That's Fit

Kid Foods - Make Them More Nutritious

Jacki Donaldson — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

Forget about nixing the nuggets and pitching the pizza from your kids' diets. Just modify these favorites for better health. Family Circle magazine dishes out a few tricks for transforming the treats your kids love.

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.

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Flavored Milk in Schools - Healthy Compromise or Not?

Bev Sklar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

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?

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School Lunches Not So Impressive - But These Holiday Health Tips Are

Jacki Donaldson — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

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.

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Fast Food Ads - Would Banning Them Help Childhood Obesity?

Maggie Vink — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

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.

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Sour Candy - Be Sweet to Your Kids' Teeth and Avoid This Treat

Maggie Vink — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

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.

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5 Tips to Keep Kids in Shape

Karen Walrond — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements

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:

Continue reading 5 Tips to Keep Kids in Shape

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Baby food - make it homemade

Maggie Vink — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

The littlest ones in our lives need good nutrition, too. And if you're trying to save money at the grocery store, those expensive little jars of baby food can really bust your budget. You can reduce the cost dramatically by making your own baby food. Some suggestions:

Steam, microwave, or boil vegetables or fruits and then puree into pastes. Some nutritious foods that work well include carrots, peas, squash, parsnips, sweet potatoes, apples, and pears.
Mash softer raw fruits or veggies such as avocados, bananas, and papaya.

If you're breast feeding, add some breast milk to your mashed or pureed produce to bump up the nutrition. Then, store your homemade baby foods in individual containers. Or, you can freeze them in ice cube trays.

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Philadelphia school kids get skinnier with healthy eating program

Jacki Donaldson — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

Two years of a school nutrition program and your kiddos could be significantly less likely to become overweight. That's what happened at five Philadelphia schools. No such benefit for kids at five schools that didn't have such programs. Here, four reasons five schools got skinnier.

Choices. Vending machines were stocked with low-fat, low-calorie snacks, like pretzels, baked chips, and low-fat granola bars. Soda was banned. And kids were encouraged to drink water, 100% fruit juice, and low-fat milk.
Rewards. Kids who made healthy food choices won raffle tickets and could score prizes like bikes and jump ropes.
Training. Teachers received 10 hours of training in nutrition education, and students got 50 hours throughout the school year.
Family. Parents were asked not to send sweet treats to school, and kids were given a 2-1-5 daily challenge: Spend two hours or less watching TV or playing video games, spend an hour or more engaged in physical activity, and eat five or more servings of fruits and veggies.

Like what you see? Print this out and take it to our kids' school. See if the powers-that-be can implement some of these healthy practices.

(via Good Housekeeping, September 2008)

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Healthy diet - good for you, good for your guts

Martha Edwards — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), food allergies and other gut-related problems are pretty common these days. So are we as a population getting sicker, or is there another cause? Maybe it has something to do with what we're eating? Yeah, I think that's more likely.

Over at The Daily Mail, they're talking gut problems like IBS and food allergies -- and why you probably have none of the above.

When a child is prone to issues like gas, constipation and pain, a parent's first move is to assume they have a food allergy or sensitivity to either wheat or dairy and to remove that item from the child's diet. But nutritionist Jane Clarke says that's exactly the wrong thing to do because children instead turn to junk foods. Plus, fiber from wheat and calcium from dairy are an essential part of a healthy diet, especially in kids and teens.

Continue reading Healthy diet - good for you, good for your guts

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School lunch scores federally-funded golden raspberries

Bev Sklar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

Imagine a hot lunch in a lower-income school district featuring bushels of fresh fruits and vegetables. Golden raspberries and asparagus instead of that sugary fruit cup and mushy corn. Just the kind of low-calorie, high-nutrition foods needed to fight obesity and poor nutrition, and at a price families in need can afford -- free.

Thanks to the new, federally-funded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, schools with at least half the student body eligible for free or reduced-price lunch are tapping into $49 million this year to underwrite healthy produce. In return, schools pick up the labor costs and nutrition lessons. Amazingly, this growing program is expected to fork out $150 million in 2011-12.

I'm ever-complaining that school lunch is junk. This is one program I'm proud to support through taxes. Exposing students and their peers to a variety of fruits and vegetables in a positive, educational environment is a great idea.

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Halloween is over - how to survive candy fallout

Bev Sklar — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

After the Halloween bomb detonates, it's the candy fallout that kills your nutritional goals. Unless you consider these ideas from SimpleMom.

The Payoff: Pay your kids a quarter for every five pieces they relinquish, then go toy shopping. This idea doesn't sit right with me. I wouldn't want my kids to associate neighborhood trick-or-treating and treat moderation with cash payouts.

The Gorge: Let 'em eat all they want on Halloween, after that one piece a day. This was my mom's philosophy, except for the one piece a day part. No kidding, we took our plastic pumpkins to bed with us -- yuck.

Crafty: Save small pieces to decorate the ginger bread house. Cute.

Philanthropy: Donate the candy to a children's shelter. Nice.

Homemade Blizzard Night: Save it for a cool ice cream blizzard later. But this won't put a dent in a serious pile of candy, make that a neighborhood block party Blizzard Night instead.

Dentist Buy-Back: 150 dentists nationwide are buying kids' candy back for $1/pound. Dr. Pain then ships it to soldiers in Iraq. Best idea yet, especially if you donate the money back to cover shipping.

Typically I secretly raid my kids' haul, and my husband takes it to work to feed the co-worker candy jar vultures. But this becomes less of an option as kids get older and start counting their loot. How do you find shelter from candy fallout?

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Healthy food can be a hit with kids

Maggie Vink — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

I recently wrote about healthy food options for school Halloween or harvest parties. My son's school harvest party was yesterday, and I opted to bring a healthy treat. I made ham, cheese, and granny smith apple sandwiches on whole wheat with a little honey mustard. I cut them into cute pumpkin shapes and arranged them on a festive tray.

As I brought the tray into my son's classroom, I was immediately dismayed. The food table was filled with bowls of candy, individual bags of chips, cupcakes adorned with gummy worms, brownies, and more cans of soda than you can imagine. The only remotely healthy item (besides my sandwiches) were some bags of pretzels mixed in with the chips. I walked into that classroom with a tray filled with 45 lovingly-made sandwiches and was quite certain my son was going to come home with those same 45 sandwiches. After all, I remembered the report that Martha told us about -- when given a choice, most kids simply don't like to eat healthy food.

When my son got home from school, he had an empty tray in hand. And -- wonder of wonders -- he told me that the sandwiches were a huge hit. He said the kids liked them so well they were almost rude and pushy about trying to get seconds. I was so thrilled to hear that even amidst a sea of sweets and junk food, kids will still opt for a healthier snack.

If you have to make a treat for a classroom party, dare to be different and make something healthful. Like me, you may be pleasantly surprised at the kids' response. Family Fun has some clever ideas for healthy, fun snacks that you can try.

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Los Angeles kids to get a Sushi Robot

Martha Edwards — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

Proper nutrition (or lack thereof) in schools s a hot topic these days -- parents, teachers, celebs and even some health-conscious kids are fed up with the amount of junk food available and the amount of healthy food not available in places of education -- so much so that they're doing something about it.

Take the Los Angeles Unified School District -- years ago, they bought a TS4 Sushi Robot with the intention of getting kids to eat healthier. Now they're finally putting it to use at Santee Educational Complex. The machine will be used for educational purposes in culinary classes, and the sushi produced will be featured in the school's student restaurant.

It's too bad the machine wasn't used sooner, but it's great that healthy sushi will be made more available to these kids. Maybe every school should have a sushi robot -- and a salad robot, a whole-grain sandwich robot, a fresh fruit and veggies robot ... well, you get the picture.

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Forget the cupcakes, pass the carrots

Maggie Vink — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

I think most people would agree that kids need to eat more healthfully. School lunches need to improve, and parents need to make better choices about the items they put in their kids lunch bags.

I wrote a post a while ago about how my son's teacher has banned candy from her classroom, except for special occasions. I thought that was a great rule -- she still allows treats on birthdays and holidays, but on a day-to-day basis, she only wants the kids to bring healthful snacks. A Wisconsin school district, however, has taken the ban even further.

The Neenah School District is requiring that kids bring in fruit, vegetables, or other healthy snacks when they bring in treats for the class. It seems a bit strict to me, and I'd imagine that the kids would be disappointed at first. But, with a little creativity, healthful snacks can be fun, too.

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Meet two little chefs with a Beard

Maggie Vink — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Isabella and Olivia Gerasole of Chicago have a Beard ... a James Beard award, that is. The sisters were the youngest-ever recipients of the coveted award for chefs when they won in 2006. They were also nominated in 2007 and 2008. The sisters, nicknamed Belle and Livvy, have also appeared in many magazines and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Today Show.

Their website, Spatulatta: Cooking 4 Kids Online, features fun videos for kid-friendly recipes. Watching these videos is a great way for your kids to build an interest in cooking. While the videos aren't all healthy, there are plenty of health-conscious recipes to steer your kids toward. Their snack attack section has plenty of healthy options, such as Tuscan Bean Dip, Banana Orange Smoothie, and Tropical Celery Boats.

Gallery: Get your kids cooking with these healthy recipe books

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Organic vending does exist

Bev Sklar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements

Healthy vending is not an oxymoron anymore thanks to YoNaturals. The next time you forget to pack a healthy snack and your stomach stares longingly at a vending machine, maybe it'll be packed with organic and natural choices.

YoNaturals wraps convenience and health into one with a comprehensive line of machines sporting organic and natural snacks and drinks. I would be thrilled to hand my kids cash to vend a bag of Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps instead my usual answer, "No, you can't have any M&Ms right now."

If you love the idea of healthy vending, make your voice heard. Demand your health club, local school district, even your employer replace the processed junk with better choices. Check out the solid press on YoNaturals and if you're wondering what people are buying, don't miss the photo gallery to see a few Top Sellers. Pics from yonaturals.com

Gallery: YoNaturals Top Sellers

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How about these healthy tricks and treats?

Chris Sparling — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

Halloween is always full of thrills and surprises, but that fun shouldn't include health risks. Here are some tips, adapted from the Sierra Club website, for having a happy and healthy October 31st.

Healthy Treats. It's OK to be the person on the block who hands out fruits, organic chocolate, or other healthier options. Nontoxic crayons, coloring books, stickers, and even pocket change can also be great alternatives to sugar- and fat-laden candy.

Eco-Friendly Costumes. Avoid costume jewelry, especially glossy, fake painted pearls and toys from vending machines, which may contain lead. To be sure, use a lead check kit, available at LeadCheck.com. Also, whether going glam or ghoul, use natural makeup to avoid chemical exposure.

Continue reading How about these healthy tricks and treats?

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Organic school lunches -- A pipe dream?

Bethany Sanders — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

I've complained about school lunches here before, so I'm pleased to report that while visiting my daughter's school recently, I learned that things are improving. In addition to the spaghetti that was being served, kids could pile on a side salad with extra veggies, in addition to the fruit that was also served. And at the silverware table were large bowls of raw carrots and sliced apples for anyone who wanted them. Baby steps are still steps in the right direction, I think.

Still, my dream is that every school child could eat like the kids do at the Kansas School Academy, which participates in Bistro Kids Farm 2 School program. Students at the school eat whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and dairy, all of it organic, hormone and antibiotic-free.

Though I think organic lunches are a noble goal, I'd be happy if kids just had access to healthier food every day. Sadly, until there's an overhaul of the entire system, that doesn't seem likely. Kiersten Furquain, operator of Bistro Kids, won't even work with public schools due to the massive amount of red tape.

Gallery: Healthy brown bag lunch ideas

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Double kids' vitamin D, say docs

Bethany Sanders — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

What kinds of foods are good sources for vitamin D? Let's see:

salmon
mackerel
tuna
sardines
fortified milk

Except for milk, nothing on that list is typical kid-friendly fare, making it difficult for parents to help kids get enough vitamin D in their diet.

That job just got a little tougher. The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that kids get 400 units of vitamin D daily, twice the past recommendation of 200 units. The most efficient way to get vitamin D is by exposing skin to the sun, but with winter on its way, that's just not practical for parents in northern climates.

Continue reading Double kids' vitamin D, say docs

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6 trick-or-treat tactics for kids with candy

Jacki Donaldson — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

I have two little boys. One loves candy. The other can take it or leave it -- I hope he leans toward leaving it as he grows up. Come trick-or-treat time, I know I'll have a problem on my hands. The problem: A 7-year-old boy who knows no limits and is pretty sure he can survive on sugar alone. Good thing I know better and can intervene once he totes home his orange pumpkin bucket on October 31. Here's how I plan to manage the madness as I come crashing down on Joey's candy craze.

I'll fill Joey's belly with a healthy meal before he even heads out the door in his pirate costume. This way, he'll be less inclined to eat candy on the trick-or-treat trail.
I'll allow Joey to have a small number of treats when he returns home from the festivities.
I'll have Joey rummage through his loot, separating his favorites from his non-favorites -- these go to the trash.
I'll keep the candy in a safe place, up high and out of reach, and I'll be the gatekeeper for all future consumption.
I'll limit consumption after the big night -- maybe one piece in his school lunch and one after dinner.
I'll make sure Joey eats healthy most of the time and I'll keep him active too. Hopefully one day, he'll realize these two life approaches -- and not a diet full of sugar -- are what will help him survive.

Any candy tricks up your sleeve?

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