Nutrition/Fitness Resources

Web Sites on Nutrition and Fitness for Children:

5 a day!
This site has information, games and activities for adults and children on the importance of eating five fruits and vegetables a day, and tips for making this a part of your daily food intake.

Eat Smart Play Hard
Sponsored by the USDA, this site takes children to games, activities and information on activity and nutrition. There are e-cards, coloring sheets, songs, treasure hunts for the grocery store, video clips, online games and much more.

Food Pyramid for Kids!
This site has information about the newest Food Pyramid for children. It teaches about the Pyramid using games, activities and downloadable materials.

Dole 5 a day
This bilingual site has games, songs, rap videos, recipes and activities to encourage children to eat five vegetables and fruits a day.

Nutrition Explorations
This site from the National Dairy Council offers lots of information for children and adults including great games and activities.

Web Sites on Nutrition and Fitness for Parents and Caregivers

American Academy of Pediatrics sites on physical activity
This list of sites for parents emphasizes the importance of physical activity for children.

Healthy Choices
Has lesson plans and information about the Food Guide Pyramid to use with preschoolers.

Family Day
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse with many other organizations sponsor Family Day in which families are encouraged to eat together as a family.

Kids Health
This site is sponsored by the Nemours Foundation and has a wealth of information on feeding young children and common problems parents encounter.

NAEYC
The National Association for the Education of Young Children has many resources for parents and teachers on nutrition and fitness for children.

The Food and Nutrition Information Center
Sponsored by the USDA, this site provides information on nutrition and fitness for children and adults. You can find information and tips on helping your child live a healthy lifestyle.

Cooking with Children
PBS gives you ideas and guidelines on cooking with your children. You will also find games and ideas related to preschoolers and cooking.

Nutrition Café
Plan a meal for your child and – based on your child’s age and sex – find out how many calories and nutrition content the meal provides.

Gerber
Gerber offers nutrition information and ideas for parents of infants and toddlers.

Virtual Cafeteria
Sponsored by a Texas school district, you can choose foods and put them on a child’s tray to see the total calories and nutritional value. The district provides menus by school but you can easily use it to look at what your child is eating.

Books for Children on Nutrition and Fitness for Children

Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat, Ariane Dewey (Illustrator), Jose Aruego (Illustrator), 1984.
Ages three and over. The book tells the story of a little goat who is a picky eater, and his parents.

Eat Healthy, Feel Great by William Sears, Martha Sears, Christie Watts Kelly, Renee W. Andriani (Illustrator), 2002.
Ages: Preschool and older. This book has recipes and information on healthy eating for parents and children to enjoy together.

Physical Fitness by Alvin Silverstein, Dr. Alvin Silverstein, Laura Silverstein Nunn, 2002.

Babar’s Yoga for Elephants (Babar Series) by Laurent de Brunhoff, 2002.
Ages: three and over. This book teaches children yoga basics in a fun, interactive format.

What’s For Lunch? by Ann Garrett and Stephanie Peterson, 1999.
Ages: three and over. This book explores what people eat for lunch around the world.

The following board books for infants and toddlers explore snacks from many different cultures. They have colorful pictures and provide words for the food in the appropriate language.

First Book of Sushi (World Snacks) by Amy Wilson Sanger, 2001.

Yum Yum Dim Sum (World Snacks) by Amy Wilson Sanger, 2003.

Hola Jalapeno (World Snacks) by Amy Wilson Sanger, 2002.

Let’s Nosh (World Snacks) by Amy Wilson Sanger, 2002.

Mangia! Mangia! (World Snacks) by Amy Wilson Sanger, 2005.

A Little Bit of Soul Food (World Snacks) by Amy Wilson Sanger, 2004.

Books on Nutrition and Fitness for Parents and Caregivers

The Family Nutrition Book: Everything You Need to Know About Feeding Your Children – From Birth through Adolescence, by William Sears, 1999, Little, Brown.