August 24th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
As your child returns to school, you face the usual dilemma: Brown-bag it or rely on the cafeteria menu?
“Lunches served in school cafeterias are not always the best choice, and I recommend that sometimes lunches need to be packed,” says Mary Pat Alfaro, a registered dietitian at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
A homemade lunch puts you in control of what your child eats, as well as portion size, she notes.
Here are some of Alfaro’s tips for a healthy lunch:
- Use the Food Guide Pyramid for preschoolers and elementary-school children to plan lunches. Include at least two servings from the bread group and one serving from each of the other food groups for a balanced meal. Go easy on fats and sweets.
- Aim for variety to provide different nutrients and beat boredom. Try whole-grain bagels, English muffins, crackers, pita bread or tortillas paired with your child’s favorite spread or sandwich filling.
- Find healthy alternatives to snack chips: trail mix, flavored rice cakes, pita chips and baked tortilla chips.
- Pack fruit that’s easy to eat: grapes, strawberries, melon chunks, apple wedges, berries and orange sections. Include a dipping sauce made with yogurt or peanut butter.
- Make raw vegetables like baby carrots, celery and bell pepper strips more appealing. Pack them with a container of hummus, salsa or ranch dressing.
- Pay close attention to beverages. Remember that even 100% fruit juice is loaded with sugar. Opt for plain or sugar-free flavored water.
- Experiment with different sandwich fillings. Top peanut butter with fruits like raisins, apples, bananas or pineapple instead of jelly. Make a burrito with refried beans, salsa, grated cheese, and chopped lettuce and tomatoes.
Editor’s note: We encourage you to choose organic foods, whenever possible, to avoid exposure to pesticides, preservatives and other chemicals.
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Tags: childhood obesity, children, Health, obesity, school
Posted in Health, Organic Food, Parenting | 2 Comments »
May 30th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
Kudos to The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association (AHA).
Former President Bill Clinton (left) was instrumental in striking a deal with Cadbury Schweppes, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the American Beverage Association to change soft-drink policies at New York schools in an effort to combat childhood obesity—a major concern for parents who embrace organic living.The new guidelines limit school beverages to 100 calories per container, except for certain milks and juices. The beverage industry will work to implement these standards in 75% of U.S. schools before the 2008–2009 school year begins, with full implementation before the 2009–2010 school year. (School districts must be willing to amend existing contracts with beverage suppliers.)
“This is an important announcement and a bold step forward in the struggle to help America’s kids live healthier lives,” says Clinton, an Alliance leader.
Elementary schools will sell only water, 8-oz. calorie-capped servings of certain juices with no added sweeteners, and fat-free/low-fat regular and flavored milks. Middle schools will apply the same standards, with portion sizes increasing to 10 oz. Ditto for high schools, but they can also offer no- and low-calorie drinks, including diet and unsweetened teas, diet sodas, fitness water, low-calorie sports drinks, flavored water, seltzers and light juices (up to 12 oz.).
“This really is a groundbreaking agreement,” says AHA President Robert Eckel, MD. “Many school districts are headed in the same direction as our guidelines. We commend the many leaders and advocates who have fought for healthier school environments.”
But children’s nutrition advocate Ann Cooper believes we still face challenges: “Any agreement that limits high-fructose corn syrup and sugar and non-nutrient foods that are served in schools is good,” she told Associated Press reporter Karen Matthews, “but I don’t think it goes far enough.” Cooper would like to see restrictions on sports drinks and flavored milks.
Press conference photo: Gina Gayle/U.S. Newswire
Tags: childgood obesity, Political Action, school, soda
Posted in Health, Political Action | 1 Comment »
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