Making healthy choices. Everyone seems busier these days, but that doesn't mean kids don't have time to make good food choices. We'll give them some ideas for a healthy breakfast or fast food meal.
Resources and Printables
Kids' Healthy Choices
From the time you wake up until you go to sleep, you make important decisions about the food you eat. This week, we will discuss those choices and the best ones to make from breakfast to a late night snack.
Breakfast. As you might have heard, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your body has gone all night without any food, so breakfast fuels you up to start the. If you don't eat, you may still feel run down and not at your best.
When choosing your breakfast, try to eat a variety of foods, including:
- Grains – breads, cereals, oatmeal. Try to eat whole grains or whole wheat bread. Choose cereals and oatmeal without a lot of sugar.
- Protein – meats, beans and nuts. Remember to try to eat lean protein such as eggs (preferably egg whites), turkey, Canadian bacon or turkey sausage.
- Fruits and vegetables – bananas, strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes.
- Milk, cheese and yogurt – skim milk, low-fat cheese and yogurt.
Eating out. It might be hard to convince mom or dad to cook at home every meal and it's fun to go out once in awhile. But when you do, try to make better choices, even if you are at a fast-food place that serves burgers. Think about these tips:
- Eat a grilled chicken sandwich, instead of a burger.
- If you get a burger, eat a single patty. Don't get the double or add cheese.
- Don't super size your meal. When you get the extra large order of fries, you add fat and calories to your meal. Stick to the regular size and if you get fries (instead of a fruit for instance), try to eat only half.
- Hold the mayo. Instead of mayonnaise or a special sauce, ask for mustard instead.
- Veggies, please. It's always a good idea to have some vegetables, even on a burger. Ask for lettuce, tomatoes and even onions. Try at least one of them. It's good for you.
- What to drink? A kid your age doesn't need a lot of regular sodas. They are full of sugar. Cut back on how many sodas you drink and instead drink water or low-fat milk like skim or 1 percent.
School lunches. The same rules that apply to eating out, apply to school. Try to make the better decisions when it comes to eating and drinking during school. Pack your lunch when you can. Talk to your parents about making sure you get some vegetables and lean protein in your lunch.
Snacks. Try to stay away from sports drinks and sweetened juices or beverages. Stick with water, one cup of skim or low-fat milk or one-fourth cup of 100-percent juice. Keep plenty of healthy food around (like fruits) for snacking. Other good ideas for snacks are:
- Low-fat cheese.
- Low-fat yogurt.
- Whole grain cereal – It's not only good for breakfast, but an easy snack too.
- Smoothies – We sent mom and dad the directions for making a delicious strawberry smoothie.
- Applesauce – We also sent a recipe for homemade applesauce..
These ideas should get you started eating healthier. Good food choices should help you feel better and want to become more active. Remember to find something you love to do like playing basketball, taking a long walk with your family or walking the dog. Whatever it is, try to do something active for at least an hour a day.
We're getting close to the end of the six weeks. How's your team doing?
Parents' Healthy Choices
Do you often feel there isn't enough time in the day? Each morning you have to get your kids ready for school, get yourself ready for work and make sure everyone is out the door on time. Then in the evening, there's dinner to be made, homework to be finished, plus baths and getting ready for bed.
Regardless of how busy the day may be, everyone needs to eat. On those hectic days, you probably don't have enough time to cook. That doesn't mean your child can't have a nutritious meal. Regardless of how crunched for time you may be, it's important to make room for a healthy meal.
Breakfast. You don't have to make a big fuss over breakfast for it to be nutritious for your child. You can make cold cereal, but follow some extra steps to make sure it's good for your little one. Choose a cereal low in sugar, use skim milk and add fruit like a banana or strawberries. You could also serve a low-fat yogurt with nuts (natural, no salt) and oatmeal low in sugar. It's a quick solution to the most important meal of the day. Your child will have energy for the day, be less hungry and be able to concentrate better at school.
Eating out. There's a reason it's known as fast food. But just because it's fast doesn't mean it can't be somewhat nutritious with a few simple choices.
Here's a list we recommended to your kids:
- Eat a grilled chicken sandwich, instead of a burger.
- If you decide to get a burger, eat a single patty. Don't get the double, or add cheese.
- Don't super size the meal. When you get the extra large order of fries, you add fats and calories to your meal. Stick to the regular size and if you get fries (instead of fruit for instance), try to eat only half.
- Hold the mayo. Instead of mayonnaise or a special sauce, ask for mustard.
- Veggies, please. It's always a good idea to have some vegetables, even on a burger. Ask for lettuce, tomatoes and even onions. Or at least try one. It's good for you.
- What to drink? A kid doesn't need to have a lot of regular sodas. They are full of sugar. Cut back on how many sodas you drink and instead drink water or low-fat milk like skim or 1 percent.
School lunches. The same rules that apply to eating out, apply to school. Help your kids make better decisions when it comes to eating and drinking during school. And you might want to pack your child's lunch when you can. Pack a healthy meal once or twice a week to make sure your child has some vegetables and lean protein during the week.
What to drink. Try to stay away from sports drinks and sweetened juices or beverages. Stick with water, one cup of skim or milk or one-fourth cup of 100-percent juice.
Snacks. "A general rule of thumb for meal planning is that a meal is usually three to four food groups and a healthy beverage," said Theresa Nash, director of Clinical Nutrition at Cook Children's. "A snack should be one to two food groups with or without a healthy beverage.
Keep plenty of healthy food around like fruits for snacks. Other good ideas for snacks are:
- Low-fat cheese.
- Low-fat yogurt.
- Whole grain cereal – it's not only good for breakfast, but an easy snack too.
- Smoothies – make a smoothie with your child for a quick, fun breakfast treat. Here's a recipe:
- Ingredients:
½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup strawberries
2 ice cubes
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Serves one.
- Nutritional facts:
102 calories, 3 grams protein, 1.6 grams fat, 30 milligrams calcium.
- Applesauce – Here's a recipe for applesauce:
- Ingredients:
2 small red apples
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon sugar
2 pinches cinnamon
- Directions:
Peel the apples and cut into small pieces. Put apple pieces and lemon juice into a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Pour mixture into two bowls and stir in sugar and cinnamon. Serves two.
- Nutritional facts:
84 calories, 22 grams carbohydrates, 14 milligrams calcium, 0 grams fat
Healthy eating should make it easier for your child to get moving. Try to go out and move with them. Make it a family event.
Leaders' Healthy Choices
This week's topic is on making healthy choices all day long, with focuses on breakfast, eating out and snacking.
Breakfast. It's been said many times that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and for good reason. After sleeping through the night, breakfast is what gets a kid revved up for the day.
Breakfast also helps kids maintain a healthy weight because they are less likely to snack all day. It helps kids focus more at school and eat healthier throughout the day.
Eating out. We know that kids are going to eat out. But it's important to stress that they can still make healthy eating choices. In their booklet, we offered the following tips:
- Eat a grilled chicken sandwich at restaurants, instead of a burger.
- If you get a burger, eat a single patty. Don't get the double or add cheese.
- Don't super size your meal. When you get the extra large order of fries, you add fats and calories to your meal. Stick to the regular size and if you get fries (instead of a fruit for instance), try to eat only half.
- Hold the mayo. Instead of mayonnaise or a special sauce, ask for mustard.
- Veggies, please. It's always a good idea to have some vegetables, even on a burger. Ask for lettuce, tomatoes and even onions. Try at least one of them. It's good for you.
- What to drink? Kids don't need a lot of regular sodas. They are full of sugar. Cut back on how many sodas you drink and instead drink water or low-fat milk like skim or 1 percent.
School lunches. The same rules that apply to eating out, apply to school. Try to make the best decisions when it comes to eating and drinking during school. We asked the kids about making sure they get some vegetables and lean protein.
Snacks. Try to stay away from sports drinks and sweetened juices or beverages. Stick with water, one cup of skim or low-fat milk or one-fourth cup of 100-percent juice. Keep plenty of healthy food around like fruits for snacking. Other good ideas for snacks are:
- Low-fat cheese.
- Low-fat yogurt.
- Whole grain cereal – it's not only good for breakfast, but an easy snack too.
- Smoothies – we sent mom and dad the directions on making a delicious strawberry smoothie.
- Applesauce – we also sent a recipe for homemade applesauce.
We stress to the kids that the good food choices help them to become more active. You might also stress how it helps them to burn energy and maintain a healthy weight. The goal is to have 60 minutes of activity each day.
Checkup Challenge checklist
Day 1
- Discuss healthy eating and how you can eat healthy throughout the week, including breakfast, lunch and snacks.
Day 2
Talk to the kids about healthy breakfast choices. They should try to eat a variety of foods, including:
- Grains – breads, cereals, oatmeal. Try to eat whole grain or whole wheat bread and cereals and oatmeal without a lot of added sugar.
- Protein – meats, beans and nuts. Try to eat lean protein such as eggs (preferably egg whites), Canadian bacon or turkey sausage.
- Fruits and vegetables – bananas, strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes.
- Milk, cheese and yogurt – skim milk, low-fat cheese and yogurt.
Day 3
We're getting close to the end of the six weeks. How are the team competitions going?
- Focus on eating out and how the kids can still eat healthy at a restaurant.
- Talk to the kids about the decisions they make when they go to a fast-food restaurant. Ask them some of their favorite places to go and find the fat and calorie content on that restaurant's Web site.
Day 4
- Ask the kids how they have been eating during the week.
- Ask them if they have had breakfast throughout the week and focus on the importance of eating breakfast.
Day 5
- Discuss the importance of eating breakfast during the week.
- Ask them to be prepared to report what they ate if they went to a restaurant over the weekend.
