Back to School and Nutrition

Parents, are you ready for back to school? Are you ready to start getting up earlier, planning the car pools, shopping for school supplies? Well, it is that time. You started to see the school supplies and commercials the end of June. You were thinking, "They just got out for summer break. I can't think about this now." Well it is the end of August and their first day is right around the corner.

Getting ready for the shift into the school schedules isn't all about the No. 2 pencils. It is time to think about how we have approached helping our students handle the work of school as well as the large work of growing up and learning how to manage themselves. This means planning a head for homework, both physically and mentally. Physically by the space and supplies, and mentally by how much help with planning or learning does each child need?

We also know that there are a lot of people using Pinterest to get ready for back to school or college. there are boards for everything from first-day outfits, to must-have study supplies, there are even lists of what is the best back to school savings - online or in store? If you are the budget conscious parent, online is the one of the best, you see your shopping cart total prior to getting up to the counter and everything is being rung out, where you then get sticker shocked. You start to go through and ask yourself, "Do they really need this? For what? and Why?"

Personally, when I was getting ready for back to school, I just got the necessities. If there was something that the teacher or professor said that we would need on the first day, I would then make the decision to get it. I would do the same for my kids today, but would do it all online.

In addition to getting new books and school supplies, preparing your kitchen with nutritious foods is also important to your kids learning. Research shows eating a healthy diet is key to a child's growth and development, school performance by fueling brain cells for optimal learning, and overall health.

Breakfast - Studies have shown that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It improves school performance and is necessary to help your memory function well.

Lunch - When packing lunch, instead of partaking in the lunch program, try to avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar. Instead pack animal crackers, or vanilla wafers, pretzels, graham crackers, popcorn, and milk. These are much better choices than candy, cookies, potato chips and soda. This helps your child get proper amount of protein and teaching them healthy food choices.

Snacks - Most children need a snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon to keep them from losing energy and becoming hungry and irritable. Send your child to school with "ready-to-eat" slices of fruiting or vegetables. Yogurt is high in protein and calcium and makes a tasty treat. Offer frozen fruit snacks, which is an alternative to ice cream. And avoid buying pre-packaged snacks, choose fresh produce, breads, nuts, or cheese cubes.

Besides eating right, kids, as well as adults, should also supplement with vitamins. Not all vitamins are created equal either, therefore you should do your research and make sure that you are getting the right amount and is being absorbed vs. just passing through your body. (More on supplements later in my blog.)