Parent Talk - March 24, 2010

By Dorman Jackson, Superintendent of Schools

CELEBRATING SPRING WITH GOOD NUTRITION

The month of March marks a season of new beginnings with the advent of Spring on the 20th. It is also National Nutrition Month which provides us with an opportunity to start fresh and raise awareness for the importance of good nutrition. Take this opportunity to spring into healthy eating habits and plan ways to involve your family in some physical activity with better weather on the way. By thinking ahead, we can all improve our overall health and fitness.

Good nutrition and eating healthy doesn’t have to be a complicated matter. Success often comes when we keep it simple and stick to the basics. A healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, as well as lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and nuts. In this era of fast foods, we must constantly remind ourselves and our children to avoid foods loaded with saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.

Swing into spring by emphasizing healthy nutritional habits. National Nutrition Month is a time to remind our children that it is critical to start their day by eating a nutritious breakfast. When children start the day with a healthy boost it helps to ensure that they will come to school alert and as eager learners. Although it may be somewhat challenging at times to get enough fruits and vegetables into our daily diets, with a little creative thinking it’s really not that hard to incorporate them into our eating habits. Encourage children to add fruit to their breakfast and vegetables to their snacks and dinners.

When it comes to eating, variety is the spice of life. We need to teach children the importance of maintaining well-balanced diets and consuming items from all food groups. It is important for us as adults to set good examples by including at least three servings of whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice or pasta in our menus each day. While there are so many fast and easy food choices today and we often take the easy way out, we must become conscious about helping the younger generation develop healthy eating habits which lead to better overall health.

Spring is a perfect time in the Sabine Parish School District to celebrate good nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Parents and guardians can start children off on the right foot by taking advantage of family mealtimes. By sharing meals and talking about good nutrition with children, we encourage them to develop a good attitude toward eating healthy. A healthy lifestyle is a balance between eating a nutritious diet and getting a healthy amount of exercise. Maintaining the balance for a healthy lifestyle is the best way to achieve overall good health and fitness.

As part of the district’s strategic communication plan, this column is brought to you by Dorman Jackson, Superintendent of the Sabine Parish School District. To learn more about the district, please visit www.sabine.k12.la.us.