HEALTHY CHOICES FOR KIDS
Ice cream isn’t just a great reward for a physical activity or a game-winning home run; it’s a great way to reward your kids for a week of choosing healthy things to eat, like vegetables, fruit and lower-fat foods. Helping your kids form good eating habits is one of the best ways to encourage healthy physical development and lifelong physical health.
It starts in the morning with breakfast. Eating a good breakfast—including, for example, cereal, fruit, juice and milk—kickstarts a kid’s metabolism in a way that helps his or her physical health and is even shown in some studies to help concentration and performance in school.
For kids who have busy schedules with school, sports and more, fast food is an all too easy option. Teach your kids the value of picking lower-fat alternatives when they go to fast food restaurants—like grilled sandwiches, baked potatoes instead of fries, and juice instead of sodas.
Here are some other valuable nutritional tips:
• People should intake only enough calories to maintain their height and build
• Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars
• Serve nonfat and low-fat dairy foods
• Serve fish regularly as an entrée
• Serve whole grain breads and cereals
• Serve a variety of fruits and vegetables daily