This Week's Healthy SC Challenge Tips 08/13/08

First Family Encourages Healthy Changes in Nutrition, Exercise and Tobacco Use

 

Columbia, S.C. –August 13, 2008 - The Healthy SC Challenge is the Sanford family’s effort to get all South Carolinians to do just a little more to live a healthier lifestyle. The tips are designed to encourage individuals and communities to live healthier lifestyles in three categories - nutrition, exercise and help to quit smoking. The tips can also be found on the challenge’s website, www.healthysc.gov.

Healthy Tips

Nutrition

A healthy school lunch should always include the following four features: a healthy protein package, at least one piece of produce (the more the better!), a calcium-rich food, and a fun food.* Note: These features can certainly overlap. 

1. A Healthy Protein Package

• Sandwiches made with deli turkey, ham, chicken, or roast beef, egg salad from omega-3 eggs, tuna salad, and peanut butter or other nut butters and spreadable fruit.

• Always use 100% whole grain breads, and make things more interesting by substituting whole grain tortillas, bagels, pitas, or English muffins.

• Add veggies – lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, sprouts, etc. where possible.

2. Produce

• Remember the deeper the color, the more health-boosting power it has.

• There are loads of kid-friendly veggies that are perfect for school lunches, including baby carrots, celery sticks, sweet bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli florets.

• Kids love dips – include a small container of hummus or low-fat salad dressing for their dipping pleasure!

• Any fruit is fine, but the superstars are ideal, including berries, cherries, plums, any whole citrus, mangoes, kiwi, apples, cantaloupes, and red grapes.

3. A Calcium-Rich Food

• Cheese – avoid full-fat varieties. You can now find a wonderful array of reduced-fat cheeses on the grocery shelf, including 2% cheddar cheese in cubes, sticks, or other fun shapes, mozzarella cheese sticks, and 2% milk American cheese.

• Low-fat yogurt in spoonable, drinkable or squeezable containers.

• 2% or skim milk.

• Calcium-fortified soy milk.

• Calcium-fortified 100% orange juice.

4. Fun Foods

• A small piece of dark chocolate, like Dove Dark.

• A small bag of trail mix, a granola bar, a small box of raisins or other dried fruit, a container of their favorite healthy, dry cereal, 100% fruit sticks, baked chips, a small bag of goldfish, etc. -Dr. Ann Kulze, Nationally recognized nutrition and wellness expert, www.DrAnnwellness.com

Physical Activity

All children, even less-coordinated ones, need to be physically active. Activity may be particularly helpful for the physical and psychological well-being of children with a weight problem. All children age 2 and older should participate in at least 30 minutes of enjoyable, moderate-intensity physical activities every day that are developmentally appropriate and varied.  If your child or children don't have a full 30-minute activity break each day, try to provide at least two 15-minute periods or three 10-minute periods in which they can engage in vigorous activities appropriate to their age, gender and stage of physical and emotional development. -American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org

Tobacco

Stopping smoking as early as possible is important, but cessation at any age provides meaningful life extensions. Life expectancy among smokers who quit at age 35 exceeded that of continuing smokers by 6.9 to 8.5 years for men and 6.1 to 7.7 years for women. Smokers who quit at younger ages realize greater life extensions. However, even those who quit much later in life gained some benefits: among smokers who quit at age 55 years, men gained 1.4 to 2.0 year of life, and women gained 2.7 to 3.7 years. -American Lung Association, www.lungusa.org

The Healthy SC Challenge is an outcome-based, cooperative effort aimed at encouraging individuals, communities and organizations across the state to show shared responsibility in developing innovative ways to improve the health of South Carolina's citizens. For more information about the Healthy SC Challenge, please visit www.healthysc.gov, or call 803-737- 4772.