In my last blog, I shared with you a new report grading how well childcare facilities provided healthy eating and physical activity for children under their care. The report also discussed the “Model Child Care Regulation for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity”.

I am sharing with you these ideal regulations so you can see how your home or child care setting compares. Although these are “ideal” meaning ” if everything was perfect” and of course, it is hard to be perfect! it is still good guidelines and can help you evaluate some of your current family habits.

Healthy Eating

1. High fat*, high sugar, and high salt foods are served less than one time per week or are not served
2. Sugar sweetened beverages are not served
3. Children older than two years are served reduced fat milk (skim or 1%)
4. Clean, sanitary drinking water is available for children to serve themselves throughout the day
5. Nutrition education is offered to child care providers at least one time per year
6. Juice is limited to a total of 4-6 ounces or less per day for children over one year of age
7. Child care providers do not use food as a reward or punishment
8. Nutrition education is offered to children at least three times per year
9. At least one child care provider sits with children at the table and eats the same meals and snacks
10. Providers encourage, but do not force, children to eat

*saturated fat and trans fat

Physical Activity

1. Children are provided with 60 minutes of physical activity per day, a combination of both teacher led and free play
2. Television, video, and computer time are limited to one time per week or less and not more than 30 minutes each time
3. Child care providers do not withhold active play time as punishment
4. Children with special needs are provided opportunities for active play while other children are physically active
5. Children are provided outdoor active play time at least two times per day
6. Physical activity education is offered to child care providers at least one time per year
7. At least one provider joins children in active play at least one time per day
8. Shaded area provided during outdoor play
9. Children are not seated for periods longer than 30 minutes except when sleeping or eating
10. Physical activity education is offered to children at least three times per year

It is surprising to read that 24.4% of children ages 2 – 5 years old are either overweight or obese.  That means that 1 out of every 4 preschooler is overweight/obese.   I know that I am always talking about the family setting and what can be done to help kids be more active and eat healthier.  But when I read that near.y 74% of children 3-6 are in some form of childcare setting away from home, that got me thinking.

These childcare settings also have a great influence on the eating and activity habits of these children.  Just think how many children are eating one or two of their main meals away from home.  I found that each state has regulations that help child care facilities and preschools promote kids’ health and prevent childhood obesity.

The Robert Woods Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating childhood obesity, has just released a report about how well each these child care facilities are doing at meeting these regulations.  Read the whole report:  Preventing Obesity In The Child Care Setting, Evaluating State Regulations.

According the report, here are the grades that each state received based on how well they met state regulations on healthy eating and physical activity.

Read the report about your particular state.

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!

We know Michelle Obama has been promoting healthy eating and being active to kids but it looks like President Obama has joined in.

In a new public service announcement, President Obama is seen playing football promoting physical fitness activity as part of the NFL 60 campaign. Kids need to be active at least 60 minutes a day.

We know kids spend too much time on the couch watching TV. To get kids off the couch, we need to find activities that they enjoy. Some kids love sports, others enjoy dance and others enjoy walking in nature. The important thing is to find the activities that your child really likes and then it won’t be exercise but FUN!

Here is a list of ideas of fun activities you can do indoor and outdoor.

You might want to make it a fun contest to see how many minutes your child can log daily using our kid friendly “Be a Move It Kid” Agreement and our free “Be a Move It Kid” Tracking sheet to encourage physical activity.

Be patient and praise your child as they begin to change habits and move off the couch.

Remember, small changes add up to a healthy child!

It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow and the kids will be home from school for a few days.

If the kids are home and playing on the computer, video or watching TV, have them try playing some games that will teach them about eating healthy in a fun way.

Using games is not a new concept in helping kids learn important subjects like math, reading, typing etc. But nutrition is an important subject that kids need to learn for healthy living.

Learning about nutrition doesn’t have to boring or something your kids protests. It can really be a fun experience and by making it fun, kids begin to create a positive association with learning nutrition and fun. This along with learning how to create a balanced meal, why it is important and how energy and activities affect our bodies begins to give them the tools they need to make healthy choices.

I made our kids’ nutrition games and healthy tools for parents completely free because as a nurse, I don’t want there to be any reason for a child or parent to not have access to these fun learning tools. Kids can be introduced to our characters and educational materials over Thanksgiving by playing our online games or with our new free printable Thanksgiving coloring pages and fun nutrition activities.

Happy Healthy Thanksgiving from Nourish Interactive

Happy healthy Tahnksgiving

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

A new study conducted at the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Pennsylvania State University looked at childrens’ self control (inhibitory control), food restrictions and weight gain.

In general, they found that the combination of high parental restriction and low self-control put girls at the highest risk for weight gain among the group studied.

So what does this mean to us parents.  It is better to help children learn better self control habits instead of restricting foods.

Here are some tips on helping kids eat healthier:

• first, kids need to be involved
• teach kids what healthy foods are
• let them choose which healthy foods they would like to eat
• it is best not to forbid your child from eating certain foods because that will only make them want it more
• it is better not to bring junk food in the house so it won’t be tempting for the family
• work together as a family to eat healthier, it is too hard on the child when he/she is singled out
• keep it positive

Start with small goals so kids can feel successful even with small changes.  Be patient, it can take a little time to change habits and replace them with new habits.

Resources

printable fun goal setting sheets

printable kid-friendly tracking sheet

A new study has finally been able to show a definite link to sugary drinks and childhood obesity.

I don’t think many of us our surprised by this. It seems like common sense that soda (sugary drinks) is not a healthy choice for kids and we know it is is high in sugar. Most 12 oz. cans of sodas have 10-13 teaspoons of sugar and no nutrients. A 20 ounce drink sold at most fast food restaurants has 17 teaspoons of sugar!

But for policies and lawmakers to be able to make sweeping changes, they need proof. So we have finally have it.

Researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) discovered a strong correlation between soda consumption and weight. Their data is based on 40,000 participants.

Research showed that over the last 30 years Americans consumed 278 more calories per day. One of the biggest changes in diet during that period was the enormous increase in soda consumption, accounting for as much as 43 percent of all new calories!

But I think what was more alarming was the amount of sugary drinks kids are drinking.

• 41 percent of young children (2-11 years of age) are drinking at least one soda or sugar-sweetened beverage every day

• Adolescents (12-17) represent the biggest consumers, with 62 percent (over 2 million youths) drinking one or more sodas every day – the equivalent of consuming 39 pounds of sugar each year in soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.

Sometimes, as parents we are so busy with our daily busy lives, that we are not seeing the habits that kids are forming before our very eyes. We may not have realized that our kids were actually drinking this amount of sugary drinks throughout the week, or even worse, daily!

So this study is a wake up call for everyone, not just the lawmakers who are debating on how to try to control the advertising and exposure of kids to sugary drinks. Lawmakers will debate and who knows how long before they pass something that may or may not help reduce sugary drink consumption.

But this is a wake call to us parents. Parents, we have the most immediate control over what our child takes in.

To change your habits it starts with the family working together. As a family, you can discuss how much soda or sugary drinks are being drank by the family.

Remember it can be hard at first to change habits. so start with small steps. If your child drinks sugary drinks every day, then move to every other day or three times a week.

• Set family goals.
• Work together to decrease the intake and substitute it with water and milk.
• Be a role model. Kids are watching and action speaks louder than words.
• Don’t nag, keep it positive.
• Celebrate success.

Each small change will add up to a healthier child, a healthier family.

Use our family goal and tracking sheet to help set your child in the right direction while keep it positive and fun.

It is Latino Nutrition Month from September 15 through October 15. This was announced by the Latino Nutrition Coalition and Oldways organization. Their goal is to raise awareness amongst the Latino community that making healthy choices can reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

The Latino population has a high rate of diabetes and heart disease:

• 10.4% of Hispanics aged 20 years or older have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the CDC
• one in four Hispanic adults living in the U. S. was obese
• 16.8%Hispanic high school students in overweight
• 16.7% of Hispanic high school youth are at risk of b becoming overweight

As a nurse and Latina, I am very much aware of the impact that childhood obesity has amongst Latinos. This is one of the main reasons I made a commitment to have a Spanish version of all our nutrition games and tools for Hispanic speaking kids and parents.

What I love about the organization is that they are not focusing on the negative, but promoting and celebrating the healthy foods in a Latino diet.

They are offering toolkits with recipes, tips and cooking ideas on how to make healthier choices. You don’t have to be a Latino to love Spanish food! There are so many delicious recipes.

In honor of this Latino Nutrition Month, they are holding a recipe contest this month.

Here are the details from their website:

Consumers should submit a recipe that uses at least two Latin American diet products (list is featured below). Winners will be drawn at the end of October, and announced on our websites. Prizes include wonderful Latino products, a new poster of the Latin American Diet Pyramid, and autographed copies of our widely praised recipe book, The Oldways Table.

*** Submit a recipe for a soup, side, main dish or dessert to Adriene Worthington (aworthington@oldwayspt.org) using at least 2 of the following ingredients: Amaranth, Avocado, Bell Peppers, Beans, Carrots, Cheese, Chicken, Chickpeas, Chilies, Cilantro, Fish, Guava, Kiwifruit, Lemons, Limes, Maize, Mango, Okra, Olive Oil, Orange, Papaya, Pasta, Peanuts, Pineapple, Plantains, Potatoes, Pork, Quinoa, Rice, Salsa, Shellfish, Soybeans, Soy Milk, Squash, Sugar/Sugar Substitutes, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Watermelon, Whole Grain Cereals, Yuca, Yogurt.

Good luck and happy Latino Nutrition Month!

I wrote a few months ago about my mother-in-law (ma) and my father-in-law (pa) who went out to dinner and were surprised to learn the calorie count of the dinner they ate. Read the story

I spoke with ma about the new law that is being proposed that would actually require restaurants chains to list their calories.

She told me that her and pa went back to the same restaurant for dinner. This time she did not quickly select a salad but wanted to look at the calories first. She could not find them on the back of the menu. She called over the waitress and asked her where are the calories listed for the meals. The waitress replied, “We took those off the menu because too many people were walking out of the restaurant when they read the calories!”

I have to say. I had a similar experience. I was also at a restaurant with my cousin and noticed that all the calories were listed. So I thought, “Great! This will make it easy for me to pick my lunch!” Nope. All the salads were over 1000 calories and the sandwiches were 750-900 calories. I was actually stuck and couldn’t find something to eat because the calories were so high! I called over the waitress and she mentioned that many patrons had complained to her about the calories of their meals!”

It is a proven fact that most Americans underestimate the calories of foods, (and that includes me too) .

So I say to all those lawmakers that are taking so long to pass this restaurant food labeling bill (there a few currently being debated)

“This is a no brainer! Help us Americans eat healthier by giving us the information we need. We are facing a huge crisis with childhood obesity. We need this bill to pass now, not months or years from now. Do your job.”

Please write your congressman to help get this bill passed.

In the meantime, there are some helpful tips you can use to help your child eat healthier when you eat out as a family.

Eating out Guide to helping your child make healthier choices.