We continue our series promoting healthy behaviors to be implemented and tracked for an entire month (and hopefully beyond). In November we are focusing on practicing gratitude. Taking the time each day to stop and think about the things in our lives that we are fortunate enough to have is so important. To help teach kids to get in the habit of being grateful, they can identify one thing each day in November with the help of this free calendar. So make sure to download and print your November Behavior Tracking Sheet and use in your home or other setting to encourage and track behavior change.
Watch as Windy, the lungs and Pepto, the stomach practice gratitude by appreciating a good friend:
October is Healthy Lung Month and nobody is more excited about this than Windy, the Lungs. We, along with our friends over at the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center, are offering up some helpful tips for healthy lungs and to help prevent toxins from affecting your health:
Get plenty of exercise, which is good for your lungs AND the rest of your body, too. (Think of it like “working out” for your lungs.)
Do not smoke! It’s dangerous to your lungs, entire body and everyone around you.
Switch up your cleaning supplies to more natural ones. Some of them contain harmful chemicals that pollute the air you breathe.
To diminish some of the toxins in the air, use an air purifier.
Before doing any major home renovations, be sure to have your house checked for dangerous fibers, such as asbestos. They can be found in walls, ceilings, or insulation. If the fibers break apart they can be easily inhaled which can later cause serious lung illnesses or cancer likemesothelioma.
In honor of Healthy Lung Month, watch as Windy, the Lungs talks about the importance of not smoking and getting plenty of fresh air:
When it comes to eating healthy meals, our first choice is to plan and cook at home as it is easier to ensure you are cooking with healthy ingredients. However, we realize that families today are constantly on the go and so we want to offer our recommendations for some healthy options at popular restaurants. There tends to be limited selections for children, so we are focusing on the best food choices that they are most likely to eat and enjoy.
Today we start with the best food choices for kids at Chick-fil-A:
Fruit Cup – The fruit cup is a fantastic option for breakfast or as a simple swap for fries in a kids meal. The fruits that are included – mandarin oranges, blueberries, strawberries, and apples – tend to be popular choices for kids.
Nutrition info:
Serving Size: Medium cup
Calories: 50
Fat: 0 g
Fiber: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 13 g
Protein: 0 g
Sodium: 0 mg
Multi-Grain Oatmeal – Chick-fil-A’s oatmeal is a great breakfast option as it contains flax, whole wheat and buckwheat so it is full of fiber to keep kids feeling full longer. The added dried fruit adds some sweetness and the nuts add some protein. Opt to leave off the brown sugar to make it an even healthier option.
Nutrition info:
Serving Size: Oatmeal cup with toppings
Calories: 290
Fat: 10 g
Fiber: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 50 g
Protein: 2 g
Sodium: 60 mg
Grilled Nuggets Kid’s Meal– You have the choice of 4- or 6-count grilled or classic chicken nuggets. Choosing the 6-count grilled nuggets over the 6-count standard nuggets will save you 100 calories, 7.5 g of fat and 390 mg of sodium. To complete the healthier kid’s meal, choose the fruit cup shown above over the fries and select the 2% white milk over soda, juice or lemonade. Always remember that you can choose water as the beverage even though the kid’s meal comes with a drink other than water.
Nutrition info:
Serving Size: 6 grilled nuggets
Calories: 100
Fat: 2.5 g
Fiber: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Protein: 17 g
Sodium: 400 mg
Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Sandwich – For the older kids (in addition to the grilled nuggets), the grilled chicken sandwich is a good choice. It comes on a multi-grain bun and is served with lettuce and tomato. Pair this with the fruit cup or you can even get some additional protein and calcium with the Greek yogurt parfait topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries and the harvest nut granola.
Nutrition info:
Serving Size: Sandwich with lettuce and tomato
Calories: 320
Fat: 5 g
Fiber: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Protein: 30 g
Sodium: 800 mg
Chick-fil-A offers a very useful interactive menu featuring the nutrition information for all of the menu items. There is also a nice meal calculator feature that allows you to total up everything in your entire meal. This is a great visual tool to help you realize what you are actually eating and can even help you to maybe cut back on some of the not-so-healthy items once you see it all added up.
Make sure and check out the complete Chick-fil-A nutrition guide to see the numbers on all of your favorite foods. Try out the interactive menu and remember that eating out doesn’t necessarily mean you have to neglect your healthy eating patterns!
Looking for simple, healthy recipes to make at home? Check out our weekly recipes that we share every Wednesday. Make sure to check back each week for more healthy ideas!
It’s so easy for kids to get caught up in hours of screen time a day. It’s an escape after a long day and likely used as a distraction so parents can get dinner on the table. The problem is that, with all of this screen time, comes less physical activity and good old fashioned fun. We have some helpful tips for limiting screen time and promoting fun alternative activities instead.
First, here are three tips for limiting screen time:
Tip 1: Make a pledge to go outside.
If it’s a beautiful day, don’t spend it indoors in front of a screen. Go places like the park, or the playground together as a family.
Tip 2: Learn a healthy hobby.
Make a family goal to learn a new hobby or skill. Instead of watching television, spend time on new interests that will enrich your lives.
Tip 3: Create an activity basket.
Fill a colorful basket with books, puzzles and toys for children that they can use instead of watching television.
Next, watch as Hardy Heart teaches Pepto the importance of limiting screen time:
Now, make sure and download this fun word scramble for kids:
Lastly, you can also visit our shop to view our resources that help with limiting screen time.
We continue our series promoting healthy behaviors to be implemented and tracked for an entire month (and hopefully beyond). In October we are focusing on dental health and working to get kids to brush their teeth at least twice a day, and floss them often. In addition to stressing the importance of keeping teeth properly brushed and flossed, it’s also necessary to teach kids about calcium and why it is essential for them to include calcium in their daily foods in order to build strong bones and teeth. To help get kids to brush their teeth regularly, make sure to download and print your free October Behavior Tracking Sheet and use in your home or other setting to encourage and track behavior change.
To promote good health, get kids to brush their teeth and encourage them to eat foods high in calcium. Watch as Calci M. Bone and The Kidney Brothers teach kids the “Calcium” cheer:
Here’s to eating calcium-rich foods and lots of teeth brushing!
