Parents: you can set a healthy example!

Jet, Sept 20, 2004 by Terry Mason

September is back to school time, when all of us parents focus on making sure our kids have the things they need to succeed at school. Making sure our kids eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables is as important as having all their school supplies. Fruits and vegetables give kids many nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong and perform their best. Kids ages 2 to 6 need to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for good health and older kids need 7. One serving is a handful of raw or cooked fruit or vegetables or a medium size piece of fruit.

African American children eat less than half of the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended for good health. They also have high rates of overweight, obesity and Type 2 diabetes. When our kids eat fruits and vegetables, combined with physical activity, it promotes good health and can help reduce their risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. As parents, we have to do more to make sure our kids cat a healthy diet.

Take an important step and set a good example. When we eat more fruits and vegetables, so will our kids. It's as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables yourself and making sure your kids have plenty of fruits and vegetables available at home and at school.

As a parent, you can:

* Set a good example by snacking on fresh fruit yourself.

* Give your kids healthy fruit and vegetable snacks instead of chips, cookies, or candy bars.

* Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter with oranges, bananas and apples.

* Keep raw vegetables and low-fat dip in the refrigerator where kids can reach them like broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, and celery sticks.

* Pack ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables in your child's school lunch like apples and baby carrots.

* Talk to your child's teacher about offering fruits and vegetables as part of a classroom healthy snack policy.

Let's start this school year off right and set a healthy example for our kids!

Dr Terry Mason is the chief of urology at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, the Director of the Center for New Life and the Midwest regional Chair of the National Black Leadership Cancer Control Network.