Everyone is busy getting their kids back to school.  What a perfect time to take a little break and bring the kids to a Family Night that will mix fruits and vegetables and lots of FUN.  Nourish Interactive has been working with Fresh Choice to reach out to kids and promote healthy eating.  With September being National Childhood Obesity Awareness month, it is a reminder to us how important healthy foods and daily activity is for kids.

We are happy to let our San Mateo, CA and nearby Peninsula cities know that the Fresh Choice Restaurant in San Mateo will host its First Family Night.  Nourish Interactive will be there with nutrition education games to make fruits and vegetables fun for kids.

Click to go to Facebook Event Page!

Take a night off from cooking and enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables from their local farm while the kids have some fun learning about healthy food choices.

Just a few of the FREE & FUN nutrition activities for kids:

• Take a picture with Chef Solus
• Play Nourish Interactive Games- winner of Parents’ Choice Seal and Children’s Library Association Award
• Play tic-tac-toe   The vegetables versus Chef Solus
• Coloring fruits and vegetables while kids learn where produce really comes from!
• Spin the wheel, land on a fruit or vegetable and win a prize!
• Healthy eating out tips for parents to take home.
• Each child will have their name entered into a contest and have a chance to win a Wii game system.

Play the Yummy Drops Fruit Game and automatically get a FREE Kids meal coupon for Fresh Choice Restaurant!

More information:

Family Night event at Fresh Choice Restaurant in San Mateo, CA

Fresh Choice and Nourish Interactive Partnership

Nourish Interactive partnered with Fresh Choice!

I get asked sometimes what to do for your children when everything you have tried has not worked. Your child will simply not eat any or very little fruits and vegetables.  Kids can be very picky eaters and stubborn, too.

I always recommend continued patience and don’t give up trying to introduce fruits and vegetables in different experiences that can be really fun for kids.  Like planting a vegetable and involving the child so they can see it grow from a little seed.  That can really pique their interest.

But in the meantime, how do you ensure your child is getting the necessary vitamins and minerals they need that only comes from fruits and vegetables.  Although fresh is best, sometimes a child does need a supplement.

I am not an expert at supplements but there is one that my husband and I take every morning and one that I buy for my grandniece who is five years old.  And that is Juice Plus.  It is not a manufactured vitamin but actually made from 17 fruits and vegetables.

As I said, it is not a vitamin or mineral, it is actually whole food supplement.  It is made from 17 different fruits and vegetables that are juiced and then dried at low temperatures so that the water and sugar,  salt and the bulk are removed leaving just the concentrated powder from the fruits and vegetables.  This powder is put inside capsules and chewables for kids.

I am not paid to tell you about this special nutrient.  I just really believe in the importance of fruits and vegetables and wanted to share with you something that my family takes to get all our nutrients. I do eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day but sometimes I don’t get all the servings my body needs.  I know my little five year old is one of those very stubborn picky eaters.   That was when I found out they also had a the kids chewables Juice Plus.

When I find a healthy snack or in this case, supplement that I really think is great, I want to pass that on to you.

Here is a link to their general Juice Plus website where you can get more information about their kids chewables and all the research and science behind their product.

Resources:

Picky Eaters Printable Guide for Parents

Do we know what is really a healthy diet?  According to a recent study, 81% parents thought their child was having a healthy diet when in fact they were not.  It seems that parents assessed their child’s diet by looking at the three main meals they ate a day.  If the meals were balanced, then the parents rated the child’s diet as healthy.

This is part of a healthy diet for kids but you also have to look at:

• the amount of food eating (portion control)
• the snacks eating before and after meals (how many, what are they eating)
• processed foods versus natural ingredients
• junk food intake

These other variables can take a healthy balanced meal into a very unhealthy overall diet.

I have a little challenge for you-

I am going to recommend that you do a little family activity for 3 days.  And that is to help your child use a food journal and write down everything he/she eats.  Include the bits of this and nibbles of that.  Keep it light and fun for the kids so it doesn’t seem like a chore.  Maybe even a contest, who can complete and post their journal first each night.  Heck, the whole family could do it.

• Then you can use a meal planner and see what your child should be eating compared to what they are actually eating.  Look at the types of food they are eating.
• You will see where some family eating habit changes need to be made
• Next, pick one or two eating habits that you and your child are going to work on.

Little by little, you can change your family’s eating habit and it won’t feel so drastic.

You may be surprised at how easy it is to make one or two changes!  All adding up to a healthy child and healthier family.

We have some tools to help you get started:

Setting healthy goals with children

Goals and Food Journals – free, cute printables for kids

Think beyond the fryer

When eating out this week choose steamed, broiled or grilled dishes instead of greasy fried foods for your family. It’s a simple switch that will drastically cut your family’s saturated fat intake!

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.

As a part 2 to National Dairy Month and ensuring your child is getting enough calcium and vitamin D, here is a list of the top foods rich in these two nutrients:

Vitamin D

Cod liver oil, 1 Tablespoon” amount=“1,360 IU

Salmon, cooked, 3½ ounces” amount=“360 IU

Mackerel, cooked, 3½ ounces” amount=“345 IU

Tuna fish, canned in oil, 3 ounces” amount=“200 IU

Sardines, canned in oil, 1¾ ounces” amount=“250 IU

Milk, vitamin D fortified, 1 cup” amount=“98 IU”

Margarine, fortified, 1 Tablespoon” amount=“60 IU

Pudding, prepared with vitamin D fortified milk, 1/2 cup” amount=“50 IU

Ready-to-eat cereals fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin D, 3/4 cup” amount=“40 IU

Egg yolk, 1 whole” amount=“20 IU

Beef Liver, cooked, 3 1/2 ounces” amount=“15 IU

“Swiss Cheese, 1 ounce” amount=“12 IU

Calcium:

June is National Dairy Month and a great reminder that we need to help kids develop strong bones and good eating habits to ensure their bones stay strong.  Dairy is so important because it is the main source of vitamin D and calcium for most kids.  Bones need calcium and calcium needs vitamin D in order to get absorbed into the body.  So these two nutrients go hand in hand to help kids form strong bones.

There are so many studies that indicate our children are not getting enough calcium and/or vitamin D.   There could be lots of reasons for this.  Maybe the child does not like milk and refuses to drink it or maybe they are lactose intolerant, or perhaps they are on a vegan diet.  Whatever the reason, it is important to help kids get these two nutrients.

One thing about dairy, it can be very high in fat.  So look for lowfat or even better, if you can wean them down to nonfat (skim) that is the best.

For lactose intolerant kids, there are now plenty of lactose free dairy products.  I know, because both my husband and son are lactose intolerant and so I only carry lactose free products in my home.  They are usually located in the same section as the dairy products but read the labels and make sure it says “lactose free”.

For parents who have kids who don’t like milk- perhaps some creative snacking ideas.

• Make hot meals like oatmeal and soups with low-fat or fat-free milk instead of water
• low fat yogurt goes great with some fresh fruit, you can even add a little fiber cereal to give it some crunch (and fiber)
• Add a little lowfat cheese (1 ounce or 1 slice) to some scrambled eggs and wrap it in a whole grain tortilla
• Kids love to dip!  Try some veggies and a low-fat yogurt-based dip,
• Kids love sticks – try some skewers with low fat cheese cubes and fruit
• Serve low-fat or fat-free milk with meals
• Some may argue with chocolate milk, but sometimes it is the only way to get them to drink, but be careful of the calories and sugar

For our vegan kids:  look for foods that are high in vitamin D and foods that are high in calcium

There are many calcium fortified foods, orange juice, dark green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin D is a little harder to find in foods naturally.  Talk to your pediatrician about how to ensure that your child gets the necessary amounts of vitamin D in their diet. We are not experts on vegan diets but there are many out there and a dietitian consult can be very helpful.

Vegan Resources:

Vegan Health.org

Vegan Mom

You may be interested in:

Family Tips – Calcium Rich Foods for Each Meal

‘Building Strong Bones and Teeth’ Healthy Contract – Printable Agreement

Building Strong Bones and Teeth – Printable Calcium Tracking Sheet

National study shows that many kids in the US don’t get enough vitamin D

New study shows 70% of kids are low in vitamin D

High Calcium Food List

Milk Food Group Learning Sheets

Show ‘em what you got!

Become a role model for your children! Start the week by organizing an outdoor game like softball or volleyball that the whole family can enjoy.

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.

Part 2:  Anne Kolker RD, NourishInteractive.com

Does low fruit and vegetable intake really matter when children are young? Chronic illness such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer are usually concerns for adults. However, life-long positive eating habits (such as eating low fat foods, consuming foods with high fiber, eating less processed foods) are habit-forming when started young. Furthermore, certain diseases such as diabetes and high cholesterol are starting to appear in children who are overweight. Finally, fruits and vegetables have so many naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber that are good for your health.

Are our busy lifestyles to blame? Certainly, if you have kids you are getting in the car to go somewhere (to a restaurant, to soccer practice, etc.). Packaged food such as chips or power bars are very convenient and there is something about opening up a package that seems so easy compared to slicing up that lonely piece of fruit. It really is just a mindset though. Once you start packing up the fruits and veggies in Tupperware containers you will get in the habit. Plus, fruits and veggies are low in calories and fill you up.

We are constantly bombarded with food advertisements and not necessarily for healthy food such as fruits and vegetables[1]. In fact, children 2 to 11 years old are exposed to an average of 150 to 200 hours of commercial messages, or 20,000 commercials a year and the majority of these advertisement are for cereals, candies, or other sweets [2].

So, what is a parent to do? Role modeling is my motto. If you are eating your fruits and vegetables, your children will too. In 2002, researchers at Pennsylvania State University examined parental pressure (“finish your vegetables” or “do as I say”) vs. role modeling (“do as I do”) among 191 five year old girls. The results showed that a daughter’s fruit and vegetable intake was positively related to their parent’s reported fruit and vegetable intake[3].

Fun Resources for KIds – Increasing your child’s fruit and vegetable intake:

Fruit Food Groups Learning Sheet

Healthy Food Diaries and Goal Tracking Sheets for Kids

Printable – Fruits and Vegetables Coloring Sheet 1

Printable – Fruits and Vegetables Coloring Sheet 2

Matching Food Groups Game

Yummy Drops -Deliver Fresh Fruits Game

Build a Healthy Meal Game

[1] www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov

[2] www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov

[3] Journal of the American Dietetic Association Jan 2002); see http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0887/is_2_21/ai_83661583

Part 1  (Part 2 on Wednesday, June 9)

By Anne Kolker RD at NourishInteractive.com

As a dietitian and a mom of three young children, I naturally have a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table. You may think that this has always been the case. The truth is that it wasn’t. The practice of having fresh fruit sitting out didn’t occur to me until I had a friend from out of town visit me. This was during the time when I only had one young child and was studying nutrition. The light bulb went off. I realized fruit wasn’t a big part of our diet. I concentrated on vegetables and whole grains because ironically, I am allergic to many fruits.

Of course placing a bowl of apples, pears, and bananas in a colorful bowl from Crate and Barrel isn’t enough. True to what I have learned about children’s eating habits, slicing fruit and placing it at an easy-to-reach location right after school does the trick. Serving dips like ranch dressing or peanut butter with carrots for dinner also works. This holds true for adults too. Imagine being served fresh slices of peaches and plums right before the end of dinner. Sounds yummy doesn’t it? That’s right, you’ll actually eat it vs. just staring at a lonely whole peach sitting in front of you. Please, try this experiment at home!

Lonely fruit and vegetables seems to be a national phenomenon. According to the USDA, fewer than 15 percent of elementary students eat the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Furthermore, average fruit and vegetable intake among 6-11 year olds is only 3.5 servings a day [1].

Resources for Increasing your child’s fruit and vegetable intake:

Meal Planner Nutrition Tool

Picky Eater Tips – How To Get Your Child To Eat Healthy Foods

More Fruits and Veggies Please Family Fun Agreement Sheet

More Fruits and Veggies Please Kids Tracking Form

Find a local farmer market

Free Printable – Find Fresh Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and Veggies For Kids Article