Tag Archives: back to school

Sending Your Gluten Free Kid Back to School

Wendy Gregory Kaho blogs about the care and feeding of a gluten-free family at Celiacs in the House.

Just as I had to regroup and strategize to send my two gluten-free kids off to college, mothers of preschoolers and kindergartners have to sharpen communication skills and have a game plan for sending their little ones out without Mom looking for gluten hiding everywhere. Teaching kids when they are young to know the rules, know how to ask the right questions and how to find safe food will help them avoid gluten. I’ve gathered my tips and some great resources to help prepare your child and your school.

Communication is key to living gluten free. Discussing your child’s dietary needs with teachers, cafeteria staff, and administrators will become a way of life as your young child steps out into the world without you and into the care of others. Tip sheets for these discussions can be found on the NFCA web site listed below.

Find a support group where you and your child can participate in events with a group that understands your gluten-free lifestyle and experienced moms who can offer advice.

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Posted on August 18, 2023 by GuestBlogger

5 Ways Teachers Can Improve the Health of Their Classrooms

By Tanisha Williams

As children succumb to the obesity epidemic, schools are turning to all teachers— not just physical education teachers—to instruct and encourage students to develop healthier lifestyles.

Although obesity amongst children has become a national concern, more and more schools are being forced to scale back or cut physical education classes to focus on academia. According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, currently 16% of our nation’s children are overweight; this is a result of poor nutritional habits and lack of physical activity.

Below are five activities that combine academics with health, fitness and a nutritious curriculum that you can begin using in the classroom. Say that five times fast!

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Posted on August 16, 2023 by Health Buzz

Yoga for College Freshmen

Changes in lifestyle and the added pressures of academic expectations can wreak havoc on the health of new freshmen. It is no wonder this first trying year can cause one to pack on some extra pounds. Determination, organization and composure can combat the prevalent “freshman 15” and the following Sun Salutation (series of 15 poses) can instill just that.

By practicing these yoga poses one right after another while moving with the breath, you will burn calories, increase flexibility and double your stamina. Be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead in your first year of college. Start today.

Sun Salutation Series

1. Intention Setting

To begin, start by sitting or standing in a comfortable position and set your intention. This can be anything from getting an A+ on a test to making it to class on time. Setting an intention will help you realize your goals, and coupled with a yoga practice it will have a little bit more impact.

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Posted on August 15, 2023 by Jill

Beat the Heat with Seven Easy Back-to-School Dinners

While the weather is still hot and humid in most of the country, families are gearing up to head back to school and back to work after summer vacations. Even though schedules become more hectic during the school year, it’s important for families to continue to dine together.

Studies have proven that children who sit down to dinner with their families have better grades and stronger language skills than those from families that don’t have regular meals together. Opt for a hearty meal inspired by some of our favorite summer ingredients next time you decide to set the table for a family meal.

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Posted on August 15, 2023 by Maris

5 Healthy 5-Minute Snacks For Your Kids

By Jennifer Gregory

It’s a scene that plays out in many houses each afternoon: The kids come home from school and they are starving. Not just merely hungry, but absolutely famished and they want something to eat this very instant.

While it is tempting to reach for cookies, chips or ice cream to satisfy their munchies, with just five minutes of preparation you can give your kids a snack that you can feel good about serving.

Here are five quick and healthy ideas that you, and more importantly, your hungry kids, will love:

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Posted on August 12, 2023 by Health Buzz

Bag School Lunches Blamed for Disease-Causing Bacteria

With healthier school lunch guidelines on the way, some parents might prefer to let their child buy lunch, especially with the recent findings that “sack” lunches can pose serious health threats for children.

According to ScienceNews.org, a recent study from the University of Texas, Austin found that bag lunches are likely to harbor bacteria that causes food borne illness. Researchers tested the temperature of 235 packed bag lunches with an electronic temperature gun to determine the safety of the food inside.

According to Science News, roughly 40 percent of lunches containing perishable foods arrived without ice packs and more than 90 percent of meals were packaged in thermally insulated plastic containers. Of the 618 perishable foods packed in lunch bags with a single ice pack, only 14 food items were deemed to be at an acceptable temperature, according to the report.

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Posted on August 10, 2023 by Maris

SchoolMenu.com is Serving School Lunch Support that Every District and Parent Needs

The father-son team of Frank and Craig Kohler at SchoolMenu.com is taking a stance against childhood obesity, making themselves an active player in doing something for children throughout the U.S. and giving parents the tools to in turn empower themselves.

The Kohlers created SchoolMenu.com almost by accident. Frank led the charge on turning the side of milk cartons in to an ad medium in schools 20 years ago, working with Warner Brothers to share kid-friendly messages like saving the environment. That led to learning about the multi-million dollar business that is school food service, and thus begun their school menu service 15 years ago. They had an audience of four million elementary school children who received their “Tooned-In” school menu each month, which in addition to the menu included nutritional games, puzzles, and advertisements from the entertainment industry (for instance Shrek or Harry Potter). Then to complement the printed menu, Craig Kohler tells us that they created the dot-com part of the business as an “ancillary site that was kid-focused with games and puzzles.”

It’s only recently that they stopped printing the menus and started publishing them exclusively online at SchoolMenu.com, a move Craig says was due to “a combination of the decline in print advertising and the increased cost of printing and shipping.” He also adds that the site moved away from being kid-centric and instead more focused on meeting the needs of moms.

Simply put, SchoolMenu.com is a free online resource for schools and parents to share and have as much information about the cafeteria menu as possible. Schools can publish their menus on SchoolMenu.com, and parents can view the menus and their related nutritional information, all at no cost. (more…)

Posted on August 8, 2023 by Natalie K

MyPlate Goes Back to School

A teacher with three students eating fruitThe fall of 2024 will begin the first school year since MyPlate was introduced as the official replacement for MyPyramid. Much of the success of the new icon is in the hands of the educators who will use it in their classrooms. Many schools are preparing to incorporate MyPlate into their curricula for all age groups, and it is also already being used in nutrition education for adults and families.

“MyPyramid has gone through changes over its lifetime,” said Sharre Littrell. “I would say that this is the first one that I feel is really consumer-friendly, because we don’t eat in a pyramid. We eat on a plate.”

Littrell is a nutrition educator for UC Davis Cooperative Extension (UCCE), an organization that helps educate communities in California about healthy eating. Although the school year hasn’t started yet, Littrell has been using the MyPlate icon in family and adult educational sessions. In the fall, UCCE educators will visit about 55 low-income schools to teach both students and teachers about healthy foods and to distribute curricula for future use.

For Littrell and her colleague Josie Rucklose, incorporating MyPlate into an existing curricula wasn’t difficult because MyPyramid is based on the many of the same underlying principles. “We’re already talking about fruit and vegetable consumption, we’re already talking about whole grain consumption, but what we get to do now is incorporate that by showing them a plate,” said Littrell.

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Posted on August 8, 2023 by Margaret

Courtney’s Healthy Back to School Recipes from WGN

“It all starts and ends with your mind,” Courtney Crozier said on WGN’s Mid-Day News this morning. “If you don’t change your mind you’re not going to change. The moment that you do change your mind everything in your life gets better.”

Down more than 230 pounds since her journey began well before her time on Biggest Loser 11, Courtney is living proof that small changes add up to major changes.

Watch her appearance on WGN’s Mid-Day News to learn some of her favorite ways to keep hunger at bay with healthy snacks. These are all perfect to keep in mind as the kids head back to school. Whether packing their lunch, yours, or trying to get breakfast done in a hurry, these are healthy ways to stay full, satisfied, and give your body what it needs to perform.

Click here to watch the video and get the back to school recipes from Courtney.

Join Courtney’s Summer Challenge right here at DIR.

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Health Buzz

Yoga for School Teachers

Teachers are educators, leaders, pseudo parents, heroes, friends and mentors. Their jobs are often thankless, yet teachers are those amazing people that help shape the future of our world.

Being a teacher takes a tremendous amount of commitment, and commitment requires a tremendous amount of energy. Presenting concepts, math equations and scientific theories while continuing to be a positive influence in the classroom can be challenging for the tired and overworked educationalist.

Thankfully, the magic of yoga can come to the rescue to refresh, rejuvenate and inspire before burn out ensues.

Bank a second wind well before you might actually need it with these simple suggestions that can be practiced in the teacher’s lounge or in the classroom.

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Posted on August 2, 2023 by Jill

Back to School Yoga

It is that time of year when backpacks, notebooks and pencil bags line the shelves. New clothes hang with anticipation in the closet and old shoes are handed down to make room for the growing feet of adolescents.

Going back to school after a summer of fun in the sun can be an anxious time for school kids. The unfamiliarity of a new classroom, new friends and harder classes can zap enthusiasm in a heartbeat.

Maintaining a zest for learning can be challenging for kids and adults alike. Thankfully there are things we can do to keep our interest up. The number one most important thing we can do at back to school time is reduce stress, and yoga can help.

The following is a list of suggestions for simple yet effective yoga poses that can be done in the morning before heading off to the school bus. Saving just five or ten minutes during the bustling hours before the bell rings can mean better grades, healthier friendships and happier parents!

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Posted on July 29, 2023 by Jill