"Clean Your Plate" Is Not Always The Way To Go For Healthy Kids

According to obesity researchers, the United States obesity rate has more than doubled for preschoolers and adolescents-and more than tripled for ages 6 to 11-over the past 30 years. Obese children are at greater risk for health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, and often carry these problems into adulthood. 

 So, how do parents help children, and the entire family, eat healthier, both at home and away-from-home? "Talk to your pediatrician, family doctor or registered dietitian to determine the healthiest weight goals for the entire family, " said nutrition expert Jenifer Bland-Campbell, "then make a plan to tackle the issue. " 

 She offers these tips to help parents help their families eat more healthfully: 

 • Eat at least one meal together daily, at regular intervals to discourage snacking. 

 • Prepare healthy dishes for the whole family, not just special foods for an overweight child. 

 • Don't use food as a reward, comfort or punishment. 

 • Watch portions. "Clean your plate" is not always the way to go. 

 • Eat slowly. It takes almost 20 minutes for the brain to register that the body is full. 

 • Encourage water or skim or 1% milk instead of high-calorie, sugary drinks. 

 • Getting kids to eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day will not be easy, but focus on the colors to make it more fun. Visit www.5aday.org for more tips. 

 • Use low-fat or fat-free dressings, mayonnaise and dairy items at home as if they are the full-fat versions. Kids will take your cues. Ask for the same items on the side when eating away-from-home. 

• Take the stairs. When you go shopping, park the car farther away from the store and walk. 

• Limit television, video games or computer time. 

• Replace mayonnaise and cheese on burgers or sandwiches with catsup, mustard or barbecue sauce. 

• Stick with items that are baked, broiled, steamed or poached-not fried. 

• Ask for nutritional information when eating out. 

• Look beyond the children's menu, often limited to fried, high-calorie, high-fat foods. Split one healthier adult entrée between two children. 

• Ask for a takeout container and put some of the food in before you eat. 

• Ask that bread, beverages and tortilla chips be served with the meal, not beforehand. 

 "Parents can help children reach wellness goals by first making healthy changes at home, then teaching kids what to do away from home," said Bland-Campbell. "Healthy eating does not happen overnight, but children take cues from their parents and will learn behaviors over time. " Bland-Campbell is a registered dietitian with ARAMARK, a company that manages food service programs at businesses, colleges, hospitals, and approximately 4,000 schools across the country. You can find research on the away-from-home nutritional preferences of Americans at ARAMARK'S Web site, www.diningstyle.com. There, parents can find their own dining style and receive tips from dietitians on more ways to eat better.

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Living a Healthy Life

In the fast paced world that we live in it can be easy to neglect our health and wellness. We’re so busy racing through our day to day lives – family, friends, work, social engagements – that we don’t take the time to look after ourselves. It’s really no wonder that so many of us are tired and run down. 

 What are some simple things that we can do to improve our quality of life? 

  Drink Drink Drink… 

 You’ve heard it a million times and you’ll probably hear it a million more – drink more water! Think about it: The human body is 72% water. A 5% drop in fluids creates a 25-30% loss in energy. A 15% drop in fluids causes death! At this point in time 66% of us aren’t drinking enough water, so over half the population isn’t running on all six cylinders to begin with – before things like bad air, bad food and stress take their toll. 

 It’s not really a difficult thing to remedy. Just drink one glass of water every half hour or so – or 10-12 glasses of water per day – and you’ll notice a huge jump in your energy levels. 

  Living Food – Loving Life! 

 A little known fact is that heating food above 116°F destroys much of the nutrient content. Considering that we already aren’t eating enough veggies, that’s a fairly substantial problem. Nutritionists recommend five serves of fresh vegetables per day. 

 How many of us are actually taking that advice? A great way to get the nutrients found in fresh veggies without spending all day at stove or eating raw celery sticks is to juice your veggies. Make sure that you own a good juicer (some juicers expose vegetables to heat created by friction during juicing, which breaks down important enzymes), grab some fresh vegetables and drink your way to good health. It takes a fraction of the time (there’s no cooking involved, for one thing) and it’s convenient. 

You can take your juice to work and even give some to the littlies for school lunches! Wheatgrass in particular is an excellent source of nutrition. It’s high in chlorophyll (sometimes described as ‘plant blood’ because it closely resembles human red blood cell molecules) and has over 100 elements that the body needs. Fresh grains are another excellent source for vitamins and minerals. 

  Energy In – Energy Out 

 Exercise is another dirty word for most of us. The thing is, exercise doesn’t have to be horribly time consuming or mind-numbingly boring. There are plenty of options. Years ago gyms usually offered weight rooms, aerobics classes and maybe a tydro-circuit. Now you can add water aerobics, yoga, pilates, dance-ercise, step classes and a whole range of new workout options. 

 If you don’t really have the time or money for the gym, or prefer to spend your mornings/nights at home, then try an exercise bike or walker. 

 I’d be lost without my exercise bike – I set it up in front of the television and peddle away merrily during my favourite shows. If, like me, you suffer from illness or injury or your level of fitness is quite low, you might like to consider some invaluable advice that I got from my doctor: 

Once you’re physically unfit, and particularly if you’re also unwell, it can be a mammoth battle to just do the most minimal amount of exercise in a day. 

 The danger is that inactivity leads to further loss of energy, which becomes a self-perpetuating cycle until you can barely get off the couch. An excellent way to get back into a physical routine is to start slowly. Ridiculously slowly, it may seem. 

For the first couple of weeks, walk/ride for 5 minutes per day – exactly 5 minutes, no more, even if you think you could continue. When the 2 weeks are up, increase to 7 minutes, then 10 minutes, 12 minutes… continue to gradually increase your activity until you’re at a level that you’re comfortable with. 

 It may sound a little silly, but it works. In effect, you trick your body into producing more energy. You’re building your exercise time up so slowly that your body doesn’t really realise what’s happening. Follow this method and, before you know it, you’ll be comfortably exercising within your limits every day. So, folks, that’s the basics. 

 If you can rearrange your life a little to allow for better eating habits and a little exercise, and if you remember to just drink a glass of water every half hour or so, you’ll be well on the way to living a healthy life. On a final note, don’t forget to take some quiet time for yourself. Meditating is an excellent way to minimise stress. 

 You don’t have to sit around for hours, just give yourself 5 minutes of quiet time every day – even in the shower, if that’s the only place where you can get time out – and have a little catch up with yourself. And, last but by no means least, laugh! In fact, laugh like a loon – the louder the better! You’ll be amazed at how much such a simple thing can lift your spirits!

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