Healthful Eating For Your Family

Healthful eating is important to you. After all, you want your family to have energy, be healthy, and stay well. You want your child to grow properly. You control your family’s food choices more than you may think.

Guidelines … For Your Family’s Health!

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans can be your family’s guide to smart eating and active living. This advice is meant for anyone in your family, ages two and over.

Aim for Fitness …

• Aim for a healthy weight.
• Be physically active each day.

Build a Healthy Base …

• Let the Pyramid guide your food choices.
• Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains.
• Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.
• Keep food safe to eat.

Choose Sensibly …

• Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat.
• Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars.
• Choose and prepare foods with less salt.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. (This guideline is for adults in your family – not for kids.)

Make Healthy Choices

Eat smart and move more to take care of you. That helps you have energy and health to enjoy your family, too! For more easy ways to help your family eat smart and move more, check the It’s All About You web site. Click on the Owner’s Manual at http://ific.org/iaay Try this: Healthy choices that fit your lifestyle can help you do the things you want to do. Here are some easy steps you can take. Add your own ideas!

Be Realistic:

Make small changes over time in what you eat and in the level of activity you do. After all, small steps work better than giant leaps. You can:

• Add one more fruit or vegetable to family meals this week. Work up to five a day.

Your idea:

Be adventurous:

Expand your tastes to enjoy a variety of foods. You can:

• Let your child choose a new vegetable to taste.

Your idea:

Be flexible:

Go ahead and balance what you eat and the physical activity you do over several days. There’s no need to worry about just one meal or one day. You can:

• Have a burger, fries, and a shake for family lunch, then make soup and salad for supper.

Your idea:

Be sensible:

Enjoy all foods, just don’t overdo it. You can:

• Enjoy one ice cream scoop, not two.

Your idea:

Be active:

Walk the dog, don’t just watch the dog walk! You can:

• Take a brisk family walk after supper.

Your idea:

Nibbles for Health Nutrition Newsletter for Parents of Young Children, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service