|

Back To School With Healthy Eating Habits Reminders

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

September is the National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The past few decades have been quite disturbing in the trends that overweight and obesity are taking over our society at large.

Look at this gruesome statistics collected by CDC.

– Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.1,2

– The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.1,2

– In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.1

– Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors.3 Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.4 Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance” – too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.5,6

And it’s not about anybody’s willpower not to eat more. No, it’s not!

More and more clinical studies are coming with their wake-up calls pointing out that what we breath in, what we package our food into, what clothes and personal products we put on – all that has a powerful effect on our hormonal system.

Hormone disruption, that is what they call it.

With that knowledge in mind, i.e., what we put on and inside of us does effect our weight and well-being, many companies started their journey some years ago to offer organic, clean, green, eco-friendly foods and consumer products to us, the final consumers. And it works. How we change our living habits, eating habits, socializing habits – all that contributes to our health overall.

 

 

There’s a trend happening these days when green companies offer their products through huge online aggregators – the sellers – of the organic and natural foods, personal care, cosmetics, supplements and much more. Usually, we can save money when we buy products from such companies. One of the most prominent of them is Puritan’s Pride.

Puritans-Pride
You Can Find Any Organic, Gluten Free, Eco-Friendly Options in Food at Puritan’s Pride.
And Yes, with Savings and Daily Promotions to Save Even More.

 We, as consumers, can find amazing brands we already love, and educated ourselves on many health issues – all done from one place.

This month, Puritan’s Pride and Celebrate Woman Today have teamed up to bring you the message of health and well-being when it comes to kids’ eating habits.  With Kristen Schierenbeck, a Nutritionist at Puritan’s Pride, here are some tips that will resonate with parents who are adamant about their children’s healthy growing and development.

Discover an amazing product collection at Puritan’s Pride HERE.

Puritans-Pride
Non-Toxic Ingredients Are Welcome NOT at the Puritan’s Pride Store!
We Find All The Lovely, Eco-Smart Brands Here That We’ve Been Using & Buying From Stores.

Eat Together with Kids

If you can’t make it dinner, plan for a quick family breakfast before the day starts. Whip up a smoothie to share! Check one of the simple, yet yummy recipe anybody can use!

garden of life raw chocolate smoothy
Smoothies With Grains Like Chia & Hemp Nuts Add To A Huge Boost in Nutritional Value!

Snack Swap for School Lunches

Stash healthy snacks in the front of the fridge for 3 PM snack attack! Use sliced fruit, crudite or even the veggies that are part of dinner. We do cut up fresh fruit and veggies for snacking and store these yummies in the fridge.

sliced fruit
Use Your Own Options to Offer To Kids When They Are Back From School and Looking for A Quick Snack!

Kid-Dominated Dinners Means Family Bonding

We know it’s not relaxing to take the kids to the grocery store. Turn the stress into an opportunity to talk about how to talk about how to make healthy food choices for your whole family. And even point out how to read the food labels! Educate, in tiny steps, what ingredients to look for and what to avoid! Your personal example is the strongest and would stay with your child forever.

Go Grain-Crazy!

Grains are multi-purpose nutritional powerhouses! Make a huge batch on a Sunday, then incorporate it into your week-long meal preparation. Think Ancient Grains like Quinoa, Kamut, Chia that are rich in protein and essential amino acids.

Power-Up

Put a vitamin on every breakfast plate. And start it with yourself! Doing it every day will get this tiny habit to turn into a huge boost in your lifestyle.

References:

  1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Journal of the American Medical Association 2014;311(8):806-814.
  2. National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2011: With Special Features on Socioeconomic Status and Health . Hyattsville, MD; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2012.
  3. National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Disease and Conditions Index: What Are Overweight and Obesity? Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2010.
  4. Krebs NF, Himes JH, Jacobson D, Nicklas TA, Guilday P, Styne D. Assessment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. Pediatrics 2007;120:S193–S228.
  5. Daniels SR, Arnett DK, Eckel RH, et al. Overweight in children and adolescents: pathophysiology, consequences, prevention, and treatment. Circulation 2005;111;1999–2002.
  6. Office of the Surgeon General. The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation.[PDF – 840 KB]. Rockville, MD, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010.

Similar Posts

55 Comments

  1. I am glad more and more people are talking about this. I know that not all kids have access to healthy food.

  2. Healthy eating is such a big part of back to school now isn’t it. So many rules and regulations on what kids can bring for their lunch, we never had anything like it in the 90’s and we were all fine, lol 🙂

    1. Totally agree with you, Fi Ni Neachtain!
      All due to the regulations imposed by the lobbyists and policy-makers from the top. Not what our kids need, but where they can make money.
      Yes, we do have some great people and programs that make a huge positive mark on our education. Lots of improvement on the diet and menus at school. Still, more is needed.
      That is why FAMILIES are the cornerstone of each child’s health and well-being.
      Thank you for your thoughts and contributions to this conversation!

  5. Obesity is a big problem in the United States. I really appreciate all this great information you provided

  6. What a great post! I’m all about paying attention to things that aren’t on those back to school shopping lists, but honestly are even more important…like healthy eating habits, and keeping those immune systems healthy throughout the school year.

  7. Part of the problem is that people are taught to eat three meals a day, and clean your plate. If you’re full, stop eating. Also, you don’t need three meals plus snacks. I agree, in general healthier choices should be made too.

  8. I hate that childhood obesity has become such an epidemic!! Your tips are all great and I do like to make a large batch of quinoa on the weekends too 🙂

  10. My kids’ lunches are mainly packed with fresh fruit and veggies. We don’t do juice or soda at home, just milk or water, and water in lunch boxes. I try to provide them with healthy meals as much as possible.

  11. Great tips! I love the Snack Swap idea and will definitely have to do that. We do have a snack drawer and it’s usually got fresh apples and pears which they eat up like crazy!

  17. My grandchildren are definitely not overweight but I also worry about their heart health. We have alot of heart problems in our family and I don’t want my grandchildren to suffer with this disease if it can be prevented. Thank you so much for sharing

  19. Thanks for taking your time to share such wonderful posts! May God bless you and yours richly!

  21. These are wonderful tips. Everyone seems to hurry during school days. That doesn’t mean though that you can’t eat healthy food on these days. All the food you featured looks delicious.

  22. I’ve very happy that healthier options are available. My daughter would eat junk food all day if I let her.

  24. There are so many unhealthy items prepackaged for kids lunches that it drives me crazy to shop but I’m glad healthier options are becoming more prevalent.

  27. I love having a meal together with my boys. These are good tips. Thanks for sharing it.

  28. How scary that this is such an issue in this country! Eating habits definitely start at home and start when the child is small. Thanks for the tips! I’d love to incorporate them into my daily meals for the kids!

  30. I always try to make sure that my kids eat right. Obesity is at an all time here in America and I Don’t want my kids to become a statistic.

  32. Since I worry about my kids’ food intake, I normally prepare lunches for them instead of letting them buy their lunch at school. Meal planning is essential so that they won’t get tired of eating the same healthy things, lol. Anyway, I love all the tips, very helpful.

  34. What a great post, this is really helpful i need to do this for my family. I promote the healthy eating for my two kids

  36. Great post! Its important to promote healthy habits at a young age so that way they can keep up the lifestyles for the rest of the lives. Obesity is definitely a big concern and should dealt with. I am glad that Michelle Obama came up with the idea of Let’s Move. I hope its making a difference now.

  39. I have a very small daycare and one child who although definitely not overweight is one of the pickiest eaters. At almost 5 all she wants to do all day is snack but not eat an actual meal. I don’t feed her anything except aa snack on the afternoon. She will not eat most meat except hamburger or hotdogs or a pbj sandwich. I did find an all natural chicken nuggets in the health food area of the store & it is the only chicken she will eat. She will eat veggies somewhat although not stir fried veggies w noodles. She is starting to rub it on my toddler and I’m not sure what to do about it except feed them separately. Great post!

  44. I am constantly worried that my daughter is not getting enough real foods and I am always looking for tips on how to keep her healthy. I have to cook everything from scratch due to a restricted diet I am on for an auto-immune disease but my family does eat some of these things that come in packages. I try to prepare healthy meals for everyone as often as possible but sometimes it’s nice to be able to grab a packaged snack that is healthier than all of the junk food.

  46. This was such a great article. The older I get the more concerned I am about these things. I reallly want my grandchildren to learn the healthy way to eat, etc. We have alot of heart problems in our family and it is a concern. Thank you so much for this article

  47. It is so important that kids establish healthy habits early because they really do go with them all of their life. Great ideas.

  48. Childhood obesity is nothing to overlook! When children are hungry at lunch-time, it helps to have all of the food groups represented!!! Carrots and celery always did the trick for me! Although, back then, I was allowed to have peanut butter and raisins accompany my celery!!!

  49. I really need to keep a better eye on what my little ones eat. some great ideas here thank you!

  50. I actually got a letter home last year stating my child was under weight and that we should speak to a nutritionist. We never did speak to a nutritionist because I bento box my son’s lunches and I make sure he eats in all food groups and I’m proud to say he’s never had a soda except when we went on a school field trip to Peter Piper Pizza. Good nutrition starts at home and ends at home.

  51. These are wonderful tips! I can’t believe how the percentage of obese children and teens has grown over the last 30-40 years. It is sad and scary to see!

  52. I am just glad that more and more healthy options are out in the market! Now I can choose healthier snacks for my kid, even candies are made from natural ingredients now! I should probably stop giving her sweets though.

  53. I definitely need to keep a better eye on what my daughter is eating now that the hectic school schedule is back! Thanks for the tips!

  54. Great tips! During the school year, everything and everyone is always rushing. I agree with you in all your tips listed here. It is upon our shoulders to ensure the family still enjoys healthy meals and happy bonding times.

Comments are closed.