Rainbow in My Tummy
In 2008, the staff at Verner embarked on a mission to improve the quality of food they were serving to their children. Staff developed and tested recipes and created menus that include foods that children love that meet USDA recommendations and are CACFP compliant.
Rainbow In My Tummy® is a comprehensive nutrition education program designed to help early care and education centers improve the quality of food they serve and improve the food culture surrounding young children. The Rainbow in my Tummy® program ensures children ages 0-5 have access to a wide variety of nutritious foods and teaches children and families to develop cycles of healthy eating using food color as a tool.
The program is impacting the eating habits of over 1,000 children in Buncombe County and Western North Carolina.
Rainbow In My Tummy® is a comprehensive nutrition education program designed to help early care and education centers improve the quality of food they serve and improve the food culture surrounding young children. The Rainbow in my Tummy® program ensures children ages 0-5 have access to a wide variety of nutritious foods and teaches children and families to develop cycles of healthy eating using food color as a tool.
The program is impacting the eating habits of over 1,000 children in Buncombe County and Western North Carolina.
For Parents
Rainbow In My Tummy® wants to provide parents with the tools to sustain a healthy food culture at home. We believe that parents are their child’s first teacher and we want to provide resources to make it easy for parents to encourage healthy eating.
5 Simple Ways Parents Can Change the Food Culture at Home:
5 Simple Ways Parents Can Change the Food Culture at Home:
- Involve children in the preparation of healthy meals and snacks. Children can help you set the table or wash fruits and vegetables.
- Visit the grocery store or farmer’s market and encourage your child to pick out healthy foods they would like to try.
- Hold a taste test! Pick out several different types of apples for example, and have your child try them all. Talk about the color, taste and size of each one.
- Provide toys that reflect healthy choices – puzzles and books with real foods, healthy play foods, etc.
- Sing songs about healthy foods. Have fun with it and make one up!
Healthy Meal Planning Within a Budget
Working within a budget doesn’t mean that you can’t eat healthfully. There are a number of ways that your family can eat healthy and save money.
Menu planning is key to saving money on your grocery budget. When you plan a menu, you can enter the store with a specific grocery list to avoid those extra items from falling into your cart. Take a look at a Sample Menu.
Go Meatless one or two days a week. Use alternative proteins such as beans or eggs for your main dish. Both beans and eggs are packed with protein and are much cheaper than meat. Try black beans and rice, egg salad or bean based stews. Our White Bean and Spinach Stew recipe is hearty, delicious and easy on your wallet.
Buy bulk items that have a long shelf life such as sugar, flour, rice and dried or canned beans. You can even buy larger family sized packs of meat and freeze individual portions. Having these staples on hand will make it easier to put together a meal instead of ordering take out.
Shop In Season. Fresh fruits and vegetables are often slightly more expensive than their canned counterparts, but shopping seasonally can reduce these costs. With a quick online search, you can find charts to identify fruits and vegetables that are in season in your area. If they are on sale, pick up a few extra pieces that aren’t ripe and store them for later use. Visit the USDA’s website for a list of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
We provide families with healthy, family-size recipes, tips and research updates. To learn more about the Rainbow In My Tummy® program contact info@vernerearlylearning.org.
Menu planning is key to saving money on your grocery budget. When you plan a menu, you can enter the store with a specific grocery list to avoid those extra items from falling into your cart. Take a look at a Sample Menu.
Go Meatless one or two days a week. Use alternative proteins such as beans or eggs for your main dish. Both beans and eggs are packed with protein and are much cheaper than meat. Try black beans and rice, egg salad or bean based stews. Our White Bean and Spinach Stew recipe is hearty, delicious and easy on your wallet.
Buy bulk items that have a long shelf life such as sugar, flour, rice and dried or canned beans. You can even buy larger family sized packs of meat and freeze individual portions. Having these staples on hand will make it easier to put together a meal instead of ordering take out.
Shop In Season. Fresh fruits and vegetables are often slightly more expensive than their canned counterparts, but shopping seasonally can reduce these costs. With a quick online search, you can find charts to identify fruits and vegetables that are in season in your area. If they are on sale, pick up a few extra pieces that aren’t ripe and store them for later use. Visit the USDA’s website for a list of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
We provide families with healthy, family-size recipes, tips and research updates. To learn more about the Rainbow In My Tummy® program contact info@vernerearlylearning.org.