Healthy Snack Tips

Healthy Snack Tips

1. Keep junk food out of the house:

Your child won't clamor for cookies, candy bars or chips if you don't keep them on hand. Set a good example by choosing healthy snacks yourself.

2. Go for the grain:

Whole-grain foods — such as whole-grain pretzels or tortillas and high-fiber, whole-grain cereals — provide energy with some staying power.

3. Mix and match:

Serve baby carrots or other raw veggies with fat-free ranch dressing or hummus. Dip graham cracker sticks or fresh fruit in fat-free yogurt. Spread peanut butter on celery, apples or bananas.

4. Broaden the menu:

Offer out-of-the-usual fare, such as avocado, pineapple, cranberries, red or yellow peppers, or mangoes. Have kids choose a few foods and mix them together for a colorful snack.

5. Revisit breakfast:

Serve breakfast foods as healthy snacks for kids in the afternoon. Consider dried cereal mixed with dried fruit and nuts or microwaveable oatmeal made with low-fat milk and mixed with unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon.

6. Sweeten it up:

Healthy snacks for kids don't have to be bland. To satisfy your child's sweet tooth, offer lower fat puddings and frozen yogurt or frozen fruit bars. Make smoothies with milk, plain yogurt, and fresh or frozen fruit.

7. Have fun:

Use a cookie cutter to make shapes out of low-fat cheese slices, whole-grain bread or whole-grain tortillas. Make fruit kebabs or show your child how to eat diced fruit with chopsticks. Make a tower out of whole-grain crackers, spell words with pretzel sticks, or make funny faces on a plate using different types of fruit.

8. Promote independence:

Keep a selection of ready-to-eat veggies in the refrigerator. Leave fresh fruit in a bowl on the counter. Store low-sugar, whole-grain cereal, and fruit canned or packaged in its own juice in an easily accessible cabinet.

9. Don't be fooled by labeling gimmicks:

Foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free can still be high in calories and sodium. Likewise, foods touted as cholesterol-free can still be high in fat, saturated fat and sugar. Check nutrition labels to find out the whole story.

10. Designate a snacking zone:

Restrict snacking to certain areas, such as the kitchen, and avoid connecting eating with screen time. You'll save your child countless calories from mindless munching. If your child needs to snack on the go, offer a banana, string cheese, yogurt sticks, cereal bars, carrot sticks or other drip-free items.

Teaching your child to make healthy snack choices now will help set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating. Start today!

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Athulya 06:10  No comment

School-Age Health Tips For Children

School-Age Health Tips For Children

Suggestions:

• Children need a variety of different foods each day.
• Snacks are an important part of a healthy diet for active children.
• Make snacks nutritious, not just high in energy.
• Plan to share meals as a family.
• Enjoy talking and sharing the day’s happenings at mealtimes.
• Let children tell you when they’re full.
• Give your child lunch to take from home.
• Let children help with food preparation and meal planning.
• Encourage physical activities for the whole family.
• Encourage children to drink plain water.

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Athulya 05:48  No comment

Health Lifestyle For Kids

Health Lifestyle For Kids

1. Food is Fun… Enjoy your food:
Sharing a meal with family and friends at home or at school is a great way to enjoy food. It is fun to see other people’s choice of food - what do your friends eat? Do you try different foods every day? Check out your lunch box or dinner plate. How many different kinds of fruit and vegetables can you spot?

2. Breakfast is a very important meal:
Just like cars, buses and trains cannot run without fuel, our bodies need energy to work. Especially after a night’s sleep, energy levels are low. So, whether you are off to school, or out and about at the weekend, start the day with breakfast. Plenty of carbohydrates is just the ticket: try cereal with milk, fruit or yoghurt, toast or bread, perhaps with lean meats.

3. Eat lots of different foods every day, variety is the recipe for health:
You need over 40 different nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) every day for good health. Since there is no single food that contains them all, it is important to balance your daily choices. In fact there are no good or bad foods, so you do not need to miss out on the foods you enjoy. The best way to make sure you get the right balance is to eat a wide variety of foods each day.

4. Which group would you tip for the top? Base your food on carbohydrates:
About half the calories in your diet should come from carbohydrate foods, such as cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes and bread, so it is a good idea to include at least one of these at every meal. Try whole grain bread, pasta and other cereals to give you extra fibre. Have you tried baking your own bread? It’s good fun and smells wonderful!

5. Gimme five! Eat fruits and vegetables with each meal and as tasty snacks:
Fruits and vegetables are among the most important foods for giving us enough vitamins, minerals and fibre. We should all try to eat at least 5 servings a day. For example, a glass of fruit juice at breakfast, perhaps an apple and banana as snacks and two vegetables at meal times. Then you have already reached your total. How many different kinds can you spot in the supermarket? Why not try some new ones?

6. Fat facts. Too much fat is not good for your health:
Eating too many of those fatty foods (such as fried potatoes, fried meats and sausages, pies and pastries) might not be so good for your body. Also go easy on fat spreads such as butter and margarines. Although we need some fats to get all the nutrients we need, it is better for our health if we don’t eat too much of these foods and get knocked off balance. So, if you have a high-fat lunch, see if you can have a low-fat dinner at home.

7. Snack attack! Eat regularly and choose a variety of snacks:
Even if you eat regular meals during the day, there will still be times in between that you feel hungry, especially if you have been very physically active. Snacks can fill the gap, but should not be eaten in place of meals, only as an extra. There are lots of different snacks available. Your choice may be yoghurt, a handful of fresh or dried fruits, sticks of vegetables like carrots and celery, unsalted nuts or rice crackers, or perhaps a slice of fruit loaf or some bread with cheese. Occasionally, you may prefer crisps and other packet snacks, a chocolate bar, a piece of cake or biscuits. Whichever snack you enjoy, remember it is always good to include a variety of different types to keep things in balance.

8. Quench your thirst. Drink plenty of liquids:
Did you know that more than half of your weight is just water? So as well as giving your body all the food it needs each day to keep healthy, you need at least 5 glasses of liquids a day. It is particularly important if the weather is very hot or if you have done lots of exercise, to have plenty to drink. Usually – but not always – your body will tell you this, by making you feel thirsty. Plain water is great of course; you can try tap water or mineral water, plain or flavoured, sparkling or non-sparkling. Fruit juices, tea, soft drinks, milk and other drinks, can all be okay from time to time.

9. Care for those teeth! Brush your teeth at least twice a day:
Brush your teeth at least twice a day. Eating foods high in sugar or starches too often during the day can play a part in tooth decay. So don’t nibble foods and sip drinks all day long! Sugar-free chewing gum can help you keep your teeth healthy. However, the best way to keep a nice smile is to brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Also, after brushing your teeth at bedtime, don’t eat any food, or drink anything but water!

10. Get moving! Be active every day:
Just like a bike may become rusty if it is not used for some time, our muscles and bones need to be kept moving too. Activity is needed to keep your heart healthy and your bones strong. It can also be good fun. Try to include some form of activity every day: it may be just walking to school and running up the stairs. However, games like skipping and football at break times are good for giving the body a workout. Swimming is a particularly good sport for keeping you healthy.

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Athulya 05:31  No comment

Breakfast Idea

Breakfast Idea

The schoolchildren are more likely to eat breakfast if easy-to-prepare breakfast foods are readily available at home. Some quick suggestions include:

• whole-wheat or wholegrain breakfast cereals, such as wheat biscuits, muesli or bran cereals
• porridge, such as quick oats
• fresh fruits
• wholemeal or multigrain bread to toast
• muffins or crumpets
• toast toppings, such as baked beans, eggs, cheese or spreads
• fruit or plain yoghurts
• fresh fruit juices
• low-fat milk.

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Athulya 05:17  No comment