The back-to-school bell will be sounding soon. As a parent, you want to help your child get off to a good start for the school year. The place to begin is here, where you can find a selection of healthy tips for boosting your pint-sized pupil’s physical and emotional well-being.
The obesity epidemic has influenced both the food industry and consumers to make changes in the hope of encouraging a healthier lifestyle. Bills are being introduced to remove vending machines from schools and to improve the nutritional balance of school lunch programs.
What is your family doing to ensure healthy eating habits for your kids? How can you be responsible? Or, do you want to be?
Consumer trends research has indicated that the average consumer feels that he or she is most responsible for ensuring a healthy diet and weight for him or herself. How can you in turn be responsible for the health, weight and well-being of your child? There are numerous ways. To begin, you can start with the basics and ask yourself these questions:
• Are you providing your child with three well-balanced meals per day at regular times?
• Are you aware of what they are eating, and how much, when they are at school?
Many parents may leave the responsibility up to their children. As a result of today’s mom being a working mom, and both parents leading busy lives, many admit that they have no idea what their children are eating while at school. Some children consume two out of three meals per day at school.
The school teaches nutrition education to your child, but it’s your job to lead him or her in the right direction with healthy eating decisions. You can begin your teaching habits by following such resources as the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and 5-A-Day. The Food Guide Pyramid can help you determine if your child is consuming all of the major food groups daily, receiving enough nutrients in his or her diet, and consuming adequate portions of foods. The 5-A-Day program encourages the consumption of five fruits or vegetables total per day. This program can be found by simply visiting your local supermarkets produce section. Labels and stickers will explain it all and provide you with healthy eating education while you’re shopping.
There are many other ways to initiate healthy eating habits. Here are some suggestions:
• Make meals fun and exciting. Kids will want to stay at the dinner table longer and enjoy their mealtime.
• Bring your child grocery shopping with you. Pick and choose foods to go in his/her lunch box together.
• Prepare for your weekly meals in advance. Don’t buy food at the last minute. You may end up just buying whatever is available, instead of stopping to think of what foods are healthy.
• Be patient with your child’s eating habits. Kids are picky. They may not want to try five new foods at once. However, they may be more willing to try one new food per week.
• Network with the moms in the neighborhood on their meal selections. Find out what they are feeding their children. You may grab some great ideas for your kid’s lunchbox!
• Keep track of new products available at your local supermarket. Numerous manufacturers have already begun to develop and deliver healthy products that are now available in your local grocery store.
• Keep your eyes open. There may be a product that both you and your children will enjoy!
• Pack healthy lunches.
Want to pack a school lunch that’s nourishing for your kids? Want to make sure your child actually eats it, instead of trading or trashing it? Use these guidelines to come up with winning fare:
• Avoid heavily processed snacks like cereal bars and chips. Sure, it may be convenient to pluck a package from the pantry, but these products are usually loaded with sugar, salt, and saturated or trans fats—and their nutritional value is sometimes negligible.
• Serve up natural goodness. Whole-grain breads and crackers, fresh fruit and vegetables, and cheese are all choice ingredients in a healthy lunch.
• Offer your child some fun with finger foods. Experiment with a variety of nutritious dips and spreads for her veggies and crackers like yogurt, salsa or hummus. Boil an egg that she can peel herself at lunchtime.
• Keep it petite. Little people enjoy little portions, and children tend to snack through the day, so consider substituting that double-decker hero sandwich for several smaller items.
• Skip the soda and sweetened juices. They’re hard on teeth and they take up tummy space, leaving less room for healthier drinks like milk.
• Consult with your kid. There’s no better way to ensure that he’ll eat his lunch than to get his input. Find out what his favorite snacks are, or offer him a couple of choices in the morning. At the end of the day, ask him what he liked best from his lunch bag.
• Parents who feel time pressured may be unwilling to trade in the quick car ride to school for a slow morning stroll. The solution may be to start a walking school bus. Walking to school, instead of driving, is not only good for the environment, but it’s a great way to promote physical activity in kids. It even promotes safety by easing traffic around the school.
What is a walking school bus? It’s a walking group, supervised by an adult (usually a parent), that collects neighborhood students at prearranged stops and times. It provides a safe way for kids to get to school on foot. Parents take turns leading the bus, freeing others up to commute to work or run errands.
Want to get one started? Talk to your school administration, parent council, or other parents in your neighborhood. Set up a meeting to make a plan, and do a walking tour as a group to figure out the best route.
Get your school involved. Suggest to your child’s teacher that she make a class rule which limits junk snacks and speak with the principal to increase the children’s physical activity.
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Laura Shammah is a nutrition counselor practicing in Brooklyn.
