Food and Fitness for a Healthy Child

Healthy shopping
When you go to the
Snack attack
grocery store, shop the Im starving! When your
perimeter first. The outside aisles child bursts through the door
are where youll usually find fresh after school or activities, shes
produce, healthy dairy products probably hungry. Try these tips
(milk, yogurt, and cheese), and fresh for healthy snacks that will
meats, chicken, and fish. Fill your give her the energy she needs
cart mostly with those items, and to play and do homework.
then get what you need from the
middle of the store. Stock the kitchen
Whatever is in the house is
Kangaroo hop what your youngster will eatso
Try this fitness shop with that in mind. Get interesting
idea from Down fruits and vegetables in different colors.
Under. Have Buy mango or peach salsa, and let your
your children child dip in veggie sticks (carrot, celery,
hop like kanga- jicama). Stock popcorn to air pop (rather and vegetables (sliced mushrooms,
roos by jumping with both feet and than getting less healthy microwave pop- chopped onions), then bake until the
holding their hands in front of their corn). Then, offer her choices. Shell cheese melts.
chests. They can race each other by have a say in what she eats, but shell be
hopping from one end of a room (or
Build your own
choosing only from healthy foods.
Let your youngster get creative in the
yard) to the other. Or they could take
turns being the leader and play Fol- Have a mini-meal kitchen, and shell be likely to eat the
Breakfast or lunch foods can make results. She can make kebabs by thread-
low the Kangaroo.
a good snack. You could serve oatmeal ing fruit (grapes, melon chunks) and
with bananas and cinnamon or tuck cheese cubes onto toothpicks. Put out
Research shows that stu- scrambled eggs into a pita pocket. Or try cookie cutters for her to cut sandwiches
dents who skip breakfast individual pizzas on whole-wheat English into fun shapes. Or she could spread
have shorter attention spans and muffins. Top each half with a little tomato cream cheese on rice cakes or apple
dont do as well on tests. Make sure sauce, shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese, slices and decorate them with raisins
your youngster gets up in time to or dried cranberries.
have a nutritious breakfast either at
home or at school. Tip: If shes having
Feeling good about sports
trouble waking up early enough, Participating in sports can build your youngster upor
move her bedtime back. drag him down. Make athletics a positive experience for
him with these strategies:
Just for fun Keep games in perspective. At this age, sports should be

Q: Whats about having fun and developing skills. Ask about his favor-
the worst ite part of practice or the most interesting play in the game,
thing about rather than focusing on his performance or the score.
being an Encourage your child to set goals but make sure the
octopus? goals are realistic. He might aim to touch the ball three times during a game or to
try a move that hes been working on.
A: Washing
Avoid comments about your youngsters size or body. Concentrate on the friends
your hands
he is making and the effort he is putting forth (I love how you tried to get the
before meals!
rebound).

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Nutrition Nuggets Page 2

Cafeteria plan 2. Discuss what he ate. What

does he like best? What
Why should your child buy school does he throw in the trash?
meals? Cafeteria meals are healthier You might suggest that he
than ever because of new national nutri- write to the cafeteria man-
tion standards. Plus, if he gets lunch at ager to tell her about his
school, you can knock pack lunch off favorite meals. He could
your to-do list! Consider these two also make recommendations
suggestions. for new foods to serve.
1. Go over the school menu together. He Note: If your youngster
could circle his favorite items and decide has food allergies, alert the cafeteria manager, as well as his
what he will put on his tray the next day. Talk up the teacher and the school nurse. Give each of them a list of foods
menu items. (The pork burrito sounds really good!) hes allergic to, possible reactions, and what to do if he acci-
If youre excited about the choices, he will share dentally eats one of them.
your excitement.

Q & A How much

juice? Exercise = fun
Q: My children love to drink juice. Should When children are
I try to limit how much of it they drink? young, exercise isnt
exercise its just plain fun! Here are
A: The short answer ideas for putting more physical activity into
is yes. While juice your youngsters day.
has nutrients, it also
has a lot of sugar. Superman
Believe it or not, Lie on your tummy with your arms straight out in front of you (as if youre
a 12-ounce glass flying). Lift your arms and legs off the ground at the same time, and hold for five
of apple juice seconds. Put your arms and legs back down. Fly 10 more times.
can contain 10 Bubble jumping jacks
teaspoons of Have your child do jumping jacks as you blow bubbles toward her. How many
sugarthe same bubbles can she pop as she jumps? Switch, and let her blow the bubbles as you do
as in a can of jumping jacks.
colaand a glass
of grape juice can Freeze dance
have 15 teaspoons of sugar. Encourage Play music, and dance up a storm. When you stop the music, everyone freezes.
your children to eat fruit rather than Hold your poses for 10 seconds, and start the music back up.
drink juice. They will consume fiber
along with more nutrients.
If your kids do have juice, try to
limit it to a glass a day. Choose varieties
Rice bowls vegetables like corn, peas, and carrots,
For a quick and and low-sodium teriyaki sauce
marked 100 percent juice, and stay away
healthy meal, borrow this idea from Taco: Ground beef (browned and
from those labeled fruit drink or fruit
Asian cuisine. Cook brown rice, divide drained), canned kidney beans
cocktail. The best bets are orange or
it into bowls for each person, and add (drained and rinsed), shredded ched-
grapefruit juice since they have more
toppings. dar cheese, and salsa
natural vitamin C and less sugar.
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, chopped Note: One-half cup of brown rice
O U R P U R P O S E tomatoes, diced green bell peppers, provides one serving of whole grains
To provide busy parents with practical ways to promote and shredded Monterey
healthy nutrition and physical activity for their children.
(three servings a day are
Resources for Educators,
Jack cheese recommended). Also, rice
a division of CCH Incorporated
Chicken: Cubed, is gluten-free, so its a
128 N. Royal Avenue Front Royal, VA 22630
800-394-5052 rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com cooked chicken (use great choice for children
www.rfeonline.com
last nights leftovers), with celiac disease or
Nutrition Nuggets is reviewed by a registered dietitian. Consult a
physician before beginning any major change in diet or exercise. microwaved frozen wheat allergies.
ISSN 1935-4630
2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated