Children who eat a healthy diet have a lower risk of obesity and other weight-related diseases. Teaching children to eat a balanced diet is a lifetime gift of health. Starting early and introducing your children to a wide variety of healthy foods will be a big influence on the foods they choose as snacks. Various TV, online and educational tools are available for children to learn and explore how to live and eat healthy.
Games
Online nutrition sites from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA; the National Institutes of Health; Food and Drug Administration, or FDA; and other non-profit organizations offer various online games that teach kids healthy eating habits. Games can help children learn to make sound nutritional decisions. The food pyramid is used as a background for various games to teach children nutritional balance. Pyramid games help teach kids what the different food groups are and how many servings they need each day. Other types of games include story games, word games and chef games where children learn how to combine food groups into a balanced meal.
My Pyramid
My Pyramid is a nutritional tool for children to teach them about the food pyramid and how to build good nutritional habits. The My Pyramid project is part of the USDA's Team Nutrition program. More information and program materials for the My Pyramid program are available on the USDA's Website under Team Nutrition. My Pyramid is a kid's resource for the classroom. Included in the package are interactive games for the classroom, coloring books, posters, worksheets for kids and handouts for the families. My Pyramid is available through Team Nutrition at the USDA and is designed to help children ages 6 through 11 years old learn healthy eating habits.
Educational TV
Another nutritional tool for kids that will keep their attention is an educational TV program designed around nutrition. The Disney Channel's Pass the Plate television show is one example of an educational show designed around teaching children healthy habits. Pass the Plate is a multicultural nutrition show for children aired in 10 countries in multiple languages. It can be viewed on TV, on Internet TV and has an interactive website with nutritional games and show updates. Pass the Plate has recipes from around the globe, food facts, videos, talent bios and activities designed to teach good nutrition to children of all ages. Children can learn good nutritional habits from watching certain shows on the Food Network. Cooking shows engage children and appeal to their natural curiosity, notes Melissa Kossler Dutton in an article published in the September 16, 2010, issue of "Parent Dish."
Online Educational Tools
Kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes each day on the computer or watching TV, according to a 2009 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. A vast number of educational and entertaining nutritional tools are available online for kid. Online nutritional resources teach children about the food pyramid, how to read food labels, help them learn about calories, carbohydrates and if dieting is okay. Various local, state and federal online resources are built entirely for children to learn how to eat healthy and take care of their bodies. The USDA, FDA, National Institutes of Health and other non-profit organizations have links to nutritional tools for children.
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