(1)  Instead of the usual peanut butter and high-sugar jelly … between 2 slices of lite whole wheat bread, use a low-fat peanut butter and one small apple, peeled, cored and shredded and layered on top of the peanut butter.  Yummmm.  (2)  Kids will eat anything in between 2 bagel halves, right?  Sooooo, how ‘bout a veggie bagel lunch?  Spread some low-fat mayo, or some mustard, on each bagel half.  Start with 1 romaine lettuce leaf, add 1 or 2 green or yellow bell pepper rings, 4 slices cucumber, 2 slices tomato, 1 slice low-fat American cheese.  (3)  How ‘bout putting a cup of a cold, great Alphabet Pasta Salad in your kid’s lunch box?  Cook 1 cup of alphabet pasta (or other small pasta such as stars or orzo or elbows); drain, run under cold water and drain again.  Mix into the cooked pasta the following ingredients:  1 oz. finely grated Cheddar cheese, 1 TBS lemon juice, 1 TSP lite mayonnaise, 1 TSP olive oil, ½ TSP Splenda, ¼ TSP salt, ¼ TSP ground cumin, ¼ TSP dried thyme or dill, 1/8 TSP garlic salt, a pinch of pepper.  Chill the entire recipe until ready to serve.  Deeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious!

If your kids are like my daughter, they come home from school and immediately head for the fridge or pantry.  Be ready.  Forget about cookies, candy, potato chips, and other high-calorie, low-density snacks.  At this time of day, kids need something to raise their blood sugar, give them energy, and to keep them satisfied until dinner.  (1) Keep a variety of fresh fruits available, washed, cut and ready.  These can be eaten while homework is being done, and you can also use them fresh-cut fruit to make fruit smoothies (just put some fruit, combined with low-fat milk or yogurt, in a blender with a few ice cubes).  (2) Keep a variety of chopped veggies in the fridge; great alone or with low-fat dip. (3) Low-fat yogurt cups.  (4) Popcorn (without added butter or salt).  (5) Sugar-free jello.  (6) Keep a few hard boiled eggs in the fridge each week.  One of these is a great snack, either alone or with some whole wheat crackers.  (7)  Whole grain or graham crackers with low-fat string cheese sticks are great sources of fiber and protein.

You need are 2 full-sized caramel corn rice cakes (= 1 G) and ¼ cup Cool Whip Free (1/2 M).  Cover the top half of one rice cake evenly with the Cool Whip.  Gently place the other rice cake on top, making a sandwich.  Freeze for at least 1 hour.  What a great snack to enjoy when kids come home from school.  (Psssst.  You might want to spread one tablespoon of a fruity sugar-free preserve on the inside of each rice cake before assembling the sandwich.  Yummy.)

Fit kids feel good, have lots of energy, and grow up healthy and strong. It's really easy, just 30 minutes a day!  It doesn't matter what you do, you just gotta move! What does physical activity do for your body?  Being a fit kid also means eating your fruits and vegetables every day, so don’t give you mom a hard time about that, OK? 

	Physical activity gets lots of oxygen to your brain, so you can think clearly and do your best.
	Running, walking, and biking keep your heart strong. A happy, healthy heart pumps blood and oxygen from your head to your toes.
	Being active also gives your skin a healthy glow.
	Being active outside and breathing fresh air keeps your lungs in perfect shape.
	Physical activity builds strong muscles and bones. It keeps you in shape and at a healthy weight.

Fun Fitness Activities

• Play outside every day.
• Walking every day with your family and friends is an easy way to be fit!
• Running and playing games like tag are great ways to get your body moving!
• It's so fun to hike with your friends and family.
• Zip around your neighborhood on your bike.
• Rollerblading is a blast!
• Ice skating in the winter is fun to do.
• Martial Arts are really fun. Try Karate!
• Use your skateboard to get around.
• Gymnastics helps your balance, strengthens your muscles, and keeps your body flexible.
• Team sports like softball and baseball are fun to play.
• The goal of soccer is to get outside and have fun!
• Playing basketball really keeps you moving!
• Ask a friend to hit a few tennis balls with you.
  
  

Hey moms and dads, you may not have heard of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; I sure didn’t until I read about a 15-year old boy from Texas who last year had a liver transplant as a result of end-stage cirrhosis brought on by his weight.  Hand in hand with obesity, NAFLD is becoming a major epidemic in children.  Obesity is the number one major risk factor for fatty liver disease; 93% of children who have fatty liver are obese.   Yet, the majority of infected kids go undiagnosed!  Click here to read “Heavy Teens Run Risk of Severe Liver Damage.” 

Easy to read and illustrated, Eat This, Not That For Kids, by David Zinczenko, will guide parents and kids through the pitfalls and perils at the most popular restaurants.  Some of the stuff will amaze you (or perhaps not!):  Did you know that the Macaroni Grill’s Kids Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese is 600 calories, 31 grams of fat and 1,720 mg. of sodium?  Or that T.G.I. Friday’s Potato Skins (just a half order!) is 1,430 calories?  Yuck.  You can get the book at any book store or online.

by Ilene Cooper, is about a sixth grader named Gretchen, formerly known as "Hippo Hubbard."  When Gretchen, 12, returns to school from Christmas vacation, everyone is impressed with her new look: weight loss, haircut, new clothes but Gretchen feels uncomfortable receiving compliments.  The author realistically explores the changes that come from weight loss and keeps the pace flowing smoothly while accurately mirroring the turbulent moods and actions of adolescents

When overweight fourteen-year-old video whiz Doug Cannon is introduced to the sport of cycling he begins a transformation that leads him to health and self-respect.   Through cycling, Doug learns that he can meet any challenge, and he sets a new one for himself: cycling in the Olympics. Olympic Dream, by Matt Christopher, is an inspiring story that explores the emotions of a kid who feels that he doesn't fit in. It encourages the reader to understand that a seemingly impossible dream can be reached with hard work and ambition.

Paula Danziger’s The Cat Ate My Gymsuit is about a 13-year-old girl named Marcy who hates her life. She’s overweight, has low self-esteem, hates her father, and won't dress for gym. Can you guess what she tells her teacher when asked why she isn't dressed? Marcy feels like everything in her life is in the trash, until she meets Ms. Finney.  Great book.