Healthy Eating for School Kids

By eating healthy, children can prevent future disease. Poor nutrition in childhood can result in serious health problems down the line. The right combination of carbohydrates and proteins produces amino acids that help neurotransmitters in the brain work better. This enhances learning and behavior in youth. Lunches such as a salad of legumes with turkey or tuna help kids keep alert through the afternoon.

Benefits

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 percent of American children are overweight. One of the reasons for such problems is that most children will grab a sugary snack before a healthy snack or make food choices that are high in calories. It's also beneficial for school-age kids to start the day with a healthy breakfast. Dr. William Sears, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, says that breakfast eaters are likely to achieve higher grades, pay closer attention and participate more in classroom discussions. A healthy breakfast is a balance of complex carbohydrates and protein foods such as eggs, sunflower seeds and bananas, which contains the amino acid tryptophan.

Nutrition

• Kids need to eat a variety of healthy foods that give them important vitamins, minerals and nutrients. A healthy diet should include fresh fruits and vegetables. It should also include protein from plant sources, eggs, poultry or fish. Calcium is important for bone growth. Lunches should supply one-third of a child's daily energy needs and one-third of his protein, carbohydrates, fibers and minerals needs, according to Anita Bean, author of "Awesome Foods for Active Kids."

Schools

• Many schools are now offering more fruits and salads to their lunch programs. But cake, cookies and other sugary foods are often served when schools have classroom activities or parties. Teachers can help kids learn about eating healthy by getting them involved in choosing the healthiest foods for these events. This may help promote positive messages to kids about healthy food. Some lesson plans teachers could use are drawings of healthy foods that kids can color or putting together food pyramid puzzles.

Parents

• Parents can help motivate their kids to eat healthy so they make good food choices in schools. Teach them how healthy foods can make them feel good and give them energy to do their schoolwork. If your child brings home a copy of her school lunch menu, you can discuss the best food choices. Your child can help you pack a healthy lunch if his school doesn't serve healthy food. Take children to the supermarket with you and show them which foods are the healthiest. They will learn from your example.