 |
|
|
Active Living
Active living is a total lifestyle that contributes to your health and helps you get more out of life. This section offers resources for healthy eating and other lifestyle choices that help you make wise decisions for yourself and your family.
Below are a few ideas. We will try to update the list as much as possible with new ideas to bring fitness and nutrition into the life of you and your family!
|
Healthy Family Home
Want your house to be a home of activity and fun for the entire family? Then click on the following link to download the Healthy Family Home document, and print your copy today. It will help get you on your way to a happy & fit family!
Healthy Family Home Starter Kit
|
Grocery Cart Rembrandt
The next time you need to put together a shopping list, try to leave yourself a little extra time. By avoiding slapping the list together at the last minute, you'll be able to get your kid into the act in a creative way- and make the trip itself a lot more entertaining.
Instead of jotting down the items yourself, give your child a big piece of paper and something to scribble with. Now tell your child each item you'll need from the store, and help him or her write, or draw the item. You can even cut out pictures from a magazine if you'd like/
Drawing is especially fun, and will provide you with a little fun as you work from your rather unconventional list at the store.
Don't be concerned about those quizzical looks from your fellow shoppers. You've got a grocery list with a difference.
|
Eat Right
Getting kids to eat right is an age-old problem. Now it's more important than ever- many pediatricians tell us that early childhood diet can have a dramatic affect on health later in life.
To teach your kids about nutrition, make a game of it. Begin by constructing a food chart that shows the four food groups, or "Basic Four": Protein/Dairy, Vegetable/Fruit, and Bread/Grains, Cereals. Cut out pictures of various members of the groups and affix them to a large sheet of posterboard. Explain that to be healthy, we need foods from all of the groups.
Another way of teaching the groups is to take a large sheet of cardboard or posterboard and divide it into four quadrants, one for each food group. Cut up pictures of different foods and tape them to index cards. Make a stack, and have your child place the cards in their proper food group.
Once your kids know the Basic Four, have them categorize everything you're having for dinner. How's your diet?
|
Apples: The Presidential Fruit
The story of George Washington and the cherry tree probably isn't true. But it is known that one of our first president's favorite hobbies was pruning his apple trees. On Presidents Day, let's take a closer look at apples.
On average, people eat about 19 pounds of fresh apples a year, or about one apple per week.
A medium-sized apple contains about 80 calories and is a good source of potassium and fiber. The fiber in apples is a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber, providing heart health and colon cancer prevention benefits at the same time.
Try apples in salads and desserts or as toppings for meat, fish and chicken. Cut them up and enjoy them as a snack.
Eating apples may not make you president, but your body will be singing "Hail to the Chief!"
|
If you serve it, they will eat
If you're served a portion of food that looks much too large, do you eat all of it anyway? A new research study says that's what children are doing.
The study, published in a recent issue of the University of California Wellness Letter, reported that when children ages 3 to 5 were served double the size of a standard lunch entrée, they ate 25 percent more food than when they were served a "normal" portion. In addition, the children did not compensate by eating less of other foods served at the same meal.
Researchers also reported that when the children were allowed to serve themselves, the amount of food they ate was closer to a typical serving size.
This study is a good example of how portion sizes can affect the health of children. Overeating leads to excess calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars. This approach to eating can lead to excess weight gain and increase diet-related health risks.
|
Involve Your Kids in the Kitchen
Getting your kids to eat vegetables or to like whole grains is easier if you include your kids in planning and preparing meals.
Involving children in the full meal process, from shopping to setting the table, helps them feel good about themselves and learn about important nutrients and foods at the same time.
Educate your kids about nutrients in foods at the grocery store, encourage them to suggest meal ideas and include them in mealtime preparations: start with stirring, pouring, tearing lettuce, breaking eggs. Children's kitchen involvement can increase as they get older.
Teach your kids to wash their hands before, during and after meal preparation and to be sure counters and utensils are cleaned after each use. Teaching your children healthy eating habits and kitchen techniques can help develop long-term healthy eating patterns.
|
Make Breakfast an Essential Part of Your Morning Routine
For children and teens, a morning meal is especially important. Breakfast prepares children to meet the challenges of learning. Breakfast eaters have higher school attendance, less tardiness and fewer hunger-induced stomachaches in the morning. They concentrate better, solve problems more easily and have better muscle coordination. Kids who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, too.
Make breakfast fun by planning it with your child. If your child doesn't like traditional breakfast foods, don't worry; breakfast can be any food they like, even a slice of pizza.
Short on time? Keep quick-to-fix foods on hand or get breakfast foods ready the night before, such as mixing a pitcher of juice.
If kids use the excuse of not being hungry, start them out with a light bite - perhaps juice or toast. Send with them a nutritious mid-morning snack like yogurt, cheese or a bagel.
|
Fiber: Make It Count for Kids
Consuming adequate amounts of fiber is important to everyone's health. When it comes to children, how much fiber is enough?
Following are fiber recommendations per day according to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).- Children 1 to 3 years, 19 grams a day
- Children 4 to 6 years, 25 grams a day
- Boys 9 to 13 years, 31 grams a day
- Girls 9 to 13 years, 26 grams a day.
For young children, good fiber choices include fruits and vegetables along with whole-grain cereals. As children get older, add beans, nuts and more whole grains to their eating plans.
Introducing your children to fiber at an early age will help lay the groundwork for their lifelong healthy eating habits.
|
|
