Super Kids Nutrition Blog

My In-laws Keep Telling Me My Child is “Chunky!"

Unless your in-laws (or parents, friends, etc.) happens to be a medical doctor or dietitian, you should seek real medical advice. Talk to your doctor and get his/her honest opinion. Even healthy kids can go through a chunky stage, but still remain within a normal growth pattern. It’s important to look at family history and track weight and height on a growth chart with your physician. If the physician is concerned, you can ask for a referral to see a Registered Dietitian to help you plan quick, healthy meals and snacks and assess his overall nutrition status. 
 
Evaluate Your diet. Are the majority of the food choices your family makes healthy?

• I usually recommend aiming for about 90% of your food choices and calories to be healthy for your body and 10% to be “indulgent” calories.
• Keep in mind that even reduced fat ice cream has calcium, which is good for your bones.
• Start including more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans in your diet. If you haven’t made the switch to low-fat or skim milk, or reduced-fat or low-fat cheese, start to gradually make these changes.

Prevention Starts Early

• If you have young children it’s important to know that overweight prevention should start at age four.

       By the age of six, children of overweight mothers are fifteen times more likely to be obese than children of lean mothers.

• Looking at today’s adult statistics of overweight and obese adults, three out of 4 teens will become overweight or obese adults. This is not a vanity problem, rather a health problem as kids are being diagnosed with diseases such as type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. Heart disease, sleep apnea, and other problems are also increasing in young adults.

Proceed With Caution

• Talking to your physician can help you determine whether you should be concerned now and try to prevent weight or health problems later.
• You want to be careful not to create an unhealthy relationship with food for your kids, which is correlated to eating disorders in tweens or teens.
• Get the whole family moving! Make family fitness a fun and routine way to spend time together.
• Discover more with Homework -Play Everyday

 

Tasty Fun and Healthy Snacks Kids Will Eat!

I often hear, “my kid wants junk.” She’s so hungry after school, carrot sticks won’t cut it! I’ll never be able to get them to eat healthy foods.

First, believe that change can occur – there are healthy foods your child will enjoy. I see eating habits improve all the time. When possible, get your child involved in meal and snack preparation. If she plays a role in food preparation at least a couple times a week, she will be more willing to try the foods served. Identify which snacks really need to improve or change entirely. If your child is eating cheese puffs every day, take them off the shopping list for a while. Some kids need a snack or mini-meal after school before dinner because lunch is served early in the day. Healthy and tasty suggestions include:

• A piece of fresh fruit or a small box of raisins or dried apricots

• Canned pineapple in its own juices

• Low fat Greek style yogurt with honey

• Low fat laughing cow cheese with whole grain crisp crackers

• Fruit parfaits – A couple layers of low-fat vanilla yogurt, mixed with a low sugar crunchy cereal and colorful fruit (like grapes, orange segments, pomegranate or berries). Frozen berries can be put in the fridge to defrost and eaten the next day in a parfait at a margin of the cost.

• Whole grain cereal with low-fat milk

• Baked blue corn chips with salsa and, if desired, low-fat melted mozzarella and bean dip (canned refried beans without lard, mixed with a tablespoon of salsa, have  great texture and taste)

• Crisp orange baby carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli, or red or yellow sweet peppers with low-fat dip or hummus (try cutting them into clever shapes or arranging them in fun designs on a plate for greater appeal)

• Low-fat cottage cheese and fruit

• Reduced-fat gouda or Swiss cheese and 100% whole grain crackers

• String cheese and grapes

• Walnuts and raisins (just watch the portion size)

• Fruit smoothies, made with low-fat milk (or soy milk), 1 tsp of honey, frozen banana and any other frozen fruit, cinnamon, and vanilla extract

Exhausted and Reaching for Sweets - Could Your Brain Be the Culprit?

Two groups of people were evaluated to see which foods they would choose after an assigned task:

Jonah Lehrer writes for NPR: "One group was given a two-digit number to remember, while the second group was given a seven-digit number. Then they were told to walk down the hall, where they were presented with two different snack options: a slice of chocolate cake or a bowl of fruit salad."

"Here's where the results get weird. The students with seven digits to remember were nearly twice as likely to choose the cake as students given two digits. The reason, according to Professor Shiv, is that those extra numbers took up valuable space in the brain — they were a "cognitive load" — making it that much harder to resist a decadent dessert. In other words, willpower is so weak, and the prefrontal cortex is so overtaxed, that all it takes is five extra bits of information before the brain starts to give in to temptation."

The Culprit:  Jonah Lehrer reports to NPR's Robert Krulwich that this experiment involves the prefrontal cortex, located just behind the forehead. It's the brain area largely responsible for willpower. This hunk of brain tissue, he says, has greatly expanded over the last few hundred-thousand years, but "it probably hasn't expanded enough." The reason our willpower is so often weak, he suggests, is because this bit of brain lacks a certain (how shall we put this?) ... muscularity.

Leher writes, this helps explain why, after a long day at the office, we're more likely to indulge in a pint of ice cream, or eat one too many slices of leftover pizza,"

So what can you do to combat stressful eating?  Stock your kitchen with foods that your body and brain can say yes to even after a stressful day at work. Buy single serve indulgent items.  And if your brain gives in, don't sabotage your diet, just be sure to be more active the next day.

See Full Story Here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122781981&ps=cprs

Learn more about achieving weight loss success.

Give Your Family’s Diet an Honest Look

Give your family’s diet an honest look. Start with the pantry. Are sugar cereals, soda, potato chips, crackers (made with enriched white flour), and cookies staples in your home? Look in your freezer – is it packed with packaged frozen meals, French fries, pizza bites, and ice cream? If so, start by creating a staple make-over list, substituting some of these foods for foods for healthier ones. 

Healthy Pantry staples include:
•Canned pineapple in its own juice, mandarin oranges (great in salads, too), natural, unsweetened apple sauce, baked blue corn chips, salsa, bean dip, low-sugar cereals (100% whole grains on the ingredient list), whole grain crackers, and low-fat popcorn.

Healthy Freezer Options include:
•Frozen fruit such as bananas, cherries, mango, peaches, berries. Frozen veggies such as broccoli, petite peas, edamame in its pod (kids like to pop them). Homemade frozen soups, homemade leftovers, chicken breast, whole wheat bread, or whole wheat pizza crusts make good meal starters.   

Fresh Options
•Pre-washed romaine, spring mix, salad, broccoli slaw, shredded cabbage, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, raw cauliflower and raw broccoli, jicama, sweet potatoes (great for baked fries with seasoning and low fat sour cream).
•Fresh fruit:  bananas (when they get too ripe, peal and freeze for smoothies), apples, oranges, berries, pears, Asian pears and kiwi.
•If your kids frown at fruits and vegetables, try buying them as fresh as possible (at the farmers market). The fresher they are, the most taste and nutrients they retain.

See how your child's diet rates.

Tips to Keep Your Kids at a Healthy Weight

With the growing incidence of childhood obesity, many kids are at risk for being overweight or are overweight. Here are some healthy tips to combat excess weight gain in kids:

• Eat as many family meals per week as possible, sitting down, with television off.

• Limit fruit juice to no more than 6 ounces a day. Ideally choose water, milk, or 100% juice over artificially sweetened beverages. Avoiding liquid calories is a good choice for an overweight child; although low-fat milk can still be included as a good lean source of protein and calcium.
• Be a good role model by not bringing too much junk into the house and choosing healthy foods for you as well.
• Talk positively about food and achieve balance, for example, “choosing the fruit salad over the cookies today will help you have more energy so you’ll feel good at dance class and can study for your test.”
• Limit TV and video games to no more than 2 hours a day. Don’t put a TV in a child’s room; research has clearly demonstrated that it’s correlated with obesity later in life. When choosing video games, consider dance revolution or games that involve movement. Kids need 60 minutes of physical activity a day for healthy growth, muscle and even brain development! And did you know exercise helps with improving your memory?
• A serving of fruit can be included at each meal time to help curb sweet cravings and fuel up with a good source of complex carbohydrates and fiber. Fruit consumption is also associated with better overall health.

 

Preschool Lunch and Nutrition Balance

It’s important to consider nutrition balance when packing your child’s lunch. Here are some quick tips to fuel your child for a great day of playing and learning:

·         Think  basic nutrients:  Protein, Carbohydrate, Fat –be sure to include all 3

o       Lean proteins are good for muscle growth and development.  Try chicken pasta salads, turkey, or healthy chicken nuggets (see Chicken Nuggets: Are They Really That Bad).

o       Remember beans and lentils are packed with protein and have compounds that protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. So you don’t have to include meat in a growing child’s diet every day. Try a pasta bean salad with a healthy salad dressing. It’s a good alternative to peanut butter in nut free school zones. Our favorite is quinoa pasta –don’t overcook it.

o       For carbohydrates –think if it’s white it isn’t right! Choose 100% whole grains for your child’s growing brain and body. White grains are stripped of all the disease fighting nutrients like B Vitamins, minerals and fiber. These are just what your child needs to help him or her grow healthy and strong. Research shows, food effects how your child’s genes act now and later.

o       Choose the right fats. Olive oil, reduced fat cheese, skim or 1% milk, avocado contain heart healthy fats to keep that little ticker ticking best. Nuts are good too, for kids over 3 when allergies aren’t a concern at your school.

·         Think color! Red, yellow, green, orange, purple, green, brown, black, white. How many colors can your child enjoy from foods likes, fruits, veggies, whole grains and beans? Whatever colors are missed at breakfast and lunch try including at dinner. For example, the lunch above is missing purple, white and greens –so we’ll likely have an afterschool smoothie with blueberries and include sugar snap peas and cauliflower at dinner.  Always include a fruit and vegetable. Read more about color power with plant power!

Variety is the spice of life. Pick out some lunch recipes with your child and check back again here for more preschool lunch ideas. Share a comment on your super kid’s favorite lunch. Get more school lunch ideas now with lunch leftovers.

Preschool Eats -What’s for Lunch?

As a family nutritionist I often hear from friends, “What’s in your child’s lunch box?” For my 4 year old, most days I use the bento box system from www.laptoplunches.com. Somehow having the little containers lined up inside this box makes packing easier. The system contains one large box with reusable containers that fit inside. It can then be carried in a thermal square shaped container of your choice. There’s NO phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), or lead in the packaging. I suggest ordering a couple extra containers WITH lids. I often include dips, dressings, or yogurt and come up short on lids.

 

You may also want to purchase re-usable sandwich baggies. I’m searching for good brands on the market that are safe and will last –please comment if you have any suggestions. Re-usable sandwich bags are great for foods like pepper slices, whole grain pretzels or whole wheat pita breads.

 

 

Here is one day’s sneak peek into my daughter’s recent lunch box:

 

·         3 Slices of Applegate Farms No nitrates Added- Uncured Turkey Salami.  The ingredients are Turkey (with out antibiotics, growth promotants or animal by products) water, sodium lactate (from corn or beets), salt, garlic, beet powder, paprika and spices. The Turkey Salami by Applegate is a couple dollars less than the turkey. Because it’s nitrate free it goes bad fast!  After opening it, I separate the package into 3 slice servings and wrap them individually in wax paper. Then, I put them back in its original plastic packaging and freeze. The day before while preparing lunch or dinner, I take out a serving and place it in the fridge. My daughter loves it!

·         Organic red and yellow pepper slices and 3 little organic baby carrots. Set aside a few more for the next day’s snack.

·         Kidney beans with her favorite low fat salad dressing. When my daughter was a baby, she wouldn’t eat beans, but that didn’t stop me from offering them to her. For months I put a few on her plate before she would try them. Now she requests them almost 7 days a week. Lentils or black beans with corn are other favorites. Remember, it can take several times for a child to like or even try a new food! Don’t get discouraged—keep offering the healthy item! Be sure to eat it too.

·         Organic vanilla yogurt and a dash of cinnamon in the Bento box-itty bitty container. She calls this dessert.

·         Tiny organic Fuji apple–so small it fits with the box closed.

·         Reusable utensils.

 

Develop a system that works for you to stream line packing lunch for your child or children. Try packing lunch while prepping or cleaning up lunch or dinner the day before to make mornings less hectic. Once you get a few successful healthy lunches your child eats and an easy system in place you’ll find packing up a quick lunch a breeze.  Check back for more tips on packing lunch for your child. And visit meal time tips.

Chicken Nuggets: Are They Really That Bad?

It depends. Some chicken nuggets include the skin, added salt, and batter that can contain twice as much saturated fat (than without the batter).However, oven-baked chicken nuggets made of white meat chicken breast  in place of fried chicken nuggets can be quite healthful. So when cooking at home or buying store bought items, it’s important to read the ingredient list and food label and then prepare foods in the healthiest ways possible.   

 

To save money and keep your heart healthy, try making your own nuggets! Start by cutting up chicken breast (without the skin) or by buying chicken tenders, then dip the chicken pieces in egg whites, and roll in seasoned bread crumbs for a healthier nugget. Again, be sure to bake, not fry, to avoid unhealthy saturated fat or oxidation of oils.

 

Kids like the appeal of bite-size pieces –so they’re a hit in a lunch box served cold with ketchup. Choose ketchup without the high fructose corn syrup. You can also try mixing half ketchup with tomato sauce to cut down on sugar. Just keep it on the low-down—kids may not get too excited if they find that their favorite condiment is not the “real deal.” Pair chicken nuggets with a salad full of bite size grape tomatoes with  a yummy low-fat salad dressing and/or serve with pre-cooked frozen sweet potato fries, a healthier alternative to the loved French Fry (again, just be sure to read the labels).

 

When dining out, chicken nuggets are often found on the kid’s menu. Why limit your child to the kid’s menu?  Choose a healthy appetizer and one or two veggie sides (coleslaw, hummus, or side salad). Then share part of your entrée with your child. Fish, bean or chicken taco dishes can be good selections to share because they often include 2-3 tacos. If you’re out at a fast food restaurant –get on-line first and read the labels. Pick the entrée with the lowest saturated fat content and lower total fat grams. Compare your choices before your next order –having the right information on hand is half the battle of making good choices.

My Child Won't Eat Breakfast. What Should I do?

Sometime kids just aren’t hungry when they’re leaving for school really early in the morning. If they have a long bus ride, consider packing a meal to eat during the ride. Healthy whole wheat English muffin pizzas or half a sandwich are good options. You can also make a waffle sandwich with low fat Greek yogurt (won’t ooze out), nuts, and fruit. Banana or apple slices with peanut butter or fruit smoothies are also good on the go. Granola bars are a popular choice for a mid-morning snack that kids can keep in their backpacks and eat when they become too hungry. (*Just check for nut content in granola bars and obey your school’s nut-containing foods policy designed to protect allergic children.)

 

Remind your kids of the benefits of breakfast: higher energy, better test scores, and an energetic start to the day. Read more meal time tips. 

 

Cost Saving Healthy Meal Tips

There are a lot of ways to save on costs today while preserving the integrity of your diet. Quiche is a great low cost meal that can be made more healthful by adding veggies and low fat cheese, and using a whole wheat crust. It’s a great source of protein and calcium. Another low-cost meal is a chicken, vegetable-rice casserole made with reduced-fat soup, California frozen vegetables, brown rice, chopped onion and leftover chicken or canned white meat chicken.

 

Here are some other cost-saving tips:

·        Buy produce that is in season. For example, buying apples locally when they are in season is less expensive, and much more environmentally friendly, than buying ones that have been shipped across the country.

·        Be sure to go grocery shopping with a list and to coordinate the list to your family’s weekly menu so you don’t fall prey to impulse items.

·        Avoid buying too many snack foods, even if they are on sale.  

·        Always compare unit price stickers on different brands of the same food. Sometimes the ingredients are almost identical, and no-name brands offer good cost savings.

·        Choose dry beans over canned beans, and don’t forget brown rice – it costs less in bulk and offers a good source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

·        When you see a healthy staple on sale, stock up - just don’t over-stock to avoid expiration before use. 

 

Read more on Feeding Your Family for Less.