. Washington, DC: Government
Printing Office; 2003.
6. Doak CC, Doak LC, Root JT. Teaching patients with low literacy skills. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: JB
Lippincott Company; 1996.
7. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Reaching low-income
Hispanics with nutrition assistance: Federal assistance nutritional facts. Available from:
www.fns.usda.gov/ cga/ FactSheets/ reaching.htm. Accessed February 9, 2006.
8. United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. Ibe Hispanic
population: Census 2000 Briq Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau 2001.
9. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural
Library. Hispanic American influence on the U.S. food industry. 2002. Available from:
www.nal.usda.gov/ outreach/HFood.html. Accessed January 26, 2006.
10. Best Start, Inc. The Dietary Guidelines: A social marketing project to improve access to
22
and utilization of dietary guidelines for low-literacy and Spanish language groups. Unpublished
research brief. Tampa, FL: Best Start, Inc. 2003 .
.,.,
11. Fidalgo G, Chapman-Novakofski K. Teaching nutrition to Hispanics at an English as a second
language (ESL) center: Overcoming barriers. 2001 . journal of Extension [serial online].
2001 ; 39(6). Available from: www.joe.org/ joe/ 2001december/a3.html. Accessed January 26, 2006.
12. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
Communications Team. 1997. Teaching assistance bulletin: Developing effective messages and
materials for Hispanics/ Latino audiences. Available from: www.urc-chs.com/ pdf/hispanic-latino.pdf.
'·'
Accessed August 15, 2006.
13. Lopez R. Understanding Hispanic USA. Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA)
Views: Ideals and todlsforqualitative research. 2003; 1(3): 30-35.
14. Coon KA, Goldberg J, Rogers BI, Tucker KL. Relationship between use of television during meals
and children's food consumption patterns. Pediatrics. 2001; 107.
15. Patrick H, Nicklas TA. A review of family and social determinants of children's eating patterns and
quality. journal of the American College of Nutrition . 2005; 24(2): 83-92.
16. French SA, Story M, Jeffery RW. Environmental influences on eating and physical activity. Annual
Review of Public Health. 2001 ; 22: 309-335.
17. Fisher JO, Mitchell DC, Smiciklas-Wright H, Birch LL. Parental influences on young girls' fruit and
vegetables, micronutrient, and fat intakes. journal of American Dietetic Association. 2002; 102:
58-64.
18. Tibbs T, Haire-Joshu D, Schechtman KB, et al. The relationship between parental modeling, eating
patterns, and dietary intake among African American parents. journal of American Dietetic
Association. 2001 ; 101: 535-541.
19. Zive NM, Frank-Spohrer GC, Sallis JF, et al. Determinants of dietary intake in a sample of White
and Mexican-American children. journal of American Dietetic Association. 1998; 98: 1282-1290.
23
USDA
~
Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from
discriminating on the basis of race, color, national orig in, sex, age, religion, pol itica l beliefs, or disabi lity.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA. Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue,
S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or {202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal
opportunity provider and employer.
January 2007
DISCUSSION SESSION
Vegetables and Fruits
. Simple Solutions
SESSION OVERVIEW
This session is intended to help busy mothers include the recommended amounts of fruits and vegeta­bles
in their daily meal plans and learn ways to encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables.
Participants will discuss the difficulties of including fruits and vegetables in their family's meals. An
educator will facilitate a discussion about solutions to the problems identified by the group. Ideas
shared by group members will be recorded on a flipchart. Using sample vegetables, participants will
sort vegetables into their MyPyramid sub-groups (dark green, orange, starchy, dry beans and peas,
and other vegetables). Then participants will measure ~-cup, 1-cup, and X-cup portions of fruits and
vegetables. They will be able to visualize what 2 cups of fruits and 2Yz cups of vegetables look like
(the recommended amount for a 2,000-calorie diet). Participants will then brainstorm some ways to
encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables followed by a discussion of which methods work
best and why. Finally, mothers will be challenged to identify and commit to try two vegetables and
two fruits during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable being a dark green or orange one.
They will also identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their children to eat a variety
of fruits and vegetables each day.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children
between the ages of 2 and 18
GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants
NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES:
After the session participants will be able to:
• Identify and commit to try at least two
vegetables and two fruits during the
upcoming week with at least one vegetable
being a dark green or orange one.
• Identify and commit to at least one activity
to encourage their children to eat a variety
of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Recognize what a 1-cup portion of vegetables
and a 1-cup portion of fruits look like.
KEY MESSAGES:
• A family needs a variety of different colored
vegetables and fruits each day for good
health- not just one type.
• Eat fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks.
Pick fresh, frozen, canned, or dried and go
easy on fruit juice.
• Most families need to increase their intake
of dark green and orange vegetables and
dry beans and peas.
MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION
• Nametags/ markers
• Highlighters or pencils (one per participant)
• Flipchart/ markers
Loving You; Family~
Feeding Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS - 1
• Samples of vegetables and fruits to measure and display
(See handout sheets, What counts as one cup of vegetables?
and What counts as one cup of fruits?).
• MyPyramid poster - Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it.
• Resources for mothers:
The Healthy Family Guidebook
What counts as one cup of fruits? handout
What counts as one cup of vegetables? handout
- Kids' Activity Sheets: Order or download at
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard/
Outline of 45-minute session:
HINT:
Use empty boxes or
cans for food samples.
Food models or pic­tures
can also be
used. If your budget
permits, have
sample fruits and
vegetables to taste.
• Welcome and introduction to Vegetables and Fruits -Simple Solutions (5 minutes)
• Discussion group activities (35 minutes)
• Sum up and home activity (5 minutes)
Review the information on the handouts What counts as one cup offruits? and What
counts as one cup of vegetables? For additional background information, review
"Inside the Pyramid" on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov. The section on
"Tips to help you eat," for each of the food groups, provides additional information to
use in your discussion, as time permits. Also review the information on pages 8-14 in
The Healthy Family Guidebook.
WELCOME TO VEGETABLES AND FRUITS-SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only).
Make sure each has a copy of the two handouts, What counts as one cup of
vegetables? and What counts as one cup of fruits?, the Guidebook, and a highlighter.
Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and
water fountains.
BEGIN:
What is your favorite fruit? Give participants time to call . them out. Write responses on
flipchart and/ or tape pictures of mentioned food to flipchart or wall. Repeat question
with vegetables.
DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES
CONTINUE:
Tell the mothers the group will be talking about:
• Planning the types and amounts of vegetables and fruits needed each day to make
meals healthier.
• Including easy and low-cost fruits and vegetables in their daily meals
• Helping their children learn to eat fruits and vegetables.
2- VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
ASK:
• How many cups of fruits and vegetables
do you think each member of your family
eats each day?
• What are some reasons your children
may not eat many fruits and vegetables?
Provide time for mothers to share their
responses for each question before moving
to the next one. Write responses on flipchart.
POINT OUT:
• MyPyramid shows you how much to eat -
the amounts for a 2,000-calorie meal plan are
2 cups of fruits and 2Y2 cups of vegetables
(Point to the MyPyramid poster). Review
the handouts with the mothers to help them
understand what counts as 1 cup of fruits or vegetables. Note that younger children
may need less fruits and vegetables and active teens and men may need more fruits
and vegetables.
• Eating a variety of vegetables helps your family get what they need to be healthy.
Help mothers identify vegetables in each of the subgroups: dark green, orange,
starchy, dry beans and peas, and other vegetables. Together let them arrange the
vegetables in your display according to the subgroups. Refer them to page 9 in the
Guidebook and the back page (My favorite vegetables) of the W'hat counts as one cup
of vegetables? handout.
• Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables are smart choices - only drink
enough juice to get up to half of the fruit needed for the day, no more than 1 cup per
person for a 2,000-calorie meal plan. It's not necessary to have fruit juice every day.
• Smart, low-cost ways to get vegetables and fruits in your meals and snacks - review
low-cost ways to buy vegetables and fruits on pages 9 and 13 in the Guidebook.
• Helping kids learn to eat fruits and vegetables- ask participants to share their ideas.
Then, review tips on serving vegetables and fruits on pages 10 and 14 in the Guidebook.
Serving fruits and vegetables in fun ways, offering them for meals and snacks, and letting
children help prepare foods will help them eat more fruits and vegetables.
THEN:
• Let a participant measure Y2 cup and 1 cup of some fruits or vegetables and put
them on a plate to visualize what it looks like on a plate. Let a mother measure Y2 cup
of dried fruit onto a plate. Let another participant measure 1 cup of fruit juice into a
glass.
• Ask each mother to share with the group how she prepares her favorite vegetable
or fruit (use listing from introductions to guide this discussion), or how she uses
fruits and vegetables in meals for her family. Record ideas on flipchart.
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS- 3
• Then let each mother name fruits and vegetables they have not tried. Make a list
of these fruits and vegetables on the flipchart.
• Ask the other mothers to share ways they could fix the fruits or vegetables that
might taste good or encourage the mothers to try the fruits and vegetables. (Note:
if you have samples of fruits and vegetables, encourage mothers to taste the ones
that they have not tried.)
SUM UP:
• Let one participant measure or pick 2 cups of fruits from the display and one
participant measure or pick 2Yz cups of vegetables from the display. Point out
this is the amount a person would need for a 2,000-calorie menu plan. Refer to
the handouts for W'hat counts as one cup of fruits and vegetables?
• Point to pictures of foods on the MyPyramid poster for ideas on fruits and
vegetables. Refer to the handouts for the variety of fruits and vegetables that
could be used in meals and snacks. Mention that there is more information and
easy menus and recipes in their Guidebook (pages 8-14). If your budget permits,
prepare one of the recipes to share - especially one that uses dark green or
orange vegetables.
HOME ACTIVITY
• Give each mother a highlighter or pencil and ask her to highlight
or circle on the handouts at least two vegetables and two fruits
that she will try during the upcoming week. Encourage them to
include at least one dark green or orange vegetable.
• Close session by reinforcing ways to help children learn to eat
more fruits and vegetables. Encourage mothers to highlight or
circle one of the tips on pages 10 and 14 of the Guidebook that
they will try at home in the upcoming week.
4 -VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
USDA :z-=-=;;
Myl'yramid.gov
STEPS TO A HfALTHIER you
Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agricul t ure
USDA is an equal opponunity provider and employer.
j anuary 2007
TIP:
Give Kids' Activity
Sheets to participants
to take home to their
children.
DISCUSSION SESSION
HoW" Much?
Food and Physical Activity
SESSION OVERVIEW
This session is intended to help busy mothers learn ways to get enough of the right kinds of food, but
not too much, and recognize that a healthy lifestyle means paying attention to what they eat and how
physically active they are each day. Participants will discuss the kinds and amounts of foods that are
needed by women and children. Participants will measure and visualize different size portions of
foods. Finally, participants will commit to one action to be physically active during the coming week
and at least one action to get the recommended amounts of foods from the MyPyramid food groups
based on a 2,000-calorie meal plan. The participants will receive two take-home tools to help them
achieve these actions by working with their children: Ways to Eat Smart and Move More and
MyPyramidfor Kids Coloring Page.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children
between the ages of 2 and 18
GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants
NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES:
After the session participants will be able to:
• Identify the amounts of food most women
and children need from each food group.
• Identify and commit to at least one action
to get the right amount of foods from
MyPyramid food groups.
• Identify and commit to at least one action to
get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity
physical activity most days of the week.
KEY MESSAGES:
• Knowing the amount of food to eat from
each food group can help you eat enough,
but not too much.
• Measuring foods with measuring cups and
spoons can help you see how much food
you are eating from each food group.
• Kids need the right amount of food from all
food groups to grow strong and healthy.
• Physical activity can help burn off some of
the food you eat.
MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION
• Nametags/ markers
• Food models (2- and 3-ounce portions
of meats)
• Measuring cups and spoons (let participants
take home if: funds allow)
• Foods to measure: cooked
brown rice*, pasta*, fat-free
milk, low-fat yogurt,
cheese slices, fruits and
vegetables, peanut butter,
hard-cooked eggs, etc.
• MyPyramid poster ­Hang
poster at eye level
so everyone can see it.
• Handouts for mothers:
*TIP:
If making rice and
pasta ahead of
time for class, add
oil or use non­stick
spray so it
does not clump
together.
- The Healthy Family Guidebook
- Ways to Eat Smart and Move More
- My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page
Loving You; Family~
Feed1n Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
HOW MUCH -1
Outline of 45-minute session:
• Welcome and introduction to How Much?- Food and PhysicalActivity (5 minutes)
• Discussion group activities (25 minutes)
• Group activity-measure and visualize various amounts of foods (10 minutes)
• Sum up and home activity (5 minutes)
Review the information on the handouts, ~ys to Eat Smart and Move More, and
My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page. For additional background information, review
"Inside the Pyramid," "Tips to help you eat," and "Tips for increasing physical activity"
on the USDA website: www.mypyramid.gov. Also review the Guidebook, especially
information on pages 6, 26 and 27.
WELCOME TO HOW MUCH?- FOOD AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only).
Make sure each has a copy of the handouts; Ways to Eat Smart and Move More,
MyPyramidfor Kids Coloring Page, the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil.
Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and
water fountains.
BEGIN:
What do you enjoy about feeding your family? Call out your answers. Write responses
on flipchart.
DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES
CONTINUE:
Tell the mothers the group will be talking about:
• The right amounts and kinds of foods you and your family need each day to be
healthy
• The connection between how much you eat and how physically active you are
POINT OUT:
Feeding your family can be enjoyable. It is a way of taking care of the people you
love. Many women tell me that they know what foods are good for their families. But,
they want to know how much of what kinds of foods they should eat. And what their
children should eat. They may not know that each family member may need different
amounts of food depending on their age, activity level, and gender.
ASK:
• How could knowing how much food to eat each day help you and your family?
• What do you think it means to balance what you eat with what you do physically?
• Think about riding bikes. What does your child need to learn to ride a bike
without training wheels? (Balance, practice)
2- HOW MUCH
Allow mothers to share their responses
for each question before moving to the
next one, using the appropriate responses
from mothers.
POINT OUT:
• Balancing what you eat with how
physically active you are requires
practice and a "can-do" attitude- just
like a child learning to ride a bike.
• Kids need the right amount of food
from all food groups to grow strong
and healthy. If you don't eat enough
you may not get everything your body
needs for energy and health.
• If you eat too much of certain foods you
won't have room for the other foods
your body needs. You could also gain weight.
• We need to use up what we take in. This means burning off some of the
calories we take in by being physically active.
CONTINUE:
It's important to eat foods from all of the food groups every day. The amount of food
you need to eat each day depends on whether you are male or female, your age, and
how physically active you are.
Ask each mother to look at the MyPyramid poster (on the wall) and page 7 in
the Guidebook. Read aloud the amount of food needed from each food group
each day (based on a 2,000-calorie meal plan that is appropriate for many women
and children):
• Grains - Eat 6 ounces every day
• Vegetables - Eat 2 ~ cups every day
• Fruits - Eat 2 cups every day
• Milk- Get 3 cups every day; for kids aged 2 to 8, it's 2 cups
• Meat and Beans - Eat 5 ~ ounces every day
Also, read the amount of physical activity that women and children need each day.
POINT OUT:
Women and kids who are not very physically active will need less food. Younger kids
(2-8 years) may also need a little less food, while teenage boys who are very physically
active may need more food.
ASK:
How does this amount of food match up to what your family normally eats at home?
HOW MUCH- 3
POINT OUT:
• MyPyramid shows you what types of food and how much to eat. The amounts of
foods are listed in cups or ounces (show measuring cups/ spoons and discuss
their sizes). It's easy to estimate amounts of foods if you practice measuring
food a few times using the · measuring cup~ and spoons. After awhile you will
recognize what 1 cup or 1/2 cup looks like on the plates and in the glasses that
you use at home. Let participants measure different foods and encourage them to let
their children measure food at home.
• It's important to be physically active. Children need 60 minutes of physical
activity and adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity
most days of the week.
• Keep the right kinds of foods on hand to make it easy to get the amounts and
kinds of foods your family needs for good health. Look at the MyPyramid poster
to find the right foods from each of the food groups. Also, note that healthy
choices are those that are low in solid fats and added sugars.
SUM UP:
• Balancing food choices to get what you and your family need can be done by
making small changes. Each day, eat the recommended amounts of foods from
the various food groups.
• During this next week, what actions can you take to be more physically active
and eat the recommended kinds and amounts of foods? Allow participants to share their
ideas. Facilitator can write them on a flipchart.
• Ask participants to look at the handout, lfays to Eat Smart and Move More. Read
the ideas and ask "which ones make sense to you?"
• Another idea is to eat fewer foods that are often high in added sugars, such as:
• sodas
• fruit drinks
• candies and sweets
• sports drinks
HOME ACTIVITY:
• Ask participants to commit to one action to be physically active and one action to
get the recommended kinds and amounts of foods during the coming week by
highlighting or circling the item on the handout Ways to Eat Smart and Move
More. Tell participants they can add their own ideas.
• Encourage them to give their younger child the My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page and
share what they have learned.
4- HOW MUCH
USDA
??z7ii
Food and Nutrition Service
U. 5. Department of Agriculture
USDA is an equal oppommiry provider and employer.
january 2007
DISCUSSION SESSION
. ·"
SESSION OVERVIEW
This session is intended to help busy mothers and their families be more physically active and
begin to make healthy choices for meals and snacks. As an activity opener, participants will show
how physically active they are. Then they will discuss why being physically active is important
and the challenges to being active every day. Participants will work with partners to come up with
solutions to the challenges of being more physically active every day and share with the group.
Using The Healthy Family Guidebook participants will discuss ways to fit smart food choices into a
healthy eating plan. At the end of the session, participants will be reminded to make being
physically active and eating healthy a part of their daily habits. Participants will make a personal
commitment to at least two actions to follow a healthy eating plan and be physically active for at least
30 minutes most days of the week.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children
between the ages of 2 and 18
GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants
NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES:
After the session participants will be able to:
• Identify and commit to at least one action to
get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity
physical activity with their family most days
of the week.
• Identify and commit to at least two actions
to help kids eat in a healthy way, every day.
KEY MESSAGES:
• Being physically active and following a
healthy eating plan can be fun and may
promote a longer and healthier life in
many ways.
• Regular physical activity is a key factor in
maintaining a healthy body weight for adults
and children.
• Parents play an important role in helping
their children make physical activity an
everyday habit.
• Most families need to be more
physically active.
MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION
• Nametags/ markers
• Highlighters or pencils (one per participant)
• Flipchart/ markers
• MyPyramid poster- Hang poster at eye level
so everyone can see it
• Lively and fun musical CDs and player
• Resources for mothers:
- The Healthy Family Guidebook
• Optional: Order Make Family Time an
Active Time as a take home brochure for
each participant at
www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhard/
Loving You; Family~
Feed1ng Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
FAMILY TIME - 1
Outline of 45-minute session:
• Welcome and introduction to the Family
Time- Active and Fun session (5 minutes)
• Discussion group activities (35 minutes)
• Sum up and home activity (5 minutes)
For additional background information, review
"Inside the Pyramid" and "Tips and Resources"
on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov.
TIP:
Consider using
the Eat Smart.
Play Hard:M
music or Power
Up Moves found
at website
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard/
WELCOME TO FAMILY TIME-ACTIVE AND FUN
Welcome participants and ask them to make their own name tag (first names only). Make
sure each has a copy of the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil. Mention other
points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains.
BEGIN:
What are your favorite ways to be physically active? Write responses on a flipchart.
DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES
CONTINUE:
Tell the mothers that the group will be talking about:
• Planning easy and low-cost ways to be physically active each day
• Using the MyPyramid eating plan to choose foods and eat in a healthy
way, every day
• Discussing ways to include children in their physical activity and healthy
eating plans every day
Ask everyone to stand up and then discuss how physically active they think
they are by asking the following questions.
ASK:
• Do you mostly sit during the day, at work, at home, or somewhere else?
If so, cross your arms in front of your chest.
• Do you think you move enough during the day? If so, shake your hands.
• Is your day full of a lot of physical activity? If so, wave your arms wildly.
SAY:
Clap your hands .. .if you think moving more than you do now would be good for you.
Now with that "applause for being on the move," it is time to get moving! While the
participants are all still standing, have fun by being physically active together.
• Explain~that being physically active does not mean you have to participate in
sports. Any kind of moving around is good, including dancing or moving to music.
2- FAMILY TIME
• Turn up the Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ music for "If
You Wanna Be Like the Power Panther" or
other lively, fun music. Lead (or ask someone
else to lead) the group in some easy but active
moves to the Power Panther song. They might
step in place, do a line-dance, walk around the
room, swing their arms, or just move to the
music in any way they would like. Option: if
you would like to talk to them as the music
plays, use the instrumental version (without the
lyrics). Note: "Power Panther is Here" is a
shorter song and does not give as much time for
parents to move.
• Talk about their "moves." Ask:
- How did it feel to move a little in our time together today?
(Responses might include: fun, energizing, relaxing, helps relieve stress.)
- Could you still talk while you were moving? Could you sing with the music?
POINT OUT:
The "talk-sing test" is a good way to see if you are getting the right level of
physical activity.
ASK:
If you can talk while you move, it is probably a good pace for you; if you can
sing while you move, you may need to move faster or harder; and if you are
too breathless to talk while you move, slow down.
• Why is dancing a good way to be physically active?
• Why is it important to be physically active?
• How much physical activity do you think adults need? How much do children
need?
Provide time for mothers to share their responses for each question before moving
to the next one.
POINT OUT:
• Adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most
days of the week. Children need at least 60 minutes. Ask participants to turn to
pages 26 and 27 in the Guidebook and highlight or circle the amount of physical
activity that adults and children need.
• Physical activity helps you control body weight by balancing the calories you
take in as food, with calories you use each day; and may reduce your risk of
certain chronic diseases.
• Dancing, walking, riding bikes, and climbing stairs are low-cost, fun ways to be
physically active with your children. Have participants turn to pages 26 and 27 in
the Guidebook for more ways to be physically active.
FAMILY TIME - 3
ASK:
• Why it is hard to be physically active?
• Acknowledge their challenges and ask, What are some
solutions to these challenges?
• Let the group members share their challenges and possible
solutions.
REINFORCE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
• "Too tired when I get home" (Solution: Make your lunch
or break time active; take a 1 0-minute brisk walk.)
• "No time - too many other things to do" (Solutions: Be
more active in the everyday things you do; use the stairs instead of the elevator or park further
away and walk.)
• "Nobody to be active with" (Solution: Plan fun ways to be active with your family; play with your
kids or walk the dog.)
CONTINUE:
Tell the mothers that food choices are also important to a healthy family. Remind them that making
smart choices from every food group is the best way to give their bodies the nutrition they need.
• Point to the MyPyramid poster and review that a healthy eating plan is one that:
1) emphasizes fruits , vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and
milk products;
2) includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts;
3) is low in solid fats , salt (sodium), and added sugars;
4) balances food and physical activity.
• Ask the participants to turn to page 7 of the Guidebook and together read aloud the amounts of
food shown for a 2,000-calorie meal plan.
• Ask: What makes it hard to follow this plan?
• Let the participants discuss some solutions. Then ask them to turn to page 28 in the Guidebook
and together read aloud some of the tips for making it easier to eat smart.
SUM UP AND HOME ACTIVITY:
Now that you know some fun and easy ways to be more physically active and eat healthy, you
can take steps to make these habits part of your daily life.
• Ask each mother to highlight or circle two activities on page 26 of the Guidebook that she will
do with her children, and
• Highlight or circle two actions on page 28 of the Guidebook that she will do to help her kids
eat right.
4- FAMILY TIME
\"~ ~.. -- ·
MyPyramid.gov Food and Nutnt1on Serv1ce
STEPSTOAHEALJHIER}{)U U. 5. Department of Agnculture
USDA is an equal opportu nity provider and employer.
Januaty 2007
DISCUSSION SESSION
Family Meals
Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
SESSION OVERVIEW
This session is intended to help busy mothers plan, shop, and prepare healthy, low-cost meals for
their families and learn ways to let their children help. Participants will discuss the difficulties of
making easy and healthy family meals. Participants will share challenges of making low-cost meals
and snacks. An educator will facilitate a discussion about solutions to the problems identified by the
group by sharing ideas from participants as they play the Make a Meal game. Each participant will
share how she would make a meal using two "make and serve in a huny" foods that she has selected
from items on display. The planned meals could be a snack, lunch, breakfast, or dinner. Ideas on
making the planned meals low-cost will be shared. Participants will then brainstorm some ideas on
how their children could help make the meal. Finally, each mother will be challenged to select two
timesaving or low-cost ideas to plan, shop, or cook healthy meals that she will use in the upcoming
week and one way she will let her child(ren) help her with the family meals.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION
between the ages of 2 and 18
GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants
NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES:
After the session participants will be able to:
• Identify and use at least two timesaving or
low-cost ways to prepare healthy family
meals each week.
• Name two tasks their child can do to help
make a family meal and commit to letting
their child help do a task at least once
a week.
KEY MESSAGES:
• Timesaving tips can help mothers make
easy, tasty, and healthy family meals, with
less stress and cost.
• Children can help mothers get ready for,
or make, family meals.
• Nametags/markers
• Highlighters or pencils
(one per participant)
• Flipchart/ markers
• Samples of "make and
serve in a hurry" foods
(See handout sheet,
Family Meals -Easy, Tasty,
and Healthy!) Hint:
Arrange the items on a
table for everyone to see.
TIP:
Use empty boxes or
cans for the canned
and frozen items.
Include examples of
low-cost foods.
• My Pyramid poster - Hang poster at eye level so
everyone can see it.
• Handouts for mothers:
Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
The Healthy Family Guidebook
Loving You; Family~
Feed1n Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
FAMILY MEALS - 1
Outline of 45-minute session:
• Welcome and introduction to Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! (5 minutes)
• Discussion group activities-How do you decide what to make for dinner? (10
minutes)
• Group activity- Play the Make a Meal game (25 minutes)
• Sum up and home activity- Identify ways to plan, shop, or cook fast and healthy
meals and ways children can help (5 minutes)
The educator should review the information on the handout Family Meals -Easy,
Tasty, and Healthy! and directions for playing the Make a Meal game. For additional
background information, review "Inside the Pyramid" on the USDA website,
www.mypyramid.gov. The section on "Tips to help you eat" for each of the food
groups provides additional information to use in your discussion as time permits.
WELCOME TO FAMILY MEALS-EASY, TASTY, AND HEALTHY!
Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only).
Make sure each has a copy of the Family Meals handout, the Guidebook, and a
highlighter or pencil. Add other points of interest, as needed, such as the location
of restrooms and water fountains.
BEGIN:
What are the names and ages of your children? Give mothers time to share.
DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES
BEGIN:
Tell the mothers the group will be talking about:
• Planning ahead to make meals easier, tastier, healthier, faster, and less expensive
• Shopping and buying low-cost foods to make and serve in a hurry
• Using timesaving tips when cooking meals
• Involving their children in making meals
THEN:
Read aloud the following from the Introduction section of the Guidebook.
Encourage mothers to follow in their booklets on page 3, as you read:
"Mom, What are you making for supper? I did not like to hear that question. I often did not
have an answer. Like most moms, I wanted my family to eat healthier foods. I knew I had to
take action. With help from the Food Stamp nutrition educator, !learned that my family
needed to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It still seemed hard to do. I needed a
plan to change what we ate and how we ate. On top of that, my family is so busy. Work and
school take up most of our time. Does this sound like you?"
2- FAMILY MEALS
Pause and let the mothers think about the
question, then:
ASK:
• How do you decide what to make
for dinner?
• How do you make a quick meal?
• How do you make a healthy meal?
• Point to the MyPyramid poster and ask,
What ideas does this poster give you?
• What are your favorite low-cost foods?
Allow mothers to share their responses for
each question before moving to the next
one. Using the appropriate responses from
mothers:
POINT OUT:
• Healthy meals can be simple-Add vegetables to a favorite low-cost food like
packaged macaroni and cheese.
• Cook when you have more time-On the weekend, make a double recipe of
a casserole and freeze it for the next week.
• Do some tasks ahead-Wash and trim vegetables or make fruit salad a few
hours or the day before your meal.
• Cook in a fast way-Microwave, broil, or stir-fry when you can.
• Make no-cook meals or snacks- Salads with low-cost foods like canned tuna,
chicken, or beans; cold sandwiches; raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or dip;
or fruit. Note: Kids like finger foods!
• Use food stamps to stretch food dollars-Make a shopping list, check store
sales, and buy generic or store brands.
PLAY THE GAME: MAKE A MEAL
• Have each mother pick two different foods from the "make and serve in a hurry"
foods that are displayed on the table.
• After evetyone has picked her foods, ask for a volunteer to tell how she would
use her foods to make a snack or meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). They can
add other foods to complete the meal.
• Ask how the participant would make the meal low-cost.
• Give everyone an opportunity to make a meal or snack. Write the menus on a
flipchart or blackboard if available.
ASK:
• How can your children help make a meal? Let the group brainstorm some ideas.
Write the ideas on the flipchart.
FAMILY MEALS- 3
ASK:
• Why it is hard to be physically active?
• Acknowledge their challenges and ask, What are some
solutions to these challenges?
• Let the group members share their challenges and possible
solutions.
REINFORCE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
• "Too tired when I get home" (Solution: Make your lunch
or break time active; take a 10-minute brisk walk.)
• "No time - too many other things to do" (Solutions: Be
more active in the everyday things you do; use the stairs instead of the elevator or park further
away and walk.)
• "Nobody to be active with" (Solution: Plan fun ways to be active with your family; play with your
kids or walk the dog.)
CONTINUE:
Tell the mothers that food choices are also important to a healthy family. Remind them that making
smart choices from every food group is the best way to give their bodies the nutrition they need.
• Point to the MyPyramid poster and review that a healthy eating plan is one that:
1) emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and
milk products;
2) includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts;
3) is low in solid fats, salt (sodium), and added sugars;
4) balances food and physical activity.
• Ask the participants to turn to page 7 of the Guidebook and together read aloud the amounts of
food shown for a 2,000-calorie meal plan.
• Ask: What makes it hard to follow this plan?
• Let the participants discuss some solutions. Then ask them to turn to page 28 in the Guidebook
and together read aloud some of the tips for making it easier to eat smart.
SUM UP AND HOME ACTIVITY:
Now that you know some fun and easy ways to be more physically active and eat healthy, you
can take steps to make these habits part of your daily life.
• Ask each mother to highlight or circle two activities on page 26 of the Guidebook that she will
do with her children, and
• Highlight or circle two actions on page 28 of the Guidebook that she will do to help her kids
eat right.
4 - FAMILY TIME
~ ~ ~.
\~ d ...
Myl'yramid.gov Foo and Nutnt1on ServiCe
STEPSTOAHEAl.JHIERyou U. 5. Department of Agnculture
USDA is an equal opponuniry provider and employer.
January 2007
English Participant Education Materials
What's Inside:
Their Future Means Everything to You Brochure
The Healthy Family Guidebook
Handouts
Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
What counts as one cup of fruits?
What counts as one cup of vegetables?
Ways to Eat Smart and Move More
Black and White Reproducibles
Loving You; Family
Feed1ng Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
The Healthy Family Guidebook
What is inside
this guidebook?
My plan for a healthy family .................. .. ...... 3
A healthy eating plan: MyPyramid ..................... 5
Loving your family: Making healthier habits. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Habit #1: Vary your veggies .................. . ...... 8
Habit #2: Focus on fruits ........................... 13
Habit #3: Get your calcium-rich foods . ....... . ........ 15
l hh1t # "f· \!hke half your grams \\ 11o1e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Habit #5: Go lean with protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
:1b1t #( · 'ltf 11 \OUt' 1 ... n , SUQ,ll'. rl 1lt ( .... odiUt1l) . . . . . 25
Habit #7: Balance what you eat with physical activity . . . . . 26
Feeding their future: Good food habits last a lifetime .... 28
What everyone asks: Answers to your questions ......... 29
2 The Healthy Family Guidebook
My plan for
a healthy family
Mom, what are you making for supper?
I did not like to hear that question. I often did not have an answer.
Like most moms, I wanted my family to eat healthier foods. I knew I had to take action.
With help from the Food Stamp nutrition educator, I learned that my family needed to
eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
It still seemed hard to do. I needed a plan to change what we ate and how we ate.
On top of that, my family is so busy. Work and school take up most of our time. Does
this sound like you?
The nutrition educator helped me learn some easy steps to get started. After a while, it
was easier than I would have dreamed.
I learned that healthier eating does not take a lot of time. My family could eat healthy
without spending a lot of money on food. We could change how we eat, and we would
feel better.
What really helped was when the nutrition educator taught me about MyPyramid, a
food and activity plan. MyPyramid shows us how to eat healthier foods and be
physically active every day.
This guidebook tells you about MyPyramid. It shows you how to plan, shop, and
prepare meals for your family. This guidebook is for real families that are busy like
mine. The information in this guidebook is for persons over 2 years of age.
The Healthy Family Guidebook 3
4 The Healthy Family Guidebook
MyPyramid.gov
STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU
A healthy eating
plan: MyPyramid
MyPyramid helps you know what foods
are best for your family.
MyPyramid includes five food groups:
Grains Group
Make half your grains whole
Vegetables Group Fruits Group
Vary your veggies Focus on fruits
Milk Group
Get your calcium-rich foods
Meat & Beans Group
Go lean with protein
I have learned to use foods from every food group each day. I pick foods from
each group because no single food has everything we need for good health. This
guidebook will help you use foods from each food group.
It is easy to use and gives tips on how to:
• Cook easy, quick, and tasty meals that your whole family will love.
• Get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and like them.
• Stretch your food dollars.
• Get your family to be more physically active and have fun.
We all know deep down that planning and making healthy meals shows our love
for our families and gives them hope for a good future. This book helps you do it.
The Healthy Family Guidebook 5
Loving your family:
Making healthier habits
The good eating habits I teach my kids today will stick with them for life. As a
mom, that is one of the best gifts I can give my kids.
"Fast food" was easy for my busy family. But it often did not have healthy choices.
The nutrition educator helped me learn that we can eat healthy, stay on our
budget, and not spend hours in the kitchen. We took it one step at a time.
The first step was to learn how much to eat. I wanted my family to eat the right
foods in the right amounts. But I did not know what the right amounts of food were.
I learned adults and kids need different amounts from each food group. Many
children and women who are not very physically active will need fewer calories
and less food. Many men and teen boys will need more food.
MyPyramid shows us that many adult women need about 2,000 calories a day. This
means they should eat these amounts each day from each food group:
Vegetables Group 2Y2 cups
Fruits Group 2 cups
Milk Group 3 cups
Grains Group 6 ounces
Meat and Beans Group 5% ounces
That seemed like a lot of food. I learned it was not as much as I thought it was
when I looked at the amounts of food in my meals during the day.
These amounts of food may not be right for you. It depends on how physically
active you are, your age, and if you are a woman or man. Ask your nutrition
educator to help you find a plan for healthy eating by going to the MyPyramid Web
site at www.mypyramid.gov.
MyPyramid showed me how to change, one step at a time, by using seven basic
habits. Those habits have made our lives better.
I made little changes at first. Soon my family was eating better. It did not happen
right away, but we did change. We all learned together. Learning together made it
easier and fun.
Here are seven habits. Start slowly, but start. And stick with it. Your family will feel
healthier, happier, and closer to each other. These changes are worth it.
The Healthy Family Guidebook 7
Habit #l
Vegetables Group
Vary your veggies Vary your veggies
Eating a variety of vegetables will help your family get the
nutrition they need. I serve my family different vegetables like:
Dark green -broccoli, spinach, and greens
(turnip, mustard, collard).
Orange - carrots and sweet potatoes.
Starchy - corn, white potatoes, green peas.
Legumes - dty beans and peas.
Others - tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, cabbage,
celery, cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, and lettuce.
Vegetables of different colors provide different vitamins and minerals.
When I serve many colors of vegetables, I know my family is eating
healthier. I needed to serve more dark green and orange vegetables.
Here is how my family does it:
Each member of my family needs about 271 cups of vegetables a day.
This was hard for me to understand. So, I got out my measuring
cups and started measuring my vegetables to see what that amount
looked like.
For one day, each one of us might eat:
• One half cup of cooked green beans (counts as
1/2 cup of vegetables).
• One cup of raw leafy vegetables,
like lettuce or spinach (counts as 1/2 cup of vegetables).
• One half cup of raw tomatoes (counts as
1/2 cup of vegetables).
• One large baked sweet potato (counts as 1 cup of
~ vegetables).
Tips on buying vegetables:
• Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables are all smart choices.
• Fresh vegetables can be a great buy and taste great. Check prices
and look for sales.
• Frozen and canned vegetables may cost less than fresh vegetables.
Check the prices.
• Frozen and canned vegetables last longer than fresh vegetables.
They can also save time - no washing and chopping.
The Healthy Family Guidebook 9
Tips on serving vegetables:
• I can mix vegetables with other foods that my kids like. My family loves
macaroni and cheese. So, I mix it with chopped broccoli for a dark
green vegetable. My family never leaves a bite on their plates.
• We stir-fry vegetables like slices of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots,
and onions in a nonstick pan or with a little oil. Then season to taste.
Try your favorite vegetables this way.
• I serve dark green and orange vegetables often. My family likes baked
sweet potatoes with cinnamon sprinkled on top.
• We keep vegetables in the refrigerator for snacks. My family likes
cucumbers, carrots, and broccoli. The kids love to dip their veggies
in low-fat ranch dressing or put peanut butter on their celery. They
really like this recipe.
Snack
Menu
Bugs on a Log
Low-fat milk or water
1 0 The Healthy Family Guidebook
Bugs on a Log
Ingredients and Instructions:
1. Make "logs" from any of these foods:
• Celery stalks, cut about 3 inches long
• Apples, cut in halves or quarters with
cores removed
• Carrot sticks, cut to about 3 inches long
2. Top the logs with a spread such as:
• Low-fat cream cheese and pineapple
• Low-fat cheese and pimento
• Peanut butter
• Egg salad
3. Sprinkle "bugs" on the spread:
• Raisins
• Unsweetened whole-grain cereal
• Sunflower seeds
• Chopped peanuts
Warning: Young children less than 3 years old can easily choke on nuts,
seeds, popcorn, raw vegetables, grapes, peanut butter, meat sticks, and hot
dogs. Do not give these foods to infants. Cut foods into small , easily chewed
finger foods fo r toddlers and preschoolers who are still learning to bite and
chew. Watch children of all ages closely when they are eating. Also, some
children and adults may be allergic to peanut butter.
1 add vegetables to soups and stews like this recipe:
Brunswick Ste-w
Serving Size: 1 cup I Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium sliced onion
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups cooked diced chicken or turkey
2 cups canned or cooked tomatoes
2 cups canned or cooked lima beans
2 cups canned or cooked whole-kernel corn
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and cook in oil
until tender.
2. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer
for 30 minutes at medium-low.
Delicious Greens
Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe I Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 pound mustard or collard greens
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon vinegar
Instructions:
1. Rinse greens, remove stems, and tear in small pieces.
2. In a large saucepan, boil 3 quarts of water.
3. Add mustard greens, return to a boil, and cook 3
minutes. Add cabbage and cook 1 more minute.
Drain in colander.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Add oil and saute garlic and onion until light brown,
about 3 minutes.
5. Add greens and vinegar and cook briefly, about 3
minutes. Serve hot.
Lunch or Dinner
Menu
Brunswick Stew
Whole-wheat bread slice
Fresh orange wedges
Low-fat milk or water
Lunch or Dinner
Menu
Sliced ham
Delicious Greens
Baked sweet potatoes
Small piece cornbread
Pineapple slices
Low-fat milk or water
The Healthy Family Guidebook 11
Lunch or Dinner
Menu
Colorful Quesadillas
Fruit salad
Low-fat or fat-free milk
12 The Healthy Family Guidebook
Colorful Quesadillas
Serving Size: 4 wedges or one quesadilla I Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients:
8 ounces fat-free cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 small flour tortillas
1 cup chopped sweet red or green bell pepper
1 cup shredded low-fat cheese
2 cups fresh spinach leaves or 9 oz. frozen,
thawed, and squeezed dry
Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese
and garlic powder.
2. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese
mixture on each tortilla.
3. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons bell pepper
and 2 tablespoons shredded cheese on one
half of each tortilla.
4. Add spinach: 1/4 cup if using fresh leaves
or 2 tablespoons if using frozen. Fold tortillas
in half.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot.
Put 2 folded tortillas in skillet and heat for 1-2
minutes on each side or until golden brown.
6. Remove quesadillas from skillet, place on
platter, and cover with foil to keep warm
while cooking the remainder.
7. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve warm.
Habit #2
Focus on fruits
Fruits Group
Focus on fruits Eat a variety of fruits every day. Fruits add
vitamins, minerals, and fiber to our meals and snacks.
Each member of my family needs about 2 cups of fruit every day.
For one day, we might eat:
• One half cup of fruit cocktail (counts as
) 1/2 cup of fruit).
• A large banana (counts as 1 cup of fruit).
• A small orange (counts as 1/2 cup of fruit).
Tips on buying fruits:
• I include fresh, frozen, canned,
and dried fruits like raisins on
my shopping list.
• I always look for fruits on sale.
Sales help stretch my food dollars.
• I always buy 1 OOo/o juice and not fruit
drinks. Fruit drinks might not have
any fruit juice in them. They are
(jOOo/o Juic~
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 8 fl oz (240 ml)
Servings Per Container 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories 110 Calories from Fat 0
% Dally Value•
Total Fat Og 0%
mostly sugar. My
nutrition educator
told me how to
tell if a drink is
1 OOo/o fruit juice
by looking at the
food label.
Family Guidebook 13
Tips on serving fruits:
• My family likes fruit juice, but I might not serve it every
day. We only drink enough juice to get up to half of the
fruit we need for the day when we have juice. For my
family, that would be no more than 1 cup per person.
• I keep a bowl of fruit like apples, oranges, and
bananas on the kitchen counter for quick snacks.
• We often use fruit for dessert. Our favorites are:
• Canned peaches, fruit cocktail, pineapple,
and applesauce.
• Mangoes, papayas, cantaloupes, strawberries,
watermelons, grapes, and blueberries when they are
on sale.
Here is a great recipe to try as a snack or dessert.
Snack
Menu
Frozen Fruit Cups
Graham cracker
Low-fat or fat-free milk
14 The Healthy Family Guidebook
Frozen Fruit Cups
Serving Size: 1 muffin tin cup I Makes: 18 servings
Ingredients:
3 bananas
24 ounces fat-free strawberry yogurt
10 ounces frozen strawberries,
thawed, with the juice
8 ounces canned crushed pineapple,
with the juice
Instructions:
1. Line 18 muffin-tin cups with paper
baking cups.
2. Dice or mash bananas and place in a
large mixing bowl.
3. Stir in remaining items.
4. Spoon into muffin-tin cups and freeze at
least 3 hours or until firm. Remove frozen
cups and store in a plastic bag in freezer.
5. Before serving, remove paper cups and
let stand 10 minutes.
Milk Group
Get your calcium-rich foods
Habit #3
Get your
calcium-rich foods
Each of my family members needs 3 cups of milk or milk products
each day to get enough calcium.
For one day, we might:
• Drink 1 cup of low-fat milk or put it on
our cereal for breakfast (counts as 1 cup of
milk).
• Drink 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk
for lunch (counts as 1 cup of milk).
• Eat 1 cup of low-fat yogurt as dessert
at our evening meal (counts as 1 cup of
milk).
On other days for one of the cups of milk, we might eat 2 ounces
of low-fat processed cheese.
Tips on buying milk and milk products:
• My family switched from whole milk to fat -free milk. We did not need
the extra fat in whole milk. We changed a little at a time. First, we switched
from whole to reduced-fat (2%) milk. Later, we changed to low-fat or
fat-free milk. Now, that's all we drink.
• We also eat fat-free or low-fat cheese and yogurt. I feel great knowing
that my family is making healthy choices.
Tips on serving milk and milk products:
• One of my kids cannot drink milk. The doctor told me he is lactose
intolerant. The nutrition educator showed me other items I can serve,
like lactose-free milk and calcium-fortified foods such as calcium-fortified
orange juices, soy/ rice drinks, and cereals.
• I read labels carefully to make sure I'm buying calcium-fortified foods .
• I use fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese in foods that I make.
Try these recipes to get calcium-rich foods in your meals.
16 The Healthy Family Guidebook
Orange
Banana Frosty
Serving Size : 1/2 cup I Makes: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1 small frozen banana, cut into chunks
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
Instructions:
1. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well.
2. Add more liquid if you want the drink thinner.
Snack
Menu
Orange Banana Frosty
Sure To Please Baked
Eggs and Cheese
Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe I Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
6 eggs*
· 1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup low-fat grated cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 ~ teaspoons oregano
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put oil in a medium baking dish or
small cake pan and heat in the oven
for a few minutes.
3. In a bowl, beat eggs. Mix in remaining
ingredients. Pour into hot pan.
4. Bake 20 minutes or until eggs are firm.
Serve immediately.
* 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites may be used instead
of 6 eggs to reduce fat and cholesterol.
Tl P: This recipe does not have to be just for
breakfast. Consider using this recipe as a main
dish at lunch or supper.
Breakfast
Menu
Sure To Please Baked
Eggs and Cheese
Whole-wheat toast
100% fruit juice
The Healthy Family Guidebook 17
18 The Healthy Family Guidebook
Make half your grains whole
Habit #4
Make half your
grains w-hole
We usually eat enough foods from the grains group ~
like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. My family needs
to eat 6 ounces of grains each day. Three of those
ounces should be whole-grain. My trusty measuring
cups help me serve the right amount.
For one day, we might eat:
• One cup of cereal (whole-wheat flakes)
(counts as 1 ounce of whole grains).
• Two slices of whole-wheat bread for our
lunch sandwich (counts as 2 ounces of
whole grains).
• One cup of cooked rice at our evening n1eal
(counts as 2 ounces of grains).
• One small piece of corn bread at our
evening meal (counts as 1 ounce of grains).
Tips on buying grains:
• At least half (3 ounces for my family) should be whole
grains. This was new to me. I thought if the bread was
brown, it was whole-grain. That is not always true. I learned
to look on the label for the words 100% whole grain, or
100% whole wheat. If you see any of these words listed first
on the label, it contains whole grain.
• You can save money by shopping for grains at day-old
bread stores. Ask your nutrition educator if there is one in
your area that accepts food stamps.
l
Tips on serving grains:
• Some whole grains that my family likes are whole-wheat breads and cereals,
oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, and whole-wheat or whole-grain corn tortillas.
• I put grains in many of the recipes I fix. Here are some fun, delicious recipes
that make using whole grains really easy.
Fantastic French Toast
Servi ng Size: 1/6 of recipe I Makes: 6 servings
redients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 slices whole-wheat bread
Light syrup or fruit toppings (optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the griddle over medium heat,
or set an electric frying pan at 375 degrees.
2. Put eggs, milk, and vanilla in a shallow bowl
and beat with a fork until well mixed.
3. Grease the griddle or pan with a thin
layer of oil or use nonstick spray.
4. Dip both sides of bread, one slice at a
time, in the egg mixture, and cook on
the hot griddle or frying pan.
5. Cook on one side until golden brown.
Turn the bread over to cook the other side.
It will take about 4 minutes on each side.
Breakfast
Menu
Fantastic French Toast
Light syrup
Applesauce
Low-fat or fat-free milk
The Healthy Family Guidebook 19
Lunch or Dinner
Menu
Spinach and
Meat Cakes
Brown rice
Green salad with
low fat dressing
Strawberries or
red grapes
Low-fat or fat-free milk
Spinach and Meat Cakes
Serving Size: 2 meat cakes I Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or turkey, 7% fat (or 93% lean)
2 spinach bunches, washed and cut into pieces
(may substitute a 1-pound bag of frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and well drained)
1/2 finely chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
3 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions:
1. Preheat frying pan (no oil).
2. Combine all ingredients except brown rice
in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
3. Form mixture into 12 small balls. Place in frying
pan and flatten into patties using a spatula.
4. Cook over medium heat until cooked on both sides.
5. Serve over cooked brown rice.
Banana Split Oattneal
Serving Size: whole recipe I Makes: 1 serving
Ingredients:
1/3 cup quick-cooking
dty oatmeal
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup very hot water
1/2 sliced banana
1/2 cup fat-free frozen yogurt
Breakfast MenU
Banana Split Oatmeal
1/2 Whole-wheat English muffin
Low-fat or fat-free milk
20 The Healthy Family Guidebook
Instructions:
1. In a microwave-safe cereal bowl,
mix together the oatmeal and salt.
Stir in the water.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Stir. Microwave on high power
for another minute. Stir again.
3. Microwave an additional 30-60
seconds on high power until the
cereal reaches the desired thickness.
Stir again.
4. Top with banana slices and
frozen yogurt.
TIP: The banana split oatmeal can also
be a snack by itself.
Habit #5:
Go lean writh protein
The Meat and Beans Food Group gives us protein. We
need protein every day. Each member of my family
needs 5Yz ounces from the meat and beans group each
day. I had a hard time learning ounces. But my nutrition
educator showed me how.
For one day, we might eat:
• One whole egg (or one tablespoon of peanut
butter) at breakfast (counts as 1 ounce of meat
and beans).
• 1/ 2 cup cooked black beans at lunch (counts as
2 ounces of meat and beans).
• One half of a small chicken breast (counts as
2 to 3 ounces of meat and beans).
Tips on serving protein foods:
• It helped me to start using my measuring cups and spoons.
I learned that eating 1 cup of beans would equal 4 ounces of
meat. That helped me judge how much food from the Meat
and Beans group my family eats.
• I take the skin off my chicken and trim the fat off meats.
• I bake, microwave, or broil our meats. This was a big change.
I used to fry a lot of our foods.
• I often serve other protein foods like cooked dry beans and
peas, fish, nuts, and eggs.
The Healthy Family Guidebook 21
Tips on buying protein foods:
• I buy low-fat or lean meats and
poultry (chicken and turkey). They
have less fat.
• I use more fish. I buy fresh fish when
it is on sale or canned tuna or
salmon. Canned fish usually costs less.
Try these low-cost recipes:
Lunch or Dinner
Menu
Salmon Patties
Oven fries
Broccoli
Peaches
Low-fat or fat-free milk
22 The Healthy Family Guidebook
Saln1on Patties
Serving Size: 1 patty I Makes: 9 servings
Ingredients:
15Yz ounces canned, drained salmon
1 cup crushed whole-grain cereal or crackers
2 lightly beaten large eggs
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions:
1. Use a fork or clean fingers to flake salmon until very
fine.
2. Crumble cereal or crackers into crumbs.
3. Add cereal or cracker crumbs, eggs, milk, and pepper
to salmon.
4. Mix thoroughly.
5. Shape into 9 patties.
6. Heat oil in a skillet.
7. Over medium heat, carefully brown both the sides
until patty is thoroughly cooked.
Tip: Replace the salmon with canned tuna fish.
For fun, do a combination of the two!
Bean Enchiladas
Serving Size: 2 enchiladas (6 inches each) I Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
3 ~ cups cooked pinto beans
(or two 15-oz cans of low-sodium pinto beans)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheese, such as
Monterey Jack
8 6-inch flour tortillas
Salsa (optional)
Instructions:
1. Place beans in a large bowl and mash
coarsely with a fork or potato masher;
stir in chili powder.
2. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel.
Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds,
or until tortillas are soft and warm.
3. Divide bean mixture among tortillas
and spread down center of tortilla.
Sprinkle cheese on bean mixture.
4. Roll tortillas to enclose mixture.
5. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking
dish with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Place enchiladas, seam side down,
into baking dish.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees
for 20 minutes or until heated through.
8. Serve warm with salsa.
Lunch or Dinner
Menu
Bean Enchiladas
Lettuce and
tomato salad
Pears
Low-fat or
fat-free milk
The Healthy Family Guidebook 23
Lunch or Dinner
Menu
Sensational
Six-Layer Dinner
Whole-wheat
bread slice
Fruit cocktail
Low-fat or
fat-free milk
Sensational
Six-Layer Dinner
Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe I Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2-3 raw, sliced potatoes (medium size)
2 cups sliced carrots
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion, sliced
1 pound lean ground beef,
browned and drained
1Yz cups green beans
1 can of tomato soup
Baking dish: Use a baking dish or pan large
enough to fit all recipe items.
Variation: Use peas or corn instead of green
beans. Use your favorite cream soup instead
of tomato soup.
Instructions:
1. Lightly oil or spray baking dish with
cooking spray.
2. Layer ingredients in order given. Cover.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
or until tender and thoroughly heated.
4. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.
Habit #6
Watch your fats, sugar,
and salt (sodium)
I thought all fats were bad for you. But some types of fats
are okay in the right amounts. I learned the fats I should
use are oils like:
• Canola oil • Safflower oil
• Corn oil • Sunflower oil
• Olive oil • Oils in fish, nuts, and seeds
• Soybean oil
Some types of fats are better to limit. These fats are:
• Butter • Trans fats that are in a lot
• Lard of prepared foods like some
• Stick margarine
• Fat on meats
and poultry
cakes, cookies, crackers, pies,
donuts, stick margarines, fried
foods , chips, and solid
vegetable shortening.
The nutrition educator helped me learn how to read the
Nutrition Facts label to see what was in the food I bought.
• I learned to eat small amounts of fat, even oils.
They are high in calories.
• I also watch the sugar my family gets. I pick food
and drinks that are low in sugar. Sugars add calories
to foods and not much else that we need. Some foods
that are often high in sugars are sodas, candies and
sweets, and fruit drinks.
• One other thing I check on the Nutrition Facts label is
the amount of sodium (salt). I try to buy
canned foods that are low in sodium.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (228g)
Servings Per Container 2
Amount Per Serving
C•loriH 250 Calories from Fat 110
i % D•I~V .. ue•
~at12g --_ 18%
urated Fat 3Q J 15%
lll~l=,.t3a ~
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
<[odium 470mg -::> 20%
Potassium 700mg 20%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 10%
Dietary Fiber Og 0%
Sugars Sg
Protein Sg
Vitamin A 4%
Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 20'K
Iron 4%
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2.000 calorie diet.
Your Daily Values may be h1gher or lower depending on
your calorie needs.
Calories: 2.000 2,500
Total Fat Less than 65g 80g
Sal Fat Less than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg
!Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g
Dietary Fiber 25!1 3Q9
The Healthy Family Guidebook 25
Habit #7
Balance vvhat you eat
vvith physical activity
Eating healthier foods is important, but I also learned that we need
to be physically active. I learned that:
Kids need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day or
most days of the week.
Adults need to be physically active for at least 30 minutes most
days of the week.
You may need more physical activity to lose weight or maintain
your weight at a healthy level. If you have questions about what is
right for you, go to www.mypyramid.gov.
Physical activity should be at least moderate-intensity like these activities:
• Walking briskly • Dancing
• Gardening/ yard ,work • Bicycling
I like being more physically active
because I feel better about myself. I also
have more energy. I walk on most days,
and it has helped me to handle my busy
family. Walking is great for most people.
One of the secrets to health for our
families is to balance how much we eat
and how physically active we are. We
need to use up what we take in. This
means burning off some of the calories
we take in.
Being physically active helps everyone in
your family. Even if our families are busy,
there are many ways for all of us to be
active.
Try these:
• Walk or play together.
• Walk in an area that is comfortable for you like
in the neighborhood, at a park, or in the mall.
• Walk to school with your kids.
• Walk to the store when you need only a few things.
• Play with your children - basketball, soccer, or chase
each other in a game of tag.
• Check with your local community center for exercise
programs, dance classes, or other activities.
• Join a church group that does physical activities.
• Take the stairs, not the elevator.
• Park as far away from stores as you can, so you will
add walking steps to your day.
• If the weather is bad, we turn on the music and dance or
march around the house. The kids love this. I love it too.
It gets all of us moving and away from the television.
No matter what you choose to do, get moving. The more you move,
the better you feel , and the healthier you will be.
The Healthy Family Guidebook 27
Feeding their future:
Good food habits last a lifetime
Do you have a hard time getting your kids to eat right? Here are some tips
to make it easier:
• Your habits help kids make smart food choices. Kids like to be copycats.
They will do what you do. If you drink milk and eat vegetables, so
will they. Tty to set a good example.
• Have healthier foods in the house. I let my kids decide if they
want apples or graham crackers for a snack. Both are healthy choices.
• Eat meals with your kids as often as you can. Meals are a nice way
to be with each other and break up the busy days. Use meals to talk
about new foods and plan ways to be physically active. ,
• Keep trying with new foods - it may take a few tries with a new
food before the family likes it. One thing we like is new food night.
We try a new food we have never had.
• Let your kids help pick foods, plan meals and snacks, and fix meals.
It took some time. But now my kids feel good about eating the foods we
know are good for us. We learn together. The more you teach your kids now,
the healthier they will be as adults. That is a great gift to give them.
What everyone asks:
Answ-ers to your questions
If you are like me, and many of the women I know, you have questions about eating
healthier. Many women know about bflsic nutrition. But we still have trouble using
what we know to make sure our families eat healthier foods. I rely on my nutrition
educator. She has helped me to learn how to improve my family's eating habits.
Here are some of the questions that I needed help with. You might want to know these
things too.
How can I use my food stamps to stretch my food dollars?
• Plan before going to the grocery store. Even if you are only buying a few things,
make a shopping list.
• Shop from your list. You will buy less if you use the list. Shop when you are not
hungry. This way you will not buy more than you want and need.
• Check the store's sales. Pick things that match your list that are on sale. Use
coupons. These can be used with food stamps. Coupons can help your food stamps
buy more.
• Buy generic or store brands. They usually cost less.
The Healthy Family Guidebook 29
How can I cook healthy meals that are quick and easy?
I do not have hours to spend in the kitchen.
Healthy cooking can be done without needing a lot of time. The key to healthy cooking
is planning ahead and making wise choices.
• Look for recipes that use only five to seven ingredients. These are quick and easy.
• When you have only a little time for fixing meals and cleaning up, use recipes
for "one dish" meals. These are recipes that combine all the foods in one dish.
These are great for busy families (see page 24).
• If your dinner meal includes a frozen item, put it in the refrigerator the night
before or in the morning. By doing that, the item is thawed and ready to use when
you begin to fix dinner.
Shopping with my kids is so hard, bu,t a babysitter costs too much.
How can I shop with the family along?
We are all very busy, so this question is one most of us need help with.
Set up rules before you leave home so the kids know what to expect. To start, let them
know you will all stay together so everyone can help.
• Let your child choose a fruit or vegetable to add to the shopping list.
Let them tell you where to find that food in the store.
• Give everyone, even your smallest child, a job.
• If young kids are learning their colors, have them point out as many different
colored vegetables as they can.
• Have school-aged children read the labels to find healthy choices. Tell them why
you are picking that food item based on what the label says.
• When shopping, we try to find a vegetable or fruit that we have not tried
before.
Use grocery shopping as a time to teach your kids what you have learned. Shopping
will take a little longer when the kids help. But this time will help your kids learn
healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
Where can I find menus and recipes for a whole week?
The menus on the following pages are healthy and low-cost. These sample
menus are for a 2,000-calorie food pattern. Averaged over a week, these
menus provide all of the recommended amounts of food from each food
group. You can find some of the recipes for these tasty meals at
www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle.
You can also find many low-cost recipes at the Food Stamp Nutrition
Connection at www.nal.usda.gov/ foodstamp. If you need help finding the
recipes, ask your nutrition educator for assistance.
Acknow1edgtnents
The following recipes used in this Guidebook were adapted from the USDA's
Food Stamp Nutrition Connection at www.nal.usda.gov/foodstamp. You can find
complete nutrient and cost information for each recipe on the Web site.
Banana Split Oatmeal, page 20
Bean Enchiladas, page 23
Brunswick Stew, page 11
Colorful Quesadillas, page 12
Delicious Greens, page 11
Fantastic French Toast, page 19
Frozen Fruit Cups, page 14
Orange Banana Frosty, page 16
Salmon Patties, page 22
Sensational Six-Layer Dinner, page 24
Spinach and Meat Cakes, page 20
Sure to Please Baked Eggs and Cheese, page 17
And, the following recipe used in this Guidebook was adapted from the National
Network for Child Care at www once org.
Bugs on a Log, page 10
The Healthy Family Guidebook 31
WEEK ONE
DAV1 DAV2 DAV3
Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
Oatmeal with Raisins Bran Flake Cereal Puffed Wheat Cereal
Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk with Raisins
Orange Juice Banana Low-fat Milk
Whole-Wheat Toast with Banana
Jelly Whole-Wheat Toast
Grapefruit Juice with Jelly
Lunch Lunch Lunch
Southwestern Salad* Potato Soup* Ham Sandwich:
Corn Tortilla Whole-Wheat Crackers (Whole-Wheat Bread,
Cantaloupe Carrot Sticks Lettuce, Tomato, Ham,
Lemon Iced Tea Low-fat Milk American Cheese,
t
Mayonnaise)
Baked Beans*
Apple
Low-fat Milk
Dinner Dinner Dinner
Turkey Stir Fty* Beef Pot Roast* Baked Spicy Fish*
Brown Rice Egg Noodles with Brown Rice
Whole-Wheat Dinner Roll Soft Margarine Mashed, baked sweet
Peach Apple Crisp* Green Beans potato with cinnamon
Low-fat Milk Apple Turnip Greens
Rice Pudding* Oatmeal Cookies*
Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk
Snack Snack Snack
Pears Plain Popcorn Apple Sauce
Orange Gelatin Salad Lemonade Low-fat Plain Yogurt
* Go to www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle for recipes with starred (*) foods and
amounts of food to eat for a 2,000-calorie food pattern.
Note: Use fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products. Prepare iced t ea w ith no added sugar.
Use 100% f ruit ju ices.
DAY4 DAYS DAY6 DAV7
Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
Whole-Wheat English Whole-Wheat Toast Scrambled Egg Fantastic French
Muffin with Soft with Peanut Butter Hash Brown Toast*
Margarine and Jelly Banana Slices Potatoes Maple Syrup
Grapefruit Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Toast Kiwi Fruit
Low-fat Milk with Soft Margarine Honeydew Melon
Orange Juice Low-fat Milk
Low-fat Milk
Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
Tuna Pasta Salad* Grilled Cheese Baked Chicken Baked Cod with
Rye Bread Sandwich: Nuggets* Cheese*
Celery (Whole-Wheat Macaroni Salad* Black Beans with
Mandarin Oranges Bread, Tomato, Peas with Soft Green Pepper and
Low-fat Fruit Yogurt American Cheese) Margarine Onion
Water Ranch Beans* Pears Broccoli with Soft
Celery Low-fat Milk Margarine
Fruit Cocktail Whole-Wheat Dinner
Low-fat Milk Roll
Water
Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner
Chicken and Oven-Baked Chicken Pizza Meat Loaf* Spaghetti and
Vegetables* Mashed, baked sweet Yellow Sweet Corn Meatballs:
Scalloped Potatoes* potato with cinnamon Spinach (Spaghetti oodles,
Grapes Broccoli with Pineapple Tomato Sauce,
Whole-Wheat Bread Soft Margarine Whole-Wheat Dinner Baked Meatballs)*
Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Dinner Roll French Bread
Roll Fat-free Frozen Baby Spinach Salad
Peaches Yogurt with Fat-free
Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Vinaigrette
Dressing
Low-fat Milk
Snack Snack Snack Snack
Baked Crispy Chickpea Dip* Chili Bean Dip* Apple
Potatoes* Pita Bread Pita Bread Low-fat Plain Yogurt
Apple Juice
The Healthy Family Guidebook 33
WEEK TWO
DAY1 DAY2 DAY3
Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
Breakfast Egg Burrito* Egg Muffin Sandwich: Shredded Wheat Cereal
Cantaloupe (Scrambled Egg and Low-fat Milk
Orange Juice American Cheese Banana
Low-fat Milk on a Whole-Wheat Orange Juice
English Muffin)
Orange Juice
Lunch Lunch Lunch
Lentil Stew* Broccoli & Cheese Bean & Cheese
Mixed Green Salad Baked Potato: Enchiladas*
with Reduced-Calorie (Potato, Broccoli, Mixed Green Salad
Dressing Cheese) with Reduced-Calorie
Corn Bread* Apple Dressing
Lemon Iced Tea Lemon Iced Tea Grapes
Lemon Iced Tea
'
Dinner Dinner Dinner
Pork Chops & Peppers* Baked Fish* Beef Stir Fry*
Roasted Sweet Potatoes Cuban Beans* with Vegetables
Green Peas Brown Rice White Enriched Rice
Applesauce Sliced Tomato Low-fat Milk
Dinner Roll with Dinner Rolls with Fat-free Frozen Yogurt
Soft Margarine Soft Margarine
Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk
Snack Snack Snack
Oatmeal Raisin Low-fat Yogurt Baby Carrots
Cookies* Raisins Saltine Crackers
Low-fat Milk (Low Sodium)
* Go to www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle for recipes with starred (*)foods and
amounts of food to eat for a 2,000-calorie food pattern.
Note: Use fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products. Prepare iced tea with no added sugar.
Use 100% fruit juices.
34 The Healthy Family Guidebook
DAV4 DAYS DAV6 DAV7
Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
Whole-Wheat Toast Oatmeal with Raisins Pumpkin Muffin* Raisin Bran Cereal
with Peanut Tropical Morning with Soft Margarine Low-fat Milk
Butter Treat* Banana Apple
Cantaloupe Low-fat Milk Orange Juice
Low-fat Milk
Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
Spinach Salad Turkey Sandwich: Chicken Salad* Vegetarian Chili*
Garlic Toast (Turkey, Lettuce, Sandwich: Whole-Wheat Garlic
with Soft Margarine Tomato, Mayonnaise (Chicken Salad, Toast with Soft
Mandarin Oranges on Whole-Wheat Lettuce, Tomato on Margarine
Low-fat Milk Bread) Whole-Wheat Corn
Apple Coleslaw* Bread) Low-fat Milk
Low-fat Milk Carrot Raisin Salad*
Baked Beans
' Low-fat Milk
Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner
Baked Chicken Salmon Shepherd's Make-Your-Own Turkey Patty* on
Egg Noodles Pie* Pizza* Roll
with Soft Margarine Delicious Greens* (Green Pepper, Broccoli
Green Beans Corn-on-the-Cob Mushroom, Onions) Mashed Potatoes
Lemon Iced Tea Dinner Roll with Mixed Green Salad with Soft Margarine
Fat-free Frozen Soft Margarine with Reduced- Fat-free Frozen
Yogurt Peach Calorie Dressing Yogurt
Low-fat Milk Applesauce Pineapple
Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk
Banana Pudding*
Snack Snack Snack Snack
Apple Saltine Crackers S-Layer Bean Dip* Whole-Wheat
Graham Crackers (Low Sodium) with Corn Tortilla Crackers (Low
Low-fat Yogurt Sodium)
with Peanut Butter
The Healthy Family Guidebook 3 5
To learn more about food and nutrition, call:
Att c.h c.ontact Jr format1or label here.
To apply for food stamps, call or go to your local food stamp office.
If you need help finding your local food stamp office, call
1-800-221-5689 or go to the Food Stamp Web site at
www.fns.usda.gov/ fsp .
Myl'yramid.gov
STEPSTOAHEAtJHIER)'QU
USDA
~
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Service
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from
discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political bel iefs, or disability.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue,
S.W., Wash ington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800} 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal
opportunity provider and employer.
Janua ry 2007
Family Meals
Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!
You're running in 10 directions!
It's 4 p.m. You need to pick up
your child at daycare, stop at the
store, and run some errands.
And, you need to get ready for
an evening meeting. How do
you put a healthy supper on
the table, too?
A few steps can help you make
an easy family meal- with less
stress. Use the time you save to
enjoy your family.
Plan ahead.
Keep meals simple! You can make healthy
meals fast.
Cook when you have more time -maybe
on weekends. Make soups, stews, or casseroles
to freeze for the next week.
Do some tasks the day before. Wash and
cut vegetables or make fruit salad. Your child
can help. Cook noodles for pasta salad.
Cook lean ground beef or turkey for tacos.
Refrigerate all food items until used.
Fast family meals:
Hearty soup: Add low-salt canned or frozen
vegetables to soup.
Pasta dish: Mix chopped lean ham, cooked
chicken, or tuna, and cooked vegetables, into
macaroni and cheese.
Super chili: Serve homemade or canned
chili over a baked potato or brown rice.
Your ideas:
Loving You; Family~
Feed1n Their Future
Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program
Shop for
time savers.
Check prices on foods that are grated,
chopped, washed. These foods often cost
more, but they can save time. Try grated low­fat
cheese, cut-up chicken, and mixed salad
greens when they are on sale.
Stock your kitchen. Get food that you
can make and serve in a hurry, such as:
• Fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, or dried)
• Vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• Canned beans, fish, poultry, or meat
• Canned soups or stews
• Eggs
• Whole-grain bread or pasta
• Brown rice
• Low-fat or fat-free cheese or yogurt
Enjoy kitchen help.
Make meals with your children. Ask them to:
• Set the table.
• Pour milk.
• Help stir.
• Measure.
• Pick vegetables for supper.
• Pick what goes in the salad.
• Pick fruit for a snack.
• Pick a new food to try.
Write other ideas here:
Your children will learn to do more to help you.
Making family meals together gives you time to
talk with your child, even on busy days.
Save time in
your kitchen.
Cook once for everyone. Does your child like
plain vegetables, meat, rice, or noodles? If so, set
some aside before you add other ingredients. You
won't need to take time to prepare different foods .
Cook a fast way. Microwave, broil, or stir-fry
when you can. Roasting and baking take longer.
Make no-cook meals and snacks:
• Salads with canned tuna, chicken, or beans
• Cold sandwiches
• Raw vegetables and low-fat yogurt dip
• Fruit
Hint: Kids like finger foods!
Cook for