Tips for Parents

                                                                

                                                          View the "Healthy Active Kids" tip sheet

 

How can you help your child eat more healthfully?

Parents play several roles in helping their children establish healthy behaviors. By being an active member of the team of people your child interacts with everyday, you can help to promote and encourage healthy eating habits that will carry them into adulthood.

  1. Provide a supportive eating environment and ensure regular, healthy meals and snacks, and when possible, eat meals as a family.

  2. Keep the kitchen stocked with healthy grab-and-go snacks for your children to get themselves.

  3. Practice healthy eating behaviors yourself and promote a healthy body image.

  4. Try new foods and encourage your children to do the same.

  5. Plan ahead! Create a grocery list each week based off a weekly menu for your family and stick to it. This way you are prepared to cook dinner with the proper ingredients. Let your kids be involved with the planning so that they have some say in what you prepare.

  6. Let your kids help with food preparation. Not only does it take the load off you, but it's a good time to bond as a family and teach your children about nutrition and cooking.

  7. Don't maintain a clean-plate policy. Clean-plate policies only reinforce the idea that we should eat even when we aren't hungry.

  8. Don't label foods as 'bad foods'. Moderation, variety and balance are the messages you should be giving to your kids.

  9. Don't use food as a reward or punishment. 

Don't force your children to eat foods they hate, though you should continue to offer these foods and put them on your children's plates. It often takes 10 or more exposures to a new food before kids will try it.

 

 

How to Make Fast Food Friendlier

From the American Heart Association

Feeding your children nutritious meals between all your daily activities can be a challenge. While you zoom back and forth between soccer practice, the dance recital, the PTA meeting and picking up the dry cleaning, you’re lucky to find time to grab a meal at the drive-thru. If you must eat on the go, here are some tips to make fast food healthier for you and your family members:

  • Pass on the “value-size.” When you supersize, the size of your fries isn’t the only thing that gets bigger.

  • Skip the sides. Eating a burger or sandwich by itself is often filling enough. If you do want a side, consider ordering a fruit cup or side salad. Most fast food restaurants now offer them.

  • Avoid double meat and bacon. A serving size of meat is 2-3 ounces — about the size of a deck of cards. You’re probably getting well over that with a single meat patty. Bacon is high in calories and fat with little nutrient content.

  • Try the grilled chicken sandwich. Poultry without skin is significantly leaner than the meats most fast-food companies use in their burgers.

  • Eat your sandwich open-faced. By eating only half the bun, you can eliminate unnecessary calories.

  • Try asking for a wheat bun. Some places offer a wheat alternative, some don’t. It never hurts to ask.

  • Skip the mayo and other calorie-laden dressings and sauces.

Drink water, diet soda or low-fat milk. Sodas are loaded with sugars, which have calories you don’t need.

How can you help your child be more physically active?

Parents play several roles in helping their children establish healthy behaviors. By being an active member of the team of people your child interacts with everyday, you can help to promote and encourage physical activity behaviors that they will carry with them for a lifetime.

  1. Encourage your children to explore the outdoors. We know that kids who spend more time outside are also more active.

  2. Provide safe outdoor play areas for your children.

  3. Make active toys and games available to your children so they can play indoors.

  4. Limit television, computer, and videogame time to less than 2 hours a day.

  5. Set aside a specific period each day in which kids are active. This could be by participating in after school events, going to the playground or playing an active game at home.

  6. Create ways for your child to be active and helpful at home: dusting furniture, picking up toys, raking leaves, gardening, walking the dog.

  7. Be a role model: Offer to play with the kids after school. Throw a ball. Go running together.  Also exercise regularly yourself – and talk about that activity with your children.

  8. Walk or bike to school with your child

  9. Take hikes in local parks and walking tours through cities. 

Lobby your city for more sidewalks and bike paths.

 

Food for Thought Concerning In-School Birthday Celebrations:

 

Our school KHZ committee has been discussing ways in which parents can have a positive effect on our children’s nutrition and eating habits while they are in school.  Several parents suggested that parents who wish to send in a birthday treat consider options that are lower in sugar and fat, or consider non-food options.  Here are some suggestions:

 

  • Mini cupcakes instead of large ones

  • Use less frosting or replace it with powdered sugar or sprinkles

  • Brownies baked in mini-cupcake pans…..you get cute, small, round individual brownies

  • Apple, carrot, banana, pumpkin, blueberry or other muffins instead of cupcakes

  • Cut up fruit and veggies with dip

  • Soft pretzels

  • Non-food treats, such as pencils, erasers, notebooks or small toys

  • Remember that lunches are prepared at home without knowledge of what is coming in as an extra treat.  Many parents pack a sweet, not knowing that extras might be sent in for a birthday.

Parents could ask the teacher to consider hosting a fun activity that doesn’t involve food such as reading a special book to students or playing a special game with students.

Healthy Recipes

Main Page for Healthy Living Committee Updates

Resources

EASD Staff