Nutrition: Grades 6-8

By now, from attending one of N&F’s assemblies or having read through N&F’s “physical activity” overview on this site, you already know about the many important personal benefits you’ll enjoy by becoming more physically active. Similarly, there are tremendous personal benefits to be reaped by young people who are nutritionally responsible.

It’s pretty simple. If you add “healthy eating” strategies to your game plan, you are going to be unstoppable.

At N&F, we want to help make it easy and FUN to eat healthy and get physically active.

Here are some tips that you can use to make eating healthy a part of your daily routine:

Click Here to View The New Food Guide Pyramid

• Eat 5 servings of real fruits and vegetables a day: If you include them as part of each meal and as snack foods you’ll get them all in. They’re a solid choice when trying to supply your body with all the nutrients and fiber it needs, especially if you eat them raw.
  
• Eat a variety of foods: To make sure your body is getting all the different things it needs to operate at its best take in a mixture of foods from the different food groups. Eating this way improves the chances of maintaining the right energy balance for your body.
  
• Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast: Your body needs fuel and when you don’t eat regularly you throw off that energy balance which can lead to unwanted results like loss of energy and over-eating when you finally do get a chance to eat.
  
• Drink skim milk or water rather than drinks high in sugar content: Skim milk is a good source of protein and calcium. Water keeps you hydrated. Drinks that are high in sugar provide you with little that will help your body and can throw off the energy balance you need to maintain for optimum performance. Make sure to drink plenty of water when you are active and when the temperature rises. Your body needs it to stay hydrated.
  
• Listen the cues or signals your body sends to your brain: Your body will tell you when it has had enough to recharge its engine. Eating beyond that point gives your body more than it can handle and throws off that important energy balance you are trying to maintain.
  
• When you go to a fast food restaurant, choose the “healthy choices” option that includes skim milk and fruit over soda/punch and french fries.
  
• Ask your parents if you can help participate in preparing and choosing meals and snacks: This provides an opportunity for your family to work together as a team and gives you all a chance to share what you know about making responsible nutrition choices.
  
• Turn off the television, videogames, and computer when you’re eating: When you eat in front of these electronics you may not be paying attention to signals your body is sending you about having had enough and you may eat far more than you really need.
  
• Just because a food is advertised on television or offered in your school cafeteria doesn’t mean it’s healthy or good for you.
  
• Be proud of your body and treat it right.

If You Get Stuck or Could Use Some Help: Ask The Pro

If you have a question about goal setting or about other aspects of making physical activity a priority in your life, talk to your parents first. If they give you permission you can also go to “Ask The Pro” on this site. Submit questions you have. Chances are that the answer to your question that will be posted at this site will provide help to others attempting to get more active.

Fun Snack Website Links

Nutrition Links