Kids ages 1 to 13 years old get up to twice the amount of refined grains that they should, but not enough whole grains.

Kids ages 1 to 13 years old get up to twice the amount of refined grains that they should, but not enough whole grains. Whole grains have nutrients and fiber that both adults and kids need for energy and to stay healthy.

The CACFP meal pattern requires that at least one offering of grains every day be whole grain-rich. Foods that are 100 whole-grain, or have at least 50% whole grain, and the remaining grains are enriched, are whole grain-rich.

 

You can serve whole grains at breakfast, such whole grain-rich ready-to-eat cereals, whole grain-rich cooked cereal such as oatmeal, and whole-wheat toast, or whole grain-rich bagels. Cereals served in the CACFP must meet the sugar limit of no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.

Remember that some grain items commonly served at breakfast may also be whole grain-rich, such as pancakes and waffles.

You can also serve whole grain-rich foods at lunch and supper, such as brown rice or pita bread. Whole grain-rich mini bagels, whole grain-rich crackers, and whole grain-rich tortillas can also be great choices at snack.

If you serve grain items in your daycare, the items must be whole grain-rich once per day. Of course, you can serve whole grain-rich items more than once per day. For example, you can serve whole grain-rich cereal at breakfast, and then brown rice, which is a whole grain, is served at lunch. Try to serve whole grains at different meals throughout the week for variety, such as whole-wheat spaghetti at lunch on Monday, whole-wheat toast at breakfast on Tuesday, and whole grain-rich crackers at snack on Wednesday.  For those of you serving different groups of day care children throughout the day, such as morning (before school) and afternoon (after school), this will also help make sure that all day care children get a chance to try and enjoy whole grains throughout the week.