- About
- Healthy Food is Fun
- How Much Do I Need
- Smarter Shopper - Fruits, Veggies, Grains
- Smarter Shopper - Fats, Salts
- Reading Nutrition Labels
- Eating Healthy Doesn't Have to Be Expensive
- The Price is Right
- Make Mealtimes Fun
- Planning for the Week
- Snack Time - A Bridge Between Meals
- Active Families Have More Fun
- Take Control of TV
- Recipe Pack
- Handouts
Healthy Food is Fun!
What does it mean to "eat healthy"? Here are a few guidelines that you can use as a rule of thumb:
Eat your fruits and veggies.
Go for five! Try to eat at least five servings of fruits or vegetables a day. Make sure to serve a variety of fruits and vegetables in different colors.
Include "whole grains."
Whole grain breads, crackers and cereals as well as whole-wheat pasta and brown rice help you feel full longer. Check the ingredient list! Serve foods that list a whole grain (like whole wheat flour, oats, or barley) as the first ingredient, and which does not include sugar as one of the first 3 ingredients.
Choose healthy fats.
Eat "good for you" fats found in fish and plants like vegetable oils (such as olive and canola), nuts, and seeds. Limit saturated fats found in butter, whole milk, and red meat. Avoid foods with trans fats; choose foods with 0g of trans fat and check that partially "hydrogenated vegetable oil" or "shortening" are not in the ingredient list. Avoid fast foods with trans fats.
You're sweet enough already.
Sugar-sweetened drinks like soda, juice drinks, and sports drinks can cause cavities and increase the risk for overweight in kids and adults. In fact, even juice can have just as much sugar as soda! When your kids are thirsty, serve water and low fat milk. Do not serve juice drinks and limit 100% juice to 4 oz. per day (juice box size).