Nutrition+Nuggets

Healthy Schools NH  Healthy Eating & Active Living in New Hampshire Schools To provide busy parents with practical ways to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity for their children. . [|Nutrition Nuggets- January.pdf] [|Nutrition Nuggets- February.pdf] [|Nutrition Nuggets- March.pdf] [|Nutrition Nuggets- April.pdf] [|Nutrition Nuggets- May.pdf] Trying to fit more physical activity into your child’s life ? Help him get the recommended 60 minutes a day by making a game of keeping track. Each day, have him draw a picture of a place where he might play (a playground, a football field). For every 10 minutes of physical activity he does that day, he can add a sticker. Challenge him to have six stickers by bedtime. Post a map (world, U.S., or state) on a wall in your kitchen or hallway. Then, let your child pick a destination and put a pushpin in his start and finish points.

Each time he exercises for 20 minutes, he can move the pin an inch closer to his destination. When he “arrives,” hecan pick a new place to travel to. Have your youngster draw footprints in a path from one end of a poster board to another. Each footprint could represent an hour of play. Let him color in, date, and label the footprint with the activities he did that day (kickball, hula hoop). Can he color in a footprint for each day? Stick with fat-free milk Encourage your youngster to drink several glasses of milk a day—but keep it fat-free. Your child will get the calcium she needs but not the fat that she doesn’t. Consider these strategies: Buy only skim milk, and have her use it on cereal as well as for drinking. For variety, try other types of fat-free milk, such as rice or vanilla soy Remind your child to drink fat-free milk with her school lunch. Whether she buys lunch or takes her own, she can pick up milk in the cafeteria. Family screen time To get your youngster watching less TV, try cutting down on screen time for the whole family. Consider choosing a show or two to watch each day, and then leave the set off the rest of the time. Idea: When your show is over, use that as a signal to play outside or do something active inside.

DID YOU KNOW: Your child’s stomach is roughly the size of two of his fists. That image can give him (and you) an idea of how much food it takes to fill him up. Help him control portion sizes by serving smaller meals and healthy snacks that will satisfy his hunger but curb overeating. Water break Switching from soda and fruit juice to water is one of the biggest changes you can make to cut sugar from your child’s diet. Consider these strategies: Serve water—and water only—with dinner every night. You could put it in a pretty pitcher with ice cubes, and let your youngster be in charge of pouring. Make different “flavored” water each day. Fill a pitcher with water, and add fresh fruit or vegetables. Examples: cucumber or orange slices, strawberries, raspberries. Kids who like soda may have an easier time drinking water with “bubbles.” Get sparkling water (no sugar added) in your child’s favorite flavor, such as cherry or lemon-lime. Tip: If your youngster complains that she doesn’t like water, pick a time you know she is thirsty and ask her to drink three sips. Once she has a little, she just might keep going.

Outdoor games
Encourage your youngsters to be active this summer with fun games like these. __**Balloon ball:**__ Blow up a balloon, and make  a “net” from a jump rope or shaving cream on the ground. The object is to bat the balloon back and forth—if you let it drop, the other person (or team) scores a point. The twist? For each game, name a different body part (arms, knees, elbows) to use in hitting the balloon. __**Land, sea, air:**__ Listen closely, and jump the right way! Mark a line with chalk, and have players stand on it. Then, a “caller” yells “land” (jump backward), “sea” (jump forward), or “air” (jump straight up). Jump the wrong way, and you’re out.

Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated 128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 540-636-4280 • rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com [|www.rfeonline.com] Nutrition Nuggets™ is reviewed by a registered dietitian. Consult a physician before beginning any major change in diet or exercise