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.

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…

We are always hearing about the concern about marketing to our kids.  How much exposure of TV ads and other media are our kids seeing and how is that influencing their food choices, food associations and ideas about nutrition?

We know they are being influenced for sure!  If not, these high fat, high sugar companies would not be spending the millions and millions of dollars on advertising to them.  But what about parents?  I don’t have figures (but if I can find it, we all might be shocked!).  How much money is being spent to influence the parent to promote sugary foods and fatty foods to their kids?  Have you thought about that?

I really hadn’t thought about this until I saw a commercial (company shall rename nameless, tsk, tsk) that was actually geared towards parents.  It showed a mom giving her kids treats (sugary ones!) as a reward and then the narrator said something like “be a good mom” or something like that but it was clearly making an inference to being a good mom and giving her child treats and child contentment.

So parents, we have to be on the alert.  It is easy after a long day to go a little passive and just let those messages begin to sink into our minds without question.   They get us by showing how cooperative our kids can be and how much easier it is.   Don’t be fooled.  We are at a war to save our children from a future of illness from poor nutrition.  That may sound over dramatic but read the latest trends in childhood obesity, heart disease in children, diabetes in children, increasing emotional disorders in children, … it goes on and on.

Instead, let those ads serve as a reminder that our kids are worth every effort we make to FIGHT FUN with FUN.  Be creative and make eating healthier a great experience for your child.  A fun active family day is a much better reward than a sugary treat.  You are the most powerful marketing weapon against the high sugar, high fat companies.  (And BTW, I am not an extremist, sugary treats and fatty foods are okay every once in awhile, but let’s not make them out to the best thing and something kids really look forward to)

Healthy foods can be the most fun….if we make them fun!

We often don’t think about where food comes from.  We just go to the grocery store and buy what we need.  I asked my niece, she’s eight, where food comes from and she said, “the store”.  Well, of course she said the store!  She is not growing up on a farm so why would she think it came from anywhere else?

There is a whole movement underway to help kids reconnect with  where food really comes from.  The path food travels from “farm to fork”.  This is another great way to have kids connect with healthy foods, helping them not only understand where food really comes from but seeing fresh food growing right before their eyes.  Meeting with local farmers to learn all about how food is grown.

It gives a whole new dimension to fruits and vegetables and also make them very interesting to learn about.

I have been reading about how schools are connecting with local farms to bring healthy foods fresh, organic to the child’s lunch program and even introducing programs that teach children about fresh fruits and vegetables and even growing them.

There is a wonderful organization called farmtoschool.org that is committed to connecting schools with local growers.  The organization has a great deal of information, program support and lists of grants that schools can apply for.

The National Farm to School Network sprouted from this desire to support community-based food systems, strengthen family farms, and improve student health by reducing childhood obesity.

Here is a link to a utube video about a farm to food program in Maynard, Massachusetts public school.  Pass this information on to your child’s school.

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.

Today is National Diabetes Day.  We are reminded that thousands of children across the globe are inflicted with this chronic disease.

The World Diabetes Day campaign in 2007 and 2008 aims to:

1. Increase the number of children supported by the International Diabetes Federation’s Life for a Child Program
2. Raise awareness of the warning signs of diabetes
3. Encourage initiatives to reduce diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and distribute materials to support these initiatives
4. Promote healthy lifestyles to help prevent type 2 diabetes in children

Although we do not know the exact cause of diabetes, it appears that genetics, inactivity and obesity play a role.  That is why it is so important and so necessary that we teach our children at a young age the value of healthy living.  It’s very concerning because we are seeing a growing number of children and teens have the more common form of diabetes, type 2, which used to be called adult-onset diabetes because it did not occur in children.

I can tell you that as an ICU nurse I cared for countless patients who suffered from diabetes.  The longer they had diabetes, the greater the chance they would have a serious complication.

Prevalence of Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Diabetes in the United States, All Ages, 2007

• Total: 23.6 million people—7.8 percent of the population—have diabetes.
• Diagnosed: 17.9 million people
• Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people

If you would like to read more about World Diabetes Organization, click here

Another good resource is American Diabetic Association.

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.

Nourishing Thoughts Blog has been listed in the Top 100 Pediatric Health Blogs by Nursing Assistant Central. I write this blog because I want to make a difference in our quest to create a healthier child.  I believe whole heartedly that we can all work together to make a difference in the future of our children.  And we can do it one step at a time, and we can do it in a fun way.

Parents are actually the biggest “Advertisement” for children.  What do I mean? What you say, what you do, is more powerful than the food company’s advertisement.  So we parents have the power, the influence to make the difference in how a child views food, nutrition, health, activity…..we can make it fun, something that they like to experience….or not. 

But back to the Top Pediatric Blog listing.  I also found their list to be quite comprehensive with blogs broken out into categories.  I wanted to share this resource with you.  Their categories include:

• Health and Wellness
• Child Development and Mental Health
• Specific Childhood Illnesses and Disorders
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Nutrition  (we are listed under this category - # 48!)
• Food Allergies
• Vaccines
• Dental Health
• Childbirth and Breastfeeding
•  Podcasts
• For or By Professionals

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.