How Parents Can Help Kids Eat Healthy
I am always looking for ways to better my son’s and even my healthy eating habits. The importance I feel is teaching them from a very early age. This is great article I found MSN Health, How To Get Kids To Eat Healthy.
In that respect, parents have more help from school cafeterias than ever before.
A recent report produced by the School Nutrition Association, a lobbying and membership organization of 55,000 food-service directors, caterers and manufacturers, found that more schools offer healthy options.
In a survey of 1,200 food-service directors, nearly 60% reported that they currently provide or are considering offering local fruits and vegetables. Since 2007, vegetarian options have increased by 12%, and low-fat prepared and packaged foods have increased by 11.5%. More than 90% of those surveyed said their schools provided whole grain items and salad bars or pre-packaged salads.
Top Tips
- Respect Likes and Dislikes
- Appeal to Their Interests
- Talk About Nutrition
- Be Mindful of Hidden Calories
The shift partly has to do with changing student demand and local and state wellness initiatives. This fall, Congress will also determine whether or not to increase funding and institute national guidelines for the Child Nutrition Act, which is renewed every five years and spends $12 billion annually to feed breakfast and lunch to 31 million schoolchildren.
Cathy Schuchart, staff vice president for the SNA’s Child Nutrition and Policy Center, says that more uniform guidelines will help food manufacturers, who often try to accommodate different local and state regulations by making several versions of the same product, become more efficient. Extra cost-savings, says Schuchart, will allow providers to focus on incorporating higher quality but more expensive items like fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Though major strides have been made in providing more nutritious food to schoolchildren, more work remains. The NPD Group, a market research company, has found differences between what children ages 6 through 12 eat when their lunch is packed at home versus when it is bought at the cafeteria. Continue Reading
