The plate is a familiar mealtime visual divided into four sections: protein, grain, vegeta-bles, and fruit and dairy (see graphic above). Explain the concept of the “divided plate” to your kids and use it often.
Serving kids meals on smaller plates avoids overwhelming children with the amount of food they must eat, but be realistic with food portions. A good guide is to serve children 1/4 to 1/3 of the adult serving, or a tablespoon for each year of the child’s age. Over the past 20 years, portion sizes have increased. For instance, 20 years ago bagels were 3” in diameter and were 140 calories. Today bagels are 6” in diameter and are 350 calories. That is 3 servings of grain in one bagel! Don’t get caught up in the large servings of today! The serving size on a food label is not telling you the amount you should eat, it is a guide to help you count calories and nutrients in a specific quantity of food, it does not indicate serving sizes.