If you're following the South Beach Diet lifestyle, you know that it's important to eat nutritious foods for long-term health. Don't forget that your school-age child needs a healthy diet just as much as you do. This is especially important in light of the fact that the number of overweight children in the United States has doubled in the past 30 years. Fortunately, you can improve your child's health — and help with his or her weight management — by making some simple swaps in the lunch box.
Replace high-fat lunch meats like bologna and salami with lean deli meats like roast turkey, lean ham, and grilled chicken breast.
Replace white bread with 100 percent whole-wheat and whole-grain bread.
Replace fried chips and high-fat, low-nutrition snacks with fiber-rich snacks like plain popcorn, reduced-fat cheese sticks, a handful of nuts, and veggie dippers (like carrots) with hummus.
Replace fruit canned in syrup with fresh fruit or fruit packed in its natural juices.
Replace cookies and cakes with low-fat, artificially sweetened yogurt, sugar-free gelatin, or sugar-free pudding.
Replace sugary fruit drinks and sodas with water or low-fat or fat-free milk.
Dr. Arthur Agatston, preventive cardiologist and author of The South Beach Diet, is dedicated to improving children's health as well as adult's. In 2004, Dr. Agatston founded the Agatston Research Foundation, with the goal of improving the heart health and wellness of the nation through research, education, and prevention. One of the studies being conducted and funded through the foundation is the Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren (HOPS) Study, which is designed to test the feasibility of improving school meals and snacks in public schools. For more information on HOPS — and to read about other research funded and conducted by the Agatston Research Foundation — visit the Research section on the Agatston Research Foundation's Web site by clicking here.
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