Junky diet and tv for kids = overweight adults

Imagine yourself looking in a mirror at age 10 catching a glimpse of your 30 or 40 year old body. Would you be horrified or just slightly freaked out? Dr. Oz used this interesting tactic on yesterday's Oprah to drive home the importance of getting kids to eat healthfully from the get go. He showed a 10 year old boy his 400 pound body at 40 if he continued to eat junk and live a sedentary life for the next 30 years.
As a dietitian, I work with children and parents to help families start implementing healthier lifestyle habits. (Having a video depiction to show them the consequences of not making these changes would help tremendously in compliance, I imagine.) I've found the most important key to success is making changes the whole family follows. So, while you're working on getting your own 30 or 40 year old body (or at any age really) into the shape you would've been proud to see in that mirror at age 10, make sure the rest of the family follows suit. And while the choices available to kids -- check out this article in U.S. News and World Report on unhealthy foods available in schools -- is a critical component (read:buy lots of fruits and vegetables), educating your children, no matter how young, that eating nutritious foods make the body strong and healthy is just as important. Even my two year old knows that fruits are good for him, while donuts are only a once-in-a-while dessert.

Does a junky diet in pregnancy mean permanent damage for baby?

According to headlines in Forbes, Science Daily and several other publications on Monday and Tuesday, a new study from the UK came out that showed a diet full of junk food while pregnant can lead to irreversible, long-term health consequences to the child, such as obesity or high cholesterol and blood sugar into adolescence and even adulthood. So, if you're a pregnant woman who's been overindulging in chips and donuts lately, the guilt may be piling on. I'm here to tell you to relax and stop panicking -- headlines can be misleading. First of all, the study was done in rats, so the results may or may not hold true in humans. Secondly, you can absolutely start eating a better diet today --don't worry about what you've done up til now. Commit to eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables each day and making your bread/pasta selections whole grain. These filling foods leave little room for junk. Lastly, even the researchers comment that whether a mom ate poorly or not during pregnancy, a person needs to take responsibility to live a healthy lifestyle -- these health conditions are not inevitable and can be altered by making good diet and exercise choices throughout life.
So, as a dietitian I encourage you to eat a well-rounded, nutritious diet most of the time - allow yourself small treats here and there - and keep exercising (with your doctor's okay) during pregnancy, because it's good for you and for your baby. I didn't really need a study in rats to tell me that!

Healthier takeout

The last two times we've tried to take the kids out to dinner - they're ages 2 and almost 5 - it's been a disaster. My husband and I ended up tag teaming, where one of us shovels the food in while the other keeps the toddler from standing up on his seat and the preschooler from going under the table. Then we switch so the other can eat. Really not an enjoyable experience. So, our answer has been to do takeout as our treat instead. Since I'm a dietitian, I of course have to think about ways to make the meal the best it can be while still enjoying a night off from cooking. Here are some of my tips:
1) Supplement the meal with a bagged salad or frozen veggies. Minimal work but boosts the nutrients.
2) Customize your order. (Bonus: you won't get the dirty looks from the waiter if you call it in.) "Steamed, with sauce on the side" is my regular catchphrase.
3) Tell them you don't want the bread, fried noodles or chips that are usually mindlessly eaten while waiting for your order in the restaurant - they'll be no waiting since the food will be ready to eat as soon as you get it home.
4) Box up leftovers as soon as everyone fills their plate. No need to leave it out, just tempts picking.

I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my homebound eating situation. A survey from the Food Marketing Institute found that 28% of people with children aged zero to six orders in, takes out or drives through at least once a week compared to only 17% of parents with children aged seven to seventeen. Looks like it may get easier to get out in a few more years.

The smell of weight loss?

I ran across a blurb in the latest edition of Health Magazine about a research study that showed participants experienced reduced cravings for sweets and subsequent weight loss by wearing a vanilla-scented arm patch. I looked up the study and while it was done in 2000, it does seem that perhaps there's some validity to the notion that the scent of vanilla may curb cravings for sweets. Here's another article that reported on the study. Lighting up a vanilla-scented candle or wearing a vanilla-scented spray is a pretty low cost way to potentially help you pass up that basket of leftover holiday treats. And even if it doesn't work you and your house will smell really nice.

Anti-aging and Dr. Oz on Oprah

Did you happen to catch Oprah today? I happend to hit the gym at 4pm today and caught Dr. Oz on Oprah talking about staying young -- that is a topic of interest as I am starting to look very tired in the mornings, even with a good night's sleep. He just put out a new book and was detailing some of his strategies for staying young -- I loved the recommendations for keeping your house free of toxins. I can't wait to tell my husband that I am not crazy when I ask him to take his drycleaning out of the plastic bags right away and drive with the windows down to air them out. He also had recommendations on diet, he recommended vit D supplements, and high antioxidant foods. The vit D supplements may make sense given that new research finds that there is vit D deficiency in many of the elderly who live in the North -- for those of you in sunnier states, direct sunlight for 15 minutes a day takes care of your vit D needs. Also, eating high antioxidant, fresh foods is a great way to take care of yourself -- luckily, Mother Nature loves antioxidants and if you eat your 5-10 veggies a day, you are probably getting a good amount of antioxidants. Great antioxidant foods include -- berries, citrus fruits, grapes, nuts and seeds, dark green veggies, onions, garlic, whole grains, and yes, cocoa and chocolate. Dr. Oz also talks about calorie restriction as a way to slow aging, although there is some research on this subject, we do not know all the possible effects of essentially starving your body. For most moms not eating enough food can have a detrimental impact on your mood, energy level, and ability to think clearly, as well as modeling good eating behaviors for your kids. Also, most people when cutting down on calories, may cut out several important foods needed for long-term health. If you determine that calorie restriction is something you want to try -- talk to your physician and get a referral to a dietitian so they can help you do it in a healthy way.
My advice on staying young, aside from not smoking, using sunblock and exercising, is to eat a healthy, balanced diet everyday with --
- 10 servings of fruits and veggies,
- only whole grain carbs,
- at least one serving of beans and nuts a day,
- only low fat meats and low fat dairy,
- and very important --- leave lots of room for laughter and play time with your family and friends.
If you want to read more about Dr. Oz's recommendations or take his stay young quiz, click here.

Back to School Snacks

Well, it is time to say goodbye to the lazy days of summer and get back into a regular routine. My daughter started her preschool today and as I was packing her snacks she was trying to talk me into providing all treats to help her through her first day. Although, the treats would make her happy, they would not help her get through the day. So, we compromised. I let her pick one treat. Here are the snacks she took to school,
-- A chocolate Z bar by Clif (this was her treat)-- has a great ingredient deck and nutrition and she loves it!
-- Tasty little crackers (TLC) by Kashi with almond butter (peanut butter is not allowed at her school).
-- Baby carrots -- I hope she eats them.
-- Strawberries with powdered sugar -- just a little, otherwise, she will not eat them.
Quick tip for moms -- try and eat the way you want your kids to eat. By doing this, you will not only eat better but will also be a healthy-eating role model.
I also ran across an article that has some interesting recipes and good information for back to school lunches, click here for the article.

Fatness is Sweeping the Nation, Save Yourself

OK, I cannot help but write these tips after seeing the CDC slides again (from my last post). These are some easy to incorporate behaviors to help you lose weight or not gain weight, try these for two weeks -
--eat at least 5 fruits and veggies a day - count at the end of the day, make up for the amount missing at dinner, e.g. I only ate 3 fruits today, so at dinner I need to have two servings of vegetables
--include a 1/2 cup serving of beans or lentils in your meals once a day -- make sure they are not cooked with bacon or with oil, just water (and maybe some garlic)
--snack on one big handful of your favorite nut or seed (1.5 oz or about 15-30 depending on size) once a day
--drink plenty of water, try to drink at least 5 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day
By adding these foods, you will naturally replace other less "healthy" foods. You will also add important nutrients that can help you feel great and stay in shape. Lastly, add exercise to your day, even if it is only for 15 minutes... get that heart-rate up (Try this -- jump rope outside for 15 minutes while the kids play. Jump for 3 minutes and take a 1 minute rest, do this 5 times for a total jumping time of 15 minutes).
We want to hear from you in two weeks -- tell us your success stories!!! Or share some tips of your own.

Two Angry Moms...making a difference

Check out Two Angry Moms...these women are on a mission to make school meals healthier. They are asking parents to join their children for lunch at their schools the week of Oct 15-19th and ask questions about the food and ingredients. You can also ask for a copy of their wellness policy.

Saving money while cutting calories

I've been told countless times that "it's so much more expensive to eat healthfully." This article caught my attention because it has some creative tips on saving money while cutting calories.