Best Practices for Healthy Eating Guide - Nemours

Food Component Ages 1 – 2 Ages 3 – 5 Ages 6 – 12
SNACK – Select 2 of the 4 components
Milk, fluid ½ cup ½ cup 1 cup
Fruit or Vegetable ½ cup ½ cup ¾ cup
Grain or Bread (choose one)
Bread ½ slice ½ slice 1 slice
Grain or pasta ¼ cup ¼ cup ½ cup
Cereal – cold, dry ¼ cup ¹⁄3 cup ¾ cup
Cereal – hot, cooked ¼ cup ¼ cup ½ cup
Meat or Meat Alternate (choose one)
Lean meat, poultry, or fish ½ oz. ½ oz. 1 oz.
Alternate protein product ½ oz. ½ oz. 1 oz.
Cheese ½ oz. ½ oz. 1 oz.
Cottage cheese 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp
Large egg ½ egg ½ egg ½ egg
Cooked dry beans/peas 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 4 Tbsp
Peanut butter or other nut/seed butters 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 2 Tbsp
Nuts or seeds ½ oz. ½ oz. 1 oz.
Yogurt, plain or flavored ¼ cup ¼ cup ½ cup
Recommended CACFP Daily Meal Pattern – Children
Food Group
Serving Number
Range of Serving Size (vary by
age group)
Breakfast Fruit or non-starchy vegetable 1 ¼ to ½ cup
Grain/bread 1 ½ to 3 ounce equivalent
Lean meat/meat alternate 1 ½ to 2 ounce equivalent (3 times weekly)
Milk 1 ½ to 1 cup
Lunch/Supper Fruit 1 ¼ to ½ cup
Vegetable 2 ¹⁄8 to ½ cup
Grain/bread 1 ½ to 2 ½ ounce equivalent
Lean meat/meat alternate 1 ½ to 2 ½ ounce equivalent
Milk 1 ½ to 1 cup
Snack
Fruit 2 per week ½ to 1 cup
(choose 2 food groups per snack)
Vegetable 2 per week ¹⁄8 to 1 cup
Grain/bread 2 per week ½ to 2 ounce equivalent
Lean meat/meat alternate 2 per week ½ to 1 ounce equivalent
Milk 2 per week ½ cup
Please note that the shaded boxes are best practice recommendations, but are not reimbursed through the CACFP as of the date of this publication.
Institute of Medicine (2011). Report Brief: Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All. Retrieved on January 20, 2013 from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/
Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program-Aligning-Dietary-Guidance-for-All.aspx
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