It’s that time of year when a lot of family members are full of anxiety: Parents have mixed emotions about the kids heading back to school for the upcoming school year, and school age kids are excited about meeting new friends, or re-connecting with old friends, anticipating their new schedule courses and teachers. They’re also hoping that they’ve made the right choices.
One thing that is almost equally important to parents is nourishment. By that I mean, ensuring that students’ minds are properly nourished to be able to “learn as they burn” off all that energy that’s been stored during the summer months.
We all need energy every second of our lives — not just to run a 10K or to be in tip top shape like the exceptional athletes we just witnessed during the Beijing Olympics or to keep up with our kids — but also for the simple acts of breathing, blinking and pumping blood. We get this energy from food. In fact, the number of calories in a food refers to the potential energy that food has to offer after it has been digested.
According to Dr. Lawrence Cheskin, director of the John Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore, Md., “The number of calories needed to maintain a healthy body weight varies according to age, gender, weight and activity level, but it is generally around 2,000 calories a day for a woman and 2,500 for a man. Infants need the most calories per pound of body weight, due to their rapid development. Then it falls off for a while during the preteen years, then it goes up again in the teenage years when more rapid development takes place. After that, your metabolism slows, and you need fewer calories as you age.”
The bottom line is if a healthy person consumes more than they need, their bodies will put that fuel into storage causing them to gain weight.
Thus, healthy eating choices are important not only in terms of academically but also emotionally and, needless to say, nutritionally.
Luckily there are healthy choices available for students as they return to school. Issaquah School District has some excellent choices and have gone that extra mile to offer healthy food choices for lunch. Let’s not forget breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day especially for growing middle school students and young adults. A nutritious breakfast sets the stage for your entire day. Issaquah School District officials have invested a lot of time in developing a healthy choice menu. Information can be found at www. http://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/focus/home.asp?story=3&issue=6aug.
For information about Lake Washington School District menus and choices, visit www.lwsd.org/Parents/Breakfast-Lunch-Menus/Pages/default.aspx.
Examples of healthy choices are: Breakfast – 1 protein serving such as 4-6 ounces of fat-free yogurt, unsweetened, 2-3 cups vegetables/salad and Lunch — 1 protein serving 4-5 ounces baked skinless chicken, 2-3 cups vegetables.
Helpful tips to keep in mind as you pack those back-to-school lunches to be mindful of the calories that can easily add up:
The below examples are calorie counts of some popular foods, each with an example of the activity level needed to burn those calories, based on a 155 pound person: (Source: www.calorie-count.com)
• One regular package of peanut M&M’s = 242 calories (one hour of standing and packing or unpacking boxes)
• One-half of a 12 inch diameter pepperoni pizza = 723 calories (2 hours of white-water rafting, kayaking or canoeing)
Dr. Shari Lieberman, Ph.D. Exercise Physiologist and Clinical Nutritionist with over 25 years of private practice, suggests “For most people, calories should come from the following proportions of the three types of fuels: 50 percent carbohydrate, 30 percent protein and 20 percent fat.”
A good rule of thumb is to eat a variety of foods, emphasize vegetables and fruits, especially ones that elevate blood sugar levels slowly and are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Lastly, here are some tips and suggestions on portion sizes:
• Three ounces of meat = the size of a deck of cards
• One serving of fresh fruit or a 1/2 cup of ice cream = the size of a tennis ball
• One teaspoon of peanut butter = size of the tip of your thumb
• One cup of vegetables, potatoes or pasta = size of your fist
We all make choices every day. As our students start the new school year, let’s help and encourage them to make healthy choices that will nourish and sustain their growing bodies and mind.
Sharon Lucas and her family have been residents in Sammamish for 19 years. She is a certified weight management coach and offers individual and group health and wellness consultations to those interested in improving their health. For more information, contact Sharon at (888) 337-1871 or 4sharonlu@gmail.com.
