Teaching Kids to Be and Eat Healthy

September is Go Healthy Month, and the American Heart Association with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is working to encourage kids to motive themselves to eat better and move more with the the EmpowerME4Life movement

It's a program designed to teach kids the basics of healthy eating and living active lifestyles. It's an eight-session healthy living course that is age-appropriate, culturally relevant, targeted to kids ages 8-12; and can be facilitated by older youth or adult allies.

Each session of empowerME4Life is grounded in the expertise of the American Heart Association's recommendations and expertise in promoting heart-healthy lifestyles. The educational content and methods are aligned with the National Health Education Standards for fifth grade.

It is based on five steps kids can take to live healthier:

Get active for 60 minutes each day

Drink primarily water, 1 percent or fat free milk, and 100 percent juice with no added sugar

Eat fruits and vegetables with EVERY meal

Cut back on screen time and limit it to 1-2 hours a day

Get at least 9 hours of sleep every night

source