Helping families instill healthy eating habits

    With school back in, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension (UMCE) Eat Well Program is calling upon families to promote health and help combat the national childhood obesity epidemic by focusing on including more fruits and vegetables in meals and snacks.  
    To help parents instill good eating habits and fight unhealthy food messages on television and in popular culture, a new set of strategies and tools for caregivers and their families are available both online and in the retail setting.
    In a survey, parents expressed deep concern about how obesity might affect their kids now and when they are adults — and for good reason. Data shows one in three children in this country are overweight and news reports point to scores of American children taking drugs to treat high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and other conditions related to obesity. According to the same survey, many parents also feel society is too full of messages encouraging unhealthy eating; a sentiment underscored by recent government reports of increases in product placements in television story lines, and a spend of $1.6 billion by the food and beverage industry to market soda, sugary cereal, and other less nutritious foods to kids.   
    “We at UMCE Eat Well Nutrition Program are working together with Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help limited income families, food stamp eligible recipients, parents and caregivers not only find ways to meet their family’s daily requirements for fruit and vegetable intake, but show their families that eating fruits and vegetables is easy and tasty,” said Jolynn Stevens.
    The University of Maine Cooperative Extension Eat Well Nutrition Program offers this free service to limited income families or food stamp eligible recipients, which is designed to give you new ideas on healthy meals, how to stretch food dollars, how to keep food safe and tips for a healthier lifestyle.      For parents and families looking for creative meal and snack ideas that include more fruits and vegetables, 200 new recipes have been posted on the Fruits and Veggies — More Matters tips can be found on the Web site, www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.  
    These tips focus on ways to stretch your fruit and veggie dollars in these tough economic times; pack the lunch box in creative and innovative ways that get kids eating more fruits and veggies; select different forms of fruits and veggies as you shop because all forms count; include more fruits and veggies in your family dinner, help satisfy the hunger cravings with fruits and veggies when you are on the go, and include more fruits and vegetables while hosting a holiday party or entertaining at an informal get-together.  
    For more information, please contact Linda Trickey or Stevens at 532-6548 or 1-800-287-1469.