Healthy After-School Living

By ARA Content
Sept. 7, 2009

While what children eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner are extremely important for a child’s health, snacking also plays an important role. Developing healthy snacking habits early on may have more of an impact on a child’s overall health than most people realize.

After-school snacking can either contribute to a healthy lifestyle or can be an unhealthy culprit in your child’s day. It’s no surprise that most kids are ravenous after school; they often eat lunch at 11:30 a.m.! And with today’s parents staying later at the office or facing longer commutes, many families are not sitting down for dinner until 7:30 p.m. It’s all too easy for children to fall into a routine of junk food, and hours in front of the TV after school if parents or caregivers do not intervene. A great first step to improve your child’s well-being is to plan an after-school routine to help your child stay healthy and active even after the school bell rings.

“With the changing demands and pressures of work and school, it’s more important than ever to incorporate simple nutritious solutions into our routines,” says Laura Molseed, registered dietitian for Del Monte Foods. Here are some simple solutions to meet every family’s needs!

Stock Your Pantry with Easy Choices

Tip: Take your kids to the grocery store, and allow them to be directly involved in the selection process. According to experts, they are more likely to make better choices for it. Encourage kids to choose their favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as a selection of nuts, raisins, low-fat yogurts and whole-wheat crackers, all of which are low in fat, sodium and sugar. “While an occasional sweet is a nice treat, having routine sweet afternoon treats, such as cookies and cupcakes, can really add up in terms of extra calories, fat and sugar ” says Molseed. “Keeping delicious, fun and healthy options in the kitchen and in your children’s lunchboxes will help them feel energized until dinner.”

 

Get Them Involved!

Tip: Teach your kids that healthy can still be fun.

Children love the idea of cooking, and making their own snacks and treats. Young children can help make easy 1-2-3 recipes, and older children can assist with meal planning, even creating their own dinner or lunch options. For example, for a twist on dessert, take Del Monte Fruit Chillers sorbet out of your pantry and turn them into something your entire family will love — a fun, after-dinner treat! Kids will love making this easy recipe for Iceberg Pie, a creamy, refreshing dessert. Simply mix 1/4 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt with a 4.5-ounce cup of Fruit Chillers sorbet and pour the mixture into a favorite bowl. Freeze overnight. Del Monte Fruit Chillers sorbet (delmonte.com) is available at Target and Wal-Mart nationwide and is found at room-temperature in the canned fruit aisle. One cup of Fruit Chillers sorbet contains 100 percent DV Vitamin C and almost one complete serving of real fruit.

Get Them Moving!

Time spent in front of the TV or computer is often at the expense of physical activity. Kids need to be moving at least 30 to 60 minutes a day, according to experts.

Your child is continuously bombarded with advertisements, often for fast food and other sugary snacks that do not promote healthy habits. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, children ages eight to 12 see an average of 21 television ads each day for candy, snacks, cereal and fast foods. It’s no wonder the first snacks they reach for are typically the items they see on TV each day.

Keep your kids active and provide plenty of healthy snacks along the way to avoid this. As kids often do not go directly home after school, packing healthy, delicious snacks they can easily eat on the go is important.

The colorful new “Bento Box”, based on the Japanese version, will hold several nutritious snacks in its various compartments and comes with a nutritious eating guide that allows you to plan fun, healthy snacks with your child!

Tip: Check with your babysitter or daycare center to ensure they are walking, dancing or playing group games.

Consider suggesting the babysitter host an after-school game session, but swap the usual board games with entertaining and interactive games designed to get your kids up and off the couch. One game that combines yoga, aerobics and stretches is the new WiiFit, soon to be launched from Nintendo. Finally, encouraging your child to eat healthier snacks and do more physical activities after school may prevent your child from reaching for the sugary or salty snacks, while still leaving them hungry for a delicious family dinner!

Source: ARAcontent    Eversave

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