Links for Healthy Living
There are so many great resources out there! But, how do you know what is current? Here are links to some great resources for healthy living from your SNAP-Ed team!
(Tip: look for resources that are from 2010 or later, so that they will use the most current Dietary Guidelines.)
Looking for resources for kids? We’ve got you covered, too!
Food and Nutrition Education Websites
Choose MyPlate
The Choose MyPlate website has information on all of the food groups, as well as physical activity, healthy eating tips, printables, and more. (MyPlate also has a recipe library on Pinterest! Check it out!)
Team Nutrition
The Team Nutrition site has a lot of resources for schools that want to improve their overall health. Make sure you take a look at the Resources for Schools page, which has links to websites, curriculum, and reference materials for teachers and school staff.
Have a Plant
Have a Plant encourages people to get more fruit and vegetables into their diets through nutrition education. They have a large recipe section on their website that includes the ability to sort by specialty diets and medical needs, cooking styles, and the meal being prepared.
Fuel UP
Let's Move!
Let’s Move! was launched by First Lady Michelle Obama as an initiative to get students moving and eating healthy. This site is no longer being updated, but is still a great resource.
BAM! Body and Mind
BAM! Body and Mind is a CDC resource site for teachers containing a series of lesson units on a variety of healthy living topics for grades 4-8 as well as apps, comics, and other tools for use with youth.
Food Hero
Our friends at Oregon State University have created Food Hero, an excellent place to find new recipes, gardening tips, physical activity information, and other resources for living a healthy lifestyle. The site also features Cultural Toolkits that feature a range of recipes, lessons, kids activities, publications, and videos specific to food traditions in different diverse communities.
The Food Hero Cooking Show helps youth and adults learn to prepare recipes and to adjust them to individual needs. If you are cooking for kids, they even have a page for Kid Approved Recipes!
Websites for Kids
MyPlate Kids
MyPlate Kids includes resources for teachers, too! Take a look at the full “Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum” –you can use the curriculum in its entirety or use the particular lessons that with integrate best into your classroom. There are also printable posters, activity sheets, songs, and games that your students will love.
BAM! Dining Decisions App
BAM! Body and Mind from the CDC has a game called Dining Decisions that challenges you to make smart food choices and will help you learn what foods give you more energy and powerful muscles. The app is available on iOS and Android devices.
CDC Comic Books and Coloring Books
CDC Coloring Book Printable
One Health: We’re All Connected! (PDF)
From the coloring book introduction
Note to Parents, Guardians, and Educators:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created this coloring book to offer parents, guardians, and educators an interactive way to talk to kids about how the health of people, animals, and the environment is all connected—known as One Health. It’s important for children to know that being in nature, seeing animals, and interacting with the environment brings many benefits. It’s also important for children to know that harmful germs can sometimes spread between people, animals, and our environment, but there are ways to stay healthy while enjoying animals and exploring nature. We hope you will encourage this book’s use in your schools, communities, and at home to help children learn about the connection between human, animal, and environmental health.
CDC Comic Books
Ask a Scientist: How Does My Body Fight Disease? (PDF)
Ask a Scientist: How Do People Become Infected With Germs? (PDF)
Food Hero Cooking Show & Kid Approved Recipes
The Food Hero Cooking Show helps youth and adults learn to prepare recipes and to adjust them to individual needs. If you are cooking for kids, they even have a page for Kid Approved Recipes!
Fun Children's Books About Healthy Food
Maryland Families Engage has published this short list of children’s picture books about healthy food! Early exposure to healthy eating can help kids see fruits and vegetables as a fun part of their diet while also learning how their food gets from the farm to their plate.
Food Safe Families Activity Book for Kids
The US Department of Agriculture publishes a printable Food Safe Families Activity Book (PDF) aimed to teach kids about safe food handling and storage. Featuring word searches, crosswords and more, this resource makes learning about food safety fun!
Healthy Recipes from SNAP-Ed
Over the last few years, SNAP-Ed in Yakima County has shared quite a few tasty recipes with the students and community members that we’ve worked with. These PDF recipe cards are for some of the community favorites!
- Popeye Power Smoothie-Recipe (PDF)
Recipe is in both English and Spanish. - Blue Moostache Smoothie-Recipe (PDF)
- Confetti Slaw-Recipe (PDF)
Recipe is in both English and Spanish. - Spinach and Strawberry Salad-Recipe (PDF)
Recipe is in both English and Spanish. - Healthy Fruit Salad–Recipe (PDF)
Recipe is in both English and Spanish. - Mango Smoothie-Recipe (PDF)
Recipe is in both English and Spanish.
SNAP-Ed Recipes
SNAP-Ed Recipes includes links to recipes used in SNAP-Ed programs, as well as recipes from partner organizations, recipe video collections, recipes for special occasions, and seasonal recipes.
USDA Recipes
The USDA recipe collection features recipes from USDA experts and Cooperative Extension educators. Recipes can be filtered by the meal type, if they are considered “kid friendly” or if they take 30 minutes or less to prepare, what food groups they fit into, and if they are seasonal.
MyPlate Kitchen
The MyPlate Kitchen Recipes page includes a wide range of MyPlate approved recipes and the ability for users to register an account to build a personalized virtual cookbook. These recipes are great if you are trying to keep track of your food groups, because they list which food groups are covered right on the recipe! They also include full nutrition information and the ability for users to leave a review after they’ve tried the recipe.
For more ideas, MyPlate also has a Pinterest presence with dozens of healthy recipes and nutrition information. MyPlate also includes a page on Healthy Eating on a Budget and a variety of MyPlate Tools to help site visitors find the resources they need for healthy eating.
Food Safety and Hand Washing
Fight Bac!
Fight Bac! contains information from the Partnership for Food Safety Education. It contains a wealth of information on food safety. They also have a great K-12 education section which includes activities, games, and curriculum.
Everday Food Safety for Young Adults
The US Food & Drug Administration has a site on food safety for youth!
Every day, you handle, cook, and prepare food for you and your family. The steps you take can mean the difference between a good day and bad case of foodborne illness, also known as “food poisoning.” Take a few seconds to learn about food safety whether you’re cooking at home, dining out, or eating ready-made meals on the go.