RNS: Eat smart to be smart, Aug. 2008
TIME: 3:14
URL: http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=463
U-M Health Minute: Today’s top health issues and medical research
Eat smart to be smart
U-M dietitian offers tips for planning back to school meals and snacks
Suggested lead: The first lesson of the new school year: Learn how to eat smart to be smart in class. Here’s Andi McDonnell with more.
Food does more than satisfy hunger; it provides fuel for the body and mind, too. So as you make a list of school supplies to buy for the upcoming school year, don’t forget to consider the items at your local supermarket that can also help prepare kids for the classroom.
Catherine Kraus (RD, M.Ed, CHES), a dietitian at the University of Michigan Health System, tells us…
“Food is fuel for our bodies and it affects the way that our brain functions. In our brain we have chemical messengers that are called neurotransmitters and neurotransmitters tell our brain what to do and neurotransmitters are affected by the food that we eat. So the more balanced food that we eat effects how well these neurotransmitters work.”
Parents can take several steps to create well-balanced meals and snacks that provide children the energy and nutrition they need to perform well at school.
First, Kraus says, start each day with a healthy breakfast...
“A healthy breakfast in the morning consists of a whole grain cereal or oatmeal or whole grain bread with some form of lean protein, like peanut butter or a hard boiled egg, and pairing it with fruit, preferably whole fruit rather than juices, is a good way to get added vitamins, minerals and fiber in the diet.”
Kraus adds that dairy products are an acceptable addition to your child’s breakfast, as long as they are in the form of fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt or cheese.
Next, there’s lunch. And while many schools are making efforts to include healthier items on lunch menus, high-calorie items still exist — pizza, nachos and sweetened drinks. If you are concerned about your child’s cafeteria choices, Kraus recommends packing a lunch…
“When packing a lunch variety is best, so try to choose a variety of fruits and vegetables in different colors, red and orange and green and blue and white. Different colors provide different nutrients and it can get boring to pack the same old sandwich again and again, so try to change.”
Kraus also suggests including in a bagged lunch a type of whole grain product in the meal, such as tortillas or bread, with a lean protein, such as tuna, turkey or chicken.
Snacks also can be a part of a healthy diet. But be sure to watch what you buy. According to Kraus…
“When parents do the grocery shopping keep in mind that if it’s in the home the children will likely eat it. So keeping healthy food in the house at all times will ensure that they always have healthy snacks. If you keep candy bars and you keep fruit in the home, most children would pick the candy bar. So if it’s out of sight it’s out of mind; keep it out of the house.”
Instead, buy snack foods that will keep your kids satisfied until dinner and energized for homework and studying – string cheese or peanut butter with whole grain crackers, or a half-sandwich made with whole grain bread or pita.
And finally, Kraus recommends that parents prepare “smart” dinners – dishes that will help your child’s brain function and keep them satisfied after dinnertime.
She explains…
“A smart dinner plate is half your plate fruits and vegetables, a quarter of the plate would be a lean protein, like fish or chicken, and the remaining quarter would be a whole grain, so brown rice or whole wheat pasta.”
In all, Kraus says that encouraging kids to eat smart during the school day can help them develop healthy habits for life.
Andi McDonnell, U-M Health System News.
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