Help tweens eat better. School nurse Karen Scruggs suggests to:
- Read labels and eliminate hydrogenated and trans fats. In Karen’s area, nearly 25 per cent of children between 8-10 years of age are overweight, which is indicative of what children are eating.
- Avoid processed foods because they are often high in sugars and/or fats. Frozen dinners, for example, can contain several servings of food in a single tray with a fat count of more than 20 grams per serving.
- Break on-the-go dependence on fast food by keeping whole-grain granola bars, raisins and other nutritious snacks in the car.
- Keep healthy food available at home for snacks: low-fat dairy products, fruits, raw vegetables, whole-grain products or plain popcorn.
From Focus on Your Child’s Tween Ages, July 2008. Published by Focus on the Family*. © 2008 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
