The 2011 Active Healthy Kids Canada National Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth was released today. According to the report, children spend only 14 minutes of the approximately three hours during the after-school period (3 to 6 p.m.) doing moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity. They are spending the equivalent of a full-time job (more than 40 hours per week) in front of a screen.  Now I don’t need to discuss the implications for physical health for these children. But what’s perhaps more distressing is the impact that this has on their mental health and academic performance. There is plenty of evidence that suggests children who are physically active and who are receiving adequate nutrition get better grades, have a lower risk of abusing drugs and alcohol, show fewer behavioral problems, experience lower levels of depression and higher levels of self-esteem, and have improved social skills! If that’s not enough incentive to keep our kids active and eating healthy, I don’t know what is!

Read the Active Healthy Kids report.

Tips from our dietitian on keeping kids active and fueled with nutritious foods.

5-2-1-0

5 Fruits and vegetables…more matters! Eat fruits and vegetables at least 5 times a day. Limit 100% fruit juice.

2 Cut screen time to 2 hours or less a day.

1 Participate in at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

0 Restrict soda and sugar-sweetened sports and fruit drinks. Instead, drink water and 3-4 servings/day of fat-free/skim or 1% milk.

Our dietitian’s tips to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Looking for smart phone apps to help you eat healthy and stay fit? Check out our dietitian’s suggestions of ones that are particularly helpful. Check back regularly for new additions.

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Created by New York Times columnist and foodie Mark Bittman, this app has over 2000 meatless recipes from Mark’s own book, built-in timers throughout the recipes, and generates a shopping list. From the beginner cook to the more advanced who is in need of inspiration, this is a great app for anyone wanting to incorporate more vegetarian meals into their life.

Grocery IQ
Easy way to keep updated grocery lists. Allows multiple users to edit lists. Stores items in your history for quick access to regular items. Having the list with you on your phone allows you to add items as you think of them and makes sure that you have your list with you every time you go to the store.

Whole Foods Market Recipes
Gives you access to quick and nutritious recipe ideas at your finger tips. Can search recipes based on ingredients you have on hand. Also allows you to add needed ingredients from recipes to a grocery list.

Chemical Cuisine
Made by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, this app allows you to access the Center’s database of safety rankings for food additives. The app features a randomly selected additive each time it loads and lets users search for specific additives or browse among categories.

Fridge Police
This app allows you to keep track of the shelf-life of products in your kitchen. By scanning the bar code when you open a food container, this app will automatically let you know when the shelf-life is nearing the end.