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LIVING:
Food
Dining
Nutrition
Karen Hawkins, DeCA Dietitian
Food/Nutrition
MA, RD, LD - Contributor
info@armywifemagazine.com
Children can Develop Good Eating Habits by Reading Nutrition Labels
by Karen Hawkins, MA, RD, LD posted July 2010
Shopping for food and eating with your children provides great opportunities for them to learn what is really in food and how much of it to eat. You can make the experience fun by using "Spot the Block," a creative U.S. Food and Drug Administration program that encourages parents to help their children establish good eating habits by reading the Nutrition Facts Label when making food choices.
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Archives: Nutrition/Food/Dining
Tips From Spot the Block
Look for Grams of Sugar
Have your child check out the Nutrition Facts Label on different canned fruit products to find the one with the lowest amount of sugar.
Find Vegetables with the Highest Percentage of Vitamin A
Send your child to the freezer section to Spot the Block on different frozen vegetable packages, including types with and without sauce. Ask him or her to find the one with the lowest fat content and the highest amount of vitamin A. Remind your child that vitamin A is a valuable nutrient for good health.
Choose the cereal with the fewest grams of sugar
Ask your child to find a cereal that is low in sugar and high in fiber. Have him or her
compare that cereal to one you currently have at home. Remind your child to choose
nutrients wisely.
Find the Frozen Pizza with the Lowest Total Fat
Ask your child to Spot the Block on frozen pizzas to see which has the lowest fat and sodium – two nutrients to get less of. Choose the one that is highest in beneficial nutrients, such as calcium and iron.
Check Out the Nutrition Facts Label on Nuts and Dried Fruits
Nuts and dried fruits can make great snacks, because they often contain much-needed nutrients. However, too many servings can add up to a lot of calories. Have your child check out the serving sizes for peanut butter, nuts and dried fruit. Remind him or her that serving size is important.
After Leaving the Store
Turn the ride home and the unpacking of groceries into an educational adventure. Ask your child if he or she learned anything interesting while reading labels. Use the answers as a springboard for discussing how easy it is to use the Nutrition Facts Label on food packages.
Here are some nutrition label tips from the campaign, along with actions for tweens and others:
Check out the serving size. Remember that one package isn't necessarily one serving!
Use the serving size to discover the total number of calories and nutrients per package.
Consider the calories-when looking at a foods’ calories, remember: 40 is low, 100 is moderate and 400 is high.
Pay attention to the calories you eat throughout the day. The Nutrition Facts Label is based on a 2,000 calorie diet – but your calorie needs might be different. To find out what your "target" calories per day are, visit MyPyramid.gov and use MyPyramid Menu Planner.
Choose nutrients wisely. Choose foods that are lower in certain fats, cholesterol, sodium and sugars when making daily food choices. Nutrients to get less of, like trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars: 5 percent daily value is low. Nutrients to get more of, like potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium: 20 percent daily value is high.
Also check out the interactive website at Spot the Block that includes streaming video spots featuring Cartoon Network characters, an educational rap song and downloadable desktop wallpapers.
