Pears are a nutrient-dense food that contains only 100 calories and are fat free. DEAN CURTIS FOR LIVING WELL


tests; miss less school, and have fewer visits to the school nurse.


Q: Getting a high school student to


eat a healthy breakfast can be chal- lenging. Do you have any sugges- tions for healthy, easy, quick break- fast options? Braunagel: Junior and senior high students want something they can grab and go, such as a breakfast burrito. It can be made the night before and popped in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Fruit smoothies are very pop- ular with these students. A piece of cut up fruit can be added to oats, granola or cereal.


Horn: This can be a challenge at any


age. Try to find what they like and add to it and come up with different varia- tions.


Sometimes the challenge is time, so


make up smoothies the night before for them to grab, or make up a nice trail mix. It doesn’t always have to be “breakfast food.” My boys loved pizza for breakfast (whatever it takes to get something in their stomach first thing in the morn- ing).


8 ❚ JULY/AUGUST 2018 ❚ LIVING WELL Q: Any suggestions for healthy


snacks that kids can easily prepare? Braunagel: Cut up fruit mixed with


granola; peanut butter on crackers with juice or fruit; broccoli, carrots, cucum- bers with dipping sauce. We have found if fruits or vegetables are cut up, stu- dents are more likely to eat it. Horn: Protein and fiber are good.


Homemade trail mix; peanut butter and apples; apples and cheese; smoothies.


Junior and senior high students want something they can grab and go, such as a breakfast burrito. It can be made the night before and popped in the microwave for a couple of minutes.


Q: What nutrients are kids getting


too much of or lacking? Braunagel: The focus should be kids


are not eating enough nutrient dense foods. Unfortunately a lot of what kids are eating these days are not packed with nutrients and minerals. Too much of a nutrient and too little of a nutrient, can be harmful – it is about everything in moderation. Horn: This could vary depending on


family habits, economics, etc., but I would say a lot of younger kids are lack- ing fiber, calcium, and iron. I base this on the issues I see in the school, such as dental decay.


Q: Let’s talk about sleep. How


many hours should an early elemen- tary age child be sleeping, versus middle school and high school? Horn: This is a tricky one: you have


“recommended” hours, ages 6-13, should get 9-10 hours of sleep, and ages 14-16, should try to get 8-10 hours a night. These are just recommendations and vary from source to source. You also have to take into consideration a child’s activity level and family habits.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35