WNY Family Magazine March 2019 | Page 62

March is National Nutrition Month! s s e n l Wel Choices National Nutrition Month ® is an annual nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign, celebrated each year during the month of March, focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Their key messages during this campaign include: 1. Discover the benefits o a healthy eating style. 2. Choose foods and drinks that are good for your health. 3. Include a variety of healthful foods from all of the food groups on a regular basis. 4. Select healthier options when eating away from home. 5. Be mindful of portion sizes. Eat and drink the amount that’s right for you, as MyPlate (https://www.choosemyplate.gov/) encourages us to do. 6. Keep it simple. Eating right doesn’t have to be complicated. 7. Make food safety part of your everyday routine. 8. Help to reduce food waste by considering the foods you have on hand before buying more at the store. 9. Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week. 10. Consult the nutrition experts. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs. 8 Great Apps That Can Help Your Kids Stay Happy & Healthy D 7 Evans Street, Batavia, NY 14020 www.wnypedsendo.com NEW PATIENT APPOINTMENTS Available Immediately! We treat the following conditions: • Growth concerns • Short stature • Abnormal weight gain • Early or delayed puberty • Pituitary dysregulation • Thyroid concerns • Bone health • Lipid concerns • Adrenal disorders • PCOS and other menstrual irregularities Office hours: Monday - Friday 9 am - 4:30 pm Call today: 585-201-7112 — by Tanni Haas, Ph.D. o you want to teach your kids how to stay happy and healthy in a way that’s both educational and fun? Encourage them to download an app — or three. Here are 10 of the very best apps available, and the best part is that they’re all free. Eat-And- Move-O-Matic (Apple Appstore; Ages 9-18) If you want your kids to understand the consequences of their food choices, Eat-And-Move-O-Matic is the right app for them. Created by the Learning Game Lab at New Mexico State University, the app teaches kids to be aware of what they eat or drink. It lets them compare the calories in their food choices with the type and length of time of physical activities like biking, running, or walking needed to burn off those calories. Ergobreak 4 Kids (Apple Appstore; Ages: 5-12) Nadia Danilovich, MD & Shannon Fourtner, MD 62 WNY Family March 2019 Do your kids spend hours at a time hunched over their laptops or phones without getting up? If so, encourage them to download Ergobreak 4 Kids. The app has various stretching exercises designed to relax the neck and back muscles that are most affected by bad posture and repetitive strain. The exercises are demonstrated by other kids, who prompt viewers at intervals to keep moving through the exercises. Monster Heart Medic (Apple Appstore; Ages: 9-12) Monster Heart Medic teaches kids about a topic few other apps cover, namely the cardiovascular system and how to stay heart- healthy. Created by the University of California, Berkeley, the app features a friendly monster named Ragnar who suffers from cardiovascular problems and needs help. Kids help Ragnar by running various diagnostic tests to figure out what’s causing the problems. The app also has tips for leading a healthier life, from reputable organizations like the American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health.