The American Dietetic Association released their 2008 survey results and the trends were promising, indicating that an increasing number of Americans are more concerned about eating healthy and exercising.  The survey is done every year and asks a series of questions that will put you in one of three categories.  These categories represent people’s overall attitudes toward maintaining a healthy diet and getting regular exercise.  The three categories are:

• I’m Already Doing It:  These are people  who feel that maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise are very important; are concerned about diet, nutrition and overall fitness; and feel they are doing all they can to eat a healthy diet.

• I Know I Should: These are people who feel that maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise are very important, but may not have taken significant actions to do all they can to eat a healthy diet.

• Don’t Bother Me: People who do not feel diet and exercise are very important to them and are the least concerned with their overall nutrition and fitness.

The “Don’t Bother Me” category (this is not your category because you would not be reading my blog if it was!) was at 32% in 2002 and is now at 19% in 2008.  A significant drop!  This is the first time that this group is less than 1/3 of the population.  It was as high as 40% back in the mid 90’s.

So what category is your family in, have you taken the leap to “We are already doing it”  or  has your family not quite begun yet.  Remember, you do not have to change everything all at once.  Small changes add up to a healthier family.  Being healthy does not mean “Never, ever can you eat…(whatever that is for you), it really means just not all the time, some foods are great once in a while.

If you need a jump start on goals to set for your family, we have many goals and tracking sheets that are focused on just one healthy change at a time.  And please, keep it simple and keep it fun.  Be patient and reward small changes with fun family activities.

To read more about the report, click here.

Here’s an idea for a school or an afterschool program to do.  I have read about some organizations creating plays about healthy eating and daily exercise to help kids learn about nutrition in a fun, engaging way.

But how about if the schools let the kids come up with a list of healthy activities and created short skits about it.  Then they could perform their skits for the younger students and have lots of fun doing it.  Little children often look up to the older children.  And kids are so great at creatively coming up with ways to communicate messages to each other so that it really has meaning to them.

Maybe some of the skits could perform for PTA night.  Talk about giving the parents a little FUN way to learn about nutrition!

If you have other ideas on ways to teach kids about nutrition, please share it with us.

Thanksgiving is one of those special meals that families look forward to for several weeks.  It is one of those times where we might just want to enjoy the full rich recipes that have been handed down generation to generation.

Some suggestions to help Thanksgiving be enjoyable and still healthy:

• Don’t skip meals:  Make sure your children have their regular breakfast and lunch prior to the Thanksgiving dinner.  This will help you and your children eat  more reasonable portions because you won’t be starving.  We think “now don’t eat because you will spoil your appetite”.  Yes, I am guilty of this too but it really sets us up to overeat.

• Don’t forget those veggies and salads: They make great side dishes, color up the table and go great with turkey

• Think about the time your family will be eating:  Eating earlier is better than later so your family doesn’t go to bed with a full stomach

• Make an after dinner activity part of the holiday festivities: A brisk family walk or a little dancing is a great way to help digest that meal and burn off some of the calories and fun

• Add fresh fruits to the list of desserts:  Add some cut up fruit to the assortment of pies, they taste great and compliment pies nicely

And most importantly,  have a fun, memorable Thanksgiving.  These are some of the memories kids fondly look back on as they grow up, and will carry forward to their own families one day.

Mondays are a great day to renew Family Health vows. Every Monday, you will find some healthy tip to help your family start the week off on a Healthy Note!

Lighten up today! It’s always best to exercise outdoors during daylight hours, but that can be tough – particularly at this time of year when days get shorter. If you exercise outdoors when it’s dark out, wear reflective materials to ensure that you and your family can be seen.

The USDA has announced that they have formed a new team, lead by Brian Wansink PhD, to develop the 2010 Food Guidelines.I met Brian Wansink when Nourish Interactive received recognition from the USDA, back in June 2008 for our work promoting nutrition education.  He is a very dynamic, passionate man and I was really impressed with his commitment to creating a slimmer, healthier America.He has written several books on how cues trigger us to eat more.  I was reading about some of his experiments and was fascinated at the results.  He rigged a soup bowl to continually fill as it was being consumed.  The result:  75% more soup was consumed.  Bottomline, there are many cues purposely designed to get us to eat larger portions, fattier foods and generally be less healthy.I developed a few Family Nutrition Health Tips that you can print up that gives short quick tips on

•  eating out with the kids- how to have a healthier experience
•  getting the family to be more active
•  specific suggestions on improving your family’s overall nutrition status.

We will continually add to this resource.  Check them out, they are colorful and designed to look and be positive and fun as you work with your children to change habits.  Remember, each step no matter how small is a step towards a healthier child.  Be patient and have with your kids!Just like everything on our site, it is free.  We will soon be posting our spanish version.

 A new study to be featured in the December 2008 American Journal of Preventative Medicine found that the higher the greenness (meaning grass, trees and vegetation) the lower the body mass index (BMI) was in children.  Children may be more active with this larger open spaces versus being confined to streets or sidewalks.The positive health effects of the green landscapes include

• improved cogntive functioning
• reduced attention deficit

We can’t change where we live but I think the message is;  kids need space to run around and be active.Maybe the very act of being in nature stimulates kids to play.  Not sure, but get those kids to the park and play frisbee, tag, blindman’s bluff, whatever your favorite family games are!  Have some fun!

Halloween can be a time where kids just get loaded on candy treats. That is a big boo on nutrition. (okay, I tried)

It is not that have treats once in a while is bad, but often these treats dominate the entire day or several days. Candy bought for Halloween is often stashed in the house. Kids always know where it is and when readily available in the house, it makes it so much easier to eat

Parties at school or afterschool events are usually loaded with candy and cupcakes. Oh, dare I say, soda. The triple whammy!

So how can we have fun but still keep nutrition in mind?

First, try to buy your candy as close to Halloween as possible. Keep it out of reach.

It’s not that hard for you to add some “good-for-you treats” to Halloween time. Check out these fun great Halloween ideas:

• Bone Appetite!: Swap out sugary sodas or fruit drinks with lowfat chocolate milk. It’s a great trick for moms and a treat for kids. Each 8-ounce serving provides 300 milligrams of calcium — or 30 percent of the Daily Value for this vital bone-building nutrient. A Chocolate-Strawberry Shivering Smoothie is a delicious drink that has the chocolate taste kids love, but is more nutritious than the stash in their trick-or-treat bags.

• Fiendishly Full: Give kids a healthy meal or snack before parties and trick-or-treating to prevent your hungry monsters from digging into all of the goodies.

• Witchy Walk: Take a long walk around your neighborhood to enjoy the frightening decorations and socialize with your neighbors. When trick-or-treating with your kids, walk to the farthest house first and make your way back home to encourage a little extra physical activity.

Mondays are a great day to renew Family Health vows. Every Monday, you will find some healthy tip to help your family start the week off on a Healthy Note!

Want to improve you and your kids’ brains? Exercise your bodies. That’s right. Aerobic exercise isn’t just good for your heart, it’s good for your brain, too. So why not start your own Monday Mile Fun club? Grab those kids and maybe even some neighbors and circle the block a few times after dinner.

Resources:
Family Nutrition Tools -Nutriton and Fitness Goals Sheets

More Healthy Monday Tips

Mondays are a great day to renew Family Health vows. Every Monday, you will find some healthy tip to help your family start the week off on a Healthy Note!

Have more fun on Monday! Laughing, dancing and having a good time with your children is good for all of you – body and soul. So devote plenty of time to healthy activities that make you happy and build fun memories for your family.

October 8th is the national Walk to School Day.  The goal is to promote family fitness by encouraging safe walking and/or riding a bicycle to school year round.

Here is a CDC fact:  Only 15% of students walk to school.  40 years ago 42% walked to school.

We have to improve our family health through more exercise and healthy eating.   This is a good way to start incorporating more activity in your child’s habits.  Another good benefit is some gas savings and of course it is environment friendly!

You can register your school’s event or sign up to a resource person for your state.  Register for 2008, http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/