A Nutritious Start Can Turn Kids Into Champions

Published 6:44 am Wednesday, August 22, 2012

(NAPSI)—For many parents, getting their kids off to school with food that’s both tasty and good for them can be a challenge. Fortunately, finding foods kids love to eat for their breakfast, lunch and snacks may be easier-and more fun—than parents realize.

Mom of two, softball’s Olympic Gold Medalist Jennie Finch knows how busy school days can be and what it means to work hard and keep everyone happy and healthy at home. No stranger to healthy diets and exercise, Jennie has some helpful tips for helping kids eat right during a busy school-year schedule.

Finch suggests:

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• Make it Look Fun—If it looks good—it tastes good! Think about presentation when it comes to packing lunches to make it just as fun to eat. Bring color into the mix with snacks like cherry tomatoes, carrots and various types of fruits and berries. A sandwich can be made more appealing by using cookie cutters to create fun shapes for kids to show off at the lunch table. To get them to look forward to lunchtime, include a few surprises to brighten your child’s day. Let him or her find a new pencil, key chain or a special note to keep things fresh.

• Nutritious Options for Anytime—Like many parents, I’m always on the go. So I look for nutritious options for my sons that I can grab and serve anytime to keep them at their best. Wholesome Chobani Champions Greek yogurt is both nutritious and delicious and perfect for breakfast, lunch or snack time. Chobani Champions authentic strained Greek yogurt is made just for kids and comes in delicious flavors my sons love such as Vanilla Chocolate Chunk, Orange Vanilla, VerryBerry and Honey-Nana. It is a good source of protein, vitamin D and bone-building calcium.

• Making Healthy Eating a Family Activity—Get your kids to participate in all the things that make going back to school exciting and fun! Try packing lunch with your children, guiding them in making the right food choices, and they’ll look forward to eating the meal they created. Print out a chart and come up with a variety of sandwiches, fruits, healthy snacks and some sweet treats to have them choose what they want for lunch.

• Don’t Forget the Team Snack—Healthy eating can continue on the field after school. I love to pack a cooler of Greek yogurt for my son’s baseball practices since it provides a balance of protein and carbohydrates that helps the whole team recover after practice. This is perfect for soccer, football and field hockey moms too!

For more tips for kids’ healthy diets, information about Chobani Champions and Jennie Finch, visit www.chobanichampions.com.

 

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)