Children's Health Q&A
By Lynn Langenberg, Registered Dietitian


Encourage healthy living by making it a family affair

Q: How can I encourage my children to eat healthy foods, especially for athletic performance?

Kids who are active in sports are often interested in how the food they eat can make them run, swim or play better and faster. I often share with kids my “top 10 for eating to win” – a few basic nutrition pointers that improve nutrition and provide a competitive edge in sports.

1. Don’t skip meals. Skipped meals equal less fuel for your brain and body and less than optimal performance.

2. Eat a minimum of five (that’s right, five) servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
• Cut up a banana on cereal for breakfast
• Eat a cup of baby carrots with low-fat dressing with lunch
• Eat a medium apple after school as part of a snack
• Eat a green-leaf lettuce salad and a cup of steamed or cooked vegetables with dinner.

3. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration decreases performance. Pre-teens and teenagers should try to drink a minimum of eight 8-oz. glasses per day. Younger children should try to drink a minimum of six 8-oz. glasses of water a day.

4. Build healthy bones.
Children ages 4-8 need 800 mg of calcium per day (equivalent to three 8-oz., cups of milk); kids 9-18 need 1,300 mg per day (equivalent to four 8-oz., cups of milk).
Other calcium sources:
• 1 cup (8 oz.) milk or fortified soy milk = 300 mg. of calcium
• 1 oz. of cheese = 150–250 mg. of calcium
• 1 cup (8 oz.) of yogurt = 300-400 mg. of calcium
• 1 cup (8 oz.) calcium-fortified orange juice = 300 milligrams calcium

5. Fuel your muscles. Choose healthy carbohydrates such as fresh fruit, vegetables, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread and whole-grain crackers

6. Choose healthy fats such as peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, pecans and soynuts.
Eat higher-fat foods after sports. Eating high-fat foods before physical activity can slow you down.

7. Start the day off right by eating breakfast:
• Hot or cold cereal with fruit and low-fat milk
• Grilled cheese sandwich
• Peanut butter sandwich
• Yogurt and a cereal bar.

8. Lunch fuels afternoon performance:
• Tortilla roll-up with turkey, cheese and lettuce
• English muffin pizza
• Thermos of soup, chili, yogurt
• Sandwiches with variety: whole wheat, rye, pita bread, English muffin, lettuce, tomato.

9. Munchies can be healthy, if you choose the right snacks:
• Fruit
• Baby carrots with low-fat dressing or peanut butter
• Celery with peanut butter
• Apple slices with peanut butter
• Graham crackers with low-fat milk
• Nuts or sunflower seeds
• Yogurt
• String cheese.

10. Plan in advance. Set one or two specific nutrition goals. Plan snacks and lunches in advance so that you have the foods that you need to improve your performance.


Q: What else can I do to encourage healthy
choices?

First and foremost, lead by example. Your children will think it’s OK to skip breakfast or eat a handful of M&Ms for dinner if they see you doing it. Make healthy living a family affair and it will become ingrained in your children for the rest of their lives.

• Make healthy foods available for you and your kids. Have fresh fruit, ready-to-eat vegetables and low-fat dairy sources readily available.

• Pack plenty of nutrition in lunches from home. Mix it up – cut cheese into cubes instead of slices. Cut apples into circles instead of wedges. Use different breads, tortillas or pocket bread. Toss leftover pasta with veggies and dressing. Send yogurt in a tube or drinkable yogurt with a muffin and fruit.

• Prepare a smoothie to put in a thermos and serve with a banana and graham crackers.

• Get your children involved and interested in food selection – they’ll be a “foodie” before you know it! Consider their likes and dislikes. Have your child create a list of foods they like for lunch. Better yet, take them to the grocery store and ask for lunch box suggestions. Include your kids in meal and snack preparation. Have them help wash and tear the green leafy lettuce for dinner salads. Kids can help freeze fruits such as bananas, grapes and orange slices for quick snacks.

• Limit children’s soda consumption to one soda a day, or fewer.

• Limit children’s television time or video game playing to one hour a day or less. Use the TV or video game to reward your children for completing chores or goals.

• Encourage physical activity by playing chase, hide and seek, ball games or other activities with your children. When kids walk, run, climb, chase or dodge, it’s considered exercise. A general guideline is one hour of physical activity a day. This does not mean one hour non-stop. Playing and moving can happen throughout the day.