Help Kids Eat Right

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Help Kids Eat Right

Happy August! Did you know that this month is the very first Kids Eat Right Month?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Academy Foundation have created a new children’s health and nutrition education campaign, and it comes in the form of Kids Eat Right Month. According to Terri Raymond, RDN and chair of the Academy Foundation, “As children head back to school in August, Kids Eat Right Month will reinforce our program’s core messages of shopping smart, cooking healthy and eating right. By following these principles, we can help ensure children are healthy, succeed in school and grow into healthy adults” (source).

To celebrate Kids Eat Right Month, help your clients focus on the importance of healthful choices when it comes to diet and exercise.

To start, you can feature this great handout, which was designed and written just for kids! A preview of the handout is available below, and you can also click to download it today.

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Are you a master of eating right? Take this quiz to find out!

1. True or false: Breakfast is a very important meal.

2. Which of the following foods doesn’t belong with the others?

• A. Apples
• B. Bananas
• C. Grape Juice
• D. Strawberries

3. Approximately how many servings of fruits and vegetables should an active kid get every day?

• A. 0 to 2
• B. 1.5 to 3
• C. 3 to 4.5
• D. 3.5 to 5

Answers:

1. True! If you’re running late in the morning, you still need to have breakfast. Balance whole grains with some fruit or vegetables and perhaps a little protein for a quick and healthy start to your day.

2. B. Grape Juice. All the other foods are whole fruits. Juice doesn’t have nearly as much fiber as regular fruit, which means that you miss out on many of its health benefits. Plus, when you drink juice instead of eating fruit, you will get hungry again much more quickly.

3. D. 3.5 to 5. It sounds like a lot, but getting enough fruits and vegetables can be fun. After all, it’s really important to eat enough fruits and vegetables every day. They are full of fiber and nutrients, which will help you stay healthy and have the energy you need to have fun.

So, what do you think? Are you a master of eating right?

Like what you see? Get a copy of the handout.

Of course, that’s just a start to all of the wonderful things you can do for Kids Eat Right Month! Some fantastic nutrition resources for kids are featured below…