Our kids may be having too many snacks and they are not the healthy kind.  This new study just released by University of Carolina, may be fuel for the big debate “should we tax sugary drinks and junk food”.

A recent study shows the following concerning trends:

• kids are moving towards three snack a day
• more than 27% of their daily calories are coming from snacks
• salty snacks and candy have the largest increase
• desserts and sweetened beverages are still the main
• Children increased their caloric intake by 113 calories per day from 1977 to 2006

This is a great time to talk to kids about healthy snacks during National Nutrition Month!  They are probably talking about it at school.  There are some ways to control snacking habits and more importantly, help kids learn to choose healthier snacks.  Here is some tips to help you teach your children when to snack and what to snack on.  Once kids are teenagers and more independent, it gets very difficult (some parents may just say “impossible”) to control their habits.  So it is best to start when they are young.  And remember, you do have control over the snacks in your home.

Read Healthy Snacks for the Kids (this article talks about summer time but the tips are still very applicable to helping kids choose healthy snacks.

American Dietetic Association gives us 25 Healthy Snack Ideas

Help kids change their habits with our cute kid-friendly “Healthy Snacks” agreement

Then make and fun and track their snack habits with this kid-friendly “Healthy Snacks” tracking sheet

Kids Coloring Page – Chef Solus Healthy Snacks

Start your week by doing the Monday 2000! Stay within the recommended 2000 calorie limit by snacking on 
fruits, vegetables and low-fat cheese.  Help your kids learn from you how to snack smarter!

New childhood obesity study from University of Montreal indicates that how close a child lives to a convenience store promotes childhood obesity.

Well, it makes sense.  Convenience store carry food items that are processed and usually high in fat and/or sugar.  Do you go to a convenience store to buy fruit or vegetables?  Well, no, because they don’t really sell that.  So what do you get at a convenience store?  slushies, chips, candy, soda, cookies…

Another study done in urban areas found that kids who lived near convenience store purchased:

• On average, the students spent about $1 and purchased 356 calories of snack foods and drinks each visit.
• Chips, candy, sugary beverages and gum were the most frequent purchases

It is probably not a good idea for kids to go to these convenience stores to buy their snacks.   But in all honesty, even if you had a grocery store full of fruits and vegetables at the corner, would your child go there and still buy the processed high calorie food?   And of course the older a child is, the harder it is to control their “away from home” eating habits.  This is very true.

That is why it is so important to help kids develop healthy habits and a love for healthy foods while they are young and have not formed their habits yet.  That is what we are all about.  Helping parents and educators teach kids about healthy eating and activity while they are still young and just starting to form habits.

This could be a very good healthy goal for your child and family to work on.  It can be as simple as having one healthy snack a day!  Simplicity and fun are the key to helping your child be successful.  Children like to do things that are positive and they feel successful.  Don’t we all?

More resources to help kids eat healthy snacks:

Healthy Kids Snacks Agreement

Healthy Kids Snacks Fun Tracking Sheets

Take the Healthy Eating Challenge Article

Healthy Summer Snack Foods For Kids Article

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

The Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Act of 2009 was introduced to Capitol Hill on December 16th.  This bill essentially would require all elementary schools to offer a salad bar as part of their lunch program.

Research has shown that having a variety of fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria significantly increases the amount of fruits and vegetables kids eat.

We also have learned that kids will be more apt to try new items when a variety of fruits and vegetables are offered.

This makes sense.  Kids, just like us, need variety and have personal likes and dislikes.  A salad bar would give them a nice array of choices to meet most kids preferences.  Getting kids to eat more fruits and vegetables is so important for a balanced and healthy diet.  Unfortunately, most kids don’t get the required amount of these foods which means their body is not getting the nutrition it needs to be healthy, fight diseases and build a strong immune system.

We know that schools across America are trying to find ways to offer better, healthier foods but are strapped by their current budget.  We need to step up and support them.  Kids are the future of our country.

The Child Reauthorization is happening in early 2010 and important decisions about funding, food quality and requirements will be decided.  You can make a difference by contacting your local congressperson.

Tell congress you want healthy school lunches for kids

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

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

Don’t leave home hungry this Monday.

Have a fresh salad or soup before you head out to that holiday bash. You’ll eat less, feel better and have more time to concentrate on activities.

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 Monday make over your fridge!

Switch whole milk with skim, and sugary soft drinks with pure fruit juices. Ditch the processed foods and fill your fridge with fresh produce.

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 chance to have some fun, promote healthy snacks for kids AND support the World Wildlife Fund this Halloween.

Hershey’s and Organic Valley want to spread the word about milk in single serve, shelf stable cartons, and encourage moms to hand these out as Halloween treats.  To help spread the work they have created a special campaign on  Facebook and Twitter .  On the Facebook and Twitter, you can choose whether your friends deserve to receive a treat or a trick – each and every one you send is a 10 cents donation to World Wildlife Fund. And on the Web, you can upload head shots of yourself and your friends, only to have them appear atop the dancing bodies of monsters, ready to trick or treat at your friends’ doors.

You can also get free coupons for chocolate milk (packed with calcium that kids need for bones and teeth)!

The World Wildlife Fund is a nonprofit organization that protects our wildlife.   Their mission is the conservation of nature.

For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF’s unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.

This Monday make over your fridge. Switch whole milk with skim, and sugary soft drinks with pure 100%fruit juices. Make sure there is plenty of drinking available. Ditch the processed foods and fill your fridge with fresh produce.

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.