Healthy
Kids
Program
Healthy EATING
Choices
Eat a variety of foods
√ Mix it up! Eat foods from each food group every day.
√ Include at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
Don’t skip meals
√ Breakfast is important! Eat within a couple of hours of waking up.
√ When you are awake and active, be sure to eat every 3 to 4 hours.
Know your portions
√ Read the nutrition facts on the food label to see what the standard serving sizes are for the food you are eating.
5 Ways to Build
Healthy Habits
1
Wake up to the benefits of
a healthy and well-balanced
breakfast.
2
Move for 60 Minutes daily - fun
stuff counts too!
3 Drink milk! It’ll help build
strong bones and lower your
blood pressure.
4 Talk about your healthy eating
goals during meal time.
sure to eat 3 good meals
5 Make
a day to keep you going and
feeling great!
Most importantly... be active!
Be active and move your body every day - walking or even
playing with your friends counts. Try to stay active for at
least 60 minutes each day.
Daily Numbers
to remember
1 hour of physical activity
2 hours or less of screen
time (TV & computers)
3 good laughs with
friends
4 glasses of water
5 servings of fruits &
vegetables
Packing a
Healthy Lunch
√ Focus on fruits: pack yummy whole fruits for lunch.
√ Vary your veggies: try baby carrots or celery sticks for a quick snack.
√ Whole grains: make sure that at least half of your grains are whole.
√ Protein foods: go lean with protein to stay strong.
√ Dairy: pick calcium-rich foods.
√ Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Your plate
Dairy
Protein
Grain
Fruits and
Veggies
Easy ways to get the nutrients you need!
√ Harness the POWER of potassium! Potassium is essential for your
body’s growth. It helps maintain the normal function of the heart, kidneys,
muscles, and nervous system. Try a banana (450 mg of potassium),
a small orange (174 mg of potassium), or a sweet potato (950 mg of
potassium).
√ Did you know that soy and almond milk contain about the same amount
of calcium as a glass of milk? Monty’s favorite is chocolate almond milk!
√ Fresh fruits and vegetables have the most nutrients when eaten just
after picking. So while you’re helping out in the garden, grab a handful of
berries or cherry tomatoes for the most Vitamin C.
√ Tasty edamame beans provide fabulous fiber: 8 grams in a cup! Most
kids need 10-20 grams of fiber in a day.
√ FIN-tastic fact! A serving of rainbow trout or salmon provides over 600
mg of heart healthy oils. That’s about half of the recommended amount.
Eat Smart!
√ Enjoy a healthier pizza! Skip meat toppings; instead load up on veggies
like mushrooms and peppers. If you can, choose a whole-wheat crust
and pair your slice with a small side-salad for a filling and delicious meal.
√ Paint your plate healthy! Choose red (tomatoes), green (dark
lettuce), orange (sweet potatoes or carrots), pink (salmon), and purple
(blueberries).
√ Air-popped popcorn is a great snack—low in calories and a great
source of fiber (5 cups of popcorn contains 5 grams of fiber).
√ The average candy bar contains 30 grams of sugar, but the
recommended sugar intake for kids is 12 grams a day. Switch to a better
sweet! A cup of strawberries contains only 7g of sugar and is a naturally
sweet snack that also provides the fiber and vitamins your body needs.
Portions made easy!
√ Want a good visual for your daily serving of dairy? Your low-fat
cheese portion should be the size of three game dice.
√ No one should eat a golf ball, but you can have a golf ball-sized
serving of peanut butter each day!
√ Use your hands to estimate proper portions. Your thumb is about a
tablespoon and your fist is about a cup. Eat two fistfuls of fruit each
day as a tasty treat!
√ Protein provides essential nutrients for muscle growth. Eat a
serving of protein at least 2-3 times a day. A serving of protein
should be the size of your palm or a deck of cards.
Get moving year-round!
√ Winter exercise can be fun! 30 minutes of making snow angels or
building a snowman will burn 130 calories.
√ Get moving for at least 60 minutes a day. Take a walk with your
furry friend, stack wood, help your family with yard work, vacuum
your room, or shovel the walkway. Try to keep TV, video games,
internet surfing, and computer time to no more than 1-2 hours a day.
√ Want strong bones? Get moving and eat your calcium! Physical
activity builds bone density and calcium helps achieve good bone
mass. Find calcium in dairy products, fortified cereals, and some
fruits and vegetables.
Know what you eat!
√ Read the label: beverages can have lots of sugar! Choose low-fat
milk or water over sugary drink options. Seltzer water mixed with a
small amount of juice can be a thirst quenching drink on a hot summer
day. Make ice cubes out of your favorite juice and fruit.
√ Although delicious, a large muffin could contain over 700 calories and
40 grams of fat! Share one with a friend instead.
√ Tacos are a great way to eat your vegetables. Load up your taco
with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, salsa, hot peppers, corn or any other
vegetables and get up to two vegetable servings. Olé!
√ Hummus is made from chickpeas. It is packed with protein, fiber,
vitamins and healthy oils. Enjoy it with raw vegetables, crackers or as a
sandwich spread.
“Yummy” Snack Time Tips!
√ Snack on yummy dried fruits such as apricots or raisins.
√ Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on 2 graham crackers and
add a sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich.
√ Spread delicious peanut butter on apple slices.
√ Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with a yummy lowfat vanilla yogurt.
Exercising is easier
than you think!
Have a relay race with your friends: Grab some cones, sporting
equipment, or anything that would make a good marker and
challenge your friends to a race in the backyard.
Minute to win it: Put your own spin on “Minute to win it” games.
See how many jumping jacks, pushups, or mountain climbers you
can do in one minute and then try and beat your best score each
time.
Tag, you’re it! What’s your favorite game of tag? Freeze tag? Blob
tag? Tunnel Tag? Take turns picking your favorite tag games to play
with your friends.
Build your own obstacle course: Use things you can find around
the house such as pillows, cushions, chairs, and blankets, then use
your imagination to build a fun indoor obstacle course.
Before and after any physical activity, it’s important to remember
to stretch! Muscle groups to keep in mind are your calves,
hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, shoulders, chest, back, biceps,
and triceps.
Healthy kids
log
It’s important to stay healthy year-round, so
use this log as a way to track your progress!
Write down which fun activities you used to stay active and
healthy during the school year and you can be rewarded! Any
student (grades K-8) who spends at least 60 minutes a day
exercising for 30 days will be given a FREE child’s Grandstand
ticket to a 2014 Vermont Lake Monsters regular season home
game, where they will be recognized for their achievements!
Here’s How to Qualify:
√ Any student in grades K–8 may submit one (1) entry
√ Complete at least 60 minutes of activity per day for 30 days (does not need to be consecutive)
√ Fill out this activity log and mail it back with a
self-addressed stamped envelope by June 1st 2014
Upon receipt, the Lake Monsters will mail you back a FREE Lake
Monsters ticket voucher! Then just come enjoy a fun night of
baseball with your friends and family!
Send completed form to: Vermont Lake Monsters, Attn: Healthy
Kids Program, 1 King Street, Burlington, VT 05401.
No late arrivals (after June 1st) or entries without a
self-addressed stamped envelope will be eligible.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us: (802) 655-4200
Healthy kids
log
Name:
Email:
Address:
Phone:
Date
Activity
Total Time
Healthy kids
log
Name:
Email:
Address:
Phone:
Date
Activity
Total Time
Healthy kids
log
Name:
Email:
Address:
Phone:
Date
Activity
Total Time
Healthy kids
log
Name:
Email:
Address:
Phone:
Date
Activity
Total Time
Thank you for
participating in our
Healthy Kids Program!
You’re on your way to becoming
healthier and happier already.
√ Don’t forget to check
vermontlakemonsters.com for
fitness program information and
updates.
√ To learn more about Vermont
Children’s Hospital at
Fletcher Allen Health Care, go to
fletcherallen.org/children