The Building Blocks of Healthy Families - vegetarianism in family nutrition - Brief Article

Each new school year brings new challenges--harder schoolwork, new teachers, new classmates, athletic practices, academic clubs and more. The whole family has to adjust to new routines and schedules. Suddenly summer vacation seems long ago! We have some simple suggestions to help the whole family pass the tests of a new school year. Try following the vegetarian food pyramid daily servings guidelines (see next page)--they're the building blocks of healthy, high-energy living. Purchasing products from our Back-to-School Shopping List will jump-start your efforts and give you the chance to win some free gifts! Be sure to check out our Back-to-School articles as well: kid-friendly recipes, personal care products for kids, dealing with childhood obesity, and five easy weeknight meals.

Tips for healthy children and families ...

Make food and nutrition a topic of family conversation. Talk about how your family can meet the serving guidelines of the vegetarian food pyramid. Put a copy of the food pyramid on your kitchen refrigerator as a friendly reminder.

Make food selection and menu planning a family activity. Turn trips to the grocery store or farmers market into fun, educational experiences. Compare the quality of the food you see in one market with the food you see in another. Make your food selections with the serving guidelines of the vegetarian food pyramid in mind.

Give your family "controlled food choices." Stock up on foods that will help you meet the serving guidelines of the vegetarian food pyramid, but allow for many choices within those guidelines.

Be active. Make activities like walking, biking, swimming or others fun and part of your family routine.

Healthy Kids Web Sites:

www.kidsfood.org

www.healthykidz.com

www.healthychild.com

and, of course,

www.vegetariantimes.com

Resource Directory

Earthbound Farm www.ebfarm.com 888-EAT-ORGANIC

Eden Foods www.eden-foods.com. 888-424-EDEN

EnviroKidz Organic www.naturespath.com 604-940-0505

Lifeway Foods www.kefir.com 877-533-4748