Nutrition
Nutrition plays an important role in health promotion and disease prevention. Eating well can help reduce the risk of chronic disease and obesity, as well as some cancers. Below are some key resources to get you on your way to healthy eating!
LABEL READING
The Nutrition Facts label is an easy way for you to find out which foods have lower fat or fewer calories, which foods are healthier than others and which fall within specific dietary guidelines. Use the food label to help you make good food choices.
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MY PYRAMID
MyPyramid offers personalized eating plans and interactive tools to help you plan and assess your food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Visit MyPyramid to assess your nutrient needs.
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RETHINK YOUR DRINK
Beware of beverages! Sports drinks, soda and juice all have extra calories and sugar we don't need. These extra calories can lead to weight gain. Think twice about your beverage selection. Water and low-fat or fat-free milk are your best options.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- fruits & veggies: more matters
- New Jersey Farm to School Programs
- National Gardening Association
- New Jersey WIC Program
- Family-School-Community Partnership: Parents Advocating for School Wellness: Parents Advocating for School Wellness tool kits available for parents to help motivate change around nutrition and physical activity in schools and communities
- American Dietetic Association
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005): Provides the latest science-based nutrition and physical activity recommendations.
- Rutgers Cooperative Extension: Click on Food, Nutrition, Health & Wellness for information about nutrition and healthy lifestyle promotion.
- HealthierUS.gov: A national effort, aimed to improve people's lives, prevent and reduce the costs of disease, and promote community health and wellness.
- National Dairy Council: Nutrition education material regarding the role dairy plays in healthy eating and weight management to the general public.
- Nutrition.gov; Smart Nutrition Starts Here: Online access to government information regarding food and nutrition for consumers; search the weight management link.
- Obesity Action Coalition The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is a grassroots organization that brings together individuals who are impacted by obesity.
- Shaping America's Youth: Learn about what you can do for yourself, your family and your community.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed): Cooperative Extension Program aimed at improving nutrition and increasing physical activity among SNAP eligible audiences.
- Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity.
- The Mayor's Wellness Campaign: Provides mayors and other key leaders with the tools to develop and implement active-living initiatives in their communities.
- Ask the Dietitian: Created by Joanne Larsen, MS, RD, LD.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator: Use this Web site to calculate BMI, a measure that assesses a person's body fatness using height and weight.
- MyPyramid.gov: MyPyramid food plans are designed for the general public ages 2 and over.
- RD411: A centralized resource that provides evidence-based practice tools and resources that can be used for client and professional education.
- Healthfinder.gov: Tools for accessing calories burned during physical activity and meal and snack calculator.
- Test your Food Label Knowledge: A game for adolescents and adults that teaches how to read the food label.
- Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Get Moving Get Healthy New Jersey: Just for kids: This site provides links to programs, Web sites, nutrition education materials and fun games for children to encourage healthy lifestyles and physical activity.
- USDA: Eat Smart. Play Hard Nutrition Campaign: The campaign message is to eat healthy and be physically active every day.
- Shaping America's Youth: Provides information about nutrition and physical activity programs and community efforts nationwide in an effort to combat childhood obesity.
- We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) Childhood Obesity Prevention Program: A national childhood obesity prevention program that focuses on improved food choices, increased physical activity and reduced screen time.
- We Can! Spanish
- Weight Control Information Network: Provides up-to-date, science-based information on weight control, obesity, physical activity and other nutritional issues to the general public, health professionals, the media and Congress.
- Weight Management and Obesity Resource List:
This list is comprised of more than 150 books, brochures, and articles on weight management and obesity for children and adults, all carefully selected by the National Agricultural Library’s Food and Nutrition Information Center.
- Weight Management Resources for Youth: Numerous resources for parents and professionals on reducing childhood obesity can be found here.
- Community Food Security Coalition: Dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to all people at all times.
- Kids Health from Nemours: Information on keeping your child healthy with the right foods and exercise.
- Eat Smart Nutrition Scale: This acts as a food guidance system to regulate calories, nutrients and portion sizes appropriate for your lifestyle.
- CDC Nutrition Basics: Nutrition for Everyone
Family Health Services
