Good nutrition is a vital component of your child’s development. In this section you will find an overview of and tips on school and home nutrition as well as resources to learn more.
Some tips on good nutrition:
- Parents and caregivers have a tremendous influence over how many fruits and vegetables their children eat
- Children learn their eating patterns from you: the easiest way to get children to eat fruits and vegetables is by eating them yourself
- Research shows that diets high in fruits and vegetables are associated with a lower risk of obesity and other chronic diseases
School Nutrition
School-aged children go through remarkable physical changes of all kinds, which makes good nutrition an important part of their everyday activities. Nourishing food given to a child on a regular schedule can greatly affect your child’s health, emotional stability, and school performance for the better. The best thing for your child is for you to pack them a healthy and diverse sack lunch. Try to pack something in your child’s lunch from each of the food groups so they have a better chance of getting the servings recommended. If your school has a lunch program, get involved! Contact your school regarding the nutritional information on their school lunches and attend PTA meetings or other school functions for parents to make your voice heard.
Home Nutrition
The first meal of the day in your home should always be breakfast. Without breakfast, your child could go as many as 16 hours without food from dinner the night before to lunchtime. Make sure to provide your children with healthy options that are low in sugar. Examples are: cereal topped off with nuts or raisins, a homemade fruit smoothie, and granola or oatmeal.
Most days of the week, your child will eat lunch at school. This shouldn’t encourage you to let your child splurge on the weekends. Keep the meals similar to what your child would eat at lunch without letting them grow bored or tired of the foods they most often eat. Prepare meals for lunch that are difficult for your child to have at school such as hot soups or a cold salad. Try to keep your child’s lunchtime at home somewhat consistent with the time they typically eat at school to keep them in their daily food consumption routine.
Dinners are a great time for family interaction and quality time. However, this does not translate into a large meal that will leave your child feeling overly full on his way to bed. Let your child serve themselves portions and allow them to take second helpings while monitoring that they have a variety of the foods you have provided. Children should be expected to taste every dish that has been prepared and let them propose new dish ideas for future meals. If your child is involved in picking their foods, they are more likely to enjoy them.
Resources
Click here to learn more about what you and others can do to advance good school nutrition.
Click here to learn about the National School Lunch Program.
Click here to access the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Division.
Click here to learn about Texas school meal statistics and child nutrition programs.
Click here to access the Texas ISD Child Nutrition information.
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