b e t t e r
FAMILY
t’s an age-old problem. Kids are always
1
hungry, yet there never seems to be
enough time—especially during the school
year—to makegood food choices. Don’t
give in to the tyranny of fast food, says
Melinda Johnson, spokesperson for the American
Dietetic Association and owner of the company
Nutrition for Slackers
(Slackcrnutrition.blogspot
.com).
Instead, Johnson suggests these smart foods
to satisfy them through the day.
MORNING STARTERS
■ Oatmeal made with
skim milk and raisins
■ Frozen waffles with
frozen berries and
walnuts
■ String cheese with a
piece of fruit and wheat
crackers
■ Scrambled eggs with
low-fat cheese wrapped
in a tortilla
■ Hummus with celery
sticks and wheat pita
■ Toasted English muffin
with tomato sauce and
cheese
■ Fruit smoothie with
frozen fruit, plain yogurt
or tofu, and 1 Tbsp.
ground flax (honey
to taste)
AFTERNOON SNACKS
■ Fresh whole fruit
■ Low-fat string cheese
■ Prepackaged fruit cups
(packed in juice or
water)
■ Homemade trail mix
(dried fruit with nuts and
a few chocolate chips or
mini marshmallows)
■ Carrot/celery/jicama
sticks with a small
container of low-fat ranch
■ Oatmeal-raisin cookie
EVENING SNACKS
■ Small bowl of cereal
with milk
■ Plain yogurt drizzled
with honey and
sunflower seeds
■ Cottage cheese with
pineapple
■ Hot chocolate made
with skim milk
■ Slice of wheat toast with
a nut butter
■ i cup air-popped or low-
fat popcorn with
sprinkle of Parmesan
cheese
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
Wellness Kits
For kids, especially adolescents,
little complications such as a
hangnail or a lost contact lens can
morph into Big Deals. Send your
child off to school with this
wellness kit recommended by Dr.
Kate Cronan, pediatrician and
medical expert fo
rK id sH e a lth .o rg .
Most everything here fits into a
shaving kit or toiletry bag and
stows easily on a locker shelf.
Check with your school office for
a list of exactly what is and isn’t
allowed in lockers.
FOR EVERYONE
■ Hand sanitizer
■ Travel-pack tissues
■ Lip balm
■ Throat lozenges
■ Breath mints
■ Adhesive bandages (Band-Aids)
■ Soft nail file
■ Travel-size deodorant
■ Nonperishable healthy snack (trail mix,
protein bar, etc.)
■ Sunscreen for field trips/recess
SPECIFIC NEEDS
■ Athlete's foot powder/antifungal
■ Feminine products for girls
■ Spare eyeglasses or contact lenses
■ Emergency medicine, such as asthma
inhalers (many schools permit students
to carry, but double-check with
the office)
USUALLY FORBIDDEN
■ Anything sharp (nail clippers, metal
nail file)
■ Nonemergency prescription and over-
the-counter-medicines (can be stored
with school nurse)
■ Eye drops (plain saline solution for
contact lenses is usually OK)
■ Mouthwash (many have an alcohol base)
■ Tweezers (go to the nurse for splinters—
errant eyebrow hairs can wait for
after school)
2 3 6 SEPTEMBER 2009 BETTER HOM ES AND GARDENS
