HHS HealthBeat (October 26, 2012)

Food for your kid’s thoughts

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

After school starts, kids eat a lot of meals out – and that doesn’t just mean fast food burgers. The director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Dr. Griffin Rodgers, says school lunches and breakfasts count, too. So what a child chooses from the menu has a lot to do with how nutritious that child’s food is.

Dr. Rodgers says this means parents have some homework to do with their kids:

“When you child buys meals at school, review the menu with them and help them choose healthier foods like a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread. Encourage your child to think about what he or she drinks, too.”

He suggests choosing water, fat-free or low-fat milk over soda or other sweetened drinks, such as juices.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: October 26, 2012