1. Destination Healthy Kids-Choosing Appropriate Fuels and
Routes
Elaine Long Bailey
Extension Educator
4-H Youth Development
University of Maryland Extension
Calvert County
2. What is “HEALTHY?”
• Take an index card
• Write words to describe what
“healthy” means
• Find two people in this room
who have on the same color
shirt as you
• Join those people and get in
a group
3. Now, Let’s Discuss . . .
• What were the words?
• Are they positive or
negative?
• Why?
4. Statistically Speaking . . .
• Approximately 16% of MD’s
youth age 6-19 are
overweight (CDC data)
• First generation in history to
have LOWER life span
predictions than parents
(CDC data)
It has been estimated that if all
physically inactive Americans
became active, approximately
$77 billion in annual medical
costs would be saved.
—Pratt, The Physician and
Sports Medicine, 2000.
5. Two Answers
• Get kids ACTIVE!
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–
–
–
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Games
Sports
TV???
Video games???
Computer???
• Limit sedentary activity
• Teach kids to EAT
HEALTHY
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–
–
–
Food choices
Snack choices
FRESH fruit
FRESH vegetables
• HOW???
10 MINUTES
What similarities did you have?
What differences?
Share with the full workshop.
Randomly share words common to ALL members in a group
Randomly share words that were NOT common to all members in a group
Obesity rates skyrocketing in ALL population, especially kids.
Amazed at how many kids have hypertension, gall bladder disease, heart issues . . . .
Part of the problem lies in INACTIVITY among people; other part lies in POOR EATING HABITS.
What about food makes it helpful for our bodies?
Or what about food makes it Unhelpful for our bodies?
Food IS body fuel. But is it food, or WHAT’S IN the FOOD?
All food is not created equal.
These are only SOME important functions, not all.
Protein: muscle, antibodies, energy
Carbohydrates: energy,
Fats: most potent source of energy, insulation, shock absorption, nutrient absorption
Vitamins: precursors, catalysts (Vitamins A and vision; Vitamin D and bone matrix)
Minerals: precursors, catalysts, (Iron and hemoglobin)
Water: MOST important nutrient. Reaction medium for many of the body’s processes.
We are bombarded with terms and concerns about our food supply. But WHAT do all these terms REALLY mean? Where do we start?
Calories Vitamin C
Protein ServingSize
Cholesterol Fiber
Sodium Complex carbohydrates
Trans fat Sugars Iron
Calcium Saturated fat
DV means DAILY VALUE, or the amount that research has found we need to maintain our bodies.
Fats include oils, butter, etc., and can be saturated or unsaturated.
Carbohydrates include simple and complex sugars, etc.
ChooseMyPlate.gov gives visual rep of how we should think about our food intake at each meal.
ChooseMyPlate Build a Healthy Meal (handout)
Choose My Plate 10 tips to a great plate (handout)
ChooseMyPlate Go/Whoa Foods (handout)
How MUCH is a serving? If you eat the entire box of cookies, total calories is # servings times calories/serving.
Ingredients in order of AMOUNT in food. The MOST is FIRST, then decrease as go down the list.
Move to a piece of newsprint on the wall, assembling by what month your birthday is.
Discuss what a healthy celebration looks like for each. Include food ONLY right now.
DRAW or list foods you will serve at EACH celebration.
At end of exercise, have someone come up and pick ONE item from the basket. We’ll use it in a bit.
Kid-friendly veggies & fruits handout
Make Celebrations . . . handout
Build positive habits for kids to carry through life.
Flexibility is important to build at a young age
Get kids to take responsibility for getting exercise. Especially important for athletes who are in training.
Get in groups from Celebration Challenge.
Take the item you selected from the basket and devise how you could use it for an exercise activity for a group of kids. Be ready to demo it.
Gardening provides exercise, learning, and a “buy-in” for vegetables grown.
Kids will at least TRY vegetables that they grow (Calvert School Work, ELB).
Salad tables/boxes handout.
Have kids do a scavenger hunt outside. Find something that an animal left.
Find something that is RED in color.
Share a place where you see a plant and an animal together.
OTHER?
To keep from gaining weight, INTAKE what your body NEEDS. With kids, mainly MOVE and cut out junk food!
Phrases that Help . . . Handout.
Evaluations—have someone collect them and put them in the envelope provided.