Kudos to Desperate Housewives for introducing a storyline about the struggles of having an overweight child.

It really showed in one episode something that parents across America, and globally are facing, childhood obesity.

Surprising, they hit a lot of key challenges face:

• A parent’s denial that their child is overweight is not uncommon.
• How to handle the situation sensitively so that the child does not develop body image issues.
• Conflicts between parents on how to address the issue
• The resistance to discuss health with their child
• attempts to trick the child into exercising and the child’s rebellion
• shopping for the overweight child
• parent’s feelings of concern and doubt
• hearing other parents’ comments about their child
• a parents need to protect their child

Lots of real life struggles. But one thing that I really loved, was how the father, Carlos, tried to get his child to eat vegetables by drowning it with fattening cheese sauce. Essentially, taking away all the health benefits. We laugh, but….

Changing a child’s diet first starts with family changes. The focus should not be on the child, but on the family. We need to emphasize the importance of healthy living not weight and clothing size. And honest discussion as a family to agree and set goals for healthy STEP changes. Not dramatic life changes that will make it hard to succeed. But step changes, one step at a time.

We have healthy nutrition goal worksheets (we call them family agreements) and tracking sheets to help you work on one healthy change at a time.

Keep it simple, be patient and stay positive. If this becomes a negative experience for your child then they will begin to associate “healthy” with “NO fun”. And let’s not forget, the kids are hearing all about how much fun it is to eat the high sugary, fatty foods. We have to fight fire with fire or maybe I should say FUN with FUN.

We have to make nutrition and exercise fun to learn about. That starts with a positive attitude and family creativity.

Mondays are a great day to renew Family Health vows. Every Monday, you will find some healthy tip to help your family start the week off on a Healthy Note!

Today, start to play games with kids! Crosswords, word search, any puzzles that use language or math skills to stimulate the brain are not just fun, they’re good for you. Just 15 minutes a day can keep you sharp.

Thanks to Healthy Monday organization for sharing their Monday tips.

It’s Friday and I, like so many Americans are worried about this bailout package. If it passes, what does that mean to our economy, will it solve the problem, or is it just a quick fix, a band-aid?  It is doesn’t pass, then what will happen, will we plummet into a depression?

I feel the stress growing inside from a sense of powerlessness, worry and fear.

It is possible that your children may be hearing much of this news and not really understanding what it all means. Kids are really sensitive and can feel concern, fear and worry.  So what can we do as parents to help them?  No easy answers here but just some suggestions:

• Depending on age, this could be a great opportunity to talk a little about responsible spending and use of credit.
• Depending on their age, ask them what they are hearing so you can clarify facts and give them some assurance
• Exercise and family activities is another great way to relieve some of that pent up concern and release some of the stress.
• Family activities is a great way to forget about the problems of our country, for a little while, and build up some great memories with the kids.

Hard times often represent an opportunity to bring families closer through communication and taking control of immediate goals that can give us some sense of control. Healthy family goals, being more active, making positive changes in family nutrition.

I am not sure what will happen with the economy and the banking system. But,  know we can be confident that focusing on healthier eating, healthier living and being more active is something that will pay in short and longterm dividends for the family (pardon the pun)

Okay, the ban on soda in elementary schools is growing. There are now several states that don’t allow it in their vending machines nor as a classroom treat. California is one of those states. This week there has been buzz, speculation if this will really make a difference given a study that has just come out.

The study indicated that limiting availability of soft drinks at school is associated with a 4% decrease in the rate of any consumption overall.

I am seeing headlines: Very little impact seen…

I ask you, isn’t any decrease in kids’ overall consumption a good sign. We can’t expect the school to be the one and only driving factor. It is going to take a “village”. (Always wanted to use that line). It is going to take changes in school and at home. It is going to take positive messaging about the importance of nutrition through nutrition education. And, it is going to take time.

Let’s face it. We did not get here in a few years. This has been decades in the making and it is going to take time to change our habits as a society. But every change that a child makes is a step towards a healthier child.

So I say, the heck with all the negative press. We are starting to see a change in some children and that is a good start!

What do you think?

This was a nice little summary of things to NOT do. Believe it or not, the article starts out telling us about a child who was on a “chocolate diet”. Okay that is an extreme example and I think most parents have enough good sense to know “you just gotta say NO”. Can’t eat only chocolate or whatever their one favorite thing is. Variety is key to getting in all those nutrients to ensure a healthy child.

Here goes, according to this article, (drumroll please):

The TOP SIX MISTAKES PARENTS MAKE:

Sending children out of the kitchen. – okay, boiling water and frying pans and knives and lots of things to be careful of. But I have talked about this….kids can learn a lot by staying in the kitchen and being part of meal preparation.

Pressuring them to take a bite – pressuring them to just try food when they don’t want to can backfire. Your child can start to associate negative connotations with that food and then really dig their heels in. Just keep exposing it in different ways, try different recipes and be patient. They may start to get curious and suddenly want to try it. According one study cited, you should just be nuetral and for sure, don’t bribe them.

Keeping “good stuff” out of reach- we try to hide the cookies, find special out of reach shelves for the candy. But somehow those little rascals always seem to know where the candy or goodies are. Studies suggest that keeping them out of reach only peaks their desire so when they do get their hands on it, they eat a lot more. Okay, the solution, don’t buy foods you really don’t want your child to eat. It creates more temptation and growing interest. Buy healthy snacks for the house

Dieting in front of your children- well, I know this can be a hard one for those parents who are trying to lose weight. But children are learning all about foods from you. You may be surprised what habits and ideas they are forming watching you. Restrictive diets usually don’t work and can lead to binge eating.

Serving boring vegetables- Jazz those vegetables up with a little dressing, dips, even a little butter. Help them entice your child to want more. It starts with how they look and then of course how they taste. There are a lot of great recipes and mixing vegetables in some other foods is also a great way to introduce new vegetables.

Giving up too soon- yeah it can be frustrating when they don’t eat the foods you prepare. But your picky eater may need the 15 rule: “putting a food on the table at least 15 times to see if a child will accept it. Once a food is accepted, parents should use food bridges, finding similarly colored or flavored foods to expand the variety of foods a child will eat. If a child likes pumpkin pie, for instance, try mashed sweet potatoes and then mashed carrots. If a child loves corn, try mixing in a few peas or carrots. Even if a child picks them out, the exposure to the new food is what counts.”

Good luck. Your mission may be a challenging one but for sure… but, a healthy child is sooo worth it!

Mondays are a great day to renew Family Health vows. Every Monday, you will find some healthy tip to help your family start the week off on a Healthy Note!

You can take it with you! Fruit, that is. Don’t leave home without it! Tuck an apple, banana or other kind of fruit in your bag or backpack. Or go for dried fruit, which is a bit more portable. You’ll be prepared to handle snack cravings in a healthy way.

Thanks to Healthy Monday organization for sharing their Monday tips.

Have you been moving. It is not too late. We are only half way through September so there is still plenty of time to get the family’s activity going.

The YMCA reminds us that September should be STEPember.  These are two simple recommendations your family can do to prevent the 1-2 pound weight gain that occurs for many Americans.

1. Move More take 2,000 additional steps each day
2. Eat Healthfully. Reduce your daily calorie intake by just 100 calories each day.
To read more about America on the Move, click here.

Well, I guess I should get off this computer and get a movin’ !!

With the continued concern over the health of our children  Many school districts are beginning to take action. But my concern is that action is often tied up in “assessment”, “policy writing” and “lack of funding”.

So what can we as parents do. Well, I think the first step is to find out what kind of physical activity program your child’s school offers. We know they need an hour a day. So how much are they getting of structured activity everyday? every week? We may not be able to wait for the schools to implement their policies and meetings to figure out when they will implement their new policies. This could be too long and meanwhile, our children are growing up.

You may have to find after school activities to get that daily hour in. Of course there is sports, but sports is not the answer for all kids. It is not always about competition, how about just plain old fun. YMCAs are starting to offer after school exercise programs, families can be active together as well.

Check our our new Tips for Getting Active for some good suggestions, ideas and guidelines.

If you have a good way of keeping your family active, please share that with us!!

Mondays are a great day to renew Family Health vows. Every Monday, you will find some healthy tip to help your family start the week off on a Healthy Note!

Fruit is a sweet treat! Calm your sweet tooth with a delicious fruit salad, or top your whole-grain cereal with bananas or berries. A little bit of fruit will add a whole lot of vitamins and sweetness  to your diet.

Thanks to Healthy Monday organization for sharing their Monday tips.

Here is an interesting new use of technology called MealpayPlus. Los Angeles Unified School District is using this new software technology. Essentially, it allows parents to log in and see what their child is buying for lunch. Parents can add money to their child’s account, flag certain foods in their child’s diet, such as with food allergies.

I imagine, it is some kind of card, almost like an ATM card that kids use to pay for their meals and it automatically tracks what is being bought. It gives parents a certain amount of control and visibility to what their child is buying and how they are spending their money.

Of course, the flip side is maybe that is too much control. Maybe kids need some independence to learn how to make decisions and take some responsibility over their food choices.

Not sure, yet, what I think about it. My kids are too old for this. What do you think?