A new study published in Pediatrics was conducted using McDonald’s menus.  The research showed that when parents were provided with calorie information, they chose foods that were about 100 calories less per meal.   The study surveyed 99 parents of 3-6 years.  The researchers showed parents food items, half with calorie information and the other half without calorie information.

• On average, parents with calorie information would select a meal that had 102 calories less than if they did not have the calorie information

• An interesting side note, in this study there was no difference in the food choices parents made for themselves.

This is obviously a very small study and there is a lot of press discussing how this study is really hopeful in fighting childhood obesity.

I personally think this gives mixed results.  I am not trying to down play the importance of calorie information because I do believe that it will be helpful.  I have written several blogs on this topic and even I, myself, have changed my menu choices when I saw the calories!  So I do think menus should show the calories.

But my concern is that kids are learning from their parents, we are the role models.  So if this study shows that parents continued to choose high calorie foods despite the fact they chose a lower calorie option for their child, I think that is a big red flag.  Eventually when the child becomes more independent, they will probably choose food items similar to their parents’ choices.  AKA high calorie foods!

The child may also resent that they are given a “lower calorie option” while their parents are eating the higher calorie foods.  This could make them want their parents’ food choices even more.

So, my take away is simple.  Changing a child’s food choices and helping them form healthy habits starts with the family making a commitment to eat healthier.  Changing habits as a family doesn’t have to be this awful, depriving experience.  Gradually changing choices and setting small goals is the best way to change habits.  And finally, celebrating each small step towards a healthier lifestyle.

Here are more tips on how to work with kids to set goals and track changes, all in a fun and positive way.

Free Cute Friendly Goal Contracts

Free Kid Friendly Tracking Sheets

It always amazes me that we have to pass a law (and all the politics that entails) to do what is obvious common sense.

I read today the Senator Gellibrand is introducing a bill to help fight childhood obesity. The bill will:

• ban trans fats in meals served by schools that receive federal funding
• USDA would regulate all foods offered in school, banning soda and candy from vending machines
• increase the amount per meal by 70 cents so they can afford more nutritious foods
• the law, if passed, would give schools 5 years to comply

Hello! We know trans fats are really bad for you. So bad for your heart that the USDA recommends less than 1 gram be in your diet. Actually 0 grams is the goal. This came out in 2005!

I do applaud Senator Gillibrand’s bill if this is the only way to have our kids get foods without trans fats (in school).

But, I ask myself, why do we need a law to get passed- shouldn’t the schools just demand foods that are not made with trans fats? Can’t they fire their food vendor if they will not comply and hire one that gives them foods without trans fats? Won’t vendors provide what consumers (in this case- the schools) demand?

And why do we give them 5 years to comply. That is five years of kids eating foods we know are absolutely bad for your heart.

I say, write your senator! But that doesn’t help your kids today. Find out what kind of foods your child is being provided in your child’s school. (by the way, another word for trans fat is hydrogenated fats or oils)

Better yet, if you can, send them a home made lunch.

Share your opinion – leave a comment to let us know what you think about school nutrition policy and the new bill.

Resources:

Find your senator’s contact information

Does your child’s school have a Wellness policy?

Healthy lunch ideas (at the bottom of article)

Childhood obesity (and it related issues) is costing American taxpayers over $100 BILLION dollars A YEAR.

But of course, it is more than the money. It’s about our children being happy and healthy. It’s about giving them a chance to grow up without disease like diabetes and heart disease.

• It starts with helping kids learn about the importance of healthy eating.
• It also starts with patience and a positive approach as a family.
• It starts with changing your family’s eating patterns, one goal at a time.

Resources:

Free Printable Healthy Eating Goals

Free Printable Goal Tracking Sheets

Family – Healthy Eating Tips Sheets

For Kids: Play Free Healthy Nutrition Game Learn about healthy foods choices and the importance of daily activity- games and tools to help children develop healthy habits.

Nourish Interactive – The Fun Way to Learn About Nutrition!

I liked to share with you a little story:

My mother-in-law, I call her Ma, is always watching her calories and trying to eat healthy.  Her and my father-in-law, I call him Dad, went out to dinner one evening.  Dad looks over the menu and orders his usual favorite, a hamburger with fries.  Now Ma is not too happy about Dad ordering this high calorie meal, but she bites her tongue and carefully looks over the menu.  After a couple of minutes she decides that she has found a nice healthy meal, a chicken salad.

After they placed their order, she put down her menu and began to talk to Dad about how he should really order something a little healthier.  Afterall, he has to take care of his heart and high fat foods aren’t good for you.   Dad, gives her the brush off “Ahhhh, I eat what I like!”

To further her point, she grabs the menu to show him what a better choice he could have ordered, when she notices the back of the menu has the calories listed for each meal.  Wow, this is new.  She quickly looks up his burger and announces that it is almost 750 calories.  But what she did not expect was to find out that her salad was over 1000 calories!!!

I tell you this because we typically underestimate the calories in a meal and often times are misguided, thinking that a restaurant is putting in similar ingredients that we would use when cooking at home.  It is not that salads are unhealthy, but by the time they drown it in very high calorie dressing, bacon bits and other ingredients the calories can really start to add up.

So when eating out, teach your kids to ask for dressing on the side.  That way you can put in just the amount you need.

And as a side note, Ma says she would not have ordered the salad had she known the number of calories.  So despite all the political debate over whether to require restaurants to post their calories, I think it will make a difference.

Resources:  Family Restaurant Tips- Food Choices for Kids Healthy Nutrition

What do you think!

The fair is a great family event and I took my kids every year. It is one of our fun memories. We are city folks, so seeing the cows and chickens and other 4H events was really enjoyable.

The fair offers a great fun time for all and lots of goodies to choose from. The important thing to remember is that these events are also great learning opportunities for kids. They don’t understand that some foods are okay once in a while and in moderation.

Here are some food facts about fair foods to keep in mind:

• bratwurst in a bun – 804 calories with 60.5 grams of fat
• candy apples – 215 calories with 0 grams of fat
• churros – 102 calories with 6.2 grams of fat
• corn dogs – 250 calories with 14 grams of fat
• cotton candy – 171 calories with 0 grams of fat
• foot long hot dog and bun – 470 calories with 26 grams of fat
• fried cheesecake – 655 calories with 47 grams of fat
• fried cheese curds – 569 calories with 39.9 grams of fat
• fried oreos – 490 calories with 28.5 grams of fat
• fried snickers bars – 444 calories with 29 gms of fat
• fried twinkies- 420 calories with 34 grams of fat
• frozen chocolate banana – 240 calories with 4 grams of fat
• funnel cake – 760 calories with 44 grams of fat
• giant turkey leg – 1, 136 calories with 54 grams of fat
• grilled corn on the cob – 201 calories with 1 gram of fat (no butter)
• lemonade – 210 calories with 0 grams of fat
• onion flower – 1320 calories with 72 grams of fat
• soft pretzels – 340 calories with 2 grams of fat

So what’s the strategy for taking the kids to the fair and enjoying some of the fair foods that are considered by many “Tradition!”

• Feed the kids their normal breakfast and late morning snack before arriving at the fair (this way that won’t be quite as hungry)

• Have your child choose one favorite sweet treats and share it. Portions are very large, even for an adult

• Make sure your child has plenty of water. They won’t need sugary fruit juices to add to the sugar they will get from fair treats.

• Bring some of your own snacks

• Consider going early so that you can have dinner at home

Now that you have a sense of the amount of calories that can easily be eaten in a day at the fair, hopefully you see the importance of planning and setting some limits.

When you add in all the other fun stuff to do at the fair, food doesn’t have to be the focus.

Source of calories: CalorieKing.com

Grandparents, they are so loving to their grandkids. But what do you do if the grandparent is teaching your kids unhealthy habits? I was at a graduation party last weekend and noticed a grandparent feeding her grandchild the following:

• chocolate chip cookies – 5 different times!
• cake – 2 peices (he quickly ate the first piece and then they asked for a second piece for him)
• 2 servings of ice cream
• a glass of soda
• who knows what other goodies they also fed him

What I did not see, was the 3 year old eat a plate of food at the barbecue. I know it is a party and some might argue that this would be the “once in a while” rule. But this amount of sweets is excessive and well beyond the intent of the “once in a while” rule. And what message is really being taught here?

So where was mom and dad? Dad was busy visiting and enjoying himself. I looked over at the mom and she seemed torn if she would intervene in or not. She obviously chose not to intervene or the child would not have been given more and then more sugar.

Grandparents are known for spoiling their grandchildren. In fact, it seems many would say it is their right as a grandparent! But can a grandparent’s spoiling go a bit too far.

So let’s think about what was taught to the child that day (because everyday is a learning day for kids; everyday is a day where kids are watching, doing and forming habits):

• it’s a party- so time to eat sweets
• it’s a party- so its okay to eat excessive amounts of sweets
• it’s a party- so I don’t have to eat anything but sweets
• whatever I ask for, I get
• mommy doesn’t say no when grandma is around

Wow, this child was busy learning quite a bit of new habits and behaviors.

What do you think will happen when they go home? What do you think will happen when this child goes to the next party? What do you think will happen when the child is 6 years old, 9 years old or even 12 years old at parties?

Parties really represent a great time to teach kids some great habits. This child could have been taught a lot of valuables lessons:

• to choose between a cookie and a piece of cakecake
• what are once in a while treats
• how to limit treats
• portion control
• balancing healthy foods with once in a while treats
• eating healthy is still important at a party

So many missed learning opportunities for this child. I am not a psychologist, so you have to check with Dr Phil on how best to deal with grandma but I do think it is important to realize that everyday is an important learning day for young kids. There are no “days off.” Your child is forming habits every day through every experience.

The Menu Education and Labeling Act (MEAL) is back up for debate in congress. This proposed legislation is trying to close the gap left open back in 1990. The 1990 Nutrition Labeling Education Act required food manufacturers to put nutrition information on packages (food labels) but did not require restaurants to provide nutrition information. This bill is now proposing that restaurant chains with more than 20 locations, provide nutrition information as well.

The nutrition information required would be:

• calories
• sodium
• saturated fat
• trans fat
• carbohydrates

There have been similar bills proposed over the last few years. This bill has been opposed by the national restaurant association because of the added cost it will impose. Instead, it supports another bill, the Labeling Education and Nutrition Act (LEAN) that would require restaurant chains with 20 or more units to post calorie information for standard menu items on menu boards or a similar sign next to the menu board or at the point of purchase. Additional information on 11 nutritional items, including sugar and sodium, would be available to consumers upon request.

You may wonder what the difference is? The LEAN Act requires only calories to be posted and would allow restaurants to use a poster that could be read by anyone interested in reading the nutritional information. The problem with this proposal is that many studies show that people will not take time to read a poster to find nutritional information. So results on behavior would not be effective. If people had to go to a poster in the grocery aisle to look up the nutrition information on a food item, well, you get the drift! If it is not convenient, most of us won’t bother to go look.

Some states such as New York, have not waited for the federal government and have already passed their own version of the law for their state.

Fact- Most people (including myself!!) underestimate the amount of calories in a food item. Is this something our congress should be debating? Will it make a difference in the fight against unhealthy eating habits? Will it make a difference in the fight against childhood obesity?

I guess to help each one of us decide, we have to stop and ask ourselves some questions:

Would you buy your child the fast food hamburger that shows “740 calories” on the menu versus the hamburger that shows “350 calories”?

Would you be surprised if you saw that the fast food meal (hamburger, french fries and a coke) was almost 1000 calories?

Would seeing the amount of calories, sugar and fat in some of the fast food items deter you from buying it for your child (for yourself?)? Would it prompt you to look for some healthier substitutes?

Resource: Tips on healthy fast food eating for the family

Help your child avoid summertime weight gain.

A study found that kids body mass index increased during summer break.

It’s not too hard to figure out why kids may be gaining weight over summer. And it is probably the result of several factors, not just one. Without the structure and routine of school, it is easy for eating and activity habits to change.

Here are some watch outs for family:

• Kids may become more sedentary over summer, watching more TV and playing video games for longer periods
  • Limit TV and video game time.
  • Try to have some agreed upon times so that there is room for other activities
  • Create a list of fun activities you can do as a family and plan a couple for each week

• Families may eat more fast food or take-out
  • Plan your meals ahead and have the kid help.
  • By planning ahead, you can set expectations and limit the number of times you do fast food.
  • Salads and fruits are refreshing in hot weather

• Kids may be snacking more often
  • Try to set snacking times so kids aren’t snacking all day long.
  • Avoid snacking in front of the TV, it is easy to overeat when you are paying attention to a program.
• Kids may be drinking too many sugary drinks
  • If your child is a soda drinker, work to limit soda to just once in a while, not everyday
  • Have lowfat or nonfat milk during meals
  • If your child loves fruit juice, look for 100% and remember 6 ounces is plenty.
  • Put some sliced fruit in water for a new taste

Resources and printable tips from our website:

Read about ways to help your child limit their TV time

Read about ways to help your child drink less sugary drinks

Read and print: Healthy food choices, eating out healthy tips

Limit TV time (kid-friendly) Agreement

Limit TV time (kid-friendly Tracking Sheet

List of fun indoor and outdoor activities

Ask your waiter to hold the bread until your meal is ready. That way you’ll eat less and leave room for the good stuff.

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.

This Cinco de Mayo try veggie chili, spinach enchiladas, bean burritos or mushroom and pepper quesadillas in place of meat dishes high in saturated fat. Substitute salsa for sour cream!

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.