My Body
As part of the new Fruits & Veggies - More Matters public health initiative, which encourages Americans to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in their diets, September has become "Fruits & Veggies - More Matters Month." To support this national call-to-action, September 24-28, 2007 has been declared P.A.C.K. Week: Pack Assorted Colors for Kids Week. During this week, parents will be encouraged to include more fruits and vegetables, in a variety of colors and forms, into their children's lunch boxes.
To date, more than 2,300 elementary schools in 48 states have signed on to participate in P.A.C.K. Week. This educational program, which is being embraced by school nurses nationwide, assigns a specific color group of fruits and vegetables to each day of the week and helps children and their families understand the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.
The colors for each day of P.A.C.K. Week are:
Monday, September 24: Pack Purple Day
P.A.C.K. Week kicks off with the purple/blue color, since this category currently represents just three percent of Americans' fruit and vegetable intake. A kid-friendly way to "pack purple" is with grapes and/or 100% grape juice. Other options include raisins, plums, blueberries and blackberries.
Tuesday, September 25: Pack White Day
White, tan and brown fruits and vegetables such as brown pears, white peaches, dates and cauliflower comprise this color category. Of course, the most common white fruit - and one of the easiest to pack - is the banana.
Wednesday, September 26: Pack Red Day
Red fruits are abundant and include apples, cherries and strawberries. You can also consider packing red veggies, such as slices of sweet red pepper or tomato wedges.
Thursday, September 27: Pack Yellow/Orange Day
While the most common fruit in this category is the orange, many other delicious alternatives exist. Try baby carrots, pineapple chunks, nectarines, peaches, yellow pears, or dried apricots.
Friday, September 28: Pack Green Day
Green fruits and vegetables are the most commonly eaten, accounting for 26 percent of Americans' fruit and vegetable consumption, so choices are plentiful. Green grapes, green apples, celery sticks, snow peas, sugar snap peas, or broccoli florets are all easy-to-pack options.
Helpful Healthy Links:
Feed your brain with knowledge!
Check out these selected 'kid-approved' sites...
KidsHealth.Org - The ultimate site about healthcare, designed just for you!
Tour Your Body - Fasten your seatbelts and take a virtual tour of the human body at this cool site!
All About The Heart - Everything you ever wanted to know about your heart, on one web page!