Burns Avenue Elementary School

Breakfast - the most important meal of the day

• Provide healthy foods that are fast and convenient: yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit, low fat whole grain bars, fresh fruit pieces.
• Help your child get organized so they have time to eat breakfast.
• Prepare breakfast the night before.
• Offer foods on the run if your child is late: fruit, trail mix, whole grain breakfast bar.

More Fruits and Vegetables

• Keep a variety of fruits and vegetables on hand at home.
• Have cleaned and cut-up fruit and vegetables available and in sight in the refrigerator for snacking.
• Purchase only 100% juice products.
• Serve two or three vegetables with dinner.
• Serve salads with a variety of vegetables and even fruit pieces.
• Pack fruit or vegetables cut and ready to eat in your child’s backpack to eat at school.
• Use plenty of vegetables in soups, casseroles, and sauces.
• Be a role model for your child: eat more fruits and vegetables yourself.
• Plant a garden.

Children Need Calcium

• Serve low-fat or fat-free milk at every meal.
• Flavor milk with a little strawberry or chocolate if necessary.
• Cut up cheese cubes or have string cheese for snacking.
• Keep yogurt or pudding made with low-fat or nonfat milk available.
• Cook with low-fat dairy products in soups and casseroles.
• Serve broccoli, collard greens, and turnip greens (all high in calcium).

Eat Healthy Together as a Family

• Make grocery shopping and food preparation a family activity.
• When having take-out, choose healthy foods.
• When eating together, turn the TV off, do not answer the phone and spend time talking about your day.

Help Your Child to be More Active

• Encourage active, spur-of-the-moment physical activity, such as dancing to music.
• Limit the time your child watches television and plays computer games.
• Give your child household chores, such as shoveling snow, raking leaves, or walking the dog.
• Help your child find physical activities that are fun and not too difficult or embarrassing.
• Use the stairs instead of taking an elevator, and walk instead of riding in a car whenever daily life allows.
• Participate in physical activity together.