Feature Article
Back-to-School Nutrition
August is back-to-school nutrition month! During the summer kids generally have less structure in their daily schedules and this can carry over to their eating patterns.
Sugary snacks and beverages, and high-fat and fried foods are just a few summer favorites. A healthy diet is essential when it comes to learning and performing well in school. Therefore, teaching kids to make healthy food choices and helping them get back on a healthy eating plan is an important back-to-school regime.
How can we get kids to eat a healthy diet?
To get kids interested and on track for a healthy diet, foods need to be made
more fun and less of a chore. When kids are involved in the selection and preparation
of foods, they will be more likely to try them. However, getting kids involved
and enthused about food can be time consuming. Below are several tips to help
get kids excited about healthy foods while staying within a time budget.
Let the kids choose
Allow kids to pick out one or two new foods in the fruits and veggies section of the grocery store. If kids are allowed to choose their food, they will be more apt to try it. This works for all meals and can be very beneficial when it comes to packing lunches or preparing snacks. Also, involve kids in preparing lunches the night before and help stimulate anticipation for the meal.
Grow your own fruits and veggies
If only in a small pot, growing a food from scratch can be a great way to get kids interested in healthy foods. When kids are allowed to nurture and water a plant, they become familiar with it and will be more accepting of what it produces.
Encourage new foods
New foods can be a challenge. It can take up to 15 exposures to the same food before a child will actually eat it. This can be a long process and should not be rushed. Encourage kids to try something new by adding new foods to the foods they already love. Add a new veggie to their pizza, pasta, or sandwich. Mix a new fruit into a smoothie or have it ready for them to add to the top of cereal.
Build breakfast on the weekend
Trying to get the kids fed, out the door, and you to work in the morning can be overwhelming and leave little time for proper nutrition. Preparing breakfast meals that can be frozen or kept from perishing over the week is a great way to involve the kids and cut down on the time spent preparing foods in the morning. Try making healthy breakfast burritos or breakfast sandwiches over the weekend. These freeze well, taste great, and can be easily reheated when needed.
Most important . . . be a role model!
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains yourself. Kids love to follow by example!
Shannon Strasser, RD, CPT, is the owner of Summit Nutrition LLC (www.summitnutrition.us), which provides nutrition therapy for eating disorders, weight management, wellness/prevention, as well as many other nutritional needs. Her main focus is working with men and women who struggle with disordered eating, eating disorders, emotional eating, and body image issues. She can be reached at 303-949-9735 .