Healthy Nutrition

Staying healthy includes a balanced diet, staying clean, getting plenty of exercise as well as keeping your heart strong and free of drugs. People who practice good nutrition, hygiene and exercise patterns develop a lifetime of habits that will keep them healthy for many years. Especially when they are older! The three things that help promote a healthy diet are variety, balance, and moderation. Variety means that you must include many different foods from each level of the Food Pyramid because no single food can supply all of the nutrients that your growing body needs on a daily basis. This can help to expand your food choices. It is best to eat foods of all colors. The more colors and textures in your daily meals, the better range of nutrients you'll get. Balance means that you must eat the right amounts of foods from all levels of the Food Pyramid each day. This way you will get all the calories and nutrients you need for proper growth and development. Moderation means that you are careful not to eat too much of any one type food.

To make the most out of the Food Pyramid, we'll need to figure out what counts as a serving. The size of each serving depends on your size. That is why there is a children's menu at restaurants , so you don't get stuck with an adult sized meal! The right amount of servings from each of the food groups depends on your age, sex, and body size and activity level. A lot of the time you will find that the meals you eat are made up of parts from more than one food group. Remember: Healthy eating does not have to mean giving up foods you like best, just learn to balance the food choices you make. You can enjoy snacks and meals while still keeping yourself in good health (Meditrends, 2000). Fruit Dip 2 c. low-fat sour cream, 1-ounce package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix 1/4 c. fat-free milk 4 tsp. lemon juice Makes eight servings (1/4 cup per serving). Each serving has 90 calories, 5 g fat, 7 g carbohydrate and 4 g protein. (Penn State Cooperative Extension).

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 1/3 c. canola oil 1 c. sugar 3 eggs, beaten 3 c. flour 4 to 5 medium bananas 1/2 c. chocolate chips 2/3 c. buttermilk 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional) Makes 24 servings. Each serving has 210 calories, 8 g fat, 33 g carbohydrate and 4 g protein. (Recipe courtesy of Sheri Coleman, Northern Canola Growers). Waffle Snack 1 frozen waffle 1 Tbsp. low-fat cream cheese or peanut butter1 tsp. jam Makes one serving, with 190 calories, 8 g fat, 22 g carbohydrate and 5 g protein.

Robertson (2010) stated, “The national school lunch program, begun in 1946, is a federally assisted meal program. It operates in more than 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools and provides lunches to more than 30 million children every school day (Food and Nutrition Services, USDA, 2007). Today, this program has been expanded to include reimbursement for snacks served in afterschool programs for children under the age of 18 years.”

References

 Meditrends. (2000). Dr. P Body's learning/fun center. Retrieved from http://www.drpbody.com/nutrition.html

 North Dakota State University. (2008). Nutrition snacks for preschoolers. Retrieved from http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn1380.htm

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.