We Can! Mesa County

04/02/2026

Last night we had a great grocery store tour with our nutritionist, Vanessa Carter. I learn new things every time. This time I learned about a great (free) phone app https://yuka.io/en/.
You can scan the code on grocery items and they are rated for nutrition including calories, sugar content, fat content and number of added artificial additives. The higher number the better. We found a fruit roll up that rated a 0. Why? It had very little fruit and the first few ingredients were sugar and corn syrup!
It is not a perfect app but it is a fast way to get an idea on what foods may be healthier. Of course, you don't have to scan fresh fruits and vegetables- they are always healthy!
Check it out. You may be surprised at what you find.
Dr Zind

Yuka is an 100% independent app that scans food and cosmetic products in order to know their impact on your health.

04/02/2026

We're wrapping up the WeCan!™ Mesa County spring class series with a fun and educational grocery store tour! Join us on Wednesday, April 8th to learn how to make healthy choices when going to the grocery store. 🛒

Vanessa Carter, Primary Care Partners' Registered Dietitian, will be guiding us on a grocery tour - don't miss this informative class!

To sign up for this class or for more info, call Western Colorado Pediatrics at (970) 243-KIDS (5437). Classes take place from 5:15pm - 6:30pm every Wednesday.

03/26/2026

🌷 April is on the way, and we’re kicking off the month by talking about one of the most important meals of the day—breakfast! Plus, we’ll wrap up our Spring We Can! session with a fun grocery store tour to put everything we’ve learned into action. 🛒

Join us Wednesday, April 1st as we explore what a healthy breakfast really looks like and how it helps fuel a balanced, healthy day.🍓🥯

📅 Want to join?
Call Western Colorado Pediatrics at (970) 243-KIDS (5437) to sign up or learn more.

🕔 When: Wednesdays, 5:15–6:30 PM
📍 Where: Primary Care Partners office

We’d love to see you there! 😊

03/19/2026

Join us on Wednesday, March 25th for the next We Can! Mesa County class! In this class a nutritionist will talk to us about fats in food and demonstrate fat in food using Crisco. Don't miss this informative class! 🔍

📅 To sign up for this class or for more info, call Western Colorado Pediatrics at (970) 243-KIDS (5437). Classes take place from 5:15pm - 6:30pm every Wednesday.

03/18/2026

It’s National Nutrition Month 🥦✨

Did you know added sugar hides in some of the foods we give our kids every day? 🍎🧃

Today Dr. Zind breaks down how to spot added sugars on nutrition labels and some tips on how to lower the amount of sugar your kids eat.

Join We Can! to learn more about what healthy eating looks like for your kids and learn steps you can take at home to put those nutrition goals into action!

03/05/2026

Join WeCan!™ on Wednesday, March 11th where we'll be learning how to make screen time rules. 🤳

Media is everywhere, and managing it all can be tough. Creating a Family Media Plan can help you and your children set media priorities that matter most to your family. Create your custom Family Media Plan here: https://www.healthychildren.org/.../fmp/Pages/MediaPlan.aspx

📅 To sign up for this class or for more info, call Western Colorado Pediatrics at (970) 243-KIDS (5437). Classes take place from 5:15pm - 6:30pm every Wednesday.

Reminder - we will have no class on Wednesday March 18th for Spring Break.

03/05/2026

How much screen time is ok for kids? The American Academy recommendation of no more than 2 hours per day is still not a bad idea but as media changes so do the recommendations. We know too much sedentary time isn't good but is "face to face" socializing with friends the same as social media scrolling? Probably not. It is always good to know what your child is doing on their screen and set some limits on total time, allowing more time for activities that support their educational and emotional growth.
Having a family plan helps both children and parents be a part of the decisions and knowing the plan. Check out this Academy of Pediatrics site and start your family off on a thoughtful approach to media exposure.
Dr Zind

03/04/2026

March is National Nutrition Month! Today we meet with Dr. Barbara Zind with Western Colorado Pediatrics and We Can! Mesa County to talk about what makes a healthy breakfast, and easy ways to make a breakfast when your family's on the go. 🍳

02/26/2026

Take a peek of what's in store for March! 👀

Join We Can!™ on Wednesday, March 4th as we visit the CSU Extension Farm for a cooking demonstration! Learn how to make healthy and delicious meals that your whole family can enjoy. 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳

📅 To sign up for this class or for more info, call Western Colorado Pediatrics at (970) 243-KIDS (5437). Classes take place Wednesday evenings from from 5:15pm - 6:30pm.

02/19/2026

The next WeCan!™ Mesa County is about meal planning! Join us on Wednesday, February 25th to learn how meal planning can make eating healthy easier!

📅 Involving kids in meal planning can help establish healthy eating goals and is more fun! Check out https://heykidswhatsfordinner.com/for healthy recipes and tips on how to get kids involved in meal planning.

To sign up for this class or for more info, call Western Colorado Pediatrics at (970) 243-KIDS (5437). Classes take place from 5:15pm - 6:30pm every Wednesday.

02/12/2026

Join us Wednesday, February 18th for our next class! This class is all about movement and fun activities kids can do to get healthy exercise. 🏃‍♀️🤾‍♂️🚴‍♂️

To sign up for this class or for more info, call Western Colorado Pediatrics at (970) 243-KIDS (5437). Classes take place from 5:15pm - 6:30pm Wednesdays.

👉 Looking for more family-friendly activity ideas? Check out these Fall 2025 Activity Guides for Fruita and Grand Junction!

Grand Junction Parks and Rec Activity Guide: https://online.publicationprinters.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=3544db1f-4349-49b4-b5eb-425fc3fc4b1c

Fruita Parks and Rec Activity Guide:
https://www.fruita.org/DocumentCenter/View/4220/Winter-and-Spring-2026-Activity-Guide-PDF

02/12/2026

The We Can! Indoor Winter Olympics took place last night! Including our own versions of slalom, biathlon, curling. a ball in a cup thing and hockey. In the end all won Gold medals! Try your own Olympics at home. Here are some ideas or just make up your own. The Olympics can be a great time to motivate your kids to be active. https://www.capnpetespowerpe.com/single-post/10-fun-and-exciting-winter-themed-games-and-activities-for-pe-classes