Celebrate Kids Eat Right Month
| 2 min read
August is Kids Eat Right Month, founded by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to emphasize ways to help kids eat right and be more active.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 18% of children between the ages of 2-19 are considered obese. Learning to make healthy choices, when young, helps children set the tone for their adult lives.
Here are some ideas to help you get started promoting healthy choices for kids:
Nutrition
· Get kids in the kitchen: Ask kids to get involved in the kitchen from meal planning to food prep. Younger kids can wash fruits and veggies for meals and snacks, and older kids can help plan out healthy meals and snacks for the week.
· Go shopping: Make grocery shopping with the kids a fun adventure. Shift their attention from cartoon character treats to rainbow colors in the produce section.Ask the kids to find a new fruit or vegetable to try from each color in the rainbow.
· Make snack time an easy choice: Keep colorful fresh fruit readily available in a bowl on the counter. Also try keeping pre-cut veggie snacks in the fridge so the kids (along with mom and dad) have lots of quick and healthy options to choose from.
· Avoid using food as a form of punishment or rewards. Encourage kids to try new foods and keep the reaction positive. Even if the child doesn’t like the new food, congratulate them for trying it.
· Go shopping: Make grocery shopping with the kids a fun adventure. Shift their attention from cartoon character treats to rainbow colors in the produce section.Ask the kids to find a new fruit or vegetable to try from each color in the rainbow.
· Make snack time an easy choice: Keep colorful fresh fruit readily available in a bowl on the counter. Also try keeping pre-cut veggie snacks in the fridge so the kids (along with mom and dad) have lots of quick and healthy options to choose from.
· Avoid using food as a form of punishment or rewards. Encourage kids to try new foods and keep the reaction positive. Even if the child doesn’t like the new food, congratulate them for trying it.
Physical Activity
- Play together as a family: Avoid telling the kids to go play while you work on the computer or are watching the news, get the whole family involved! Shift the focus from winning to fun.
- Check out new places in town: Ride bikes to the park or take a family walk on the nearby trail.
- Encourage a limited amount of screen time: This will help increase physical activity and help kids flex their imagination.
Visit www.kidseatright.org to find recipes, nutrition information, tips, articles and much more to help you get started making changes.
Related:
Photo credit: JulieanneBirch
