|
Back to School
with Healthy Habits
By Beth Cline
As the leaves begin to change and children trade the
playground for the classroom, excitement over their
back to school lists, pencils, notebook paper and
new erasers may provide an energizing charge. This
year, add a few new habits to help boost your
child’s back-to-school routines, like eating
healthier, attending an annual check up with your
family pediatrician and maintaining the summer
exercise level.
One of the best ways to ensure your child charges
confidently into the school year is to begin each
day with a healthy breakfast. Recent studies show as
many as 48% of girls and 32% of boys do not eat
breakfast every day. A nutritious breakfast helps
children stay full and focused until lunchtime.
Breakfast could consist of eggs, whole grain toast
and a piece of fruit. Lean meats and low sugar
cereals, like oatmeal, are also good choices. Avoid
offering sugary cereals, white flour pancakes with
syrup or white bread at breakfast. The high sugar
content leads children to be hungry again sooner,
and more likely to over eat at the next meal.
During the school year, lunchtime is often the
biggest obstacle in the way of a healthy lifestyle.
School cafeterias have recently begun to confront a
negative reputation for only offering foods like
pizza and french fries. Schools are actually
required to offer meals that meet with USDA
recommendations and strive to go above and beyond.
As such, many cafeterias are now offering salad bars
for children to create their own vegetable-rich
lunch.
“School lunches are planned with children in mind.
We offer our students a wide variety of whole
grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats,
so everyone can find something healthy,” said Serena
Suthers, Director of Food Services for Prince
William County Schools in Virginia. “Recent studies
have indicated that children actually eat healthier
when they buy a school lunch, as opposed to bringing
their lunch from home, because cafeterias can offer
a wider variety of nutrient-rich foods in a
temperature controlled environment.”
Some children, however, prefer to bring a lunch from
home. This can cause a big challenge to parents.
Here are tips for packing a healthy lunch:
• Always help children pack their lunches to ensure
they include more than cookies and candy.
• Make home-packed lunches fun by adding variety and
alternating sandwiches with healthy leftovers.
• Include foods from all five food groups. Satisfy a
child’s sweet tooth with a piece of fruit or graham
crackers.
• Invest in a good lunch bag and containers to help
keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold throughout
the morning.
With a healthy breakfast and nutritious lunch,
children may still need a small snack after school
before exercise or study time. Offer a few low-fat
cheese cubes, fresh cut veggies with a low-fat dip,
or simply an apple or handful of nuts. Then,
reinforce healthy eating all day long with a
balanced dinner.
Along with healthy eating, start the school year off
with a child’s annual check-up with the family
doctor. Use this appointment to make sure the child
is at a healthy weight and activity level, ask the
doctor pertinent health questions and update any
necessary shots. Once children are deemed healthy,
help them incorporate fitness into their
back-to-school habits.
While long summer days are filled with plenty of
swimming, running and all-around play, school days
tend to be less active. Be sure to schedule exercise
time along with after-school commitments like
scouts, piano lessons, and studying. Set a 30-60
minute black-out time where the computer, television
and video games are turned off. Use that time take
the dog for a walk, play a touch football game with
friends or simply run outside. As little as 30
minutes of physical activity a day helps keep
children physically fit.
For children looking for a physical challenge, try
signing them up for a local sports team. The fall
offers plenty of opportunities for soccer and
football teams through a local recreation center. Or
help children aim for a specific goal, like
completing the Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids
Fun Run on Saturday, October 28 at the DC Armory.
Registration is now available at
www.marinemarathon.com . Open to children ages
6-13, the one-mile fun run is not a timed event;
rather everyone is a winner just for participating.
The run begins at 8 a.m. with plenty of pre-race
warm ups and lots of great post-race fun at Camp
Miles featuring interactive challenges and games
focusing on health and fitness. The $7 entry fee
includes t-a shirt, participant’s ribbon and snacks
at the finish line. Get the whole family involved in
training and work on increasing the running distance
together. Regardless of what activity children
choose, make exercising a priority for the whole
family.
Back to school lists help children get a fresh start
on the school year. Take advantage of the clean
slate and start fresh with healthy habits.
Articles in the Healthy Kids Series are presented by
the Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids Fun Run to be
held on Saturday, October 28, 2006. The one-mile run
welcomes children ages 6-13. Registration is now
open at
www.marinemarathon.com . Beth Cline is the
Public Relations Coordinator for the Marine Corps
Marathon. No federal or Marine Corps endorsement
implied. |
