Nutrition

Make healthy food choices

A healthy diet makes children grow and develop, while maintaining the balance between health and disease.

Eating a diet that includes bread, cereal, grain, rice, pasta, vegetables, and fruit, and limiting high-fat foods, promotes good health and reduces the risk of developing certain chronic diseases.

Highmark supports good nutrition for children as part of a plan to address the childhood obesity epidemic.

Did you know?

• 85 percent of children get less than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and a majority of intake comes from the consumption of French fries and ketchup. (USDA, 2002)
• Once a person becomes overweight, weight reduction and weight maintenance are extremely difficult to achieve, so prevention is the most effective solution to the problem of overweight and obesity. (Pennsylvania Dept of Health, 2002)
• Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. (NIH, 2002)
• 18 percent of Pennsylvania youth were overweight in 2001, higher than the national average of 16 percent. (Pennsylvania Dept of Health, 2001)
• Students who eat a nutritious meal concentrate better, attend school more regularly, are less aggressive, and show improved behavior overall. (DeRoose, E. and T. Fitzpatrick. School Children: Inactive and Overweight — An Alarming Trend. EpiNorth. 2002)
• Studies show that school breakfast promotes healthier eating to fight obesity; improves students' achievement, behavior and test scores; and reduces absenteeism, tardiness and visits to the school nurse. (Food research access center, 2005)

Highmark Healthy High 5 can improve children's nutrition by providing grants and supporting programs that promote healthy eating habits.

Have a greater hand in raising happier, healthier kids.