October: National Food Days

Child Health Day (October 1st)

Nutrition and physical activity play an important role in a child's health. Staying healthy can be easy to remember when you think about five numbers. 5-4-3-2-1 Go! is a program that was developed by the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children. Each number represents the following:

• 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
• 4 servings of water a day
• 3 servings of low-fat dairy
• 2 hours or less of screen time a day
• 1 hour or more of physical activity a day

Chocolate Day (October 28th)

Can you believe eating chocolate actually has health benefits? Chocolate contains flavonoid compounds that act as antioxidants:

• Reduce free radicals produced by oxygen
• Lower LDL cholesterol
• Reduce blood pressure
• Reduce platelet aggregation

Eating as little as 7 grams of dark chocolate may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Be careful though, eating too many calories from chocolate may lead to weight gain. Aim for eating 90 to 100 kcal/d of dark chocolate to gain health benefits without gaining weight.

Oatmeal Day (October 29th)

Oatmeal has many nutritional benefits, and it is a great way to start your morning. Eating a bowl of oatmeal can help reduce blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Halloween (October 31st)

5 Tips to a healthier Halloween:

1. Hand out healthier treats rather than just candy (granola bars; snack packs such as trail mix, raisins, crackers, or pretzels; 100% juice boxes; non-candy Halloween treats such as stickers, bookmarks, tattoos, erasers, and pencils).
2. Eat a nutritious meal before going trick-or-treating, so children are not hungry and only want to eat candy for supper.
3. Limit the number of treats your child can have each day. (Make sure to decide the appropriate number ahead of time and let children know the limits and why it is important to limit candy).
4. Keep candy out of reach to prevent continuous and mindless eating of candy.
5. Eat a piece of candy with a glass of milk or apple slices to add some healthy nutrients.