APPENDIX C
PER MEAL MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM
PLANNING BREAKFASTS
BACKGROUND
School breakfasts provide a good start toward meeting a child’s daily nutritional needs of food energy, protein, vitamins, and
minerals. The breakfast meal pattern is a simple, easy-to-follow guide in three components.
Breakfast Meal Requirements
Components Minimum Required Quantities
Fruit or Vegetable
Fruit or Vegetable or Fruit Juice or Vegetable Juice 1/2 cup
Bread or Bread Alternate
One of the following combination to give an equivalent quantity 1 serving
ð A serving (1 slice) of whole grain or enriched bread
ð A serving of biscuits, rolls, muffins, etc., whole-grain or enriched
ð A serving (3/4 cup or 1 ounce, whichever is less) of whole-grain or enriched or
fortified cereal
Fluid Milk
As a beverage or on cereal or both 1/2 pint
Recommendations
To help meet children’s nutritional needs, breakfast should also contain as often as possible:
Meat or meat alternate - a 1 ounce serving (edible portion as served) of meat, poultry, or fish; or 1 ounce of cheese; or 1 egg; or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter; or an equivalent amount of any combination of these foods.
Also, plan to include:
ð Vitamin C foods frequently.
ð Foods for iron each day.
PLANNING GUIDELINES
Planning appetizing breakfast menus that students will enjoy requires originality and imagination. Try to plan breakfasts that consider students’ regional, cultural, and personal food preferences. Be sure to include well-liked and familiar foods. Offer “new” and less popular ones as choices at first until they have higher acceptability. Plan for contrast in texture, flavor, size, and shape of foods applying the principles of good menu planning. For example:
Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh, canned, frozen, and dried fruits can be used interchangeably. Try combining fruits with cereal for variety.
Bread and Bread Alternates
Bread offers many different menu ideas. Use a variety of hot breads, such as cornbread, and different kinds of muffins and biscuits. Or try breakfast rolls made with bulgur, rolled wheat or oats. Sandwiches (open-faced or closed), pancakes, waffles and french toast are often well accepted.
Cereals can give you a light or hearty breakfast and require little labor. You can serve cereals hot or use prepackaged preportioned dry cereals, including wheat, corn, rice and oats.
Meat and Meat Alternates
Use a variety of meat or meat alternates - eggs, sausage, canned meat, ground beef, ham, cheese, peanut butter, fish or poultry. Alternate egg dishes with other main dishes. Serve the egg alone or in combination with different meats or cheese. Look for variety in preparing eggs - scrambled, hard-cooked, soft-cooked, poached or in omelets or french toast.
Keep in mind the age groups you are serving. The way food is served to young children will affect whether or not it is eaten. For instance, it may be necessary to serve hard-cooked eggs peeled and cut in halves, whereas with older residents hard-cooked eggs can be served in the shell. With younger residents, serve finger sandwiches, apple wedges, sectioned oranges and grapefruits, and meat cut into bite-sized pieces. Serve small portions or additional foods. Untraditional foods at breakfast may make breakfast more appealing. Since appetites may vary greatly among residents, you may wish to consider two different breakfast menus - a “Hearty Breakfast” and a lighter “Eye Opener”. For example:
BREAKFAST SAMPLE MENUS
SCHOOL LUNCH PATTERNS
FOR VARIOUS AGE/GRADE GROUPS
