Help kids have a healthy summer with tips from Pennington Biomedical Research Center scientist Amanda Staiano

The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and kids all across the Capital Region are looking forward to a fun and carefree summer. At the same time, with less structured schedules, parents have to prepare for a host of summertime challenges, from childcare to meal prep.

With more snacking, disrupted sleep patterns and less organized physical activity, summer can pose a specific challenge for children’s overall health and wellbeing. Studies from the CDC show that many children experience excess weight gain during summer break, with approximately one in five U.S. children affected by obesity.

Louisiana has the fourth-highest childhood obesity rate in the nation, according to statistics from Greaux Healthy, a Pennington Biomedical Research Center initiative designed to help educate families on treatment options. Obesity is a complex disease, but it’s a preventable one, with nutrition, fitness and healthy role models playing major parts in reducing children’s risk.

Dr. Amanda Staiano, director of Pennington’s Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory, has been studying family-based lifestyle interventions for healthy living for over 15 years. With a background centered in psychology, most of Staiano’s work involves the science of changing behaviors.

“With kids, we really focus on their behavior goals. That’s something that’s more within their control,” Staiano says. “We can’t control our weight on our scale, but we can try to work on reducing red foods, getting up and being more physically active.”

Rather than calorie counting, the “Traffic Light Method” provides a kid-friendly approach to nutrition that helps gamify healthy summertime snacking. Green light foods, like fruits and vegetables, are go-to foods that should be eaten daily. Yellow light foods, like 100% fruit juice, should be consumed less often. Red light foods, like candy and chips, have high calories and low nutrients. While you shouldn’t remove red foods entirely, they should be eaten at a significantly reduced rate.

As a mom of two, some of Staiano’s go-to summertime snacks include smoothies that incorporate fruit and spinach and popsicles made with kefir, a milk product good for the gut microbiome.

“Summer represents a fun, exciting time where the schedules are a little bit different,” Staiano says. “It can be fun to try new healthier traditions, like going to the farmers market and picking out a brand-new fruit or vegetable that your family’s never seen before and figuring out how to cook it together.”

For families that have the time and space, planting their own backyard garden or growing herbs in pots indoors are great ways to reconnect with healthy food sources. Even something as simple as having your child help create the online grocery order can go a long way.

“We do find that involving the child and making them feel like they’re part of that decision-
making process can really make a difference,” Staiano says.

Another simple change that makes a big impact on childhood nutrition is switching out sugary, high-calorie beverages like energy drinks and sodas for water. Hydration is a key component for summertime health and wellbeing, especially when physical activity comes into play.

“Kids need to get about an hour of physical activity every day,” Staiano says. “That can be 15 minutes here, 10 minutes here. Trying to get them up and moving and not being stationary throughout the day can be really important.”

The Aspen Institute’s Project Play Initiative found that only around 20% of Baton Rouge youth receive the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Summer sports leagues and YMCA camps offer structured opportunities, but incorporating movement doesn’t always have to be so formal.

Staiano says many families see success with friendly fitness competitions, like seeing who records the most steps on their Apple Watch. And to beat the summer heat, she’s embraced exergames, or video games, apps and mixed reality that encourage movement.

Simple additions to family routines, like walking the dog around the neighborhood or incorporating music into household chores, can also get kids up and moving in organic ways that add up. “Doing things as a family, I think, can be very helpful,” Staiano says.

When parents model healthy behaviors for fitness and nutrition, it can create sustainable habits that children carry with them well into adulthood.

“In the past 15 years, I’ve seen a huge progress toward making healthier communities and helping kids,” Staiano says. “We want them to not only live long lives, but healthy lives.”

Dr. Staiano’s summer nutrition tips for families

Hydration comes first. Summer months mean increased temperatures and outdoor activities. Encourage drinking water throughout the day. For variety, add fruit such as lemon, berries or cucumber slices for flavor.

Take advantage of seasonal produce. Summer fruits and veggies are often cheaper, fresher and more appealing.

Plan for busy schedules. Summer often means summer camps, travel and irregular routines. Pack snacks like nuts, low-fat string cheese, cut fruit and whole grain crackers to help avoid last-minute fast-food stops.

Get the kids involved. Let kids help pick out fruits and veggies at a produce stand or farmers market. Give them simple tasks like washing produce, assembling snacks and building their own plates. Kids are more likely to eat what they help prepare.

Keep it realistic. Aim for progress, not perfection! Small changes go a long way.

Is your family looking for help achieving a healthy lifestyle?

Researchers at Pennington are currently enrolling participants in the COACH Study, where children with obesity and their caregivers receive nutrition coaching and community resource counseling. Parents interested in joining the study should talk to their child’s pediatrician or visit joincoach.org.