Jump Start the School Year with Healthy Eating Habits
09/25/2008
- Expert Doctor at St. Vincent's Dishes Out Better Eating Tips For Children -
Contact: Mary Mooney
(212) 604-2675
NEW YORK, NY, August 29, 2008 - It's official, the back-to-school season is in full swing and kitchens are being stocked with kids' favorite foods like sugar-filled juice boxes, greasy potato chips and processed lunch meats. However, many doctors are concerned parents are not effectively monitoring the health and nutritional needs of their children. Doctors have long advised that good nutrition begins at home and that healthy foods should be included and encouraged on the list of children's back-to-school essentials. Unfortunately, as it stands, childhood obesity is still a vital issue.
Childhood obesity is a wide-spread epidemic in the Unites States, evident in numbers: one out of every three children in the United States is overweight or at risk of becoming over weight. School districts across the country are working hard to get nutritionally-sound foods and beverages into school cafeterias and vending machines, but the bottom line: good nutrition has to start at home. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.
'It's important for parents to model good eating habits,' said Dr. John M. Snyder, MD, Chief of the Section of General Pediatrics at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York. Parents should opt to choose foods that are not only healthy but foods that their children will enjoy eating. Encourage your child to be involved in their own lunch preparation. Let them help cut, peel, and prepare choices to encourage involvement and a sense of control over what he/she eats.'
Dr. Snyder has several recommendations for nutritional lunches that will keep kids healthy and slim and that will be tasty enough for even the pickiest eaters:
- Try using unsalted peanut butter, cashew, or almond butter with a low sugar fruit spread on whole grain bread; it will make for a healthier PB&J sandwich.
- Use sliced turkey or chicken breast with light mayonnaise, mustard, and a slice of low fat American cheese. The turkey/chicken is a filling option and a good source of protein.
- Add reduced fat cheese slices or cubes to the lunch menu. Cheese is a great source of calcium and it will build strong bones. You can even add whole grain snack crackers which will give a nice crunch and lots of healthy fiber.
- To get those 5 servings of vegetables a day; try including vegetable sticks with dips, or a small container with mixed vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, celery, or broccoli.
- Unsalted nuts such as almonds and sunflower seeds are always a good option and are a good source of protein.
- Dried fruits, such as raisins, dates and apricots mixed together are a perfect combination of a sweet and filling snack.
- A fresh fruit salad with grapes, sliced apples, pears, and blueberries is a fun and healthy snack.
- Water and low-fat milk are the best drinks for children.
Dr. Snyder believes children often want what their friends have in their lunch boxes, and quite often these foods are not healthy. He says, 'It is important to keep offering healthy lunch box choices in a variety of ways, as children learn to eat what is familiar to them. If children become used to eating more nutritious foods their bodies will start to crave the healthier foods and inevitably they will decrease their intake of processed and artificial junk food.'
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About Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers
Saint Vincent's is anchored by St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, an academic medical center located in Greenwich Village; St. Vincent's Westchester, a behavioral health hospital in Westchester County; and continuing care services that include two skilled nursing facilities in Brooklyn, another on Staten Island, a hospice, and a home health agency serving the Metropolitan New York area. Its behavioral health services also provide supportive housing programs for people with mental illness throughout the Metropolitan area. The system became affiliated with St. Vincent's Midtown Hospital (formerly St. Clare's) in 2003. Saint Vincent's is the designated provider for the New York and New Jersey region of the US Family Health Plan sponsored by the US Department of Defense.
Saint Vincent's serves as the academic medical center of New York Medical College in New York City. The healthcare organization is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn and the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York.
