Happy Healthy Kids

Raising a healthy family can seem like an overwhelming task in today’s society. We are faced with an abundance of food choices and sometimes we are not sure what to serve our family. Parents greatly influence what their kids eat and with 16% of children in the U.S. overweight (and this number is increasing), it is very important for parents to encourage and model healthy eating habits.

Here are some suggestions to keep your family on track to a healthier life:

• Thirsty ? Keep your refrigerator stocked with bottled beverages to stay hydrates like Propel, Tropicana Fruit Squeeze, SoBe Lifewater, Lipton Pure Leaf Iced Teas, and Gatorade G2. Or enjoy moderate amounts of nutrient rich beverages such as fat free or low-fat milk, Silk soy milk, chilled vegetable juice, and 100% fruit juice like Motts.

• Portions Count . Use the My Pyramid for Kids and the My Pyramid (www.mypyramid.gov) as a guideline to help you identify recommended portion sizes and set the foundation of healthy eating in your home. To help with portions at snack time, try Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs or Chiquita Go-Packs.

• Eat Breakfast . Good nutrition is essential for fueling your child's growth and maintaining energy in school and at play. Give your child a head start each day with a healthful breakfast. To make a fast breakfast top a toasted Van’s waffle with peanut butter and sliced bananas or cottage cheese and Mott’s Plus Harvest Apple Calcium applesauce.

• Fruits and Veggies – More Matters! Eat fruits and vegetables at each meal and snack. Have 100% fresh fruit and vegetable juice at breakfast and eat a salad with dried fruit at lunch. At dinner try to cover half of your plate with vegetables and have fruit for dessert. Serve more vegetable and bean soups like Campbell's® vegetable beef or 25% lower sodium tomato soup that provide at least a ½ cup serving of vegetables.

Healthy Snack Attack
Snacks can add valuable nutrients to a child’s diet so it’s important to stock your cupboard and refrigerator with healthy items. Try these strategies:

• Provide Fruits and Vegetables 24/7: Insoluble fiber in fruits and vegetables takes a longer time to chew and provides volume to food without adding a lot of calories. Soluble fiber helps stabilize your child’s blood sugar levels which can help ward off hunger and cravings. For convenience, try Mott’s applesauce, Chiquita Go-Packs, fresh, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables.
• Use a 90/10 Strategy: Encourage your child to eat healthy 90 percent of time and enjoy sweet or salty items 10 percent of the time. Let them choose and plan what they would like to eat for their “fun foods” 1 to 2 times each day. Try a sweet treat like Dove Dark Promises or Nabisco 100 Calorie Teddy Grahams and salty snacks like Sun Chips. Enjoy this great recipe for a sweet snack.

You’re in Charge
It is appropriate and important for parents to be in charge of shopping and preparing healthy foods for growing children. Here are some other tips to help you be consistent with healthy lifestyle patterns:

• Establish a Meal Routine : Children like consistency and that includes mealtime. Plan for three meals and two snacks each day and avoid using food as a reward. Instead reward them with attention (hugs, kisses, and smiles) and playful activities.
• Limit your kids' "screen time": Research shows that the time spent watching television, playing hand-held games, and on the computer is directly related to weight gain in children. Limit television, movies, videos and computer games to less than two hours a day. Substitute the rest of leisure time with physical activity such as walking the dog, running an errand on their bike, planting flowers , or sweeping the porch. Encourage active games with children in the neighborhood such as basketball and tag.
• Get the whole family involved: Kids who help cook are more likely to eat! Preschool children can make choices about what's for dinner and help choose colorful produce to try at Meijer. School-aged children can help plan a balanced meal from looking at My Pyramid. Have children make a balanced meal out of their favorite choices.

• Picky Eating Tips: Parents are role models so set a good example by eating healthy foods. Don't expect your child to like something new the first time. Offer it again in a week. It usually takes 10-15 tries before children are willing to accept a new food.

Help Stamp Out Hunger
A lot of children go hungry in the summer when they don’t have access to low cost or free school meals. On Saturday, May 10, you can join Campbell’s and National Association of Letter Carriers to address hunger in our nation’s children with the Stamp out Hunger Food Drive! It’s easy to help:

1. Put some nonperishable food items in a bag and place it by your mailbox.

2. Your mail carrier will pick it up and deliver to local food banks.

By joining this effort you can help provide healthy food to the 12 million American children who are at hunger risk. Remind yourself to help by purchasing Campbell’s food products at Meijer and give the gift of hope to children in your community!