NKY kids' challenge: eat right, exercise

EDGEWOOD – A mascot named Produce Man will appear at 31 Northern Kentucky schools over the next few weeks to challenge kids to pick healthy foods and get some extra exercise.

It's a lesson coming home to parents, too.

More than 15,000 children, kindergarten through sixth grade, will be working to achieve their assigned healthy goals – even on weekends. The Northern Kentucky Health Department is leading the Healthy Challenge program, which stems from a national push to get kids the foods and exercise they need in a state where 37 percent of kids are either overweight or obese.

So what can you, as a parent, do every day to help your kids stay healthy – without having the support of a character called Produce Man at your side?

Monica Smith, registered dietician for the NKY Health Department, suggests parents reinforce at home the what kids will learn with the Healthy Challenge at school, which coincides with a Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services "5, 2, 1, 0" program.

• Encourage your kids eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Limit screen time to two hours a day.

• Find a fun way to get your kids one hour of physical activity every day.

• Serve your kids zero-sugar drinks, such as water and flavored waters.

• Make sure your kids eat breakfast every day.