At the American Heart Association some new studies were reported on but not released yet.

• One study has found that kids who are obese are showing signs of heart disease.  We know that young children who are overweight or obese may have high cholesterol levels.  But in this study, it found that kids as young as 10 had the arteries of a 45 year old.  How scary is that!?  This study was done on 70 children so more data is needed

• Another study found a correlation that overweight kids and an enlarged left atrium (the heart’s main pumping chamber).  Enlarged left atrium is a risk factor for stroke and other heart conditions.

• A third study reported at the AHA conference showed that overweight children may have an impariment in the heart’s ability to relax between beats.  This is comparable to arterial stiffness of a 30-40 year old.

I share with you these studies because the data is piling up on how really, really serious the lifelong effects of being overweight or obese as a child can be.  We are talking about serious quality of life changes for our children.But we can do something about it.  We can make a difference by starting to change the child’s habits now, and it starts with the whole family making a family commitment towards health.  Don’t single out the child to make changes, the whole family needs to work together, afterall, where did they learn their habits from?

• Don’t change everything all at once.
• Just take one goal at a time.
• Use our free agreements to sit down and discuss the family goals and all sign and commit to working on that one healthy habit change
• Use our free tracking sheets to track it.  Our sheets are colorful and fun and appealing to children.
• Reward and celebrate small successes
• And yes, you know what I am going to say,  Be patient and keep it fun!
• Remember, every small change adds up to making a healthier child

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.

A study just released by the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior has been causing headlines like “removing soda from the schools may not make a difference in teen’s consumption of soda”I am not sure what they are trying to imply with this study but teenagers are a pretty hard group to change habits.  These headlines are so misleading, are they implying we should put soda back in the school because it won’t make a difference?We don’t need a study to tell us that soda  IS NOT okay for children.  We know that one can has 10 or more teaspoons of sugar in it.  Who would give that to their child while they were in school?  We know that simple sugar gives us calories for some energy but no nutrition?  no vitamins, no minerals, no fiber…just calories.But regardless of all that, it speaks to one important key point. We need to help our kids form their habits  while they are younger.  Keep high fat and high sugary foods, including soda out of the house.  This is one of the best ways to limit the amount your child eats.  Help your child learn that these are not every day foods but once in a while foods.  Your actions can really send a strong message to your young child.The younger your child is the more impressionable they are to your ideas, thoughts and actions as they are beginning to form their own ideas and habits!  Show your child what foods you really value and love by keeping those foods in your house readily available for eating.And sometimes when you bite into your apple or whatever your favorite fruit or vegetable is, let out that “ahhh, this tastes soooo gooood!” So your child can not only see but hear how good those foods really are!  They are listening and learning…

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, just released, indicates that children do like fruits and vegetables!  This is based on a survey of 100 children in several California regions. (to read the study, click here)

I appreciate and welcome all positive information to help us parents change our own mindset that “kids just don’t like fruits and vegetables”  But, hey, I “feel Ya”!  Your probably thinking if my kids liked fruits and vegetables , I would happily serve them.  We don’t need a study to tell us if our kids will or will not eat healthier foods.  We already know.

But did you know that you may be adding to their little “attitudes about healthy and not so healthy foods.  They listen and hear a great deal more than we realize.  You may not have realized that when you were walking in the grocery store, and passed over this vegetable or that vegetable that you may have been sending them a message “don’t want to eat that”or maybe you flat out told your child, “hey if you be good, you can have cookies when you come home!” sending them the message “cookies are fun and good, be good and feel good with a cookie”

My point is that we parents are a walking bulletin board, a flashing neon sign, a attention grabbing advertisement about food to our children.  We do have the power to make healthy foods seem more delicious just by our own interaction with them.  Yes, those little ears are alert and forming associations about different foods everyday just by watching you.   No pressure.    But the first step to a healthier child may be evaluating our own lifestyle choices, attitudes and associations that we have with food.    Think about it.

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.

You will often hear the fruits and vegetables promoted for all the color they offer.  It is one of the “fun” features of fruits and vegetables, the fact that they do come in so many colors.  Just like kids use crayons to make fun pictures, fruits and vegetables can be used to make fun meal plates.

And as a bonus, usually the more color, the more nutrients!!

But, I was thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to have a quick reference of those colors?  So if you are going to have your child liven up that meal plate and you need the color blue or red etc, you could quickly know what food item to get.

Well here you have it:  here is a quick reference:

Reds:  tomato, watermelon, pink grapefruit, raspberry, guava, red bell peppers

Orange: canteloupe, oranges, winter squash, sweet potato, carrots, mango, papaya, pumpkins

Yellow:  banana, pineapple, corn, yellow bell pepper, yellow squash

Green: green grapes, zucchini, brussel sprouts, avocado, asparagus, broccoli, romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, green peas

Blue/Purple: beets, radishes, purple grapes, plums, blueberry, blackberry, eggplant

Please feel free to add your favorites to this list!  Now, get to coloring!

source: Eat this, Not that by David Zinczenko, pg 12- 18

Halloween is sugartime. Is there any hopes in controlling the amount of sugar that our kids eat during this time. It’s hard but here is some suggestions I found in this article.

I hope some of these help:

• Decide with children, before Halloween, on what is a reasonable amount of candy to eat that night, and beyond. Will the candy be packaged in small bags to make the holiday last longer, rationed to a piece or two a day, donated or thrown away?

• Feed children dinner before trick or treating so they will not be ravenous and want to fill up on candy while going from house to house.
• Go out early, when candy-givers are less likely to encourage children to grab a handful of candy so they don’t end up stuck with it.
• Do not ban candy or ditch it when the kids aren’t looking; it may just make them want it more.
• Parents should be good role models by not eating all the candy themselves.
• Let children enjoy some sweets on the holiday while focusing on good nutrition the rest of the year.
• Offer candy alternatives alone, or alongside candy, to give trick or treaters a choice.
• Take some emphasis off candy by focusing on the fun of the holiday, like checking out the costumes and decorated houses.
• Walk, don’t drive, if possible, to get some physical activity in while candy collecting.
• Suggest kids wait to eat candy until they get home, where parents can inspect the wrappers to ensure they’re tightly sealed. Parents should consider throwing out everything else.

A great deal of children get their fruit servings from juice. While 100% juice is good and full of vitamins, the problem is there is a lot of sugar. And your child could be getting the same servings with so much less calories.

I know. Can’t we just be happy that they are getting fruit in their diet. Yes….and No. Sugar is just lurking in those juices and you might be surprised if you read the label. Combine that with the sugar they are probably getting from the cereal, and well, you wouldn’t give them candy for breakfast. But guess what, combining the sugar from cereal and juice and they are getting as much as they would if you gave them candy.

Here is a way to move your child from drinking their fruit to eating their fruit.

• First, be patient, change takes time.
• Limit the juice, pour the small glass and put the juice back in the fridge. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Start diluting the juice with some water. You will be surprised how sweet the juice will taste after a week.
• Put cut up, peeled fruit, bite size on table for them to snack on
• Less juice, more fresh fruit options

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.