By Julie Slama | [email protected]

Empieza ahora; este es el momento de comer sano y ser más active.

That message – to begin now to eat healthier and become more active – was the goal of Canyons School District’s Family Learning Centers’ eighth annual Sombrero Walk, which recently took about 30 participants on a roundtrip stroll from Copperview Elementary to Copperview Recreation Center.

“We want our parents to be healthy and have good food sense,” Canyons School District Title I Specialist Sierra Segura said. “We start with going for a walk to promote simple exercise, and then, we want them to learn more about foods. It doesn’t have to be difficult, just even switching from soda and cookies to water and granola bars can make a difference through the summer.”

Midvale Family Learning Center instructor Karen Rodriguez said while many families will walk to school, it’s during the summer, when they could become more inactive.

“Kids go to school and when there isn’t school, then they don’t always get their exercise,” she said. “We want to have them continue to be active and healthy all summer.”

Copperview Elementary Community School Facilitator Jenna Landward said this was a way to show appreciation for the parents and help them find ways to support their students – from healthy lifestyles to reading —this summer. 

After the sombrero walk, participants learned about medical and dental options, recreation activities, and local library offerings.

“For our school, reading slide is a reality so we encourage our students to read,” she said, adding that summer literacy kits with about four books, math and literacy activities and snacks will be given to students.

Midvale and East Midvale elementaries also planned to support students with reading and literacy activities as well.

However, Landward also said nutrition was something she hoped parents would embrace over the summer.

“We want parents to be wise at the grocery store and find a way to eat healthy on a budget, to remember their fruits and vegetables and that many processed foods add sugar,” she said.

While sipping a sample of licuado de plátano, Sombrero Walk parents also got a lesson from Utah State University’s Food $ense program — presented all in Spanish, which was translated into other languages for some parents.

“The main objective is how to teach families who may be struggling on a budget, how to eat healthy and to encourage physical activity,” said Paola Johnson, USU nutritional educational assistant. “We want to introduce healthy portions of a plate, planning for healthy meals, smart ways to go grocery shopping, give a sample of a healthy snack with basic ingredients, and learn about lean proteins, low fats and portions.”

Although the actual Create Better Health Curriculum course is eight weeks, Johnson gave them tips such as buy low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese or wash processed foods that are packed in salt, oil or syrup. She suggested eating tortillas as grains rather than bread or rice.  

Participants also received a healthy recipe booklet in Spanish to try this summer.

“When we develop a healthy eating pattern, our body feels healthy,” Johnson said. “When we add activity to our routine, we begin to lead healthy lifestyles.”