Eat Right to Look and Feel your Best!

A guide for good eating for a pre-teenager 9-12 years

Start your day with breakfast:

Breakfast gives you the energy to think better and do well in school.

Quick and easy breakfast ideas:

• Whole-grain muffins
• Juice
• Breakfast taco
• Whole grain waffles with banana slices
• Whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk and fresh fruit

Eat a healthy lunch

• Eat low-fat foods: A lot of high-fat foods can add too many calories to your diet and may make you overweight.
  • Too much fat can lead to heart disease and some types of cancer later in life.

Some low-fat lunch ideas:

• Sliced turkey, lean roast beef, chicken, or tuna fish sandwiches
• Coleslaw, three-bean salad, or carrot and celery sticks
• Vegetable or bean soup
• Apple or orange
• Low-fat yogurt

Eat lots of iron-rich foods every day:

• Beef, chicken, fish
• Dried beans and peas
• Green peas and lima beans
• Peanut butter
• Greens and spinach
• Winter squash
• Cereals with iron
• Whole grain products
• Enriched bread, rice, cereal, and pasta
• Tomato juice

What is a good serving size for my plate?

Grains:

• 1 piece of bread, tortilla, roll, muffin, pancake, biscuit, or waffle
• ½ cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
• 4 saltine or graham crackers
• ¾ cup ready-to-eat cereal

Milk and Dairy:

• 1 cup low-fat milk or yogurt
• 1 ½ oz low-fat cheese
• 1 ½ cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup low-fat yogurt
• 1 cup pudding, custard, or flan (made with low-fat milk)

Protein:

• 2-3 oz. Cooked lean beef, chicken, turkey, fish, or pork
• ¾ cup dried beans or peas
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp. Peanut butter

Fruits and Vegetables:

• ½ cup cooked or canned fruit or vegetables
• 1 cup of raw fruit or vegetables
• ¾ cup fruit or vegetable juice
• ¼ cup of dried fruit