5 nutrition tips for kids when they go back to school – Daily News

Nutrition plays a crucial role in children’s learning and development.

Back-to-school season, which is in full swing across much of Southern California, is the ideal time to rethink eating habits and improve your kids’ nutrition. Start the new school year with a healthy eating plan.

It is important to remember that children’s diets are closely linked to family diets. While school and peers can also influence children’s eating habits and diets, the home eating environment is likely to have the greatest influence. This means that parents, teachers and caregivers should consider the home eating environment when trying to improve children’s diets and eating habits.

Evidence shows that children gain weight disproportionately during the summer holidays compared to the school year. Families struggle to balance year-round work with children’s summer holiday schedules, and eating habits can suffer. Increased screen time, disrupted schedules, and decreased physical activity are some of the factors that can lead to unwanted weight gain.

If you noticed unhealthy eating habits creeping in over the summer, now is the perfect time to get back on track. To take action, evaluate habits you should start and stop. Good habits to develop include eating breakfast regularly, packing a lunch, shopping with a list, and eating dinners together as a family during the week. Bad habits to stop include eating in front of the TV, buying too many highly processed snacks, and skipping breakfast.

Here are some important tips for parents and educators who want to take steps to improve their children’s diet and eating habits for the new school year:

1. Don’t skip breakfast. Eating breakfast not only improves memory, attention and performance in school-age children, but, according to a recent study in Food diaryThere is a linear relationship between eating breakfast and greater life satisfaction. Taking five to ten minutes in the morning to eat a nutritious breakfast is a worthwhile investment in children’s physical and mental health and learning.
2. Stock up on nutritious snacks. For example, healthy school snacks such as fruits, vegetables, yogurt, cheese, whole grain crackers, dried seaweed, hummus and popcorn can help add extra nutrients to your child’s daily diet. Try replacing highly processed packaged snacks such as chips and cookies with these healthier alternatives.
3. Create a plan for weekly grocery shopping and meal planning. Planning meals in advance will save you time on busy school days. Having the right ingredients on hand is the first step to preparing balanced meals for the whole family.
4. Be a role model for conscious eating habits at family meals. Children learn eating habits from adults and develop a relationship with food and eating from a young age. Make mealtimes enjoyable by setting a time frame for eating together, eating more slowly, limiting distractions like cell phones, and keeping conversation positive. Remember that family meals don’t have to happen every day to have a positive impact on children’s lives.
5. Consider when you need further help. Challenges such as selective eating, nutritional issues, food allergies, financial worries, and more can impact children’s adequate nutrition. Contact your pediatrician, school social worker, or appropriate specialist for additional support and resources.

LeeAnn Weintraub, MPH, RD is a registered dietitian and provides nutrition counseling to individuals, families, and organizations. You can reach her via email at [email protected].