March is National Nutrition Month

 

 

Changing your nutritional habits can be hard, but very important to live a strong and healthy life!

To reach your nutritional goals, try:

• Starting with small changes
  • Instead of making HUGE goals, try to create healthy habits for 3-4 days straight, and then increase the amount to 1 week, and so forth!
  • For example: Try eating 3 servings of vegetables for 3-4 days straight. Once you have done that, try eating 3 servings of vegetables for one week! Or try eating 3 servings of different colored vegetables for 3-4 days straight
• Be active in your own way
  • Focus on physical activity that you enjoy!
  • Not ready for too strenuous of an activity? Talk a walk with a friend, walk your dog, dance during commercial breaks, or anything else that seems fun!
• Team up! Find a friend with similar goals and do them TOGETHER
• Celebrate success
  • Think of each change as a “win”
• Reward yourself (in healthy ways) when you have reached your goals

 

Eat Right With MyPlate

Follow these recommended MyPlate guidelines. For more information on MyPlate, click here!

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
  • Aim to eat MORE vegetables than fruits
  • Try to have a variety of color
• Make half your grains whole grains
  • Look for whole grains listed first or second on the ingredient list
  • Try oatmeal, popcorn, whole-grain bread/pasta, and brown rice
• Vary your protein
  • Include seafood, unsalted nuts/seeds, beans and peas so you aren’t always eating meat-based protein
• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products
  • Opt for unflavored greek yogurt and add your own mix-ins such as fruit, peanut butter, or whole-grain cereal
• Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars
  • Choose vegetable or plant-based oils over butter and other animal-based fats
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks
  • Choose fruit for dessert

Children’s Dental Health Month

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month!

Having healthy teeth helps you chew foods, speak clearly, and look your best. By taking care of your teeth you can help prevent plaque (a film of bacteria that sticks to your teeth) and can cause gum problems and cavities – both of which can be very painful!

 

You should be brushing your teeth 2 times a day – usually after breakfast and before bed (but it is also great to brush after lunch and/or sugary snacks) – for at least 2 or 3 minutes each time you brush.

In addition to this, it is important to:

• Brush ALL of your teeth, especially the back ones
• Brush your tongue
• Floss
• Change your toothbrush every 3 months
• Visit the dentist twice a year (or more often if needed)
• Ask your doctor if you should be using an antibacterial mouth rinse
• Choose clean, tap water to drink over other beverages
• Limit sugary treats and drinks

 

Click here for fun dental activity sheets, such as the ones below:

For more information on dental health, click here

February is American Heart Month

Healthy Heart, Healthy You

In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death. There are many things you can do to keep your heart healthy, and prevent heart disease. 

By starting healthy habits at a young age and keeping them up, you can have a better chance at living a longer, happier, and healthier life in the future.

There are “7 simple things” you can do to make sure your heart is healthy:

1. Avoid smoking and using tobacco products
2. Be physically active every day
3. Eat a heart-healthy diet
4. Keep a healthy weight
5. Keep your blood pressure healthy
6. Keep your total cholesterol healthy
7. Keep your blood sugar healthy

What is a “heart-healthy diet”?

• Foods low in salt and added sugars
• Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Choosing whole grain foods instead of refined grains
• Eating fish twice a week
• Limiting unhealthy fats (saturated fat and trans fat) such as butter, fatty meats, high fat cheese, etc.
• Limiting how much red meat you eat. Try lean chicken or meat-alternatives for protein such as nuts or beans
• Choose low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt
• When hungry for a snack, try eating nuts. 1 serving of nuts is usually a small handful, or 1.5 ounces of whole nuts
• Choose water instead of sugary drinks

How much exercise do you need a day?

60 minutes every day!

60 minutes, or 1 hour, is recommended every day for kids. However, this does not have to be all at once. In the morning, you could try walking or biking to school if you live close – run around during recess or gym class – have a race with a friend after school, etc!

 

For more information, click here.