Smart Servings


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Healthy Kids Challenge makes healthy habit building easier. Choose each of the Healthy6 links below for helpful classroom, community, or family activities and tips. The suggestions on each page are updated frequently, so come back often. Order Healthy6 handouts for health fairs and family events.

Healthy Kids Challenge® resources are A-ppealing & fun W-elcome & inviting E-asy & simple. To sum it up, they are AWE-some. Smart Servings is one of the Healthy6 messages!  Rather than weight, the focus is on six healthy habits (Healthy6).

"Bento" Your Child's Lunch

Have you heard of Bento Boxes? They are the newest, cute way to serve up your child’s lunch. All the food is cut up into small bites and usually in cute shapes, perfect for little fingers.

They promote healthy eating featuring proteins (homemade chicken nuggets, dollop of peanut butter, eggs), grains (whole grain crackers, rice cakes, whole wheat roll), veggies and fruits, so a well-rounded lunch! If you don’t want to go totally "Bento", why not try cutting up a sandwich using cookie cutters (think spring, maybe a flower shape?) or cheese slices in the shape of eggs? Perfect servings and fun to eat with your hands!  

 Kids Eating Outdoors

Smart Servings Using HKC Food Cards with Kids

When it comes to teaching kids about Smart Servings, you want to be smart about added sugars and fats. Using HKC’s Food Cards is a great starting point.

 Using the Food Cards, have children pick out their favorite foods. If they make a healthy choice, talk about why the food is healthy. Does it contain lots of vitamins and minerals? Is it low in sugar and added fats? Is it filling – including fiber and healthy fat? If they choose a not-so-healthy choice, discuss why and what are better options. This is a great way to show that all foods fit and how to make better choices. 

Hear See Do

Smart Servings…at the Salad Bar  

The salad bar can be one of the best choices around; it can also be a downfall. Whether you are a consumer at your local grocery store or a school nutrition manager stocking a cafeteria salad bar, be sure to pick a winning variety of fruits and veggies, proteins, and low-fat dressings.

Foods such as bacon bits, full fat dressings, croutons, and whole milk cheese can easily be left out or swapped for a lower-fat counterpart. Encourage appropriate portions as well!

Some healthy and filling toppings to finish off a bed of greens:

Veggies – broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, radish, carrots, and yellow pepper (Don’t forget to eat the rainbow!)
Proteins – sunflower seeds, hard boiled egg slices, tofu, grilled chicken slices, beans
Dairy – cottage cheese, low-fat cheese crumbles or shreds
Fruits – enjoy all of them for a colorful variety