It’s Oatmeal Month!  So I guess I should start by saying “Happy Oatmeal”!

Did you know that more oatmeal will be eaten this month than any other month of the year.  In fact, according to the Quaker Oats company, Americans buy enough oatmeal in January to make 470 million bowls.  That’s a lot of healthy fiber which is good for your heart and a healthy breakfast for your child.

Healthy benefits of oats:

• Oats have been proven to lower cholesterol.
• Their high fiber level also is good for the digestion system and fills you up.

I love oatmeal and other hot cereals for breakfast.  It brings back memories when I was a kid and my mom used to leave us oatmeal ready to eat before she went to work.  She would put different fruits and even chocolate sometimes to change it up.  My son still likes his oatmeal with some butter.  My daughter likes hers with brown sugar and some fruit.  I think that is one of the fun and versatile features of oatmeal.  You can let your child be creative and try putting in some favorite ingredients to make hot cereal a morning favorite.

Here are some ideas for adding some oats into you child’s diet:

• Add oats when baking- substitute oats for 1/4 of the flour
• Add oats on top of fruit
• Add oats to yogurt
• Make a crunchy salad crouton just toast some oats. Lightly brown oats by baking 1/2 cup oats at 350 F, about 15 to 20 minutes until lightly brown. Let cool and sprinkle on salad
• For a healthy snack add 1/3 cup toasted oats to 1 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup honey. Spread on apple slices or whole wheat bread or crackers
• Try oats instead of bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
• Use ground oat flour for bread or cracker crumbs when coating chicken, just put oats in blender or food processor until finely ground and follow your existing breaded chicken recipe.
• Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup oats to your child’s fruit smoothie.

Comment to share your favorite oatmeal recipes and ideas for adding oats to healthy recipe makeovers!

Visit our website for more resources on healthy breakfast habits for kids:

Healthy Breakfast Family Contract

Healthy Breakfast Printable Tracking Sheet

Healthy Breakfast Planner for Kids

Children and Fiber Article

In my last blog, I shared with you some interesting information about the current school meal programs that are serving millions of kids across America.

Here is an opportunity to take a few minutes and write your congressman about the Child Nutrition Act which affects the nutrition requirements for kids’ school meal.

Nourish Interactive has become partners with Slow Food USA and their movement to get congress to make a difference in the quality and nutrition of our children’s school meals. Congress will be acting on this bill early next year so there is still time to write.

Slow Food USA has a School Lunch Fact Sheet you can read.

There are simple ways to get involved that only take a few minutes of your time:

You can sign this petition online (simple and quick)

You can write a letter to your congressman (writing resources to make it easy for you to write – with a short sample letter)

In fact, they have resources to help kids write letters too!

Congress needs to hear from each one of us that we want healthy foods for our kids! Each letter can make a difference. Don’t forget, congress will be voting on this early next year!

More resources and information about this campaign.

Other resources for creating a healthy lunch for your child

Get the kids involved in easy and fun “back to school healthy lunch food” ideas

Put a smile on your child’s face at lunchtime with fun printable healthy lunch cards

Tips on handling the picky eater’s school lunch- healthy school lunch foods for kids

Simple solution to get kids eating their school lunch.

Back to school – help kids make healthy food choices in the school cafeteria

Get the kids involved in easy and fun “back to school healthy lunch food” ideas

Put a smile on your child’s face at lunchtime with fun printable healthy lunch cards

Tips on handling the picky eater’s school lunch- healthy school lunch foods for kids

Simple solution to get kids eating their school lunch.

Back to school – help kids make healthy food choices in the school cafeteria

The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program affect the nutrition of millions of children across America by providing low cost or free lunches during school time. You might be surprised to know that in 2007, these national programs provided lunch to more than 30.5 million children and breakfast to 10.1 million children.

There has been a lot of discussion, debate and controversy over the nutrition of those meals. The school meals currently are required to meet the guidelines set in 1995. That is almost 15 years old!

The Institute of Medicine convened a committee to provide recommendations to revise standards and requirements so that school meals are more healthful.

In its 2009 report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, the committee made the following recommendations to the USDA which included:

• Increasing the amount and variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
• Setting a minimum and maximum level of calories
• Focusing more on reducing saturated fat and sodium

Here is a comparison of the current requirements and the recommendations:

This is so important because you can see how many kids rely on these meals as one or two of the main meals for the day.

Click here to read the full school nutrition report.

What do you think about school nutrition and the new study? Share your opinion by leaving a comment about school nutrition policy and your ideas for healthier school food for kids!

If you make your own lunches at home, here are some resources from our website to help you pack a healthy lunch for school:

Healthy lunch ideas pdf

Helping your child to choose healthier cafeteria foods

Healthy lunch box notes for kids! Fun printable eating healthy reminders!

Sad to say that the obesity conference reported last week that young kids are being aggressively marketed to by the highest sugar cereals. The study was done by the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Here are some of the reports highlights:

• The average preschool child sees 642 cereal ads per year on television, and almost all of these are for cereals with the worst nutrition rankings.

• On the Internet, cereal companies make heavy use of marketing by sponsoring cereal websites and “advergames”.

• For example, millsberry.com, the website sponsored by General Mills, averages over three quarters of a million unique young visitors a month, who on average stay on the site for 24 minutes per visit.

• The most frequent in-store advertiser was Kellogg, averaging 33.3 promotions per store and 9.5 special displays of its child and family brands over the 4-week period covered by the study.

• General Mills markets to children more than any other cereal company and makes 6 of the 10 least healthy cereals advertised to children, including Reese’s Puffs, which is 41 per cent sugar and attracted the worst nutrition score.

• Cereals marketed directly to children have 85 per cent more sugar, 65 per cent less fiber, and 60 per cent more sodium than cereals marketed to adults for adult consumption.

• 42 per cent of cereals targeted at children contain artificial food dyes compared with 26 per cent of family cereals and 5 per cent of adult cereals.

• Only 8 per cent of the cereals targeted directly to children are inside the sugar limits that would allow them to qualify for inclusion in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

• Not one of the cereals targeted directly to children in the US meets the nutrition standard required to advertise to children in the United Kingdom.

• All cereals marketed directly to children meet the industry’s own nutrition standard for “better-for-you” foods. These include: Cocoa Puffs (44 per cent sugar), Cap’n Crunch (44 per cent sugar), Froot Loops (41 per cent sugar), Lucky Charms (41 per cent sugar) and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (32 per cent sugar).

I know as a parent, cereal is the easy and quick way to get kids to eat breakfast. And yes, breakfast is so important. But there are healthier cereals out there, but will your child eat it?

According to this study, YES. “Research shows that children will eat the healthier cereals.”

So how do you find them? Yes, you may have guessed, read the labels and compare. It is a balance between taste and nutrition.

Here are some key things to look at when trying to find a healthy cereal for your child.

• Look for cereals that are lower in sugar. (8 or less grams of sugar)
• Look for cereals that say “no artificial dyes or artificial sugar”
• Look for cereals that have more fiber, 4 gms or more per serving
• Look for cereals that are lower in sodium

Halloween the holiday of ’sweets and treats’ can be like a nightmare for parents who are concerned about childhood nutrition, health and the rising rates of childhood obesity. Hopefully you have visited our website to find alternative low sugar treat ideas, easy ways to make Halloween healthier, and fun holiday coloring pages for kids!

Just in time for Halloween comes some new scary facts, this time about everyday breakfast foods for kids, high sugar cereals, foods advertising to kids, and childhood obesity. We highlight some of the facts and give some solutions and tips for parents to take steps to combat ‘high sugar’ food advertising to kids (or see our resources section to read the full study.)

Food advertising to children and the nutrition of content of kids’ cereals takes center stage in a new study by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

The study gives alarming facts for parents; the average preschooler sees 642 cereal advertisement per year and “cereals marketed directly to children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber, and 60% more sodium than cereals marketed to adults for adult consumption.”

Also of concern to parents, is the fact that ,”if one looks at the rank order list of the worst nutrition cereals, it’s stunning how the worst cereals are marketed so aggressively to children” as stated by Kelly Brownell from Yale’s Rudd Center. Kelly Brownell, says Yale’s new research finds that kids will eat low-sugar cereals when offered. “There are ways to train kids to eat healthier food. It’s all about what they’re exposed to,” said Brownell.

As parents we can limit TV time to reduce exposure to marketing aimed at children, have children watch ad free media such as PBS, discuss advertising with our kids to help them to become aware of advertising tactics, and offer healthier breakfast food alternatives.

Cereal can be a fast and convenient breakfast food for busy parents. We can offer children a variety of healthy breakfast foods beyond cereal. But since cereal is ‘quick and easy’ it is important to find other breakfast foods that are quick to make or even good for eating on the go. Try a breakfast burrito, whole grain egg sandwich, or healthy smoothie which can all be the night before and refrigerated for a quick ‘on the go ‘breakfast.

Taking steps to introduce and expose children to healthier cereals is another great way for parents to take action for their children’s health. We can steps away from sugar cereals by introducing healthier cereal options, after some complaining children usually adjust to the healthier alternatives. For example, we can limit sugar cereals by offering more cereal from the Top Healthy 10 Cereals by Nutrition Score

As parents we also have to be careful with food labeling claims, we can’t trust the ‘good for you” food label claims on packaged foods. Reading food labels for nutrition information is a great way to get the facts. We have developed food label reader tool for parents and food labeling facts game for kids – for a fun, interactive and easy way to learn more about food labels!

What is your opinion about food advertising and this new study ? Parents please share your ideas and comments on how you encourage healthier breakfast foods or cereals at home.

Resources:

Cereal Ads Fuel Childhood Obesity

Cereal Facts

Yale press release Cereal Advertising Study

PBS Kids TV Schedule- Find your local shows- quality ad-free children’s TV programs

From our family nutrition website Nourish Interactive- The Fun Way to Learn About Nutrition! Winner of 2009 Parents Choice Award

Printable Chart: food label claims and nutrition facts

Interactive nutrition tools for parents

Family nutrition articles and tips

“Every positive change, no matter how small, is a step to creating a healthier child. Together we can give children the knowledge, facts and skills to develop healthy habits for a lifetime!” Maggie LaBarbera RN Founder of Nourish Interactive

This Monday base your family’s day on breakfast.

Start with carbohydrates, protein and a little fat to keep your family’s motor running. Studies show that skipping breakfast leads to weight gain and sluggishness.

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!

Thanks to Healthy Monday organization for sharing their Monday tips.

During summertime, it can be easy to fall out of some healthy habits – like making sure your child eats breakfast every morning. Perhaps with kids sleeping in or going to camp, it is throwing your morning routine out the window!

Here are some easy, time saving planning tips to help the family stay on their breakfast track:

• some breakfast food can be prepared the night before – like boiled eggs or oatmeal
• set your kids alarm clock to get up 15 minutes earlier to allow time for breakfast
• have the kids backpacks and what clothes they’ll where laid out the night before
• cut up fruit the night before – the kids can eat them whole or in a quick smoothie
• make sure you make time for breakfast also, remember kids model your behavior and learn from your example
• breakfast food doesn’t have to be “traditional” leftovers can make a good breakfast
• shoot for at least 3 food groups
• have your children help plan the breakfast meals for the week

Resources: Healthy Breakfast Pointers for Kids

Kids fun Printable Eat Breakfast Goals

Kid friendly Free Printable Breakfast Tracking Sheet

Sometimes I am asked, what is the one most important habit I can change that will make a difference in my child’s health. That is not an easy one to answer, because I start to think about vegetables, healthy snacking, portion sizes, daily fitness.

But if I had to say one thing to parents that could be the most influential on their child’s health habits, I would say

“sitting down and eating meals together as a family every day”

I know, it sounds too simple. But sometimes, the most simple things turn out to be the most important. And let’s not confuse “simple in principal” with “simple to implement”. We have a very busy lifestyle and it seems like we are always running to get one more thing done. And sitting down as a family requires a little bit of planning. And planning requires some time. But there are so many reasons why this is so beneficial for kids.

The obvious:

• time to talk as a family
• learn about each other’s day
• parents can role model for kids healthy eating habits
• kids can learn table manners
• parents can provide meals with healthy choices
• parents can encourage kids to eat until they are full – forget the “clean the plate” (that’s old school)
• parents can provide variety, foods from all the food groups

This is just off the top of my head, but I am sure you can add to the list. But still not convinced. How about this:

• University of Minnesota did a study and found teens who at most of their meals with the parents turned into college students who ate the most fruits and vegetables

• University of Minnesota study found that family meals drastically reduced the risk of kids developing an eating disorder

• Harvard University study indicated that younger children who ate meals with their parents had better vocabularies.

• Columbia University study found that high schoolers who had dinner with their families got 40% more A’s and B’s that those kids that did not.

Do I need to find more studies to prove the power of family meals? Kids enjoy time with Mom and Dad. Family time is so precious and when you add in all these bonuses, well, it is hard not to make it a priority.

To provide even more positive influences on your child’s eating habits- have the kids participate in preparing the meal. There are a ton of studies that indicate the healthy habit benefits of this activity! But that is for another blog!

We have all heard this so many times:

• It takes about twenty minutes for our stomachs to feel full

But after a busy day, rushing around, it is easy for us to scarf our meal down in 10 minutes flat. My husband can do 5!

But eating that fast, doesn’t allow our body to do all the complex processes that need to occur to begin digesting the food and sending that signal back to the brain.

One easy way to slow down that eating time is family time at meal time. Talking and sharing the day is a fun way for families to be together and keep up with each other’s busy lives. That includes the kids! They are busy too with all kinds of activities and social interactions affecting their day.

Family meal time helps family stay in tune with each other, share wisdom, model healthy eating habits and yes…slow down the eating time.

Enjoy your meal time as a family and help your child build some healthy habits.

I just read a list of the 50 most popular foods that have almost zero nutrition value. Chances are you have some of these foods in your cupboard. I am not saying absolutely eliminate this from your child’s diet but instead, it is good to be aware. These are the foods you want to teach your child to eat once in awhile. A healthy growing body does not need foods that are high in fat and/or high in sugar. But eating these foods once in a while is okay.

• These foods give empty calories, in other words, lots of calories but no nutrition.
• They also take away your child’s appetite for the healthier foods.
• If they are eaten regularly, then your child is beginning to form the habits that will be much harder to change as they get older.
• These foods offer a great opportunity to teach your children about foods that should be eaten once in a while.
• Teach your child to read labels, the calories, fat and sugar are listed on every package!

You may be surprised by this list!

Here are the first 20:BreakfastThis is said to be the most important meal of the day. Here are some foods that might not be such a good way to start it off.

1. Bran Muffin The word “bran” makes it sound healthy, but actually this muffin contains 680 calories and 40 grams of fat. Most muffins and scones are high in fat and scones contain Tran’s fat as well.

2. Doughnuts One piece of a glazed doughnut contains 200 calories. Even worse, they contain 4 grams of Tran’s fat which is 2 times more than the recommended amount per day.

4. Breakfast or Cereal Bar These bars are low in fat but high in sugar. They offer very little in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

5. Bacon With considerably low protein content, this is not a particularly nutritious meat. Bacon is also extremely high in fat.
6. Frozen Waffles Another example of empty calories. Most people add margarine and syrup, hence adding even more calories and Tran’s fat.

7. Dry Breakfast Cereals Most are high in sugar, salt, and preservatives. Even the “highly nutritious” cereals have refined grains to which vitamins and minerals are then added.

8. Pop Tarts Although they contain no cholesterol, they are still very high in sugar. They also have minimal or no protein.

9. Bagel with Cream Cheese Bagels contain white flour which has no nutritional value. Spread it with cream cheese and you add calories and fat.

SnacksSnacking is a way of life for many people. Unfortunately a lot of today’s snacks are pre packaged and loaded with sugars.

10. Candy Bars Some of them can actually have a few grams of protein but they are a nutritional nightmare. After all they are located in the candy isle.

11. Potato Chips They are fried and packed with tons of preservatives to keep them fresh for months.

12. Granola Bars The chewier they are the more sugar and fat they have. The oils and grains that go into them have minimal vitamins and minerals.

13. Sun Chips They are low in saturated fat but they are not as healthy as they are cracked up to be. This snack has over 200 calories and and 180 milligrams of sodium.

14. Berry Blast Power bar Contains no fiber and lists evaporated cane juice (sugar) as its first ingredient.

15. Mini Pretzels Pretzels are processed wheat and contain no vitamins or minerals. They also are high in sodium.

16. Pork Rinds Fried pork skins. Need we say any more?

17. Fruit snacks These gummy fruit snacks might say they are low in fat but they are packed with fructose corn syrup, chemicals, and most of them have a minimal amount of vitamins if any.

18. Crackers Most are made with white flour and are loaded with Tran’s fat. Read your labels to find the few that aren’t.

19. Corn Chips Basically the same as potato chips. They are fried and when eaten like nachos with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole they become even worse.

20. Twinkies The creamy filling is fake whip cream, and the rest of it is sugar, flour, and flavoring.

To read the entire list of top 50 foods: click here

Resources from Nourish interactive:

interactive food label reader tool

Printable nutrition claims chart- learn the facts about food label claims

Nourish Kids our free family nutrition e-newsletter.