There has been a lot of debate about the the different kinds of sugar put in many popular foods consumed by children.  In particular, there was been a lot of concern about high-fructose corn syrup.   I think it is important to look at the ingredients on food labels but if you don’t know what you are looking at, it can be a bit confusing.

So here is the 101 on sugar and the food labels:

Glucose:  This is the basic molecule of sugar.  The converts the foods we eat, breaks it down to glucose, so that it can be used by the body for energy.

Fructose: This is another basic molecule of sugar but it comes from fruits naturally.  Fruits are high in fructose but when eaten whole you get lots of other vitamins, fiber and nutrients.   But when you drink fruit juice, you are getting a lot of the vitamins but the fructose (sugar)  is concentrated in the juice.  This is why it is recommended that a child only get one serving of their fruit requirement from juice.  It is much better to get the rest of their fruit from whole fruits.  Another way to look at it, you would have to eat several pieces of fruit to get the same amount of sugar as one glass of juice.

Sucrose:  This is the plain white sugar that comes from sugarcanes or beet roots.  This is usually a combination of glucose and fructose sugar.

Lactose:  This is the sugar found naturally in milk.  Some people who can’t tolerate milk are allergic or have an intolerance to the lactose.  There are now lactose-free milk with the same amount of calcium as regular milk.

High-fructose corn syrup: This is a man made sweetener that is a combination of glucose and fructose.  The problem with this syrup is it is a very easy and cheap to make so food manufacturers can easily add this to their foods.

There are many studies that indicate the more sugar you have in your diet, the more your body will crave it.  I know, for myself, I have weaned myself off of adding sugar to my foods or coffee.  I did it gradually so it wasn’t too hard for me to get used to less and less sugar.  I have noticed that my taste buds are now much more sensitive, so a little bit of sweet goes a long way for me.

It’s better to teach your children to enjoy fruits and cereals and other foods without adding sugar.  Look for foods that say “no sugar added”.

Other resources:

Guidelines on how much fruit juice is okay for kids to drink

Learn about our free healthy food pyramid games for kids!

Learn about our healthy food pyramid games for kids

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

This Monday go nuts and teach the kids to eat a handful of nuts. They’re healthy!

They may be packed with calories – but all from healthy fats. Plus, their fiber and protein increase calorie burn and cut cholesterol levels. Try an ounce a day.

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 ran across this catchy little tune and video about nutrition and thought I would share it.

I love it because this is exactly what we believe is so important, making nutrition fun. If we make it fun and help kids form a positive association with fruits and vegetables, they will be more interested in trying it.

Characters, nutrition games, nutrition stories, nutrition activities and nutrition music all work together to help kids learn about healthy eating in a fun way.

Enjoy. Warning, it’s catchy. I have been singing this tune all morning!

This Monday give thanks with each bite.

Eat slowly and consciously, savoring your food and company. It can take several minutes for your body to feel full. Give it time to tell you what it needs.

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.

Thanksgiving meals and healthy eating aren’t usually found in the same sentence.

But it really doesn’t have to be that way. This meal, just as any other, should be comprised from healthy foods from all the food groups. The key is including the healthy foods and watching the portion sizes. We often eat way too much of one type of food at the expense of other food groups.

Teach your children to enjoy a holiday meal with the traditional foods of Thanksgiving from all the food groups.

Meat and Beans Food Group: (this one is easy) turkey, ham or roast. They key to this food group is to go lean and not too much. The white meat is leaner than the dark meat. And you can lower the fat by removing the skin.

Amount: Teach your child to get a piece of meat that is about the size of the palm of your hand. That is about 3-4 ounces of meat.

If you are vegetarian, make sure you have protein in your holiday meal from tofu, beans, nuts or soy.

Tip: gravy is not in the meat group and is high in calories, add sparingly for flavor.

Grains Food Group: Thanksgiving is usually full of foods from the grains group. But often it is not the whole wheat or whole grains version. (If it is white than most of the nutrients have been processed out) A roll, slice of bread, cup or stuffing, rice or pasta are all servings from the grains group.

Amount: Teach your child to choose no more than two food items from the grains group and one of them should be whole grains.

Vegetables Food Group: Have some lightly sauteed, baked or steamed vegetables. Yes, potato is a vegetable but it loses so much when it is fried or mashed with butter and cream. Kids need green and orange vegetables. The more color the vegetable or fruit has, the more vitamins!

Amount: Encourage the children to have at least one serving from this group. You can also put more vegetables into your stuffing, and other side dishes. A serving is a 1/2 a cup of cooked vegetables.

Fruit Food Group: Before dinner, during dinner and after dinner, fruit is a great complement to any meal. Fresh fruit will jazz up a salad or a side dish. Avoid offering your child fruit juices as your child’s fruit serving for dinner. Juice is high in sugar. Fruit can be put on top of a small piece of dessert!

Amount: Encourage your child to have one to serving of fruit. A serving is a 1/2 cup of fruit or a medium sized whole fruit.

Milk Food Group: This is the ideal drink of choice. For lactose intolerant children, there are lactose free version. It is high in calcium and vitamin D. Just look for low fat or nonfat milk.

There is still room for a little of the other foods that really aren’t part of the food groups (the once in a while treats) but if you help your child start with the five food groups, there will be less room for the other foods and they will be getting the vitamins and nutrients they need.

Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving nutrition quick links- new tip sheets and free printables from Nourish Interactive:

Printable Thanksgiving Food Shopping List
Food Pyramid based grocery shopping guide for holiday foods

Holiday Recipes- Healthy Ingredients Substitutions Guide
Organized by food group, find easy ways to make your favorite holiday meal healthier!.

How to prepare for a healthy Thanksgiving
Article with specific step by step guide to creating a healthy Thanksgiving meal for the whole family.

Fun nutrition oriented Thanksgiving themed printable coloring pages and worksheets for kids!
Food Pyramid Thanksgiving Worksheet for kids, Healthy Seasonal Veggies color in sheet,”I’m Thankful For” coloring page,Thanksgiving theme bookmarks, and healthy nutrition lunch notes for kids.

Free Printables! Fun Thanksgiving Coloring Pages for Kids

Did anyone see Super Nanny last week.  She had her hands full helping a family with not one but two sets of kids make healthy eating choices!

Super Nanny was right on target with her healthy tips!

Super Nanny noticed that the kids did not eat any fruits or vegetables.  They ate lots of fatty foods followed by doses of sugary sweets and soda!  When she confronted the parents about the children’s poor eating habits, they explained that the kids would not eat anything but frozen and packaged foods.  What was more surprising was the mom was a healthy eater, she just didn’t know how to get the kids to eat healthy!

Hopeless!  Not for Super Nanny!  She gave the parents very specific guidelines on how to get the kids to eat healthier foods!

1.  Parents plan a healthy menu for the week.

2.  Involve the kids in meal planning.  She had mom write down each healthy menu on a triangle and then pasted them onto a large circle with a spinner.  Each child was asked to spin the wheel and see what meal they would land on which was then assigned to a special day.  The kids loved the game and each wanted to spin the wheel.

3.  Get kids curious and interested in fruits and vegetables.  She took the family to the local farmer’s market where the kids could sample different fruits and vegetables.  Some they did not like, others they did.  She kept it all very positive and fun to experiment and try new foods.

4.  Snacks were stopped at least one hour before mealtime so the kids would be hungry.

5.  All soda and other sugary, fatty foods were removed from the house.

6.  At dinnertime, kids were given a choice of milk or water.

7.  There was a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables for the kids to choose from for dinner.

8,  Parents were patient but firm that this was the meal they all agreed upon for dinner.

9.  Parents explained to the kids why the other foods were not good for their bodies and that is why it was not a dinner option, instead it was a once in a while treat.

10.  They all had to sit down as a family for dinner, even if the kids were not going to eat.

What happened? (in case you didn’t see it)  Well, we may have missed out on some of the more difficult moments with film editing, but it was clear that with consistency, patience and keeping it positive and fun,  the kids began to eat healthy foods!

Change takes a little time, even for kids.  But it does happen if you stay the course.  So be patient and keep it positive.  Help kids learn that eating healthy is fun!

Resources:

Kids nutrition games

Parents’ nutrition tools

More tips and tricks on bringing nutrition to the home.

Printable family tips sheets

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.

As part of the “Go Back to School Early” series, chef and mom Domenica Catelli, author of the cookbook “Momalicious,” shared on “The Early Show” a few fun and innovative ways to make brown bag lunches tastier.

I thought this one was very interesting and so wanted to share this lunch idea with you!

Freeze your sandwiches. According to Domencia, you can save time during the week by making sandwiches on Sunday for the next week and freezing them.

You can do this with the following sandwiches:

• turkey and cheese
• roast beef
• chicken
• PB & J
• AB & J (almond butter and jelly)

You can’t freeze lettuce or tomato, so bring these on the side. Keep the sandwiches in a sealable plastic bag or wax paper bag. They will be thawed out by lunch and not in the least bit soggy. Get the kids to help and make an assembly line Sunday night, one can spread mayo, someone else stacks the turkey & cheese, someone to cut and bag. Read her other list of fun lunch tips

Other Back to School healthy lunch ideas from Nourish Interactive:

Printable fun “healthy message” lunch cards

Healthy Kids- Lunch Food Tips Article

Back to school time can signify hectic schedules, homework and lots of eating on-the-go, but it doesn’t mean your family can afford to slack off on their physical fitness or healthy lifestyle. Jango Mango, official mango ambassador for the National Mango Board (and overall health nut), shares his tips to help keep your family in tip-top shape for back-to-school and all year long.

1. A fresh start: A new school year is a landmark that can bring new traditions, resolutions and decisions. All you have to do is make them. Make a list of goals for you and your family to get ahead of the game. Some great ideas include a central chalkboard in the house to track which chore each family member is responsible for, or get a calendar marking down family nights to ensure you get together at least once a week.

2. Stick to the pyramid: Mangos are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and good source of fiber. Energize your children with the healthy diet they need by avoiding junk food and offering nutritious options such as some Mango Oat Breakfast Bars to start your day off right or Sweet and Savory Mango Roll Ups for a fun after-school snack.

3. Meals at the ready: Need to get dinner on the table quick? There are quick and healthier alternatives to takeout that take the same amount of time to prepare. Try this Mango and Bacon Barbecue Pizza for starters which can be prepared in 20 minutes! You can also prepare snacks and meals a few days in advance to relieve some of the pressure. Try serving some baked tortilla chips with a fresh and healthy Cinco de Mango Salsa and storing it in the fridge for when hunger strikes.

4. Find the time to get active: Things can get busy, but try to set aside time each week to get the whole family together for an active day of fun. Play soccer, hold your own family marathon or get the whole family singing and dancing the Mango Fandango.

5. Make Learning Together Fun: Learning doesn’t have to stop when the bell rings. Try quizzing your child about geography and other fun facts in unique way with the Jango Geography online game.

I grew up on many fruits and vegetables.  Mango was one of my favorites.  It is so sweet and a great substitute for candy!