Have a child age 2 to 5? The
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new site — find it at mypyramid.gov/preschoolers* — offers winning tips to keep him or her
healthy.
The challenge: Eat right.
Winning
strategies: A healthy menu isn’t one-size-fits-all. Enter your
child’s age, gender and level of physical activity to get custom
food advice for your tyke. Sample meal and snack schedules are
provided based on your child’s target number of calories. Learn how
much of each food group to offer each day.
Then find out if
your child’s height and weight are on track. Compare her to the
average and learn what factors affect growth. Customize and print
body mass index and height-for-weight charts to take to the doctor’s
office.
The challenge: Exercise.
Winning
strategies: Physical activity can prevent childhood obesity. It
also helps bones grow, wards off diseases like type 2 diabetes and
builds coordination, imagination, strength and self-esteem. Get
tips on age-appropriate activities to keep your kids moving, such as
jumping rope.
The challenge: Have
fun.
Winning strategies: Now you know what your children should eat. How
do you encourage them to do it? Delve into a treasure trove of
mealtime tricks, including kitchen tasks that will get them involved
and cool ideas for making food fun. Learn the best ways to
introduce new foods and deal with picky eaters. For example, cut food
into fun shapes with cookie cutters.
And remember, you are a
big influence on your child. She’ll likely copy the foods you
eat, your manners at the table, and your workout habits. Learn how
you can change your actions to set your little one down the path to
a healthy life. One idea: Be food explorers. Try new fruits and
veggies together.
*BCBSM does not control this Web
site or endorse its general content.
