The Truth on Health

Kids need one hour or more of physical activity each day to be healthy. Physical activity could be walking, dancing, playing sports or whatever is fun for you and gets you moving! Adults need exercise to be healthy too. So get your whole family moving together!

Eat dinner as a family at least one night a week, and then go for a walk together.

Get the whole family playing together! Start a new tradition of spending Saturday or Sunday afternoon skating or playing touch football.

Look at newspapers and flyers for activities that your whole family can do together, like a community fun run, walk or a car wash.

Turn off your screens! Screen time includes watching television or movies, playing video and computer games and surfing the internet. When you are sitting in front of a screen, you are not being active and may snack on unhealthy foods. So turn off those screens to increase your energy and make yourself healthier!

Get your family to turn off the TV during mealtime--take turns talking about the day instead.

Do you have a TV or computer in your bedroom? If you do, ask your parents to take it out. Kids who have TVs in their rooms watch 1 1/2 hours more than their friends--and that limits family time too.

Use your TV to watch an exercise video--it could be dancing, tae kwon do, or yoga. You could even get the whole family to do a video together!

Fruits and vegetables are the best way to get important vitamins and nutrients, like vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fiber, into your body. It is hard to understand the importance of fruits and vegetables, and it is sometimes even harder to learn to like how they taste. But fruits and vegetables can be fun to explore, prepare and eat! Give them a try--you may even find a new favorite food!

Have your family add fruits and vegetables to your favorite cooked or baked dishes. Add veggies in pasta sauce, lasagna, casseroles, soups, and omelets. Mix fresh or frozen berries into pancakes, waffles or muffins.

When you go shopping with your family, pick a new fruit or vegetable (or several!) to try.

Take your veggies for a dip! Try carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower or celery, and dip your favorites into low-fat or fat-free dressing.