That's Fit

• Juice. Dilute it with water or add a few ice cubes (each cube generally holds an ounce) into flavored seltzer for a low-sugar treat. If you must serve juice, make it OJ -- at least you'll be boosting your little ones' folate, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and E. And serve no more than four to six ounces of juice per day. Too much sugar and calories, so don't go overboard. There isn't anything your kiddos need in juice that they can't get from whole fruit.
• Pizza. Order pizza "easy on the cheese" and pick thin crust instead of thick (it will slash about 80 calories). Top slices with veggies, chicken or ham (better than pepperoni or sausage) and pass on extras, like stuffed crusts and breadsticks.
• Mac and Cheese. For boxed brands, use skim milk and reduce the margarine from four tablespoons to one (this will save 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per cup). When making your own, whip up a sauce of skim milk, margarine and flour and melt in shredded cheese. Boil whole wheat noodles for six grams of fiber per cup. Stir in broccoli bits and diced carrots.

For the skinny on bettering ice cream, cookies, chicken nuggets and French fries, take a stroll over here.

There are a number of mandatory classes in school -- math, science, English ... and yoga? Yoga might not be a part of the curriculum for students here in North America, but in India, it's set to become a requirement.

At the regional Diabetes summit in Chennai, Indian Minister Anbumani Ramadoss says, "There should be extensive scientific deliberations on yoga. And today I blatantly put that yoga reduces diabetes, yoga reduces hypertension, yoga reduces stress. I am going to make yoga mandatory for all school-going children in India (from) the coming year."

And why not? Yoga is good for the soul and the body -- it can teach patience, kindness, fitness and body awareness to students. Maybe we should make it a requirement here. What do you think?



(via Calorie Lab)

School kids are walking around with flavored milk mustaches. White milk is out, strawberry and chocolate are in. While milk is a good calcium source for kids, it's drawn the short straw thanks to the success of energy drinks and flavored water. Unfortunately, nine out of every 10 preteen girls don't consume the recommended three calcium servings a day, and boys are not far behind at seven out of 10. Keep in mind, bone density peaks during adolescence.

With soda stripped from many public schools, flavored milk has proven an attractive calcium-filled compromise to attract sugar-hungry kids. But with the rise in childhood obesity, not every school district is behind the flavored milk craze. Chicago suburban Barrington District 220 banned flavored milk this past fall, one of the brave first in Illinois. If it works, it may be extended to the town's high school. Dairy consumption has dropped 11 percent in the first two months, but school officials are betting milk sales will rebound just like beverage sales did after the soda ban.

I say good for Barrington District 220. I don't like flavored milk in schools. Kids get enough sugar as it is, why does a calcium-filled, daily staple like milk have to be sweetened, too? Let alone the fact kids eating breakfast and lunch at school are downing up to 10 cartons of flavored milk a week. This is exactly the kind of nutritional habit that puts kids at risk for weight problems. Every day should not be treat day -- save the chocolate milk mustache for special occasions. What's your take?

It's December, which means it's time to print out my kids' monthly school lunch menu. I'd rather never even look at the thing, because I'm not so sure the food that comes out of elementary cafeteria is very healthy. But my kindergarten guy loves to buy lunch so each week, we pour over our print-out and decide which days he can leave the Spiderman lunch box at home.

The funny thing about our not-so-healthy menu is that it always comes printed with some pretty good nutritional tips, which makes me think the food service folks are doing something right -- yet, this Wednesday's Country Fried Steak and next Monday's Chicken Nuggets and Tator Tots just don't scream health to me. Still, the kitchen crew is trying. Here's what they offer in the way of holiday health tips this month.

• You can substitute brown sugar for white sugar and halve the amount in your recipes.
• Start your dinner with a salad. You'll eat less during dinner.
• Instead of thick, fatty frosting on cakes, use confectioner's sugar instead.
• Try small samples of everything so you don't feel deprived. Key words here: small samples.

Good tips, right? Maybe one day, the meals follow suit.

Last May I reported the U.S. childhood obesity rates may be at a plateau. Time will tell, but numbers coming in from the 2008 California Physical Fitness Test show students are improving, even if slightly. That's cause for a smile.

This test measures six fitness areas and is given to students in grades five, seven and nine. In California, all three grades showed a slight year-to-year increase, with ninth graders realizing a 5.5 percent increase of students reaching the Healthy Fitness Zone across all six requirements. Think about it, that's one more fit student out of every 20, not bad. One expert reported this kind of jump had not been seen in several years. Check out California's comprehensive results here.

Yet let's face it, only about one-third of California students achieved six Healthy Fitness Zone scores (28.5 percent of fifth graders, 32.9 percent of seventh-graders and 35.6 percent of ninth-graders). Not so smiley results.

Kids have many health habits that leave a little to be desired. As health habits spiral downward, childhood obesity and related illnesses are on the rise. It's the role of a parent to help change kids' bad habits and replace them with health-promoting foods and activities.

AOL Health counts down some of the worst health habits that kids have today:

• Eating too much white or refined flour. White flour is void of nutritional value, so while it might make that soft and squishy bread kids love, whole wheat is always a better choice.
• Drinking soda. Not only does soda add ridiculous amounts of unnecessary calories, it's also damaging to dental health. To help break the soda habit, don't keep it in your house. Water meets your child's hydration needs better than anything else. Milk and 100 percent fruit juice are also good choices in moderation.
  
• Not exercising. Kids should be active for at least 60 minutes each day. Many schools are cutting back on physical education and even on recess -- so it's important that parents create time for active play. One of the best ways to be sure your kids are being active is to get out there and play with them.
  

Check out the slideshow on AOL Health for more unhealthy kid habits.

I weigh myself three to four times a week. No matter what, I step on the scale for a reality check. If I'm up a pound, I drink more water, make sure I don't skip the workout, reach for more fruits 'n veggies. Unfortunately I also have a habit of celebrating that pound down, too. Regardless, regular self-weighing keeps me honest and aware of any fluctuations.

A new study indicates overweight teens might want to consider regularly stepping on the scale instead of waiting around for their annual school physical. Of 130 overweight teens in the study, 43 percent were frequent friends of the scale, while 57 percent self-weighed infrequently. Frequent self-weighers had a lower average weight and were more likely to have shed 10 pounds in the past two years. The study also suggests they ate fewer calories and less junk.

While there's fear a focus on the scale could put teens at risk for eating disorders or other unhealthy behaviors to control weight, this was not an issue in this study. Staring down at those numbers several times a week helps me, but I wish I were as loyal to a daily food diary. That has been the most effective tool I've ever used to keep my caloric intake in check.

Most fast food meals make me feel a little ill -- yet often, when I catch a fast food commercial running on TV, the food looks so good I salivate like Pavlov's dog. That's exactly what those commercials are designed to do -- make you crave a trip to your nearest fast food joint for whatever triple-decker, bacon-packed, artery-clogging burger they're advertising this week.

A recent study reviewed data on nearly 13,000 children to determine how many advertising commercials most children view on TV each week. Researchers believe the commercials have a big impact on the amount of children who eat fast food. They estimate that banning fast food commercials from TV would reduce obesity in children ages 3-11 by 18 percent and by 14 percent in adolescents ages 12-18.

It's no surprise that candy isn't good for dental health. But as popularity of sour candies rises, so does the rate of tooth decay.

Most of these sour candies have extremely low pH levels -- as a comparison, battery acid has a pH level of 1 as do many of these candies. Some of the candies are so acidic they can cause permanent damage to tooth enamel -- particularly in young children whose protective enamel is immature. Gummy and sticky candies seem to cause the most damage because of the length of time kids suck on them before chewing and swallowing.

While it's best to avoid these treats altogether, if you're going to let your children indulge, make sure they don't suck or chew on them for a long time and have them rinse their mouths with water afterwards. A glass of milk can also help neutralize the acid from the candy. Don't have your ckids brush their teeth immediately after eating sour candy -- brushing the surface after an acid attack can actually increase the damage the acid causes.

Plant a tree against obesity. How about that for a tagline? According to a newly published study at the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, there's some truth in it.

A new study of more than 3,800 inner-city children revealed higher neighborhood "greenness" was associated (not causal, here) with slower increases in body mass index (BMI) over time -- regardless of age, race or sex. Study participants aged 3 to 18 years lived in the same residence for more than 24 consecutive months.

Maybe shady streets invite kids out to play. Maybe that green park around the corner instead of the trash-littered empty lot makes all the difference. One thing I do know is it's extremely difficult to lose weight once you've put it on. Overweight or obese children are at risk for a lifetime of obesity and all of its associated health problems. Maybe neighborhood green space is more important to your child's health than that extra half bath.

Tweens and teens may seem to be constantly on the go. But while they're go, go, going ... are they really being physically active? Encourage them to be more active this holiday season with gifts that either inspire physical activity or generate it.

When choosing active gifts for the younger set, keep fun in mind. While a pedometer might be a great tool for kids of any age, it's not exactly thrilling for a teenager to open a handsomely wrapped gift and find a pedometer inside. So look for items that not only promote physical fitness, but also generate some excitement. Check out the gallery for some activity-inspiring gifts for the tweens and teens in your life.

Last week, the Houston Wellness Association is holding their 2008 Wellness Symposium at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. This two-day health care event was designed to bring together wellness experts from across the country, to talk about how to tackle healthcare and the problem of obesity in American children. At the event, William J. Clish M.D., a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, said, "Of all the mothers I see, the majority argue with me about their kids' right to be obese ... to be 'what they are.' I argue they have the right to be their very best."

Well put.

His presentation included several tips on how to help keep your kids in shape:

Kids sometimes look as if they're glued to their cell phones. If they could only complete their homework as quickly as they can send text messages, they'd really be set. Even better: Maybe text messaging could also help them lose weight.

Researchers are actually questioning if text messaging could become a weight management tool. We already know that keeping a journal of weight loss or other health-related goals is a tried and true method. However, many people can't stick to journaling for the long-term because it can become tedious. A recent study followed three groups -- one that monitored health goals through text messaging, one that kept a paper journal, and one that didn't self-monitor progress at all. The study included children (ages 5-13) and their parents. The group reporting progress via text message had a lower attrition rate and had significantly greater adherence to self-monitoring.

I think keeping track of weight loss progress through text messaging is a great idea -- it's convenient and it could offer instant feedback. However, I question whether it's a good idea for children and teens. Weight loss is obviously the primary goal when a child or teen is obese, but another goal must be protecting/correcting the child's relationship with food and bolstering their self-esteem. Will reporting their progress through text messaging be motivating or demeaning? What do you think?

Kids + soda = bad combination. It's a formula that's accepted pretty much worldwide, considering that soda is made up of everything that is bad for you and your offspring. Banning soda from schools is one way to get it away from children and teens, but does it work?

Nope, says a recent study published in USA Today. Apparently, kids who go to schools without readily-available soft drinks consume just as much of them as kids who do have soda in their schools. There's is a silver lining to this cloud, however -- overall, all kids are consuming less soda, on average.

I think this goes to show that ultimately, it's up to the parents to teach healthy habits to their kids. What do you think?

On average, kids are bigger these days than they were 10, 20, 30 years ago, so it doesn't make much sense that school kids today are using the same school equipment as the kids from decades ago.

Sure, there are budgets to keep in mind, but over in the UK, recent studies are showing that kids are just too big for their school desks and chairs. Kids are taller, yes, but they're also wider -- and heavier. And not only is this a safety hazard, it's a health hazard -- kids are suffering back pains and other problems because of their too-small chairs, according to the Daily Mail.

So if it's time for new desks, wouldn't it be great if these desks could be worked into the budget?