Healthy Habits Begin at Home

Did you know parents have the greatest influence on shaping their children's lifestyle and eating habits? Good nutrition begins at home and is the root of lifelong health. Try these simple tips to help your family eat well and enjoy nutritious foods both at home and while traveling as a Student Ambassador with People to People.

Tips for Developing Healthy Eating Habits
Focus on foods kids should eat instead of what not to eat – Pack the kitchen with foods that are nutritious and ready to eat, such as:

• Boldly colored fruits and vegetables. Deep, dark colors provide more disease-fighting nutrients.
• Whole grains that are rich in fiber.
• Low fat and fat-free milk, cheese, and yogurt.
• Fish, eggs, beans, nuts, lean meats, and skinless poultry.

Set a good example – Children are better equipped to make nutritious choices if they see you choosing healthy foods.

Use positive messages – Let kids know that all foods fit into a healthful diet; there are no "good" or "bad" foods. The key is moderation.

Introduce a new food every week – This encourages children to be open to new things and adds variety to their diets. Allow kids to help choose the foods and make it a positive, fun experience.

Set expectations – For example: Everyone in the family starts the day with breakfast; after-school snacks must include a serving of fruit or vegetables and one whole grain food; soda is reserved for special, rare occasions.

Talk about nutritious choices wherever you go – Talk to kids about smart food choices and how important they are for learning, doing well in school and sports, feeling good, and staying healthy at home and while traveling abroad.

Guide, but don’t steer – Allow your kids to be in the driver’s seat once they know the basic rules for good nutrition. Empower children to make the right choices on their own, even when you’re not around!

April Davis, RD, CD, CES

April Davis: Registered Dietician and Clinical Excercise Specialist

April Davis works at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, and Washington State University as a clinical dietitian and nutrition instructor. As a combined Clinical Exercise Specialist and registered dietitian, she is among an elite group of professionals in the United States and abroad. April provides education and nutrition support to adult and pediatric patients in acute care settings with a wide range of medical conditions including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, metabolism disorders, and heart disease. At Washington State University, she teaches two courses for the Nutrition & Exercise Physiology Program in the College of Pharmacy.

April has also been involved in school nutrition and physical activity policies and procedures as a research assistant for the University of Washington and helped lead a study on the rate of obesity in adolescents for WSU. Prior to becoming a dietitian, April obtained degrees in exercise physiology and metabolism, psychology, and biology and worked for 10 years in social services and counseling. April believes her passion to help individuals overcome obstacles and improve quality of life are what make her strive to become the top in her fields of study.

Mike

New Feature: Healthy Eating Tips!

My intent when I started this blog was to provide a forum where information could be shared with our Ambassadors and families of those traveling on our programs. Generally, my posts have focused on the things we do at People to People Ambassador Programs to make sure every student stays healthy and safe while traveling with us on one of our life-changing experiences around the world. Today, I would like to introduce something new that not only will enhance the student’s experience while traveling, but may also have an impact on the entire family year-round.

I want to continue to add value to your visits to my blog. Today, I am proud to announce the addition of a new feature: regular posts on the value of a nutritionally balanced diet.

Innovation
The Travel Service and Health and Safety teams at People to People Ambassador Programs have recently entered into a partnership with a pediatric dietician for our Student and Sports Ambassador programs. At People to People Ambassador Programs, we all work together with a clear set of values. One of these values is innovation, especially in our commitment to excellence in the delivery of these life-changing experiences. To that end, we have brought in an expert to help us enhance our meal services on all student and sports programs throughout the world. Our objective with her blog posts will be to showcase successful meal planning on our programs, as well as provide long-term education about healthy living and meal choices for our delegates and their families.

April Davis
Let me now introduce April Davis, CES, CD, RD, who works at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, and Washington State University as a clinical dietitian and nutrition instructor in Spokane, Washington. As a combined clinical exercise specialist and registered dietitian, she is among an elite group of professionals in the United States and abroad. April provides education and nutrition support to adult and pediatric patients in acute care settings with a wide range of medical conditions including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, metabolism disorders, and heart disease. At Washington State University, she teaches two courses in nutrition and exercise physiology in the College of Pharmacy. April has also been involved in school nutrition and physical activity policies and procedures as a research assistant for the University of Washington and helped lead a study on the rate of obesity in adolescents for Washington State University.

Prior to becoming a dietitian, April obtained degrees in exercise physiology and metabolism, psychology, and biology and worked for 10 years in social services and counseling. April believes her passion to help individuals overcome obstacles and improve quality of life are what make her strive to become the top in her fields of study, and that is another reason why we are so pleased to welcome her to our team!

She Will be Blogging
April will post new articles at the beginning of each month. Topics to be covered in upcoming blog entries will include: healthy habits at home, making good choices while traveling, tip sheets to help decision making, and how to enjoy a cultural eating experience, as well as many more important topics you won’t want to miss.

Over the next several months, we’ll continue to enhance the information on my blog. The addition of April’s expertise is just one example of the kinds of enhancements that People to People Ambassador Programs has made to solidify our position as the leader in the educational travel industry in health and safety practices.

Until next time, wishing you safe and happy travels!

Mike