Foodand Fitnessfor a HealthyChild
March2013
MetzCulinary
Management
WyomingSeminary
Alphahetexercise
For a fun exercise,have
your child lie
on her back
and use her
legs to "draw"
the alphabet
in the air. She
could form uppercase letters, take
a break, and then do the lowercase
alphabet. To give her arms a workout,
she can stand up, hold her arms
straight out, and move them around
to make the letters.
Drinkthink
Get your youngster thinking about
what he drinks with this idea. Each
day, have him write down the drinks
he has and how much (I glass milk,
i can soda). Younger children could
draw pictures of each one. Encourage
him to have mostly milk and waterand tell him he can use his daily lists
to see how he's doing!
lttr'|Il
l#+l!t#Ul The healthiestfoods tend
Iilllllllll"I
IJlfilJg
to be placedaround the
perimeterof a grocerystore.This is
whereyou'll ftnd freshfoods,such
as fruits, vegetables,
meats,fish, eggs,
and milk. Tiy to shop from the perim^
eter first, and then fill in wirh rhe
canned,packaged,and baggeditems
that you need from the centeraisles.
Justfor fun
Dad:Why did
you ride your
bike rwice?
I'ma cook!
Therearemany benefits
to havinga youngsterwho
cooks.He gainsan important
life skill, and you get to spend
time togetherin the kitchen.
PIus,he's likely to be a healthier
eater,becausehomemademeals
tend to be morenutritious.Heln
your child enjoycookingwith
theseideas.
Play a starring role.If Grandma
is coming for dinner,put him in
chargeof a dish. He will feelproud
when you say, "Isn't this meatloaf delicious? Evan made it all by himselfl" Ttp:
Teach him how to make one of your
family's favorite foods so it can become
"his" contribution for get-togethers or
holiday meals.
Use the tools. Give your youngsrer a
children's cookbook, and let him put his
name in it. You can tell him that chefs
make notes on their recipes, and he could
do the same. He might write, "Great
recipe" no(t to one he liked, or "Use
strawberriesinstead" if he didn't like the
blueberries in a dish. AIso, consider getting him his own apron, cookie cutters, or
other "cook's tools" and let him keen
his things in a special bin or drawer.
Be creative. Tell your child that a recipe
is a guide. The fun in cooking can be personal2ing the ingredients or coming up
with his own creations. Encourage him
to follow his tastes (and try not to cringe
if they're not yours). And remember, it
doesn't have to be perfect-if the cucumber slices are all different sizes. thev will
still taste good. If your child is comfortable in the kitchen, he'll be more likely
to cook now and when he's older. f
Tellingyour child to eat somethingbecause
it's "healthy"canbackfire-she may hear
"healthy"and think ")ruck."Instead,try to
relatethe food to somethingshe cares
about. For example,you might say:
o "l knowyou love to solve brainteasers.Guess what? Eating fish is
good for your brain. Which piece of salmon do you wanr?"
o "Nuts glve you energy to play hard. How about taking trail mix for your snack
tomorrow-you'll
have lots of energy at recess time!"
O "I see you're excited about going to gymnastics today! This spinach salad has
extra calcium to help your bones grow strong so you can swing on the uneven
bars. How much would you like?" -
O 2013Besources
fortducalors,
a divisi0n
0f CCHIncorporated
provider.
Thisinstitution
isanequal
opportunity
llutrition
Nuggets'"
March2013 . Paqe2
games
Frisbee
Obstacle
course
Create a Frisbee obstacle course
in your baclgrard or at apark. For
instance, you might have to toss
the Frisbee over a tree, in befween
swings, or into a soccer net. Time
each person through the course to
find the winner.
Tossinga Frisbeeis not
only fun, it's a good way for
your child to get more physical
activity.Suggestthesegames.
Catch
N
Stand a few feet apart, and
toss a Frisbee to your child. She
catches it, takes a big step back, and
tossesit to you. With each catch, the person moves back a step. Soon you'll be tossing farther and
farther and running to catch the disc.
Race
Ifyou havea lot of space,you can
have a Frisbee race. Mark a start and
finish line, and give each runner a Frisbee.At "Go," each runner flings her Frisbee, races to it, tossesit again, and keeps
going until she reaches the finish line. Note; Try this at a
school track if there aren't other people running. l
aA
shouldI
rilnJl
\ttrlrt
COaCh?
Shouldlsignupto coach
Q=Ilovebaseball.
my son'sbaseballteam?
A: Volunteeringis a wonderfulway to
showyour child that you supporthis
physicalactivity.Youwill alsofill a need
in your communiry-in fact,sports
groupsoften havetroublegettingenough
coaches.And you can get tremendous
satisfactionfrom
helping a group
of children.
But deciding
to coachis a big
decision,asit
will affectyour
relationshipwith
your son on and
off the field. Ask yourselfa few questions, such as, "How will I separatemy
role as parentand coach?""How will my
child respondwhen I pay attention to
his teammates?"
and "How will I reactif
my son doesn'tplaywell?"lt's alsoa
good idea to talk to your youngster
about how he would feelif you coached.
Fina\ makea list of the pros and
cons to help you come to the right decision for you and your family.D
To providebusy parentswith practicaiwaysto promote
healt\ nutrition and physicalactivityfor their children
Resourcesfor Educators,
a divisionof CCH Incorporated
128 N. RoyalAvenue. Front Royal,VA 22630
540-636- 4280 . rfecustomer@wolterskluwer
com
wwwrfeonline com
Niltrifion Nuggefs'" is reviewed by a registered dietitian Consult a
physician before beginning any major change in diet or *ercise
rssN1935-4630
O 2013Besources
forEducators,
a divisi0n
of CCHIncorporated
a healthyway to add flavor to food?By exploring
spicesand herbs!Try thesesteps:
1. Put out spicejars.For eachone,haveyour
child read the name,look inside, and smell the
spice.Doesit remindher of a food sheeats?For
example,oreganomight smell llke pizza,or curry might makeher think of Indian
food. Together,look at the label to seewhere the spiceis grown (or searchfor the
informationonline).
2, Help your youngstermakea spiceguide.Shecan put dots of glue on construction
paperand sprinklea spiceon eachone. Haveher write the nameundemeathand list
dishesto useit in. Iltnt: Shecan lind recommendations
on the labelor in cookbooks.
3. When you're making dinner,askyour child to pick spicesto add. Let her tastethe
food beforeand after-what doesshe notice?J
No-cook
dinners
Sometimes
youjust
don't feel like cooking. On those
nights, try one of these main-course
salads that involve assembling-but
no oven or stove.
Chicken-apple
slaw
1. Shredthe meat from a rotisserie
chicken.
1. Put l* cupsbulgurin a bowl, and
2. Tosswith:
coverwith warrnwater.Let standfor
I cup broccoli slaw
about 2 hours, until the bulgur is tenI diced apple (cored)
der.Drain.
I celerystalk, thinly sliced
2. Whisk t cup olive oil with thejuice
I canwater chestnutslices(drained)
of I lemonand 3 tbsp.choppeddill.
{ cup low-fat ranch dressing
Add the bulgur,alongwith I lb. cooked
3. Usingan ice creamscoop,put a
shrimp (availablefrom a grocerystore
portion on a bed of lettuce.
or fish market),3 cups freshspinach,
and 2 tbsp.choppedalmonds.,season
Variation:Use cannedtuna (packed
with salt and pepper.
in water)insteadof chicken.l
Shtimp-bulgur
salad