|
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com)-There’s good news for parents who are looking for ways to satisfy their children’s hunger and help them manage their weight. Adding fiber to their diet can be a convenient and healthy way to do both.
Dietary fiber is often attributed to helping adults and children alike feel full faster. Several health organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have recognized the important role of dietary fiber in decreasing the risk of a variety of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and colon cancer.
According to the National Fiber Council, however, most children get half or less of the recommended amount of dietary fiber per day.
Fortunately, adding fiber and its resulting benefits to your child’s diet can be a fairly simple process. A good start to increasing fiber intake is to pack school lunches and after-school snacks with whole grains, fruit and veggies. Try these tips:
• Keep the skin on fruits, such as apples and pears, which are rich sources of fiber.
• Select breads made with whole grains for sandwiches. They don’t always need to be traditional breads-try pitas, bagels or fajita wraps with whole grain.
• Look for additional ways to include more veggies with lunch or after-school snacks, such as salads, veggies on sandwiches or even raw veggies served with dip.
• If packing pasta or pasta salad, use whole grain pasta varieties.
• Don’t forget to work in more whole grains with snack time, too. If your children want something crunchy, try whole grain crackers with peanut butter or low-fat cheese rather than cookies or chips.
To make things even easier for busy parents, many food manufacturers are adding whole grain options to their offerings.
For example, Lance Sandwich Crackers-best known for their ToastChee variety, featuring real peanut butter sandwiched between two cheese crackers-recently launched three new whole grain varieties: Real Peanut Butter on Whole Grain, Real Cheddar Cheese on Whole Grain and Real Sharp Cheddar Cheese on Whole Grain.
These new Lance Sandwich Crackers provide 3 grams of fiber per serving and can be a good-tasting start to help increase children’s fiber intake as part of a wholesome lunch or sensible snacking option.
For instance, to increase your child’s intake of fiber along with fruits, veggies and dairy, try pairing these Lance Whole Grain Sandwich Crackers with fruit, peanut butter, cheese, yogurt or milk.
To learn more, visit www.lance.com.
Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and be eligible for Health News, discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7.
HealthNewsDigest.com
We also create, produce and distribute tv/cable public service campaigns: HealthyTelevisionProductions