EatingHealthy.GrowingStrong.
TheAllianceforaHealthierGenerationandtheAmericanAcademyofPediatricshavejoinedwiththebest-sellingchildren’sbook,
The Very Hungry CaterpillarbyEricCarle,tohelpfamilieslearnabouthealthyeatinghabits.
HealthyEatingatHomeMatters!
TheVeryHungryCaterpillareatsmanyfoodsonhisjourneytobecomingabutterfly.Youcanhelpyourchildonhisor
herownjourneytogrowuphealthyandstrong.
4TipstoGrowHealthyandStrong
1. EatFruitsandVegetablesatEveryMeal Fruitsandvegetablesaddimportantvitaminsandfibertoyourdiet.Ateverymeal, includesomekindoffresh,frozen,orcannedfruitsandvegetables.Justbesureto watchoutforthosewithfattysaucesoraddedsugar.Aimforatleast5fruitsand veggiesaday.Remembertoavoidsmall,hardfoodsonwhichyourchildcanchoke, andcutanyfirm,roundfoods(e.g.,rawcarrotsorgrapes)intolong,thinslices.
Ideasforaddingfruitsandveggiestoyourmeals: • Addfruitsandveggiestofoodsyourchildalreadylikes:putblueberriesin pancakes,choppedfruitoncereal,orsmallpiecesofbroccoliinmacaroni andcheese.
• Makeitfun:trycuttingupfoodintofunshapesormakingfacesoutoffruits andvegetables.
• Prepareandpackfruitsandveggiesassnacksforafter-school,aftersports practice,andothertimes.
2. GiveKidsaSayInWhatTheyEatandGetThem ExcitedAboutHealthyFood
Helpyourkidsmaketherightfoodchoicesfromanearlyage.Youcandothis bygivingthemtwohealthychoicestochoosefrom,likeanappleandanorange. It’sagreatwayforyourkidstogetexcitedabouteatinghealthyfoods.Letthem decidewhatandhowmuchtoeat.
Ideastohelpchildrengetexcitedaboutfood: • Letthemhelpyouwithsmall,kid-safejobsinthekitchensuchasmixing ingredientsandsettingthetable.
• Allowthemtosmell,touch,taste,andplaywithfood.
3. EatBreakfastEveryDay Eatingbreakfasthelpsyourchildstarthisdayinahealthyway. Incorporatefruitandwholegrainswheneverpossible.Childrenandadultswho eatbreakfastdailyarelesslikelytobeoverweight.
4. EatTogetherAsaFamily Trytosetasideyourmealsasfamilytime,andeattogetherasoftenaspossible. Evenbabiescanjoinfamilymealtime.Byage9months,theyareabletoeaton thesameschedulewithyou.Createfamilymealtimeswhentheyarelittleand keepthistraditionastheygrow.
Formoreinformationabouthealthynutritionforyourchild,visit:TheAcademy’swebsiteat
www.healthychildren.org/veryhungrycaterpillarTheAlliance’swebsiteat
www.healthiergeneration.org/veryhungrycaterpillar
FindoutmoreaboutThe Very Hungry CaterpillarandauthorandillustratorEricCarle
atwww.eric-carle.comandwww.penguin.com/ericcarle
AGuidetoReadingWithYourChildStarttalking,singing,andreadingwithyourchildfromthebeginning.Hewilllearnthatreadingisafunactivityyousharetogether.• Pointtowordsasyoureadthem,showingyourchildthattheprintcarriesthestory.• Askyourchildtonamethingssheseesinthepictures.Talkabouthowthepictures relatetothestory.• Readingdoesn’thavetobeahugeproject.Evenathree-minutestoryeverynight beforebedtimewillhelpyourchildlearn.
DiscussHealthyActiveLivingusingThe Very Hungry Caterpillar • Teachyourchildthatapples,pears,plums,strawberries,andorangesareallfruits. Askhimifhecannameotherfruits. • Talktoherabouthowfruitsaregoodforthebody. • Talkabouthowwhenthecaterpillarovereats,hegetsastomachache—soitisimportant tostopeatingwhenyoufeelfull. • Talkabouthowsomefoodsare“sometimes”foods—likecakeandicecream—andhow itisnotagoodideatoeatthemallthetime. • Afterreadingthepagewherethecaterpillareatsthegreenleafandfeelsbetter,talkto yourchildabouthowyoutooeatgreenleaves(lettuce,spinach,cabbage,etc.)andhowit isgoodforyourbody. • Teachyourchildthatitisimportanttoeathealthyfoods,sohecangrowuphealthyand activelikeabutterfly.
Art©EricCarle
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