PARENTING TIPS

A Well-Balanced Meal: Fighting Childhood Obesity

When the mont with it warmer spring weather and new beginnings, making it the perfect time to begin a healthier and more active lifestyle. Making good food choices helps the entire family stay healthy and is especially important to help children develop strong bones and muscles.

At the most schools, the teachers may integrate nutrition into daily activities to help children learn to make good food choices, as well as learn how food helps keep their bodies healthy and strong. Students learn to identify nutritious foods as part of the Balanced Learning® curriculum, practice healthy habits and life skills during the regular school day, and even grow their own fruits and vegetables in an on site garden.

Teachers find that integrating health, nutrition, and physical activity into daily experiences and routines helps to promote health and well-being as a way of life. Here are a few tips to help you and your family set the early foundations for a lifetime of healthy choices:

• Make mealtime family time and set a good example. Turn off the television and try to eat at least one meal a day together as a family. Children tend to eat more fruits, vegetables, and dairy when they watch adults and older siblings do the same at shared meals.
• Get the family involved in meal planning and preparation. Set guidelines for healthy meals and ask each family member to select a meal for the week by leafing through magazines, recipe books, or browsing online for healthy meal options. Grocery shop together as family and point out healthy foods as you go.
• Make healthy foods readily available. Keep healthy snacks—fruit, whole-grain crackers, vegetable sticks, cheese, etc.—at eye-level in the pantry and refrigerator. Store these items in a variety of locations such as the car, in backpacks and purses, etc. so they are readily available when needed.
• Incorporate fruits and vegetables into favorite family recipes. Chop fruit and vegetables and add them to family favorites such as pizza, pasta sauce, lean hamburger, etc. for a quick and easy way to increase your family’s fruit and vegetable intake.
• Eat a variety of colors at each meal. Incorporating colorful fruits, vegetables, and low fat cheeses into meals with more neutral-colored proteins and starches is a simple way to ensure a balance of vitamins and nutrients at every meal.
• Balance good food choices with an active lifestyle. Encourage everyone in the family to be active, whether it means playing outside, being involved in sports, joining a gym, etc. Balancing healthy eating with physical activity helps each family member maintain optimum health.