{"id":2620,"date":"2017-06-13T23:05:18","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T23:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eatrightpa.org\/?p=2620"},"modified":"2021-10-30T03:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-30T03:40:00","slug":"fathers-day-focus-family-fun-side-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/2017\/06\/13\/fathers-day-focus-family-fun-side-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Father\u2019s Day: Focus on Family and Fun with a side of Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Caroline Passerrello, MS, RDN, LDN<\/a><\/p>\n

I know a lot of fathers, how about you?\u00a0 The fathers that I know have varying ideas of what Father\u2019s Day is all about and how it should be celebrated.\u00a0 For instance, my own father prefers to act like the day doesn\u2019t exist while the father of my child acts like the days exists only for him.\u00a0 Two wildly different ideas for two men that I love, adore, and honor on this day.\u00a0 So, how do I plan to honor both?\u00a0 I start by finding the common ground \u2013 I want to spend as much quality time with both of them as possible \u2013 on Father\u2019s Day and beyond.\u00a0 That means making the celebration about what they enjoy and including activities and foods that will promote their health for the day and the years to come.<\/p>\n

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Here are a few ideas to celebrate dad that will promote good mental and physical health over time!<\/h3>\n

Need to celebrate a dad that likes sports<\/strong>?\u00a0 Is it realistic to get tickets to go with him to a game, make a viewing party at home, or re-create the sport in your backyard?\u00a0 If you are headed to a game, plan to eat before or take appropriate snacks–roasted chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and homemade granola travel well.\u00a0 If [unsalted] peanuts in the shell are available for sale and peanut allergies aren\u2019t an issue \u2013 this is an option that includes good fats, protein and patience.<\/p>\n

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Need to celebrate a handy dad that likes to build and fix things<\/strong>?\u00a0 Is there a workshop at a local store you can look into attending with him or can you offer to assist him with a project on his long to-do list?\u00a0 Either option will require your full attention, and possibly for awhile, so eating a balanced meal–such as 3-4oz of lean protein, 1 cup of whole grains and at least a cup of veggies –will keep you focused and level-headed as you tackle the project together.<\/p>\n

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Have a few dads you need to celebrate together<\/strong>?\u00a0 I bet a backyard BBQ bodes well for all. Think about what activities you can incorporate and what foods fit.\u00a0 Forecasting a lively flag football game?\u00a0 Be sure to have a lot of unsweetened hydration options and grilled foods to grab and go\u2014water as well as grilled kabobs with skinless chicken breast, veggies and potatoes.\u00a0 Is a game of cards more likely in the cards for your family?\u00a0 Think about lower calorie foods to set out for snacking like fresh cut fruit and veggies, homemade popsicles and fruit-filled desserts.<\/p>\n

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Need to celebrate fathers far away<\/strong>?\u00a0 If a surprise visit isn\u2019t in the budget or schedule, there are many more options for sending your love through food than just a fruit of the month club!\u00a0 You can send him a bouquet of fresh-cut fruits and veggies, a gift certificate to his favorite restaurant or even a week or two of health-focused prepared meals.\u00a0 Ask him to call or Face Time you when he\u2019s enjoying it, so you can share in the experience.<\/p>\n

Whatever scenario you find yourself in, take dad by surprise and ask him what the day means to him so you can start strategizing the fun and food for next year!<\/p>\n

Caroline is a Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>, the owner of Caroline West, LLC<\/a> and the Past President of the Pittsburgh Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>.\u00a0 When she isn\u2019t fielding media interviews, consulting with clients, or fooling her friends with food you will likely find her spending quality \u2013 and active \u2013 time with her family. You can find Caroline on facebook<\/a>, twitter<\/a>, and Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Caroline Passerrello, MS, RDN, LDN I know a lot of fathers, how about you?\u00a0 The fathers that I know have varying ideas of what Father\u2019s Day is all about and how it should be celebrated.\u00a0 For instance, my own father prefers to act like the day doesn\u2019t exist while the father of my child […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,1],"tags":[9,45,46,47,48,49],"class_list":["post-2620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-june","category-uncategorized","tag-eatrightpa","tag-fathers","tag-fathersday","tag-food","tag-fun","tag-rdapproved"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2620"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10740,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620\/revisions\/10740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}