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I forgot my passwordBack to School Nutrition
by Chris Culbertson, posted Aug 17th 2009, 18:42
Last week I attended a class at St. Mary’s Medical Center through the Blue Springs F.I.T. (Families in Training) organization that I am a part of. The second Tuesday of each month, a class will be held in the Community Education room and absolutely FREE for anyone who wishes to attend. View the calendar on the bottom right of the Blue Springs F.I.T. website to see what classes are coming up.
The first class was “Back to School Nutrition” put on by the Blue Springs Hy-Vee dietitian Tracey Shaffer, RD, LD. The information was really helpful and she had some great handouts! Be sure to stop by your local Hy-Vee and ask for information from the dietitian. Tracey offers to walk throughout the store with you and teach you which products are better and why. IT IS FREE! Plus she offers classes and educational information so be sure to stop in and see what you can learn.
The key points I picked up from the class:
- Preparation is key!
- Let your kids be involved in picking their foods at the grocery store.
- Print off the school lunch schedule ahead of time and decide which days they will need to have a lunch packed.
- Have a nice lunch box with the ability to send hot or cold foods and compartments so food doesn’t get smashed.
- Offer your kids choices for their lunch each day and let them help pack it together.
- Avoid all Trans Fats!!!
- Make family meals a priority!
- Watch portion sizes! The American Medical Association recommends 1800-2400 calories/day for children aged 6 to 10.
- Always have healthy snacks readily available. Avoid getting too hungry so you don’t make poor choices on what to eat or how much to eat. Also, keep stuff in the car or in a backpack if you are at sporting events. If you are hungry in the car, you end up at a fast food place if you don’t have snacks with you.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially for CHILDREN!!!
I hope these tips help you out a little as you prepare for Back to School! Help your kids be healthy and provide a great foundation for them to learn at school!
One out of every four children throws or trades his or her lunch away!
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Reader Comments (2 comments)
startbeingfit says:
Your post came on the perfect day as my kids started the school year off today. I have decided that this year, I am going to pack their lunch as much as I can. I think school lunches have come a long way since the days that I was in school but I still feel better when I know exactly what they are putting into their bodies. I like your point about using your Hyvee dietitian as well. What a great resource for people to use and the fact that its free doesnt suck either!
cculbertson says:
She also said that you should print out the school lunch menu because you can go through it with your kids and decide which items they should select if they are to buy their lunch. That way they have a plan going into it and are more likely to stick to it.