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!

Holiday shopping with the kids can sabotage your good intentions just as much as party food.  Make sure you and the children have a healthy snack or a light meal before you hit the mall.  Eating before you shop can help avoide the food court.

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.

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.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has just released its new guidelines for Vitamin D. They have doubled the dose required for children from 200 units to 400 units. New evidence has shown that by increasing the amount of Vitamin D, children could see significant health benefits later in life.

Vitamin D helps our immune system fight disease, cancer and diabetes. It is also critical for children who need Vitamin D, in order for the body to absorb calcium, to develop strong bones.

But did you know that 3 out of 4 kids are not getting the recommended levels of calcium & vitamin D before the recommended increase! What makes it harder is that vitamin D is not required to be shown on food labels. And let’s face it, who can realistically calculate number of units for all the different vitamins and minerals your child’s growing body needs.

That is just not practical and not a realistic way for us parents to figure out how to make sure they get the vitamins and minerals they need.

The work has already been done for us. Follow the USDA MyPyramid and just make sure that your child is getting the number of servings per food group.

For example, if your child gets 1 serving of milk (1 cup) that equates to 100 units. So no worries, make sure your child is getting their proper servings from the milk group and your child is just about there. Depending on their age, they need 2 or 3 servings of low fat or nonfat milk or milk related products.

Use our meal planner to see what your child needs and create a meal that has the right number of servings.

FYI- here are some other foods high in vitamin D:

• Salmon, cooked (3.5 ounces) 360 units
• Tuna, canned (3 ounces) 200 units
• Milk (1 cup) 100 units
• Vitamin D-fortified orange juice (1 cup) 100 units
• Soy beverage (1 cup) 100 units
• Sardines, canned (1.75 ounces) 250 units

Focus on the well balanced meal and your child will be getting all the vitamins and minerals they need. Fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables and whole grain cereals pack that nutrition punch..and they taste good.

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.

In California, Governor Schwarzenegger is reviewing a bill, SB 1420, that would require certain food chains to put their nutritional information on their menu.

Do you think that would make a difference in food choices, for you, for your children?

Just imagine, you are looking at a menu for one of your family’s local fav dinner spot, and suddenly you see 600 calories next to those fries you always order. Or perhaps, 800 calories. Would you still order it?

It makes you stop and think doesn’t it. Most Americans underestimate the amount of calories in a food item. I am the first to raise my hand. I was reading the book, “Eat this, Not that” by David Zinczenko. I had my mouth opened a few times. I read the calories and fat and thought, I totally got that wrong.

I am a strong advocate for this bill.

At least if we have the information and then we can decide, hopefully, make a better choice.

I know, it’s hard to be a parent. I made many of the mistakes listed below and I am a nurse. But hey, no handbook so we do the best we can. I share this with you not to emphasize what we as parents do “wrong”. But rather, to debunk many of the myths we have in our mind about nutrition. Dr. Joanna Dolgoff , does a good job of providing guidance and answering the WHY IS THIS NOT A GOOD OPTION during an abc interview. I like that. I learned a few things.

Okay, here goes….(drumroll please)

TOP TEN PARENT MISTAKES:

1) Parents panic if children do not eat three meals a day. Many parents of toddlers consider their children “picky eaters” because they seem to eat very little, especially at mealtimes. But most toddlers do not eat three meals a day- usually they eat one “good” meal and then pick the rest of the day.

2) Parents overestimate how much their children should be eating at each meal. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a good guideline is that a toddler portion size should equal about a quarter of an adult portion size.

3) Parents give up too easily when a child resists a healthy food. Infants and children are often resistant to new foods and will grimace when first introduced to something new. Keep offering the same foods repeatedly and the child is likely to accept them. Studies indicate that it often takes 5-10 experiences with a food before some children will accept them. Children are programmed to like sugary, high fat foods but often must be TAUGHT to like healthy foods. So don’t give up too early.

4) Parents model unhealthy eating habits. It is important to be consistent and “practice what you preach”. You cannot constantly eat chips and then expect your child not to. This goes for Dad and for any siblings, regardless of their weight. The entire family needs to practice healthy eating habits. Everybody’s health will benefit from a healthy diet and nobody should be eating chips and cupcakes on a regular basis.

5) Parents often rely on “fast” foods and typical toddler meals just to get their child to eat. Parents often fall into the trap of always serving chicken nuggets, pizza, and French fries because they know their child will eat them. Do not take the easy way out. Insist that your children learn to eat healthier fare.

6) Parents keep junk food in the house. If a food is in the house, children will eat it. Clear your house of junk food and offer only healthy options. Then, let your child choose whatever they want to eat (from the available choices). There is no need to have chips and candy in the house; these foods should be special treats.

7) Parents allow children to decide what they want to eat. A child can decide when to eat but the parent decides what the child eats. Parents must not allow children to make the rules. A child will not become ill if he/she misses a meal or two. If your child refuses to eat the healthy food that you serve, you should wrap it up and wait. Sooner or later he/she will be hungry and will eat it. Make it clear that your child does not make the rules- you do! Just make sure to pick a healthy food that your child usually enjoys.

Parents allow children to eat in front of the TV. Children eat many more calories when they are distracted by the television. Ideally, meals should be a time for the family to relax and enjoy. Turn the TV off, clear away all the toys and books, and sit at a table (not in front of the TV). Encourage family conversation.

9) Parents are not fully aware of what their children are eating each day. There was a time when families sat down to eat a home-cooked meal every night. Nowadays, both parents often work and everybody is rushing from activity to activity. Sometimes, children are left to prepare their own meals. Very few children will make healthy choices when left to their own devices. It is crucial that somebody is monitoring what the children are eating.

10) Parents encourage their children to drink juice. As a pediatrician, I am constantly asked at what age a child should be introduced to juice. I tell parents that a child should be introduced to juice in the same way he/she is introduced to chocolate- as late as possible, in small doses, and as a treat- not a diet staple. It is a very common misconception that juice is healthy. It is not. Juice is loaded with calories and sugar. It usually has some vitamin C- but children do not lack vitamin C- they get sufficient amounts from other foods. Juice is certainly not as healthy as a piece of fruit. It is much higher in sugar and not a good source of fiber. Drinking too much juice may induce a child to develop a preference for sweet drinks. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends less than 6 oz of juice a day for children under 6 and 12 oz of juice a day for children age 7-18.

Phelps was certainly one of my favorites from the Olympics and thought a great example for kids. But lately there has been a great deal of controversy following his decision to endorse Frosted Flakes. He will be appearing on their box in the next week or so. This was chosen over the traditional Wheaties box where famous athletes have appeared for as long as I can remember. I can’t speak for what his motivation was to choose Frosted Flakes over a more nutrition high fiber cereal but one can easily imagine…$$$.

But let’s focus on the kids. Should we parents be worried as we look for quick and nutritious breakfasts to feed the kids before they rush out the door. With school here, breakfast is even more important for children. Will this latest marketing move make it even harder to say “no or not today, you had that yesterday” to the kids? Will kids get a message that great champions eat high sugar cereals? Will they make the correlation that in order for them to achieve greatness they need Frosted Flakes? Lots of concern from the healthcare community that this is one more message that will not help the growing childhood obesity problem we face.

He is and will be a great legend for years to come for children all around the world. So, like it or not, he is a role model. But, we parents are role models also. And we parents have a great deal of influence over our children, much more than the box of cereal with Phelps picture.

I think first of all, Phelps does a heck of a lot of exercise and burns thousands of calories a day. So one important message to kids is that you can eat more of this higher sugar foods if they are so active that their body will burn it off. I think this offers a great opportunity for parents to talk about the balance between energy in and energy out. We won’t burn calories the way he does, so we need to be more selective so that we get the calories we need but also all the different foods we need…like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein and milk products.

All things in moderation is another topic for discussion. Frosted Flakes once in a while is fine, let’s face it, it does taste good. I enjoy the occasional bowl myself. But not everyday.

One last comment on marketing, we need the high fiber healthier breakfast cereals to make their cereals more fun, add a character and make it tastier. These cereals are not marketing to kids, they are marketing to the health oriented adult. I read one nutritionist disappointed that Phelps wasn’t on Fiber One. Well, even if he was on Fiber One, I don’t think it would draw kids to eat. We always see the “slam” on the high fat, high sugar companies but what about the health oriented companies. Are they making the foods fun? What are they doing to reach out to the kids?

Here are some tips for a healthy Back to School Breakfast:

A nutritious breakfast includes foods from at least three of the five food groups:

• Fruit group; fresh whole fruit such as bananas, apples, oranges. Sliced fruit which can be added to cereal, yogurt or oatmeal.
• Vegetables group; 100% vegetable juice, or mushrooms, asparagus, or green peppers in an omelet.
• Grains group; whole-grain breads, dry cereal, bagels, english muffins, flour tortillas, rice.
• Milk group; low fat or fat free milk, yogurt or cheese. If your child is lactose intolerant, choose lactose-free products that still have the calcium and other nutrients needed.
• Meat and beans group; eggs, lean meat, peanut butter, beans.

Traditional and non-traditional breakfast ideas:

• Whole grain cereal with fruit and low fat milk
• Oatmeal with raisins and low fat milk
• Waffles, turkey bacon and fruit juice
• Whole wheat bagel with cheese or peanut butter
• Breakfast burrito: scrambled eggs, cheese and veggies wrapped in a flour tortilla
• Grilled low-fat cheese sandwich and juice
• Turkey sandwich and a cup of low fat milk
• Rice bowl with chicken and vegetables on top

Nutrition tools

Click here to try our online healthy meal planner nutrition tool for parents- create balanced meals from the food groups!

Click here for our matching nutrition tools for kids- ‘build a healthy meal’  fun and educational tool.

It is back to school time. The summer sure passed by fast!

This may not be new news but certainly worth reminding. I know already blogged about this but here is a new statistic released by the American Dietitic Association

40% of girl and 32% of boys who are school age, skip breakfast on a regular basis

So I think we may need to hear this message again. ‘Cause that is a lot of boys and girls.

Eating breakfast is first and foremost extremely important. It gives your child the necessary fuel that the brain needs to concentrate, absorb information and retain information. …that means better learning, better test scores, better grades.

According to a study done by Boys Town Pediatrics in Nebraska:
– providing energy needed to start the day
– eliminating hunger symptoms such as headache, fatigue and restlessness
– helping them to think faster and to respond more clearly to teacher
questions
– increase mental performance
– making them less likely to be irritable
– causing them to be calmer and less anxious

It makes sense. Children’s last meal is usually 9 or more hours. By the time they wake up their fuel from the previous day’s snack or meal is now used up by the body. Kids are growing so that makes their bodies very different than us adults. They need fuel to not only function but also to grow; every organ, tissue, cell is changing and growing. The brain can only use glucose for fuel. That means any food eaten has to be broken down or transformed into this fuel source so the brain can use it. Breaking down food uses up energy so these kids bodies are in a high state of work all the time!

So, help them off to a good school year with a healthy breakfast. To read more on breakfast, here is an article written by our dietitian.

In general,

• try to have at least 3 food groups represented in the breakfast.
• Look for high fiber cereals, 4+ grams
• include fruit and of course low fat or non fat milk (milk products)

It seems with the childhood obesity crisis our nation is facing researchers have begun to study the nutrition habits of preschoolers.  We know that habits are being learned…formed during this time.   Washington University is studying how to get preschoolers to eat more fruits and vegetables.

According to the research, it starts with the parents.  Well, this seems pretty obvious but here is a nice article that summed several studies that shows how parents can really make a difference in their child’s eating habits.

Parents, you are the most important role model for your kids.  You decide what food is purchased, what the meal will be etc.

So here is a couple of suggestions:

• make fruits and vegetables part of your child everyday life.
• have them help pick out the fruits and veggies at the grocery store
• have them name the veggies and fruits as they help put them away
• have a vegetable and fruit as part of each of your three meals
• don’t fight with your child if they won’t eat it
• encourage them to just have one bite
• if they still refuse, then ask them to name the color of the vegetable or fruit
• make talking about the fruit or vegetable part of the meal conversation
• introduce a new vegetable and fruit each day to your child
• keep reintroducing the fruits and vegetables

One study showed that a child may need to interact with a food at least 10 times before they will try it.

Keep it simple, keep it fun.  We want them to associate fun memories with fruits and vegetables, not bad experiences like “my mom got mad at me ’cause I didn’t eat my vegetables.