Happy Healthy Childhoods

This is the eleventh installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

On a rainy day, it’s difficult to avoid the rut of television or video games as the primary activity for your child. However, it’s still important to find ways to get in at least an hour of activity, even if you’re stuck indoors.

It may be hard to get your child to do a work-out video with you, so you have to be a little more creative. Here are some ideas for indoor activities for kids that will keep them active, but don’t involve running through the house!

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This is the tenth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, Children and teens should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days of the week, preferably daily. Unfortunately, for many children, biking to the playground and playing kickball in the backyard have been replaced by watching television, playing video games, or surfing online. These types of sedentary activities, combined with the sedentary time required from sitting in a classroom, reading, and doing homework, makes for a very inactive child.

Although quiet time for reading and homework is fine, you should try to limit the time your children are watching TV, or playing video games or on the computer to a maximum of 2 hours per day. Then, encourage them to do something active! How do you do this?

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This is the ninth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Maybe you’re taking all the precautions to ensure that your child has a balanced, nutritious diet. You make sure they are active, and that high-sugar or fattening snacks are kept to a minimum. But, as soon as you send them off on the school bus, it’s out of your hands. So, how can you ensure that these healthy eating habits are maintained while your child is at school? Although some public school systems are beginning to offer healthier lunch choices and restrictions on vending machines, this is not always the case. Or, sometimes your child may simply not opt for the healthy choice.

Here are a few suggestions to help your child maintain healthy eating habits, even when they are in the lunchroom.

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This is the eighth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Numerous studies have shown that the rate of childhood obesity continues to rise in the United States. Doctors are particularly troubled by this problem because it can lead to very serious health risks, such as:

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This is the seventh installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Until recently, the model for healthy eating in the United States was a guide called “The Food Pyramid”.

However, in 2011, the USDA (the agency in charge of nutrition in the United States) switched to a new symbol called MyPlate. This is a colorful plate with some of the same messages as the Food Pyramid such as eat a variety of foods and eat less of some foods and more of others.

However, the pyramid had six vertical stripes to represent the five food groups plus oils.
Whereas, MyPlate features just four sections:

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This is the sixth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

An easy way to begin a healthier lifestyle for you and your children is to do a little “tweaking” to the recipes that you prepare regularly and that your family enjoys. With just a few changes, these dishes can be healthier and just as satisfying. Here are a few suggestions:

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This is the fifth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

“Lead me not into temptation; I can find the way myself.” – Rita May Brown.

If your child sees a jar of cookies sitting on the counter, it will be much harder to convince him to have carrots instead for a snack. However, when all of the options in the house are fairly healthy, then your child will have several snacks to choose from, without the temptation of unhealthy foods. By simply not having the calorie-rich, high-fat, or high-sugar snacks available, it will make things much easier for you and your child. How can you make it easier?

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This is the third installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Sometimes children are more likely to eat something if it looks like “fun”…even if it’s good for them! Think about it. Which looks more fun and appealing to a child, a fun shaped, frosted cookie with brightly colored sprinkles? Or, a stalk of broccoli? Most children would immediately reach for a cookie, but turn their nose at a vegetable. But, what if that broccoli stalk was actually a tree in a “forest of fun”?

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This is the second installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

So, you took the time to shop for all of the right foods, carefully prepared a wonderful, healthy meal, and placed it in front of your little angel with a huge smile. Your child takes one look and shoves the plate away. Your spirits sink, and you are forced to transform from Betty Crocker into either a Drill Sergeant (You WILL eat this and like it!) or a used car salesman negotiator (Take at least 3 more bites if you want dessert!) This scenario may be all too familiar to those with young children, or even older children who still have picky eating habits. Although meal times may seem like a constant power struggle, they don’t have to be!

Here are a few tips from the Mayo Clinic’s website that will help you “fight the good fight” in your efforts to provide a balanced diet for your picky eater….

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This is the first installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Most parents are concerned about keeping their children healthy. One of the easiest ways to do this is to start with a healthy foundation. Be conscientious of what goes into your shopping cart, and cook meals at home so you know what ingredients your children are eating. Sounds easy enough…but, we know better. Today’s parents are busy. Between shuttling children from school, to soccer, ballet, and birthday parties, you may not have the time to spend hours in the grocery store reading labels and searching for the healthiest ingredients. You may also not have the time to slave away in the kitchen, making organic, veggie lasagna with only the freshest ingredients. Even if you did have the time, how do you get your children to eat it?

Here are a few tips for helping even the busiest moms and dads make good decisions about what goes into the shopping cart:

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