Here are some links to recommended sites with information on nutrition and healthy living.
Planet Health This is an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on improving the health and wellbeing of 6th – 8th grade students while building and reinforcing skills in language, arts, math, science, social studies and physical education.
Eat Well and Keep Moving Eat Well and Keep Moving is a multi-faceted curriculum
developed by the Harvard School of Public Health. It is designed to use existing school
resources to reinforce important messages about nutrition and physical activity to elementary school students through a variety of learning environments – from the classroom, cafeteria, and gymnasium to the school hallways, the home, and even community centers.
FoodPlay This nutrition media company tours the nation’s schools using the power of live theater and interactive resources to turn kids on to healthy eating and exercise habits.
WeCan! Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition is a national program designed for families and communities to help children maintain a healthy weight. The program focuses on three important behaviors: improved food choices, increased physical activity and reduced screen time. It has numerous resources for parents and children as well as information on how communities can become WeCan! Partners.
Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters This website provides nutrition education
programs that connect families with food by teaching them how to prepare healthy, tasty meals on a limited budget.
Physical Activity Resources
The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports This website includes publications and resources on physical activity as well as information on the President’s Challenge which has incentives to help kids stay active and track progress with personal activity logs and presidential awards.
National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) This website provides
information and resources that can enable people with disabilities to become physically active. It includes educational resources, guidance on adapting gyms and other sites, handouts, writings from people with disabilities as well as nutrition information.
Special Olympics Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit. This website provides information on how to become involved in the Special Olympics.
Diabetes Resources
National Diabetes Education Program This organization translates the latest science and spreads the word that diabetes is serious, common, and costly, yet controllable and, for type 2, preventable. The website provides publications, guidelines, tools, posters and other resources to prevent and manage diabetes. It has materials for all age groups as well as for professionals. Information is available in English and in Spanish.
American Diabetes Association This organization funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to communities; and provides objective and credible information on the prevention and management of diabetes. The website has materials for consumers and professionals as well as a section for parents and kids.
Eating Disorder Resources
MEDA MEDA is a Massachusetts non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating. They provide educational presentations and have support groups for individuals with eating disorders/disordered eating.
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center This organization is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. The website provides research articles and other professional information on eating disorders as well as links to treatment resources nationwide.
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders This organization is the oldest eating disorder organization in the nation. In addition to running a crisis hotline, the organization distributes listings of therapists, hospitals and informational materials and sponsors groups, conferences, and research.
General Resources and Other Websites
Mass in Motion This Massachusetts Department of Public Health website provides healthy eating, physical activity, obesity prevention information and resources for use in schools, communities, worksites and in the home.
Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse This clearinghouse, supported by the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health provides free health promotion materials such as brochures, posters, and fact sheets free-of-charge to Massachusetts residents and health and social service providers.
Bright Futures This health promotion initiative of the national Maternal and Child Health Bureau dedicated to the principle that every child deserves to be healthy and that
optimal health involves a trusting relationship between the health professional, the child, the family, and the community as partners in health practice. The website has tools and resources on nutrition and physical activity for children.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation This not for profit organization has made a commitment to support obesity prevention. The website has a number of obesity prevention publications and useful resources.
Resources for Kids
Kids’ Health Kids Health developed by Nemours Foundation Center for Children’s Health Media is an interactive, educational, and fun website that provides kids and parents’ perspective, advice, and comfort about a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues that affect children and teens.
YourSELF YourSELF is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition publication developed especially for middle school students.
The Center for Young Women’s Health This website developed by the Children’s Hospital in Boston provides teen girls and young women with health information, information on conference and educational programs, and links to expert medical care at Children’s Hospital
Young Men’s Health This website developed by the Children’s Hospital in Boston provides carefully researched health information to teenage boys and young men. It is designed to help teen boys improve their understanding of normal health and development, as well as of specific diseases and conditions.
Smart Mouth This interactive website developed by the Center for Science in the Public
Interest has games, information on how the food industry’s drive for profit affects what kids eat, a calorie meter that helps kids see how their favorite foods stack up, and other fun information about healthy eating and snacking.
EmpowerME This website developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation was designed to inspire kids to eat healthier and move more. It has ideas and tips for eating healthy and being active, resources to share their story with other kids, celebrity videos, EmpoweME e-news updates, invitations to exclusive events, and contests.
Kidnetic This website developed by the IFIC Foundation, the educational arm of the
International Food and Information Council supported by companies and organizations
representing the broad-based food, beverage, and agricultural industries. The website is designed for kids aged 9-12 and their families and also includes a Leader’s Guide which is a lesson-based curriculum guide for health professionals and educators to use when working with patients and students.