Monday Message from April 25th

Fast Food, Healthy Food


by Roberta Duyff, MS RD FADA



Dependence on fast foods goes back thousands of years. In the Roman Forum more than two thousand years ago, urban consumers ate sausages and honey cakes. The Chinese ate stuffed buns in the twelfth century. Five hundred years ago, Spaniards encountered tacos in the markets of today's Mexico.

Today's fast-food menus offer far more options than traditional fare. From grilled chicken sandwiches, wraps and broiled fish, to salad, low-fat milk and fruit smoothies, you have plenty to choose from, including lower-calorie, lower-fat and fresh menu items. You might even find pizza, seafood, pasta, Tex-Mex food, stuffed baked potatoes, noodles and deli items along with quick ethnic cuisine.

If you're a fast-food regular, keep these pointers in mind:
•Be aware of portions that may be larger than you need: "deluxe," "super" and "mega" may be different sizes of "big." Whether it's a sandwich, fries, a shake or another menu option, bigger portions mean more calories and likely more fat, cholesterol and sodium. For most people, the small or regular size is enough.

•Think before you buy. Order takers often promote with marketing questions – for example, "Would you like fries with that?" or "Do you want the value size?" It's okay to say "no."

•Go easy on snacks. A large order of fries and a large soft drink can add up to a hefty 650 or more calories!

•Split your order. Halve the calories and double the pleasure – share your fries or sandwich with a friend!

•Decide before you order whether the "value meal" is a good deal. If you don't need the extra food, there's really no extra value; smaller may cost less. Sharing may be a good deal.

Monday Message from April 18th

The Inside Scoop on Artificial Sweeteners


by Karen Ansel, MS RD


If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar in your child’s diet you might be wondering if artificial sweeteners are a smart alternative. “The safety of artificial sweeteners has been studied for years and, used in moderation, they are perfectly safe for kids,” says Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “Unlike sugar, they don’t cause cavities or add calories to food and they can be a helpful alternative for children with diabetes.”
Despite what you may have heard, artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, neotame, acesulfame-K and sucralose don’t cause birth defects or cancer and they aren’t linked to behavior problems. Because they are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, only tiny amounts are needed to equal the sweetening power of sugar. Before the government approves the use of any sweetener it carefully scrutinizes:
•How it is made

•Which foods it will be used in

•How much the average person will eat each day

•If it is potentially harmful to a person’s health

It then sets a limit for the amount that a person can safely consume based on their body weight. That limit is usually many times more than the average child will ever eat. For example, a 40-pound child would need to eat 24 packets of aspartame or drink four 12-ounce cans of diet soda every day to reach this level.
That said, there is one group of kids who can’t eat all artificial sweeteners: those with phenylketonuria (or PKU). People with PKU aren’t able to metabolize phenylalanine, an amino acid in aspartame, so they’re advised to steer clear of aspartame.
If your child is eating the occasional artificially sweetened food you have nothing to worry about. But, before you stock your fridge with artificially sweetened foods and drinks, rememberthat many of these - – such as sugar free ice cream and fruit flavored drinks – aren’t always the most nutritious choices and can still fill kids up with empty calories. “Instead satisfy your child’s sweet tooth naturally by mixing fresh berries into creamy low-fat yogurt, slicing bananas on a whole grain waffle, or stirring chopped pears into a steaming bowl of oatmeal,” says Krieger.

Monday Message from April 11th

How to Avoid Choking


by Roberta Duyff, MS RD FADA




Having teeth doesn't mean children can handle all foods. Small, hard foods … slippery foods … and sticky foods can block the air passage, cutting off a child's supply of oxygen.



•Don't offer these foods to children younger than three or four years of age:

•Small, hard foods – nuts, seeds, popcorn, snack chips, pretzels, raw carrots, raw celery, raw peas, whole olives, cherry tomatoes, snack puffs, raisins. For toddlers and preschoolers, cut foods into slightly larger pieces that they can bite and chew, but not put whole into their mouths.

•Slippery foods – whole grapes; large pieces of meats, poultry and frankfurter; and hard candy, lollipops and cough drops, which may be swallowed before they're adequately chewed. Chop grapes, meat, poultry, hot dogs and other foods in small pieces. Avoid offering chewing gum.

•Be careful with sticky foods, too, such as peanut butter. Spread only a thin layer on bread. Avoid giving your baby peanut butter from a spoon or finger. If it gets stuck in your baby's throat, he or she may have trouble breathing.

•Watch out for these foods: taffy, soft candies with a firm texture such as gel or gummi candies, caramels, marshmallows, jelly beans, raw peeled apple and pear slices, cherries with pits and dried fruits.

•Avoid propping your baby's bottle. Refrain from feeding your baby in the car, too; helping a choking baby is harder when the car's moving.

•Offer appropriate foods. Finger foods for older babies and toddlers are pieces of banana, graham crackers, strips of cheese or bagels.

•Watch your children while they eat. That includes watching older brothers and sisters who may offer foods that younger children can't handle yet.

•Insist that children sit to eat or drink, not when they're lying down, walking or running. As they develop eating skills, encourage them to take time to chew well.

Monday Message from April 4th

Your Pre-Teen’s Weight


by Susan Moores, MS RD



Are you worried that your pre-teen may be gaining weight? A major growth spurt often occurs during the pre-teen (middle school) years. Every part of a child’s body changes in size and proportion. Appetite increases, eating increases and often kids become heavier before their height takes off. The extra weight gain can concern parents. Should it?



It depends, says registered dietitian and ADA spokesperson Sarah Krieger. “More homework, more computer time, more snacking, less parental control over what’s eaten and fewer kids playing sports can put on pounds.” Add in their sense of uncertainty and cascade of emotional changes, and you have the perfect storm for weight issues.



How a parent deals with these changes is important, notes Krieger. “Done well, a parent establishes a solid foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits; if not, a child’s relationship with food may suffer and even result in pre-eating disorder problems.”



Pinpointing if Weight Gain is a Concern

The best way to determine if weight changes are worrisome is to plot a child’s weight, height and body mass index (BMI) on growth charts, says Roberta Anding, MS, RD, Director of Sports Nutrition at Texas Children’s Hospital. BMI charts help measure weight-for-stature against age and, when plotted over several years (from age 2 on is recommended), they show weight and growth trends. With the help of your health care provider you can see if your child’s weight is moving in a good direction or if a notable change has occurred that needs attention.



Easy Does It if Weight’s an Issue

If the trend in your child’s weight should be addressed, take the high road, says Anding. “Preaching, nagging and constant comments about food choices is counter-productive.” Research suggests that parents who try to keep their child thinner by restricting and restraining foods, actually raise heavier kids. Krieger and Anding offer these tips for helping your pre-teen achieve a healthy weight:



•Schedule annual check-ups with your health care provider. Ask that he or she plot your child’s height, weight and BMI on the growth charts each year. Together review and discuss the trends.

•Talk with your health care provider before you go in for an appointment. If you have concerns, talk by phone pre-appointment to discuss the best way to address the topic and best action plan for helping your child. Be on the same page. Keep the conversation in front of your child positive and constructive.

•Establish a positive environment at home.

•Position changes as being for the whole family vs. calling out special foods/special actions for one child in particular. Everyone in the family benefits from a “new and improved” healthy home.

•Practice the “division of responsibility” approach to feeding your family: A parent’s job is to determine which foods are available and served at home, when they’ll be served and where they’re served. It’s a child’s responsibility (and his or hers alone) to decide if and how much to eat of those foods.

•Stock your home with primarily healthful (tasty) foods. Make them easy to get to – and make them enticing. Celery sticks won’t do it for many kids, but jicama or sugar snap peas with hummus or a zesty yogurt dip might. Juicy fruits, crispy vegetables, hearty whole-grain crackers and cereals are wonderful grab-and-go foods.

•Walk the talk. Set some guidelines for snacking (steering clear of snacks close to meal times) and how much time can be spent on the computer or watching television. Be sure to adhere to the “rules” as well. Eat healthful foods in front of your kids; weave physical activity into the errands and leisure things you do together.

•Have calm, enjoyable sit-down family meals. There is a direct correlation between eating together as a family and healthful lifestyle habits in kids. Happy family meals offer structure, support and a good opportunity to connect with your kids.

•Convey a positive body image. How you feel about your body influences how kids feel about theirs. If you have a positive body image, your kids will see that. If you don’t, they know that too. In the best interest of their health, “mums” the word if you’re less than happy about your jiggly thighs or a wiggly tummy.