Healthy Habits Start Early!

Best Practices for Healthy Eating: A Guide To Help Children Grow Up Healthy

Together with Delaware’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Nemours Health and Prevention Services (NHPS) is providing this best practice nutrition guide to help young children in our state develop healthy eating habits early in life.

In Delaware, approximately 37% of our children are overweight or obese and are at high risk for developing serious health problems such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and others.

NHPS is joining with Delaware’s CACFP to develop programs that translate current research into download thebest practices for our children. Children who are given healthy food options during early childhood are more likely to continue healthy eating habits when they are older. You and your program play an important part in introducing your children to healthy food, by both providing nutritious food and teaching children how to make healthy food choices.

The purpose of this guide is to provide you with information on how to help the children in your care grow up healthy. In this guide you will find:

• Healthy food guidelines for beverages, fruits and vegetables, milk, meats and meat alternates, and grains and breads.
• Portion sizes that are based on the CACFP reimbursable meal guidelines.
• Rationale to explain the recommendations.
• Sample policies that you can use in your program and with families to support your work.

Download Free Electronic Version

Interested professionals can download the electronic PDF version of the Best Practices guide. You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view the document.

Request Copy of Guide Book

To receive a printed copy of the Best Practices for Healthy Eating:A Guide To Help Children Grow Up Healthy, please fill out our online request form. Only Delaware Childcare providers may receive a printed version of the guide.