Health Eating for Families. Dr. Laura Forbes Assistant Professor in Nutrition University of Guelph

Transcription

1 Health Eating for Families Dr. Laura Forbes Assistant Professor in Nutrition University of Guelph

2 My plan for this session Discuss what healthy eating is and why it s important The Cold Hard Truth The Good News What you can do as parents What you can do as members of a school community Q and A free-for-all

3 What does healthy eating mean to you?

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5 Another way to think about healthy eating

6 Why is healthy eating important?

7 What makes healthy eating a challenge for you and your family?

8 Questions so far?

9 The Cold Hard Truth 1. Many Canadian children do not eat balanced healthy diets

10 Ontario and Alberta Adolescents in 2003/2004: Canadian children s diets (aged 13-17) boys girls Canada s Food Guide 0 Grain Products Vegetables and Fruit Milk and alternatives Meats and alternatives Other foods

11 The Cold Hard Truth 1. Many Canadian children do not eat balanced healthy diets 2. Many Canadian children do not get enough physical activity every day

12 Number of Canadian Children getting 60 min. of moderate activity/day Enough physical activity Not enough physical activity Active Health Kids Report card:

13 The Cold Hard Truth 1. Many Canadian children do not eat balanced healthy diets 2. Many Canadian children do not get enough physical activity every day 3. Poor eating and low physical activity levels can lead to Chronic Diseases like Diabetes, Heart Disease and Obesity

14 Adults with Diabetes in Ontario Lipscombe et al. (2007) Lancet 369,

15 Overweight and Obesity in Children Obesity rates tripled!

16 Scientists Predict... Our children may be the first generation with shorter life-spans than their parents.

17 Whew! That was heavy! Questions before we move on to the Good News?

18 The Goods News!!! There are many things you can do as parents

19 LAURA S TOP 5 THINGS PARENTS CAN DO TO HAVE A HEALTHIER FAMILY

20 1. Be a healthy role model Eat healthy foods with your child Be physically active with your child Get excited about healthy things (faking it doesn t work)

21 2. Make Healthy Eating Fun Get your child involved Let them pick their favourite healthy foods at the grocery store Grow a garden or visit a farm Get cooking/baking/preparing food together Finger foods are fun Shapes and colours are fun

22 3. Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice Have fruit out on the counter Have healthy snacks within easy reach Yogurt, veggies, whole grain crackers, cheese Plan ahead Weekly menu plan, grocery list Have healthy emergency meals on hand

23 4. Encourage Active Play Get your child outside Limit TV/computer/screen time Let your child bounce off the walls

24 5. Make 1 easy goal at a time Building healthier lifestyles can seem overwhelming Every baby step counts Make one goal, when you re ready, make another

25 Making goals that work Answer these questions: What do you want to do? How are you going to do it? How will you know when you ve achieved your goal? When are you going to do it? Is this a goal I can easily achieve? Write it down!

26 Make your own goal! What do you want to do? I want to eat more beans How are you going to do it? I will find one new recipe with beans to try, buy the ingredients I need and make it for supper When are you going to do it? I will find the recipe on Saturday, buy the groceries on Sunday morning and make the dish for Sunday supper How will you know when you ve achieved your goal? I will know I ve achieved my goal when I sit down to supper on Sunday night and am eating a new bean recipe. I will check it off on my goal list. Is this a goal I can easily achieve? Yes, I know I will have time on Sunday to shop and cook and I know a good website for recipes.

27 Questions?

28 Building Healthy School Communities A growing trend in Canadian Schools Building schools where: Healthy foods are the easy choice There are opportunities for physical activity/active play every day Healthy eating and active living is part of the school curriculum There are policies in place to make sure the healthy school is maintained

29 Exciting things that healthy schools do School gardens School cooking classes Healthy cafeterias/canteens Healthy eating days Sport/activity days

30 Interested in building a Healthy School? Step 1 Build support from: Parents Teachers Principals School board Community members/volunteers Businesses/organizations in the community Get involved or start your own movement!

31 Questions?

32 Q and A Free-For All Do you have a burning nutrition question? Now s your chance!