School Etisiorwa )79 Eating Smart Arks JeWS HaVe Healthy eating habits during childhood are important for well- ness and growth, but they also serve another crucial function — childhood eating habits often become lifelong habits. So healthy habits form the basis for a lifetime of good nutrition. The foundation for healthy eating is simple: Eat a variety of foods. And Pa-ried Seas. Perhaps les Time we Learned 17 ro swim. You just never know when the Australian crawl might come in handy. So why not brush up on your swimming skills at the newly renovated Jimmy Prentis Morris JCC? Membership includes access to our new indoor pool, gym, fitness equipment, and aerobic studios. And right now, General Family Memberships start at just $300, and Individual Health Club Memberships start at $630. Which is a heck of a lot cheaper than building an ark. Call 967-4030 for more information. Offer limited to first 350 memberships. Some restrictions apply. jcc Welcome... New Advertisers R. L. Grant & Associates Esther's Judaica Gifts Stepping Stone Genitti's Body By You l_tJ w CC F- UJ (=1 LLJ F- L114 THE JEWISH NEWS Al Sunshine Furniture Daitch Mortgage O'Rilley Realty Mail Perfect Imaginknit The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests offering chil- dren a variety of food choices, in- cluding grains, low–fat products, lean meat, fish, poultry and legumes, fruits and vegetables. Don't worry excessively about how much or well a child eats at a single meal or even in single day. Over a week, the choices should even out and provide a balance of nutrients that best meet his needs. Children are the best judges of how much they should eat, and the parents' best role is to steer them toward ap- propriate food selections. Pediatricians and nutrition- ists agree, however, that it's not wise to force a child to eat foods he doesn't like. Instead, by to of- fer several choices of foods that fill the nutritional bill you're try- ing to meet. If your child prefers sweet potatoes to carrots, or peaches to apricots, then OK. All of these fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals. Other suggestions for eating smart with children: • Establish family mealtimes. Eating together helps promote family relationships and eating habits. Children are great mim- ickers and are likely eventually to eat what they see you eat. • Invite children to help with meal preparation. Often a child will develop a healthy attitude about meals if he feels part of the process. Find a task the child can do safely, such as mixing batter or tearing lettuce for sal- ad. • Provide a low-fat diet for children over age 2. Studies show that this could help reduce the risk for heart disease, can- cer, obesity and other health problems later in life. ❑