Healthy Nutrition and Wellness for Children

Upper Valley HEAL promotes the 5210 approach to wellness. 5210 is not a particular diet or plan for physical activity. Instead, it represents key health behaviors that have been shown to support the healthy development of growing children.

What is the 5210 approach to wellness?

5210 identifies key behaviors that support health and wellness for children (and adults!).

5: Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily

Science has demonstrated the many positive health impacts of eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables every day. And yet less than half of adults and children regularly eat 5+ servings on a regular basis.

• Eat a Colorful Variety Every Day

2: Have less than 2 hours daily of non-school screen time daily

TV, videos, internet surfing, and other passive entertainment significantly reduce the amount of children's active play. Worse, TV time is often partnered with high-calorie, high fat snacks that provide little nutrition and keep kids from eating more nutritious foods. the American Pediatrics Association now recommends that children under the age of 2 do not watch any television, becasue of its negative impact on brain development and health. When it comes to TV and screen time, Less is Better!

1: Get at least 1 hour every day of active play every day

Active play is play that raises your heart rate. Active play can come in small chunks spread throughout the day.

0: Drink more water and milk and few or no sugar-sweetened drinks

Sugar sweetened drink, include sodas, juice-drinks, drink mixes, sports drinks, and energy drinks that have added sugar. They have little or no nutritional value, are loaded with calories and sugar, and worse, they don't make you feel full, so kids are likely to eat more in order to feel full. Sugar-sweetened drinks are increasingly seen as a major contributor to unhealthy weight in both children and adults.

How Does 5210 Fit With the Food Pyramid?

5210 is highly consistent with current recommendations of the USDA's "MyPyramid" approach to nutrition.

• What Are The Recommendations of the the USDA "MyPyramid" model?
• Check out the MyPyramid Kids model
• The Online Mypyramid Plan Calculator. An online tool that helps you identify your own nutrition needs based on gender, weight, and other factors. Fruits and Veggies - More Matters: Eat a Colorful Variety Every Day Introducing Your Children to Fruits and Vegetables

Snackwise Nutrition Rating System

The Snackwise Nutrition Rating List is a great resource for helping you identify healthier and unhealthier prepared snack foods. The rating system identifies a large variety of snack foods by brand and snack name, and categorizes them as "Best Choice, "Choose Occasionally", and "Choose Rarely" based on a variety of measures. Snackwise also hosts a Snackwise calculator that allows you to enter a UPC code and other product data to gain information about snack products that are not listed on is Rating List.