Healthy Habits

Share regular meals and snacks together

Children who eat meals with their family tend to:

1. Eat more fruit and vegetables and less junk foods
2. Do better in school
3. Have a lower chance of abusing substances
4. Have a lower chance of using unhealthy weight control practices

You can keep meals simple, yet still nutritious and interesting, by sticking to nutrition basics. Offer your kids a variety of great tasting foods from the major food groups for any meal or snack. Cook on weekends and double a favorite recipe, enjoying one meal now and freezing the other to enjoy some evening when you’re too tired to cook. Soups and casseroles are especially good to freeze.

Make family meals a special time to eat and talk together

When you cook and serve meals at home, you have more control over the quality and quantity of your family’s food choices. Kids tend to mimic their parents’ attitudes about foods.

Children won’t perceive healthy eating as important if it is not something that they see you doing. Eat and serve sensible portion sizes. Be open to trying new foods and new ways of cooking foods.

Family meals should be dynamic - an exchange of ideas, conversation and feelings. Turn off the television, the video games and the computer. Mealtime is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen family ties and pass on family cultural traditions. Encourage your kids to help prepare meals, set the table and help with dishes.

Enjoy a delicious rainbow of fruits and veggies together

Fruits and vegetables look good, taste great and contain vitamins and minerals.

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is quick and easy. A serving is a medium-size piece of fruit; 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz.) of 100% fruit or vegetable juice, 1/2 cup cooked or canned vegetables or fruit, 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked dry peas or beans, or 1/4 cup dried fruit.

Fruits and vegetables are nature’s original fast food. When it’s snack time, grab:

• Fruit: an apple or orange, or a zip lock bag and fill with sweet cherries, grapes, dried dates, figs, prunes, raisins, or apricots
• Vegetables: carrot sticks, broccoli, or some red, yellow, and green pepper. Try dipping your vegetables in low-fat or non-fat salad dressing.

Not sure how to increase your fruit and vegetable intake? Start the day with 100% fruit or vegetable juice. Slice bananas or strawberries on top of your cereal. Have a salad with lunch, and an apple for an afternoon snack. Include a vegetable with dinner and you already have about 5 cups of fruits and vegetables.

Drink milk and water at your meals and snacks

Think about your drink. Encourage 3 servings of milk a day at meals for strong bones and muscles and limit juice to 1/2 a cup a day. Keep fun sports bottles full of water for in between meals and snacks to keep your whistle wet and your baby hydrated.

Turn off the TV and snuggle up and read together

Studies show that kids who watch the most TV have the most trouble at school. Most American children spend four times as much time watching TV as reading for pleasure. There is simply no replacement for the written word. Plan a weekly trip to the public library to stock up on books and teach your child the joys of reading.

Go to http://www.tvturnoff.org to learn more about ways to get your family to watch less TV.