NR228 Nutrition

Nutritional
Assessment in a
Preschool Facility

Cultural Focus: Mixed

Ivory Stokes-Robinson

Abel Thomas

Rebecca Jose

Introduction

► This presentation seeks to highlight nutritional assessment for
preschool-aged children between 2 and 5 years old attending a
preschool located in a suburban environment.

► Facility has students in the following cultural groups

► Hispanic

► Caucasian

► African-American

► Asian

Current Menu

Current menu Analysis
Breakfast

➢ Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
➢ In this menu for breakfast we are starting kids off in the morning with

muffins this may not be the best idea due to the high amount of sugar
levels, this will cause them to be very hyper and energetic for an hour
or 2 then take them lose all their energy which will cause them to be
very tired.

➢ substituting the current milk with a lower fat content milk would be a
great idea to lower fat intake.

➢ preschoolers require about 2 cups of dairy according to myplate
therefore adding another diary product like yogurt or cheese string
would be healthy.

Current menu Analysis
Lunch

➢ In the current school menu for lunch chicken nugget and rice are
served with a side of broccoli and milk.

➢ According to myplate, when serving food to kids it is important
that the plate is colorful and adding fruits are helpful therefore
adding a whole fruit or a cup of fruit is healthy.

➢ Limiting processed foods is a great suggestion for young children
because it will prevent many diseases and obesity so the replaced
of chicken nuggets is necessary.

➢ Adding fat free milk or adding a fruit into the menu would also be
options to make this healthier

Current menu Analysis

Snack

➢ Currently in the menu for snack time they are served both
graham crackers and apple juice both of which contain sugar.

➢ Replacing the graham crackers with carrots and a dip or a small
sandwich is one option to reduce the amount of sugar given in
the current school menu

➢ Another option would be replacing the juice with an actual fruit
and giving the children water which can help in hydration.

➢ Also adding fruits for snacks is healthy and have natural sugars
in them and gives children many vitamins neccesary for them.

Current menu Analysis

Dinner

This school did not have a dinner menu therefore when making a
dinner plan some things to remember and help ensure the meal
plan will be healthy is to follow the MyPlate diagram and include
all the items such as fruits, veggies, grains, proteins and diary.
Make sure to also avoid too many sweet food-like juices and
replace them with alternatives. Lastly when making it healthy
make sure the kids enjoy what they are eating so they can build a
good lifestyle of eating healthy foods.

Current Menu Analysis

Menu Items
►The current school menu is a typical school menu which has healthy food
but also since the food is being made for many students and expenses are
taken into consideration many items in this menu are unhealthy.

►Protein examples: chicken nuggets
►Fat examples: rice
►Carbohydrate examples: Muffins, graham crackers
►Vitamin and Mineral examples: oranges, broccoli

Balanced Diet
►No this menu is not healthy nor well balanced

Menu Comparison

Breakfast

► Low-fat milk is healthier than whole milk or 1 % milk due to the
less fat content in it

► Cereal has less sugar than muffins, and one muffin contains more
sugar than 4 oz of cereal

► Low-sugar yogurt parfait also has less sugar than muffins and
less fat content than whole milk or 1 % milk as well

► 1 fruit such as an apple will provide healthy sugar along with the
necessary vitamins and minerals

Menu Comparison Cont’d

Lunch

► Orange juice without any extra added sugars is healthy and
delicious

► A sandwich fit for the food pyramid or MyPlate would have
vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes, along with roast beef for
protein, low-fat dairy cheese, and with whole grain bread

► 4 oz of steamed broccoli is a better option than chicken nuggets due
to the fat content from the frying

► We took out the rice as well because there is no need for extra carbs

Menu Comparison Cont’d

Snack

► Cookies contain a lot of sugar so replacing them with half of
a peanut butter sandwich is healthier

► Water is always a good option because we need it for our
body to maintain hydration

Menu Comparison Cont’d
Dinner

► Fat-free milk or water fulfills the dairy and fluids that are needed

► 2 oz of chicken fits the protein criteria

► 4 oz of spaghetti fit the carbs category

► 2 oz of vegetables like broccoli or green beans fit the vegetable
intake

Menu Comparison Cont’d

► Our menu is ultimately better than the one provided at the facilities
because of the healthier options that we have provided for these
children

► Our foods contain less fat, sugar, and carbs and add more protein,
vitamins, and minerals that are needed for growth and maintenance

► These foods provide the necessary nutritional support that all
children need in order for them to meet the standards of their
nutritional status

► These types of foods are needed for children to grow as they should
and to not gain excess weight that they might become overweight or
obese

Barriers
► Health of the population

► Socioeconomic challenges

► Available food choices

Barriers cont’d
Available food choices

► Lack of quality food choices

► Sustainability of fresh foods

► Dealing with picky eaters.

Zoby and Friends (Department of Agriculture)

Summary of nutritional needs by
age

According to Myplate.gov at age 2 Children require 1000 calories per
day.

● Calories are based on 30 -60 minutes of activity level

Boys Girls

Age 3 – Require 1000 – 1400 Calories per day Age 3 – Require 1000-1400 Calories per day

Age 4 – Require 1200-1600 Calories per day Age 4 Require 1200-1400 Calories per day

Age 5 – Require1200-1600 Calorie per day Age 5 Require 1200 – 1600 Calories per day

Summary

► Preschool aged children have nutritional needs based on activity
levels

► This assignment illuminated a need to focus on dietary patterns that
a non-teaching institutions may unknowingly have that can be
improved to provide a more balanced diet.

► It also highlighted how available food choices may not be so available
and how nutrition can impact health outcomes.

References
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AAAAAHQAAAAAQAg

► Image.https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsciencenordic.com%2Fa%2F1421361&psig=AOvVaw1EEAJLMkPHkRQpQn9t-

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► Image.https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardiacwellnessinstitute.com%2Fheart-disease-treatment-prevention

%2Funcategorized%2Fovercoming-barriers-to-healthy-eating%2F&psig=AOvVaw1EEAJLMkPHkRQpQn9t-

3VD&ust=1596746045916000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=2ahUKEwit05bY9ITrAhUKXq0KHbTBCFEQr4kDegUIARCdAQ

► Marchand, S. (2017). A community-based nutrition and physical activity intervention for children who are overweight or obese. Journal of Obesity 5(3),

10-20. DOI: 10.5465-8912

► Texas Deptartment of Agriculture. Retrieved from:https://squaremeals.org/programs/childandadultcarefoodprogram.aspx