If there is, you will need
a doctor for yourself and
your baby. ValleyCare‘s
collaborative network of
well-established and
respected physicians in the
Tri-Valley o ers personalized
care for your entire family
right here in your community.
If you need an OB/GYN
or pediatrician, please visit
www.valleycare.com/
physicianfinder
.
Is There aBaby
inYour Future?
To get a preview
of our labor/
delivery/recovery suites,
postpartum rooms and
Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit (NICU), sign up
for the Maternity Tour,
o ered every Sunday
at 1 pm and Monday
evening 7:30 to 9 pm.
To register, please visit
www.valleycare.com/
maternity
.
Following your journey to parenthood
Beginnings
BEYOND
and
Getting
Schooled
on
M
ore than 2,000. That’s how many
school lunches you could pack
by the time your child graduates
from high school. That’s a lot of lunches.
ValleyCare understands this task can
be overwhelming, especially when you
add in the need to make those meals
both delicious and nutritious.
We asked Tony Washington,
director of Food and
Nutrition Services
at ValleyCare, for
some ideas to
make this task less
daunting and a lot
more fun for everyone.
Get the kids involved.
Sit
down together and make a list of
each child’s favorite fruits, veggies,
whole grains (such as wheat tortillas, pita
chips and oatmeal) and lean proteins
(such as chicken, sh or yogurt). Mix
and match from the list when planning
lunches for the week. Or let the kids plan
an entire lunch once in a while.
Try something new.
Take your kids to
the grocery store and let them peruse the
aisles for fun new treats, such as star fruit,
freeze-dried strawberries or jicama. Look for
the whole grain symbol on breads, cereals,
pastas.
Create interest.
Grab your child’s
attention with fun shapes—use cookie
cutters on sandwiches and other items.
Turn fruits or vegetables into kebabs. Or
go with a theme, such as using foods
of all one color in the lunch, along
with napkins and utensils to
match.
Ask the kids to help.
If you get your kids
involved, healthy food
makes more sense to them
and your kids are more likely to
eat things they’ve helped prepare. So
get them to pitch in on making that pasta
salad or rolling up that wrap.
Don’t forget to make food safety a part
of your plans. Use insulated lunch bags to
keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.
And, don’t forget to wash your
hands! Hand washing is the single most
important thing you can do to avoid
spreading colds and u this season.
Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; American Academy
of Pediatrics
LUNCH
Watch for
information coming
in 2015 for workshops
ValleyCare will sponsor for
kids and their parents on
fun and easy ways to
eat healthy
foods.
ValleyCare.com/maternity
