Easy and practical TIPS in elementary nutrition for Child hood and Adolescence

Mmmmmmm!!, Oranges!

When you are in elementary nutrition is important.

Oranges help to keep you going by helping to support your immune system. They are rich in vitamin C which plays an important role as an antioxidant.

Not having enough in your daily value can cause dark spots on the skin and spongy bleeding gums.

I'm the P.E. teacher at Waikiki elementary school in Honolulu Hawaii, I often supervise what goes on during lunch and recess.

At lunch every student get have to wait in line until they receive their lunch tray.

LUNCH OPTIONS:

A elementary nutrition at our school means a complete lunch includes one entrée, choice of two different vegetables and/or fruits, bread, and choice of milk.

Daily milk choices include 1% chocolate, 1% unflavored, or skim. If for some reason the student can't or don't want to drink milk juice or water are always an option. In the school we teach children to plant and grow some of our own vegetables, and we have a great staff at our kitchen. We are lucky to have health Hawaiian foods cooked for our students on a regular basis.

I have observed in school lunch that a wide gap exist between nutrition recommendation for children and what children actually eat.

This year at Waikiki Elementary we have change the lunch and recess schedule. To ensure children get the most out of their lunch and minimizing food waist, we now have a recess block before lunch.

Abraham's diet strategies for Youth

*Balance dietary calories with physical activity to maintain normal growth.

* Perform 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous play or physical activity daily.

* Eat vegetables and fruits daily and limit juice intake, don't drink sodas most have too much sugar.

* Use vegetable oils and soft margarine low in saturated fat and trans fatty acids instead of butter or most other animal fats in the diet.

*Eat whole grains breads and cereals rather than refined grain products.

* Again, reduce the intake of sugar sweetened drink and foods.

* Use Soy,or nonfat (skim) or low fat milk and dairy products daily.

* Eat more fish, especially oily fish, broiled or baked.

* Reduce salt (sodium) intake, including salt from processed foods.

* Parents choose meal times, not children.

* Pay attention to portion size: serve portion appropriate for the child's size and age.

* Have regular family meals to promote social interaction and role model food-related behavior.

( Source: A.C.E. Life Stile & Weight Management Consultant 2009)

ABC's for Kid's Good Health

Aim for a healthy weight.

Be physically active each day.

In order to reach optimum elementary nutrition you must...

Build a healthy base

Let the Pyramid guide your food choices.

Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains.

Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.

Keep food safe to eat.

Choose Sensibly

Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat.

Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars.

Choose and prepare foods with less salt.

Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2000.

10 EASY Children's Healthy Eating Tips

2. Eat different kinds of food each day.

3. Eat more whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

4. Keep moving to stay in shape.

5. Snack Smart.

6. Don't eat too much of any one food.

8. Be adventurous.

9. Remember, foods are not good or bad.

10. Make healthy eating fun.

Resource: American Dietetic Association

American Beverage Association reports the following changes in beverage consumption:

* Sports drinks sales grew 70%

* Bottled water sales grew 23%

* Diet soda sales grew 22%

* Fruit juice sales grew 15%

* Despite these changes teens continue to consume soft drinks and sports drinks instead of milk. Sports drinks may have fewer calories than regular soda but have a considerable amount of sugar.

* The average teenage boy drinks two – 12 ounce soft drinks a day and the average teenage girl 1-4, 12 ounce soft drinks a day.

* Every additional daily serving of sugar – sweetened soda is estimated to increase a child's risk for obesity by 60%. One 12-ounce can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Source: USDA, FNS “Changes in Childrens' diets 2001”.

The elementary nutrition guide lines for children and MyPyramid steps to a Healthier You

However, it is a gradual process that requires the cooperative efforts of students, parents, the Office of Food and Nutrition Services, and the food industry. In addition, the increasing diversity of our growing student population impacts menu planning.

At Waikiki school our menus are designed to provide choices of foods that will meet this recommendation. Elementary monthly parent menus list percentage of calories from fat (30% percent or less) and saturated fat (10% percent) of the calories averaged over the week.

To ensure that menus are nutritionally adequate, a nutritional analysis is compiled on the menus using approved USDA software, and recognized current research texts.

Foods rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Iron are offered several times a week. The National Research Council does not list levels of fat, sugar, sodium or fiber in its table of recommended dietary allowances. However, current DGA recommends fat, sugar, and salt (sodium chloride) be consumed in moderation.

The Healthy Hawaii School Challenge was created to recognize your school’s commitment to the health and well being of your students.

Many schools have already made changes to their school elementary nutrition environments, improved the quality of foods served, and now provide students with more nutritious, healthy choices. In addition, recognition as a Healthy Hawaii School may be beneficial when applying for awards and recognition programs that honor principals, vice principals, and teachers for their hard work and dedication.

My FOoD PyRaMid FoR KiDs is elementary nutrition...

The fun, colorful MyPyramid for Kids graphic will attract children's attention and encourage them to learn more about MyPyramid for Kids. The nutrition and physical activity messages included throughout the materials are designed to help children 6 to 11 years old make healthy eating and physical activity choices.

More elementary nutrition TIPS from MyPyramid for Kids