Blog: Teaching Kids the Importance of Health and Wellness

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It's that time of year again -- time to send our kids or grandkids back to school.

Families across West Virginia are checking bus and carpool schedules, and equipping students with new supplies for another school year. And parents and school cooks are carefully planning meals because they know kids are best able to learn in school with a healthy packed lunch from home or a wholesome lunch from the school cafeteria.

Unfortunately, the amount of sugar-packed drinks and unhealthy snacks made available in our school vending machines undermines the efforts of parents, teachers and school cooks to encourage healthy eating for our children. Even as students learn about nutrition and the food groups, they are given mixed messages at the snack machine where they have access to the junk food that they are taught to avoid.

Fortunately, the Department of Agriculture announced in June that it plans to ban the sale of unhealthy snacks in our schools. By the fall of 2014, vending machines in schools must offer granola bars, dried fruit, and other healthy snacks instead of cookies and candy.

This is a step in the right direction and will help encourage our kids to make decisions that are good for their health. But there is still much more we can do to make sure our kids grow into healthy adults.

We must make sure we're sending a healthy message. That's why in June I asked Nickelodeon and its parent company, Viacom, to stop airing advertisements that promote the consumption of junk food among children. And I support efforts to tax sugar-sweetened beverages.

It is also important to promote health in the home by giving youngsters access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and encouraging them to play outside with friends or participate in physical activity. Instilling these habits at an early age leads to healthy, productive adults.

Promoting nutrition is our best tool in the ongoing fight against childhood obesity and diabetes in our state. I will continue supporting nutrition and wellness programs because we know the long-term benefits of a healthy lifestyle. This school year, I applaud the parents across the state who are teaching their kids to eat right and stay active.

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