Smart snacks

The Clarke County Hospital, Iowa State Extension office and Clarke Community Schools worked together this year on a new healthy-eating initiative — with a twist. While organizers hoped students would learn better food selection habits, they also gave them easier access to all types of snacks. By the end of the year, there was a demonstrated improvement in the nutritional choices children were making, a skill health educators hope will last throughout adulthood.

Learning healthy eating habits

“We went out every quarter and did a lesson with the health class at the school,” said Zach Woods of Clarke County Hospital. “We were able to get food models and muscle and fat models. We made games out of it. Kids had a lot of fun.”

The program was paid for by a $25,000 Wellmark grant received in May 2016. Of that, $15,000 went toward the vending machines and education at the middle and high school, while $10,000 went to the elementary.

“ISU Extension did outreach to the elementary and taught different food and nutrition information. I focused on the middle school,” said Woods. “We did one healthy vending machine and one that was not so healthy.”

Healthy options were all Smart Snack certified, according to Woods.

“In the healthy vending machine, there was string cheese, beef jerky, apples, yogurt, whole grain snacks, granola bars,” said Woods, even baked potato chips. “We basically had some candy bars in the other machine.”

By the end of the year, educators were pleased to find students opting for healthier snack foods. Apples, whole-grain snacks and beef jerky were frequently among the most-purchased items, with apples being so high in demand the vending machine had to be modified to carry more of them. Throughout March 2017, the vending machines had sold 3,738 whole-grain items, 1,801 bags of baked potato chips and 816 sticks of beef jerky. In contrast, there were only 673 candy bars sold.

“I think a lot of that has to do with the programs we were running,” said Woods. “We really focused on the better choices as they get to junior high school. Now you’re old enough to start making good food decisions. Here’s the opportunity.”

The students did not disappoint, and while this was a one-time grant, Woods said the models and other supplies purchased will be put to use for many years to come.

Healthy snacks for summer

Sarah Davis, the clinical dietitian and food service manager at Clarke County Hospital gave advice for parents to help children maintain those health-eating lessons during the summer months.

“One of the easiest things for kids is having [food] ready to grab and go,” said Davis. “Have fruit in a bowl on the counter. Have chopped up vegetables in the fridge.”

According to Davis, the easier it is to reach for a healthy snack, the more likely it is for a child to choose it. When it comes to nutrition, there’s a lot parents can do to make nutritious choices more appealing, including making more healthier options more familiar.

Buying whole-wheat tortillas or peanut butter without extra sugar and salt (see the Smucker’s brand) along with fresh fruits and vegetables goes a long way in giving children the ability to snack smarter. Besides, budding chefs will find simple and fun recipes like peanut butter and banana roll-ups and fruit kebabs easy enough to make without mom or dad’s help.

When choosing prepackaged purchases, said Davis, stick to nutrition labels listing 150 calories or less per serving, less than 5 grams of sugar and 5 grams of fiber or more.

Addressing potential problems

What should parents do if they’re worried about a child’s weight or eating habits?

“We emphasize more on the positive, focusing on healthy behaviors,” said Davis, such as exercising more and selecting healthier food choices.

She cautions parents not to sound the alarm too quickly.

“We have to look at activity level and growth spurts. There may be a time when they want to just eat and eat and eat,” said Davis. “A 16-year-old boy — who is not an athlete — can burn 5000 calories a day.”

However, just like adults, she said, children sometimes eat for the wrong reasons, like loneliness or anxiety. Being critical can make those problems worse.

“This is one of those discussions to keep between the physician, the parent and the child,” said Davis. “Sixteen is a good age where we can talk about appropriate portion size but not dieting or saying, ‘You need to lose weight.’”

Finally, Davis suggested parents looking for more information on healthy choices or meal plans to last through the summer months stop by MyPlate.gov, where they have meal plans for every age range and budget.