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.

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!

Today, think about ways to make yourself safer at home! Millions are injured every year in household accidents that could have been avoided. But you can minimize the risk by conducting regular safety checks. Look for common hazards and clear them away. And remember to put fresh batteries in your smoke detectors.

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 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!

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.

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!

Teach your child to slow down when eating their meals. When you eat, it takes several minutes for your body to start feeling full. If you eat your food too fast, you may not even notice you’re full until you’ve overeaten. Take plenty of time to enjoy the food and your family will probably eat less, too.  Healthy Monday Tips

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.

It is your turn to bring in the snacks for the your child’s sport team. You want to be the fun mom and bring treats that the kids will love. But that doesn’t mean it has to be high sugar drinks and sweet treats for the little athletes to love it.

Talk with the other parents. Chances are they are looking for better options as well. Healthy moms and dads have got to band together.

Here are some tasty and healthy snacks.

• fruit: frozen kebobs are a tasty treat
• frozen fruit juice bars made from real fruit
• popcorn, non buttered served in individual happy face bags (you remember, paper bag with the face drawn on it!)
• beef jerky
• low fat muffins
• granola bars (look for the ones higher in fiber)
• nuts
• trail mix with unsweetened fruits (no candy)
• pretzels
• corn nuts

As for drinks. Water is the best drink you can give those little athletes. Keep em active and healthy with treats that pack the punch in nutrition!

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!Stomach problems are no fun for kids, so plan to keep foods safe during holiday season to avoid food-borne illnesses. Cold foods should be kept below 40 degrees until served. Hot foods should be kept above 140 degrees until served. Bacteria multiply quickly when food is in the “danger zone” of 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit. With holiday parties, food can be left sitting out too long, so teach your child to avoid eating anything that’s been sitting out for more than two hours.More Healthy Monday tips!