Family Meal Tips
Whether you have a toddler or a teen, here are five of the best strategies to improve nutrition and encourage smart eating habits:
- Have regular family meals.
- Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks.
- Be a role model by eating healthy yourself.
- Avoid battles over food.
- Involve kids in the process.
From
KidsHealth.org
Eating well and being physically active are key to your child’s well-being. Eating too much and exercising too little can lead to overweight and related health problems that can follow children into their adult years. You can take an active role in helping your child—and your whole family—learn healthy eating and physical activity habits.
- Eat Smart. Play Hard.Learn more about how you and your child can work together to eat better, be more physically active, and make smart choices.
- It’s Your Health…Take Charge!These printable sheets provide a wealth of information for families on eating more fruits & vegetables, looking at labels, eating whole grains, and more!
- Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Database
Find information about fruit and vegetable selection, storage, nutrition benefits and recipes. - Crunching Carrots with Cookie Monster
You and your child can watch these Sesame Street videos and talk about ways your family can stay healthy. - Kids in the Kitchen
Find games, activities, and recipes to get your child in the kitchen helping the family make healthy eating choices. - What Color is Your Food?
Did you know that you and your family should eat a rainbow of fruits & vegetables every day?
- Make It Quick and Easy
Includes recipes, menus, menu planning tips, and ideas for healthy celebrations. - Family Recipes for Sweet Organic Living
Dig into healthy recipes that use organic ingredients. - KidsHealth Recipes
Find recipes for families with all kinds of nutritional needs—including home alone recipes older children can do by themselves! - Healthy Cooking With Your Kids
Stir up some fun by bringing your child into the kitchen and letting them help you create great meals that are healthy too.
Sing and dance to these catchy songs and videos about eating healthy.
- Close-Up Food Game
Can you tell the names of all the foods in the game with Elmo? - Fruit & Veggie Color Champions
Take a trip with the fruit and vegetable guides and find games, coloring sheets, recipes, and more! - MyPyramid Coloring Page
Print out the MyPyramid page and draw pictures of foods you eat every day. Be sure to include lots of fruits & vegetables.
These webpage have great recommendations for books to read with your child about healthy eating, nutrition, and fruits and vegetables.
- Vegetarian-Friendly Books for Children and Parents
- Healthy Reading for Kids
- Food and Nutrition Fun for Elementary Age Children