Resources

For more information, you might want to check out these websites:

For parents:

KidsHealth is the largest and most-visited site on the Web providing doctor-approved health information about children from before birth through adolescence. Created by The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, the award-winning KidsHealth provides families with accurate, up-to-date, and jargon-free health and wellness information.

Produce for Kids is a website focused on teaching parents AND children about the healthy benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. The section for parents includes valuable resources including nutritional tips, activities and recipes. For example, learn which fruits and vegetables best benefit a child’s brain, as well as body, and should be included in the lunchbox.

The World’s Healthiest Foods focuses on the benefits of healthy eating and how foods affect how you feel, how much energy you have and the length and quality of your life. Sponsored by the George Mateljan Foundation for the World’s Healthiest Foods, the site includes recipes, menus and articles about the benefits of various foods.

Shape Up America! is a high profile national initiative to promote healthy weight and increased physical activity in America. If you are concerned that you have a child you think may be overweight or obese, or at risk, this Parent's Guide explains how overweight is assessed in adults and children and it describes the essential components of successful approaches to weight management in children.

Mayo Clinic Health Information's award-winning consumer website offers health information, and self-improvement and disease management tools. MayoClinic.com's medical experts and editorial professionals bring you access to the knowledge and experience of Mayo Clinic for all of your consumer health information needs, from cancer, diabetes and heart disease to nutrition, exercise and pregnancy. Within the site you will find information about your child’s nutritional needs.

For youth:

Produce for Kids offers its young visitors a collection of fun and informative games and activities designed to help them learn how important it is to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. There are tasty, easy-to-make recipes featuring fruits and vegetables, as well as charts to use to keep track of those consumed. And there are contests throughout the year.

The National Dairy Council (NDC) has been the leader in dairy nutrition research, education and communication since 1915. NDC provides timely, scientifically sound nutrition information to the media, physicians, dietitians, nurses, educators, consumers and others concerned about fostering a healthier society. Learn about nutrition, tour the food pyramid, and have fun with various activities and puzzles provided on this site.

Kidnetic is a fun, informative site with information on eating for energy. It is designed to help kids eat healthy meals and stay active. It also features entertaining games and recipes.

At Dole 5 a Day for Kids, you’ll find activities to motivate kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and to be more active. There are games, fun facts and a kids’ cookbook.

The 4girls Health web site was created to help girls (ages 10-16) learn about health, growing up, and issues they may face. It focuses on health topics that girls are concerned about and helps motivate them to choose healthy behaviors by using positive, supportive, and non-threatening messages. The site gives girls reliable, useful information on the health issues they will face as they become young women and tips on handling relationships with family and friends, at school and at home.

Nutrition

Good health, nutrition, mental health and fitness, add up to a healthy child with an increased potential of doing well in school.

Experts say that children who eat right tend to score better on tests, have better school attendance and have fewer classroom behavior problems.

Marcus Conyers, author, renowned speaker and learning consultant, also known as “The Brain Guy,” notes research shows that, “Nutrition is critical to effective learning.”

On his website, www.brainsmart.com, Conyers says, “The brain’s super fuel is oxygen. Its next need is water; dehydration lowers learner performance. Protein helps boost memory and attention. Carbohydrate tends to promote the release of the relaxant serotonin (hence drowsiness after lunch). Fruit is an excellent source of energy that requires minimal digestion. The brain needs high quality Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids.”

Adding urgency to the importance of good nutrition, as well as exercise, is the fact that the number of overweight children has about doubled over the past decade, and related diseases like Type II diabetes, normally seen only in adults, are being seen in children.

What is good nutrition? The American Dietetic Association (ADA) suggests the best way to make sure kids are getting the food they need is to provide a variety of nutritious foods that are low in fat and sugar. You can use the food pyramid to guide you. Information about the food pyramid can be found at the Nutrition Explorations website.