- Vary your veggies. Go dark green and orange with your vegetables — eat spinach, broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes. *3
- In addition to being fun for children, regular physical activity has many health benefits including increasing self-esteem. *3
- Make half your grains whole. Choose whole-grain foods, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, and lowfat popcorn, more often. *3
- Help children avoid too much sedentary time. Although quiet time for reading and homework is fine, limit the time your children watch television, play video games, or surf the web. *2
- Eating fruits and vegetables is part of a healthy diet for both children and adults. Finding creative ways to encourage fruits and vegetables in your child’s diet can be fun for the entire family. *2
- There are more fruits and vegetables available in fresh, frozen, canned, and dried forms than ever before. Taking the time to introduce a variety of fruits and vegetables to kids can help develop a lifetime of healthy habits. *2
- Kids are turned off to trying new foods if the smell, flavor, or color is not appealing to them. It may be more appealing to a child if the fruits or vegetables are served raw. *2
- Try feeding different textures of fruits and vegetables to your child. Some children prefer smooth food, where as others like lumpy, and some children like crisp foods, but others like soft. *2
- Keep trying. For some foods, it may take multiple times before a child acquires a taste for it. *2
- Challenge family members to reach their daily fruits and vegetables goal. Reward the winner with a prize of his or her choice. *2
- Offer new fruits and vegetables in combination with old favorites to show your child a variety of smells, textures, and colors. *2
- Various vegetables can be added to any whole grain pasta dish or pizza, and fruit is a great topping for low-fat or fat-free yogurt. *2
- Ask that fruits and vegetables be offered at school functions, after school programs, and in vending machines. *2
- Make fruits and vegetables fun. Try dressing up sandwiches with faces and smiles made from fruits and vegetables. *2
- Set a good example. Snack on fruit and order low-sodium, low-fat salads, soups, or vegetable sides when at restaurants. *2
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