The right diet can fuel a successful school year

School is back in session, and while every child is different, making sure your children maintain a healthy diet during the new school year should be a priority for everyone. Whether you have a brainiac, star athlete, or a child with a peanut allergy, Montefiore Medical Center’s associate wellness dietitian Maxine Yeung shares important nutritional advice that will set your child up for success.

The picky eater

Parents of picky eaters need to show kids how to eat healthily, not just talk about it. Being a good role model and leading by example will encourage kids to follow. But don’t expect it to happen right away. For some children, it can take up to 15 tries before they will eat a new food.

Patience and repetition are key: introduce new, healthy foods in a fun and visually appealing way, and encourage children to “eat the rainbow” by incorporating colorful fruits and vegetables. Use cookie cutters to turn food into fun shapes and always pair healthy foods with other ingredients children already enjoy. For the pickiest of eaters, try hiding healthy foods in meals they love. For example, blend vegetables in the meat used for spaghetti and meatballs.

The eager beaver

If your child is always willing to lend a hand, letting her get involved with meal planning is a fun way to introduce new foods. Grocery shopping as a family gives kids an opportunity to make healthy food choices with their parents and offers a platform for discussing healthy habits.

In the home, parents can turn their kitchen into a fun, interactive, healthy eating classroom by letting kids help cook. Allowing children to be involved in meal preparation gives them a sense of responsibility and increases the likelihood of them trying healthy foods.

The athlete

Hydration is important for everyone, but especially for children involved in sports. Even slight dehydration can lead to impaired memory and fatigue, so kids need to hydrate before, during and after physical activities.

Limit sweetened beverages like soda and juice and encourage your children to drink water. If your child is reluctant, add fresh fruit or a small amount of 100 percent fruit juice to help make water sweeter. On game day, avoid sending your kid with a sports drink and instead pack her water and a snack such as a banana or orange.

The over-achiever

Back-to-school means the return of extracurricular activities, including clubs, sports and after-school programs. Meal preparation is key for families that are always on-the-go.

Ease the stress that comes with a child’s busy schedule by packing lunch and snacks the night before, or even cooking meals a week in advance.

The child with food allergies

Food allergies are a growing problem in this country, affecting one in 13 children. Returning to school can increase the risk of an allergic reaction among children with food allergies, because it’s difficult to control a school environment.

Parents need to inform school officials about their child’s food allergies and make them aware of triggers, signs, and medication. Families can also ask about accommodations their school can make for students with food allergies, such as peanut-free tables, meal service practices, and restricted food zones.

The early- or late-luncher

Children need to eat frequently, and while a snack is a good idea for most young students, it’s essential for kids whose lunch is scheduled very early or late in the day.

Healthy snacks, like other meals, need to be balanced with protein and fiber, and should be low in sugar, saturated fat, and salt.

Relevant Directory Listings

See More

Advantage Care Health Centers

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-db4b2459-7fff-adc1-4601-75b3690fc174"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #434343; background-color: #ffffff; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Advantage Care now offers in-person and Tele-Health services to all new and current patients through their secure online platform visit: </span><a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://advantagecare.doxy.me/"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #434343; background-color: #ffffff; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://advantagecare.doxy.me</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #434343; background-color: #ffffff; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to see how it works.  Tele-Health Services for Children and Adults include the Following: Primary Care, Psychotherapy, Psychiatry.  Advantage Care continues to take proper measures to keep their patients, community, and staff safe during the pandemic. Advantage Care Health Centers are Long Island’s premier Federally Qualified Health Centers. They accept Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care Plans, Medicare. The mission of their centers is to provide the highest quality comprehensive primary, dental, mental, and behavioral health care services.  They offer these services to all members of the community with a commitment to those who might otherwise be excluded from the health care system, while remaining cost-effective and efficient. Advantage Care specializes in providing services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.</span></span></p>

Family Speech Center

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b076e719-7fff-a614-1e03-7070c8fdb6f7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Family Speech Center has been servicing children, adolescents, and adults since 2003. Our Speech-Language Pathologists are trained professionals who evaluate and diagnose adults and children to identify specific speech, language and swallowing difficulties.<br />Once the communication difficulties are assessed and identified, our Speech-Language Pathologists develop and implement a therapy plan individualized to meet a client’s needs.<br />Our staff has experience with many types of communication disorders and difficulties, including language delay and weak vocabulary skills, articulation/phonological disorders, myofunctional disorders, apraxia, language learning disabilities, auditory/language processing difficulties, fluency disorders, and pragmatic/social disorders.</p>

Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C.

<p><span style="caret-color: #414042; color: #414042; font-family: Yantramanav, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff;">Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C. is a diagnostic and treatment center for neuropsychological, psychiatric, and educational difficulties. Led by Dr. Sanam Hafeez, the New York City based psychology practice specializes in providing solutions for common Learning Disabilities such as Dyslexia and Math Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD), Autism, Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar disorder, executive and memory, and other developmental delays. </span><br style="box-sizing: inherit; caret-color: #414042; color: #414042; font-family: Yantramanav, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: center;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit; caret-color: #414042; color: #414042; font-family: Yantramanav, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: center;" /><span style="caret-color: #414042; color: #414042; font-family: Yantramanav, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff;">We can help students with disabilities receive accommodations such as extended time, separate testing location and waivers for certain requirements in class and on standardized examinations such as the SATs, ACTs, GREs, LSATs, MCATs, GMATs, the Bar examination, CPA exam, and other such standardized tests.</span></p>