We Can!™ Matte Article

Do You Know Your GO, SLOW, and WHOA Foods?

(NAPS)—A healthy diet is essential to helping families maintain a healthy weight. While people occasionally struggle with food choices, you can make healthy choices that not only taste good but are good for you. We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition), an educational program of the National Institutes of Health for parents of children ages 8 to 13, defines food options in terms of GO, SLOW, and WHOA.

GO foods are the lowest in fat, sugar and calories, and can be eaten almost anytime. SLOW foods are higher in fat, added sugar and calories and should be eaten sometimes or less often. WHOA foods should only be eaten occasionally.

GO: fruits, vegetables, whole grains without added fats, lean cuts of meat, water, fat-free or 1 percent low-fat milk, baked chips or pretzels. SLOW: pasta, fruits in light syrup, peanut butter, avocado, white rice, 2 percent low-fat milk. WHOA: fried foods, cakes and doughnuts, whole milk and regular soda.

 

For a detailed chart and other family-friendly tools, including meal planners and recipes, visit http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov or call (866) 35-WECAN.