Go slow and whoa foods (1558)

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.