Go, Slow and Whoa Foods

Key points below

A guide for parents

Eating healthy does not mean giving up foods you love. It means eating a variety of foods in moderation. Parents choose which foods to buy. Parents can also help kids make healthy choices at the store or when eating out. It is the caregiver’s role to decide which foods to offer and how often to offer them.

It is helpful for parents to learn the difference between Go, Slow and Whoa foods to help make good food choices. The charts on the next pages give examples of foods in each of these categories.

Go: These are foods that are good to eat at any meal or snack. They have a lot of nutrients and/or are low in added sugar.
Slow: These are sometimes foods. They are not off-limits, but should not be offered at every meal. Offer these foods once a day at most.
Whoa: These are foods you should limit and offer just once in a while. These foods have more sugar or fat than most others. Try to offer these foods no more than one time per week.

Tips to help keep your serving sizes under control:

Aim for three regular meals each day with one or two planned snacks in between meals.
Put foods on the table that you feel good about serving. If your child finishes a food on their plate, let them have more of that food. It is ok if they do not finish all of their foods before getting more of another.
Do not rush through meals. Turn off screens and talk with others while eating.

Cooking tips:

Remove any visible fat from beef, pork or poultry.
Bake, broil, grill, sauté or steam meat and vegetables.
Drain and rinse canned foods to reduce salt.

	Drinks	Proteins	Vegetables	Fruits
GREEN GO Almost anytime	Plain water Skim or 1% milk Unsweetened herbal/decaf tea Carbonated water (without added sugar)	95% Extra-lean ground beef Chicken & turkey without skin Tuna Fish and shellfish Eggs Beans, split peas, lentils Alternative meat: tofu, tempeh, seitan Peanut butter and other nut butters	All fresh, frozen and canned vegetables without added fat (like butter or sauces) Salsa Avocados Olives	All fresh and frozen fruits without added sugar Canned fruits packed in juice or that say “no sugar added” Unsweetened applesauce Dried fruits (limit to 1 serving)
YELLOW SLOW Sometimes	2% Milk ^®Sugar-free Kool-aid made with Splenda^®Kool-aid ^®Crystal Light ^®, Clear American^®, Sparkling ICE^®O₂, Fruit^®Flavored waters like Propel Diet soda (limit to 1 serving)	85% Lean ground beef Ground turkey Hamburgers Chicken & turkey with skin Ham Low-fat hot-dogs Turkey bacon Canadian bacon	Oven baked fries Starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, corn, yams, sweet potatoes (limit to 1 serving) Coleslaw made with regular mayonnaise (limit to 1 serving)	100% fruit juice (limit to 1 serving) Fruits canned in light syrup Applesauce with added sugar
RED WHOA Once in a while	Regular soda )^®and Powerade^®Sports drinks (Gatorade Shakes/Malts Whole milk ^®, Snapple^®, Tang^®, Sunny D^®, Capri Sun^®Fruit drinks like Hi-C Regular lemonade Flavored milk No energy drinks	Fried chicken Chicken fried steak Bacon Fried fish Chicken nuggets Hot dogs Sausage and summer sausage Brats	Any vegetable fried in oil, like as French fries or hash browns, tater tots, zucchini fries, sweet potato fries, broccoli tots, fried eggplant, fried mushrooms, fried pickles, jalapeño poppers, fried okra	Fruits canned in heavy syrup

	Breads & Cereals	Milk & Milk Products	Snacks	MISC
GREEN GO Almost anytime	100% Whole grain breads, pitas, and tortillas Whole grain pasta, brown rice High fiber, unsweetened cereals like Cheerios, oatmeal (canister – not instant packets), Steel cut oats/Irish oats Whole grains: quinoa, wheat berries, teff, bulgur, millet, buckwheat, amaranth	Skim and 1 % milk Light yogurt Cottage cheese Cheese (limit to 1 serving per day)	Nuts - limit to ¼ cup Fresh fruit Raw vegetables Air popped popcorn String cheese (limit to 1 serving)	Mustard Olive oil, Canola oil Non-stick cooking spray Oil-based salad dressing (limit to 1 serving) Salt free spices (cumin, pepper, parsley)
YELLOW SLOW Sometimes	White bread and pasta that’s not whole grain Taco shells French toast, waffles and pancakes Granola (limit to 1 serving) , Honey Nut Cheerios, Life, Kix^®, Chex^®Cereals like Special K Low sugar instant oatmeal	2% milk Cream cheese (limit to 1 serving)	^® or reduced-fat Triscuits^®Crackers: Kashi TLC Sugar-free pudding Pretzels Baked chips Granola bars Pudding Cereal bars	Vegetable oil Low-fat creamy salad dressing (ranch, blue cheese) Low-fat mayo Low-fat sour cream Soft margarine Ketchup Miracle Whip
RED WHOA Once in a while	^®, or Golden Grahams^®, Fruit Loops^®, Lucky Charms^®, Trix^®Sweetened breakfast cereals like Frosted Flakes Crackers that have hydrogenated oils (trans fats) Instant oatmeal packets Biscuits Cinnamon rolls Ramen noodles	Whole milk Ice cream Ice cream bars Processed cheese spreads Flavored milk	Chocolate and candy Cookies, cakes, and pies Pork Rinds ^®Slim Jims Chips French fries Regular pudding Snack cakes	Butter or lard Stick margarine Gravy Regular creamy salad dressing Mayo Tartar sauce Sour cream Cream sauce

ALERT

Call your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic if you have any concerns or if your child has special health care needs not covered by this information.