Tag Archives: kids

Help Kids Eat More Vegetables

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “9 in 10 children didn’t eat enough vegetables in 2007-2010.”

Salad Kit for KidsThat is one sad statistic.

After all, eating a wide variety of vegetables is critical to good health. Take MyPlate’s advice, for example. “People who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases.” Plus, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans counsel people to “Increase vegetable and fruit intake” and “Eat a variety of vegetables.”

Getting enough vegetables is especially important for children. The CDC asserts “Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and can prevent health problems such as obesity, dental caries, iron deficiency, and osteoporosis.”

It’s time to turn things around and help kids get the vegetables they need.

Shopping Kit for KidsThat’s why we’ve recently added two new interactive resources to the Nutrition Education Store. These felt shopping and salad kits offer new ways for kids to engage with fruits and vegetables, encouraging healthful habits and a balanced diet.  Plus, research indicates that kids who play a role in choosing the healthful ingredients for a meal are more likely to eat it. Getting familiar with salad is one way to help increase fruit and vegetable intake among children. Shopping for food together is another.

But that’s not all! Today we’re offering a sneak peek into ways to help kids eat more vegetables. Check out the handouts below — you can get a free leader guide for fruit and vegetable activities for kids in kindergarten through 3rd grade, and then follow up with a free activity page for kids at the same age level. Check out the previews below, and if you like what you see, get your own salad or shopping kits today!

Salad Activity Ideas:

Activity #1 — Salad Taste Test: Fill a bowl with lettuce leaves and pass it around. Have each child taste a piece of lettuce and describe it. Repeat the taste test with other salad ingredients, then use the felt to show ways the ingredients can be combined into yummy salads. If you have the time and budget, offer real salad ingredients for kids to mix and match. Let them eat their creations.

Activity #2 — Fun Facts: Divide the kids into groups and give each a different felt ingredient. With younger kids, have each group think of something that makes that ingredient special. With older kids, have them research the health impact of that ingredient. Have each group present their findings and put their piece in the tray. At the end, present the tray to the kids — look at the great salad they can make together!

Salad Worksheet:

Salad Worksheet

If you like what you see, get the handouts for free! Here are PDF copies of the leader guide and activity page, just for you!

Salad Leader Guide

Salad WorksheetPS These would be perfect for National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, which is coming right up!

And here are more fruit and vegetable resources from the Nutrition Education Store. Remember, we’re here to help you look your very best…

Fruit and Vegetable Poster Set

Fruit and Vegetable Balloon Set

Color Your World with Food Banner

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Reader Request: Nutrition Month Coloring Pages

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You all know how much I love getting requests, right?

Here’s a fun request that made its way into my inbox a few weeks ago.

Hello, Judy!

Each year, I sponsor a “poster project” at my daughter’s school.  Students in grades pre-school thru 2nd grade are given a page to color. I use the one available from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics website, based on the year’s theme. However, they have not created a page this year.

Last year, you were able to create 2 pages.   I am wondering if you might have a page that I could print for the students to color, based on the theme, “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle”?

Thank you!
Mary Therese Maslanka, RDN, LDN

How could I resist?

My team and I immediately went to work, and Mary Therese Maslanka had those coloring pages in her inbox as soon as we were done.

But I didn’t want to stop there. Now that it’s National Nutrition Month, what better time to share this wonderful resource with you, dear readers?

So, without further ado, here are two great coloring pages that are based on this year’s theme: Bite Into a Healthy Lifestyle. Get your copies today!

National Nutrition Month Page 1

 

National Nutrition Month 2

Looking for more fun ways to get kids involved with National Nutrition Month? Check out these fun games and prizes!

Fruit and Vegetable Pens

I Love Salad Wristbands for Kids

Change It Up Stickers

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2 Weeks to Go!

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The deadline is fast approaching!

MyPlateBack in February, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service proposed guidelines for local school wellness policies. Now there are only 2 weeks left to comment on them!

The rules that the Food and Nutrition Service outlined focused on what school wellness policies need to feature, including…

  • Physical activity goals
  • Nutrition education goals
  • Rules for informing parents about wellness policies
  • Assessing progress
  • Sharing updates

According to the USDA, “Parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public must be permitted to participate in the wellness policy process as a part of the wellness policy team.”

This rule would also affect the marketing of snacks, drinks, and other foods at the school. Everything would have to align with the Smart Snacks in Schools rules and regulations.

So, what do you think about these proposed guidelines? There are only 2 weeks left to log your comments, so, if you have views, share them today!

For More Information:

Remember, there are tons of resources for schools! Check out the Nutrition Education Store for amazing handouts, posters, display kits, and more!

School Menu Erasable Poster

7 Elementary School Nutrition Poster Set

MyPlate Stickers

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Free Handouts: Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right

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Nutrition Month is right around the corner, and we’re already getting great material requests from health educators.

Coloring Page One

Mary Therese Maslanka, RD, LDN, recently wrote to us to see if we could craft a few handouts that kids could color for fun. The handouts needed to feature the March 2014 Nutrition Month theme, “Enjoy the taste of eating right.” We were thrilled to oblige, especially when we learned that the handouts are part of a poster project for kids in kindergarten through second grade. The kids each get a handout with health messages on it, which they can then color in. What a great way to teach vital health and nutrition messages!

We decided that Mary’s idea was too wonderful not to share, and so now we’re passing the handouts on to you. Feel free to download and print as many as you’d like. And let us know if there’s anything that we can make for you.

What are you waiting for? Get the handouts now!

Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right Coloring Page TwoThere are lots of other nutrition education resources in the Nutrition Education Store. It’s ready to go for Nutrition Month — are you?

If you’re looking to brighten up your space, check out the loads of wonderful nutrition education posters. Some of the latest and greatest posters include the High Five for Fiber poster, a Fruit and Vegetable poster set, a Healthful Food Photo Collection poster, and the ever-popular Eat from the Rainbow poster.

Setting up for a wellness fair? Don’t miss the Fruit and Vegetable Salsa Wellness Fair Kit. Or perhaps a Salt Awareness Display Kit is just what you’re looking for. If you’re hosting any kind of contest or raffle at your booth, MyPlate Bookmarks, Fruit Dessert Recipe Cards, and healthful cooking utensils all make great prizes too.

It’s easier to enjoy the taste of eating right when you have recipes for healthful and balanced meals. That’s where our cookbook collection comes in. The author of these amazing healthy eating cookbooks is a professional chef who graduated 2nd in her class from culinary school. With over 20 years of recipe-testing experience and an eye for detail, Judy Doherty, PC II, has put together some truly amazing healthful cooking resources. No Battles, Better Eating is a fantastic guide that makes cooking for picky eaters a snap, and people regularly “ooh” and “aah” over the gorgeous fruit desserts in Fruit Tooth, a healthful dessert recipe collection. There’s also the top-selling Home Run Cooking and Holiday Secrets — two books that deliver smash hit meals, every time.

What are you doing for Nutrition Month?

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Free Handout: Nutrition for Kids

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It’s time for another free handout! Are you lucky or what?

This week’s free nutrition education handout is called Nutrition for Kids. It lays out simple questions for kids to ask about their meals and snacks, which combine to help them make healthful and balanced choices. This handout is a perfect accompaniment to a nutrition game or bulletin board for kids. Get it now!

Kids Nutrition Handout

Of course, if you’re looking for nutrition posters, resources for kids, or even school health education materials, the Nutrition Education Store has you covered. Check out the Free Resources for Educators section, or just browse the store. Some of the most popular health and nutrition guides for kids are featured below…

Food Label Bookmark Pack

Eat From the Rainbow Banner

MyPlate Activity Book for Kids

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The Story Behind the Rainbow Poster

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We were delighted to get a product request from Sharon Baird, RD, MEd, MBA, Food Service Director for the Goleta Union School District. Sharon was troubled by the school salad bars, which looked woefully plain. We immediately set to work creating a giant salad bar tabletop sign, called eat from the rainbow, that promotes healthful eating. It took a while to pick out and arrange the perfect fruits and vegetables, but we did it! Now we couldn’t be more pleased with the result.

Salad Bar Tabletop Sign

The sign was a hit at the school district as well. In fact, it was such a hit that we crafted a matching banner and poster too. That way, the rainbow of health could be displayed above or below any serving table. The eat from the rainbow oster lends itself especially well to displays in employee break rooms and the offices of RDNs. What a bonus!

Here’s a picture of the salad bar sign as it’s being used in the school district that had asked for it in the first place. Don’t you love the pop of color and encouraging message? The photo of the rainbow salad is actually almost three feet long. It is digitally stitched from six high resolution photos of a real salad that was 3 feet long.

Salad Bar, Hard at Work

Sharon wanted a salad bar sign that could safely sit on top of the salad bar, and since the salad bar needed to be moved daily, the sign had to be easily portable as well. We managed it, and the sign has been working perfectly. After all, the finished table topper’s design is very practical. It assembles easily, and its lightweight construction makes it great to transport anywhere, anytime.

So, what’s so awesome about eating from the rainbow? Basically, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will get you a wider range of nutrients than eating the same few fruits or veggies every week. Colorful fruits and vegetables are also wonderful sources of substances called phytochemicals.

Phytochemicals contain protective compounds that may help prevent diseases. “Phyto” comes from the Greek word for plant. These chemicals are in all plants, but most people use this word specifically in regards to plants that are food sources. By eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, you will consume plenty of phytochemicals. Here’s just a sampling of colorful foods that are packed with phytochemicals. We’ve even outlined the health benefits of these phytochemicals…

  • Lycopene (found in foods like tomatoes and watermelon).
    Lycopene may help prevent heart disease and prostate cancer
  • Lutein (found in leafy greens like spinach, kale, and romaine).
    Lutein may help prevent cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration.
  • Quercetin (found in onions, kale, broccoli, red grapes, cherries, apples, and red wine).
    Quercetin may help prevent cancer, heart disease, and seasonal allergies.
  • Resveratrol (found in red grapes, red wine, and peanuts).
    Resveratrol may help prevent cancer and heart disease.

So what are you waiting for? Order your very own tabletop sign today!

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