Fun with Food: Teaching Kids About Nutrition

We are what we eat, and the earlier we teach that lesson, the better! In a study reported in the National Institutes of Health, researchers found that kids consumed up to 120 percent more empty calories than appropriate for their body’s needs and under-consumed up to 20 percent of nutrient-essential foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Carole Carson—dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by The Wall Street Journal and author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction—says we have to make learning fun if we want to reverse the trend of childhood obesity. To that end, here are a few interactive nutrition games to pass along to the youngsters in your life!

• Monster Nutrition: Mungo the nutrition monster will eat everything in his path. Kids must quickly choose what to feed him—the healthier their choices, the higher their score.
• My Pyramid Blast Off: Kids can reach outer space by fueling a rocket with healthy foods and physical activity. Each food group has a separate fuel tank so kids can keep track of how their choices fit into the food pyramid.
• Nutrition Tracker: This downloadable chart encourages kids to keep track of what they eat and compares their food choices with the daily recommended servings for each food group.
• Chef Solus’s Cooking School: Kids cook with Chef Solus by following recipes and learning about healthy food choices.

Make sure to add nutrition to your kids’ reading, writing and ‘rithmetic curriculum—it’s one of the best lessons for long-term health! —Erin