Focus area: your child's nutrition needs

How your child eats today will have an impact on his or her health tomorrow. Consuming nutritious foods helps kids grow, develop, do well academically and feel good about themselves. Keep your child’s diet healthy by adhering to the following tips.

Always start your child’s day off with a nutritious and filling breakfast, like oatmeal, bran cereal or a whole-wheat bagel. A good breakfast helps keep up energy, grades and concentration.
Provide a variety of healthy snacks rather than empty calorie snacks. Keep fruits, vegetables and whole grain snacks available. This will also help your child consume five servings daily. In general, one cup of fruit or vegetables counts as a serving.
Eat dinner together every night. It’s a chance to monitor what your child is eating as well as an opportunity to lead by example when it comes to healthy food choices.
Encourage your child to drink water throughout his or her day instead of juice or soda.
Cook more meals at home. Eating home-cooked meals is healthier for the whole family, as restaurant meals tend to have more fat, sugar and salt. Dine out for only special occasions.
Get your whole family involved in food choices, including the kids. Let them help you shop for groceries, pick what they want for lunch and help cook dinner.
Don’t insist your child cleans his or her plate,and don’t use food as a reward or bribe. This will limit portion sizes and help foster a healthy relationship between your child and food.