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SunflowerMama 06:33 AM 03-08-2011
Originally Posted by Pammie:
I'm sorry - but if you had 6 daycare kids that ate all of that for lunch today - that's simply overeating - not big eaters! I strongly encourage you to educate yourself on healthy portions and begin teaching your dc kids about healthy portion eating. You're currently doing your dcks and your family budget a huge disservice if you always serve the quantities that you did today.

If you're not on a food program, you can still follow their guidelines for # of servings and serving sizes. For a 3-5 year old child, their lunch today should have looked like:

6 oz fluid milk
1/2 cup corn OR 1/2 cup vege sauce on their pasta
1/2 cup cantaloupe
1/4 cup pasta
1.5 ounces of turkey in their sauce OR 6 oz yogurt

The previous poster was correct that when these kids get to school, their school lunch will follow the same USDA guidelines (age adjusted). No seconds or third servings on school lunches. There's really no reason that a child should eat to that excess.

And remember that a snack is a snack - not a meal. There are great guidelines from the USDA for snack servings and portions too.

Just my very most humble opinion.
I have 6 dcks and my 2 kids. Twice a week I have a part-timer (which I didn't count in my original post of 6 dcks). So yesterday I had 9 kids eat all of that. I am on the food program and my kids are all very active and all at healthy weights so I'm certain they are not eating more than healthy portions of everything.

So based on the serving portions you posted...

They each receive 1/2 c of milk that is refilled if they drink it (so at most they receive 8 oz)
32oz bag of corn - < 1/2 c each
32oz tub of yogurt - < 1/2 c each
1 canteloupe - 8 small servings (they each received 3 small peices)
8oz of pasta - made about 4 cups cooked and we had plenty of leftovers
26oz of veggie pasta sauce - same we had plenty of leftovers (and this is the pasta sauce with mushrooms so I don't count it as their veggie serving although I know I can)

1lb ground turkey was included in the pasta. On Sundays we cook the whole container of pasta with the whole jar of sauce and then the turkey. Our family eats it Sunday night, dcks eat Monday and then we have it again Monday night as a family. So there is no way dcks are going over 1/4 - 1/2 each.

So based on your numbers and what I served I think my servings were pretty close to accurate on all counts. With the exception of maybe an extra serving of veggies.
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