On this week’s shopping trip, look for low-sodium or “no-salt added” soups, vegetables and beans. Have the kids help read food labels.  Skipping sodium can reduce your family’s risk for high blood pressure!

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.

I wanted to share with you a recipe contest that is open to all  7 and 8th graders.

Our partner, Healthy Kids Challenge, is hosting a Stirring Up Health™ National Middle School Recipe Contest.

March 13, 2010         Entry deadline
April 9, 2010             Contest winners notified
May, 2010                Chef for a Day visit or prizes
June, 2010               Contest results posted on HKC Web site

To read more about the entry rules, click here.

Good luck and Happy Cooking!

This Monday get your life on track!

Write down how you spend your days, then evaluate. Prioritize your time with exercise, wholesome meals and family fun – and stay happy!

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.

With our continued concern with the economy, it got me thinking about how to avoid “wasting” money.Yeah, wasting money, throwing money away! As your kids get ready to go back to school, I am reminded of a study I read last year in September.A study funded by a cheese manufacturer (mini Babybel) found that:

• 60% of kids did not eat everything in their lunchboxes
• 21% of 7 to 8 yr olds said they never ate anything from their lunchboxes.

Now before you get completely disheartened and throw your hands in the air – here’s the kicker:

79% of kids said they would eat the food in their lunchboxes if they could help prepare it!

So as you get ready to tackle school lunches, think about involving your child and have them help in picking foods that they like and are healthy.

References:

School lunch – Wellness Policy

This Monday make outdoor eating healthy
Choose lean-meats and fat-free hot dogs on whole grain buns.   Add cucumbers, tomatoes and sprouts for crunch, flavor and vitamins.

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.

Happy Independence Day! If you haven’t pulled out your barbecue pit yet, chances are you will for this 4th of July.

Grilling is a fun way to promote healthy eating for the family. You don’t have to add grease when cooking and there is less clean up! These are just a few of the benefits. Hanging outside together while the food is grilling as a family is also a huge plus!

Here are some easy tips when grilling:

• Thermometers are often not used, but they actually help avoid under cooking and overcooking. So pull out the thermometer.

• Weather affects grilling times. Windy and cool weather will add grilling time and hot weather speeds up cooking

• Most foods will cook better with the lid down. This helps foods cook evenly and thoroughly.

Don’t forget the vegetables. Kids can help wash them and place them in skewers for some great kabobs.
Read more about healthy grilling tips.

Happy 4th everyone!

Healthy Barbecue Tips- Fruits and Vegetables on the Grill

You got the grill pulled out and are ready to start barbecuing. A fun family way to cook and eat together enjoying the wonderful summer weather.But don’t forget these safety tips to keep the kids and family safe:Before you start to grill – check and clean the grill

• Make sure the burner tubes are not blocked. Insects often make this their home during winter! Clear blockage and push it through to the main part of the burner.
• Check for cracked or brittle gas tubes. Check for sharp bends in the tubes.
• Move the hoses far away from hot surfaces and dripping hot grease.
• Keep the drip tray or can clean and free of debris
• Check for leaks; always follow manufacturer’s instructions if you smell gas or when you reconnect the grill to the LP gas container.
• If you find a leak, immediately turn off the gas. Don’t attempt to light the grill until the leak is fixed.
• Keep lighted cigarettes, matches, and open flames away from a leaking grill.
• Do not attempt to repair the tank valve or the appliance yourself, always use the services of a qualified appliance repair person.

Now you are ready to barbecue:

• Keep grills at least 10 feet away from the house or any building.
• Do not use the grill in a garage, breezeway, carport, porch, or under a surface that can catch fire.
• When charcoal grilling, never use lighter fluid after the fire has started. Only use fluid to soak briquettes before starting the grill.

When you are barbecuing:

• Use long-handled tools and long barbecue mitts to prevent burns.
• Never use water to put out a fire on a gas grill.
• In case of flare up, turn burners off (in gas grilling). Gas or Charcoal, move food off of fire.

First Lady Michelle Obama invited children from the Bancroft Elementary School to harvest the vegetables they had planted in March at the White House’s vegetable garden.

The students helped pick the vegetables and then taking it another step further…kids worked with the White House chefs to prepare a meal using the freshly picked vegetables

What I love about Michelle Obama (among many of her inspirational acts) is that she does more than just put on a show for the kids. She is an example and role model for her own kids and those she reaches out to. She uses the vegetables from her garden for her family meals and for formal dinners.

Michelle Obama has really used the garden as a fun way to teach kids about nutrition and the fun of vegetables. By having them help plant and then harvest them, kids are more willing to try vegetables that helped grow.

She continues to remind us that kids need to be involved. It is the best way to help them learn first hand about healthy eating.

More healthy kid eating tips

We all love some sweets. My husband loves his chocolate. My kids love their apple pie! I love my lemon.. lemon anything, I am not picky.

But sometimes, combining sweets and healthy in the same sentence can seem a bit challenging. If it is healthy, it might not be sweet enough to compete with the brownies and cookies the kids are asking for. With summer just around the corner and school out, kids will be looking in the cabinets and refrigerator for something to snack on, and their sweet tooth might be acting up.

I ran across this snack food and was surprised at how good it tasted. I am a stickler with food labels so right away looked to see how much sugar was in a muffin. Only 5 gms of sugar and only 2.5gms of fat. Now compare that with your average muffin which has 10 gms or more of sugar and 10gms or more of fat.

I wanted to share this with you because I was excited to find a sweet tasty snack food. Of course, portions are important, so if you eat 4 or 5 of them, like anything else, the calories and everything else (sugar, fat) add up.

I contacted the manufacturer of the snack food Matisse and Jacks Snacks and explained to them about our website and how we are helping parents who are teaching their children to eat healthy. They agreed to give all Nourish Interactive visitors a 15% discount in the month of May. Just enter the code: CSolus09

I am not their spokesperson for this company but if I find something that I think is great to pass along, then I will. I believe in healthy but tasty snacks and I really like the idea of kids and mom/dad/grandmother/or other wonderful caring adult role model baking in the kitchen with the kids. I have some nice memories from my own childhood and as a mom baking with my kids.

The four baking snacks they offer: cocoa, cranberry, granola and chocolate chip

Additional resources for healthy snacking food ideas for kids and tips to encourage healthier snack choices:

Nourish Healthy Kids – Healthy Snacks for Kids article and tips

Nourish Interactive’s Healthy Tips- Printable Healthy Tip Sheets 
Printable healthy family tips, eating healthy, picky eater tips, and more!

ADA list of some other ideas for healthy snacks And they go well with milk!-read more about calcium and kids.

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!