Diet
Diet has a profound effect on wellness and the prevention of childhood obesity. In addition to those found on the MetroWest Kids site, here are some ideas and web links that support healthy eating:
Marlborough School Lunch Menus for this month:
Massachusetts to chart BMI of public-school students
Massachusetts' Public Health Council has approved a plan to calculate the body mass index of students to determine whether they are overweight. Starting this fall, students in first, fourth, seventh and 10th grades will be measured and weighed unless their parents opt out of the program. Parents will get a report on the findings for their child, along with recommendations on dealing with weight problems and a suggestion to see a pediatrician, if needed. The Boston Globe/White Coat Notes blog (4/8)
Take the Junk Food Quiz
Test your knowledge of junk foods at school and learn more about the School Foods Bill.
Slow Foods International
The Slow Foods movement
believes that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Their movement is founded upon this concept of eco-gastronomy – a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet.
Healthy
Family Home
A community partnership with the YMCA
Eat
Smart, Play Hard
Provides practical tools to help you motivate children and
their caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active. Messages and
materials are fun and based on MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans.
Healthy recipes for kids and families
Local restaurants with healthy choices for kids and families
Nutrition guides and resources for schools and parents
PA School Lunch Programs Dump the Junk Food
Teaching Even the Pickiest Toddlers How to Eat Their Vegetables and Love It
Recent articles about nutrition:
Report:
Overweight children face near-universal bias
Overweight children face bias from their parents, teachers and other
children as young as age 3, according to a Yale University and the University
of Hawaii researchers literature review in the July issue of Psychological
Bulletin. Even with 50% of North American children expected to be overweight
by 2010, the stigma does not seem to be lessening. Forbes/Associated
Press (7/12)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/12/ap3906395.html
Ask,
and students will almost always add fruit
A pilot program turned elementary students' eating habits around with
a simple question: "Would you like fruit or juice with your lunch?"
Some 90% of children said yes, and 80% then consumed the fruit or juice
they put on their trays. The Washington Post (4/24)
Opinion:
Lifelong fitness key to physical education
Physical education classes are becoming more than just fun and games.
Nutrition and lifelong fitness are taking center stage in some Arizona
PE classes. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, 4/22)