Resources for Parents and the Public

This page contains resources that offer practical tips and tools on how families can maintain a healthy weight by making smart food choices, increasing physical activity, and reducing screen time

 Downloads

• Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook
  Parents can help their family stay in energy balance with this handbook, available in English or in Spanish. It offers practical tips to help parents help their families find the right balance of eating well and being physically active to maintain a healthy weight.
• We Can! Parent Tips: Making Healthier Food Choices: This resource presents simple tips to help you plan and prepare meals and snacks to help your family get the most nutrition out of the calories consumed.
• We Can! Parent Tips: Healthier Eating While Saving Money: This resource helps you create a food plan that focuses on choosing healthier foods while saving money.
• Food Comparison Chart: Use this chart to learn how healthier choices can save you calories and money.
• Grocery List Template: Print this sheet before a shopping trip and use it to help you pick healthier items for your family.
• Weekly Meal Planner: Use this tool each week to help plan healthier meals for your family.

Information

• US Obesity Trends map
• Nutrition Data

Tools

• How Many Calories In.com: Check out how many calories in the foods you eat
• Exercise counts:  How many Calories will Your Activity Burn?
• Body Mass Index Calculator
• Calculate Your Daily Caloric Needs
• My Pyramid Tracker - dietary and physical activity assessment tool

MyPyramid Blast Off Game

An interactive computer game where kids can reach Planet Power by fueling their rocket with food and physical activity. “Fuel” tanks for each food group help students keep track of how their choices fit into MyPyramid. To play, click here.

There are also great resources available to parents from the National Institutes of Health.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

• Aim For a Healthy Weight
• Portion Distortion Web Site
• Portion Distortion Slideshow
• Recipes for Healthy Eating
• NHLBI Diseases and Conditions Index: What Are Overweight and Obesity
• NHLBI Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart (Also available in PDF format)
• Hearts N' Parks

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

• Weight-Control Information Network
• Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Across Your Lifespan - Helping Your Child - Tips for Parents: English | en Español
• Helping Your Overweight Child

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) http://www.nichd.nih.gov/

• Milk Matters
• Why Milk Matters Now for Children and Teens:
  English | en Español
• Milk Matters For Your Child's Health – Parent Brochure:
  English | en Español

Trust for America's Health

• Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, according to the fourth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007 report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) . Twenty-two states experienced an increase for the second year in a row; no states decreased. A new public opinion survey featured in the report finds 85 percent of Americans believe that obesity is an epidemic.