The School Lunch Dilemma – johanna
September 16th, 2009 | Filed under: NUTRITION, THE DISH ON PARENTING

The first day of school our little guy came home crying because he wanted to eat off a tray like the other kids and because the day was too long. The school schedule I cannot change but I pulled him into a big hug and told him we would look at the school lunch schedule together and he could circle the days he would rather eat a school lunch.

Although school lunches have been revamped providing meals that are lower in fat in addition to offering more fresh fruits and vegetables, I still worry about my little guy. With a plate full of, doctored up, mac and cheese fruits and veggies are an after thought. Each morning of the day he decides to brave the cafeteria we discuss the menu and he makes his choices. We talk about the importance of  eating healthy often at the dinner table but it does not hurt to give him a gentle reminder before he is out the door and out of my watchful eyes.

I prefer that he take his lunch however, coming up with portable yet healthy and tasty lunch ideas week after week is a cumbersome task when you also have to think about safety issues and pleasing the patron not to mention his friends. The following are some tips and ideas we have implemented. By all means if you have anything to add or share leave us a comment.

THE EQUIPMENT:
- A thick insulated lunch box. Insulated lunch bags or boxes are the best choice for keeping lunches cold. If you do use paper lunch bags, double bag to create an additional layer of insulation.
- A metal thermos: for drinking or transporting hot soups or cold fruit.
- A freezer pack.
- A few reusable containers to prevent food from leaking and getting smashed, and will help you avoid using disposable items like plastic bags and foil.

THE FOOD:
- Be sure to include fruits and vegetables, protein and whole grains every day.
- Breads: use whole grain breads, pita, bagels, tortillas, flat bread, rolls and crackers.
- Try sandwich spreads such as tuna fish, egg or chicken salad or cream cheese. Mix in finely chopped carrots, bell peppers or celery.
- Make your own lunchable. Pack string cheese, cheese cubes or prepared cheese spread along with bread sticks or crackers.
- Heat frozen waffles and make a sandwich with them, using peanut butter and jelly. Or cut them into bite-sized pieces or sticks and send syrup or yogurt for dipping.
- Take leftover cooked chicken cut into strips. Pack dipping sauce such as salsa, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey mustard, or marinara sauce.
- To vamp up the traditional peanut butter and jelly replace the bread with a tortilla. Add peanut butter honey or  jam, shredded carrots and apples, or sliced banana and raisins. Roll up tight then slice crosswise into pieces.
- Nachos with containers of ground turkey, guacamole, grated cheese and tortilla chips.
- Pastas such as pasta or couscous salads, macaroni and cheese, tortellini with pesto, spaghetti with marinara sauce
- Soups including Chili with corn chips, chicken noodle and vegetable.
- Always pack fresh cut up vegetables. Include a separate container with low-fat dressing or peanut butter for dipping.
- Pack fresh or canned fruit with peanut butter or a low fat fruit dip such as yogurt with whipped cream or cream cheese mixed with jam.
- Look for fruit snacks and fruit leather with 100% fruit juice. Fruit Roll-ups are really candy masquerading as real fruit. Do not overlook dried fruit and yogurt covered raisins.
- Include fat-free milk. Fill a portable drink bottle half-full with milk; freeze overnight. In the morning top it off with cold milk.
- Look for juice that contains 100% percent fruit juice. Brands like Sunny Delight, Hi-C, Fruitopia and Capri Sun contain only 10% juice.
- Limit sweets and chips to special occasions like Monday to help them look forward to school or Friday as a job well done or birthdays and holidays.
- Replace oily chips with baked chips or crackers, healthy breakfast bars, protein bars or granola bars.

SAFETY AND TIPS:
- Prepackaged lunches and snacks are high in fat, sugar, salt and calories, and are much more expensive. Skip on the bagged stuff and use fruits and vegetables to fill them up.
- Ask for their input before loading their lunch box. Kids can be finicky. Foods they liked today they may not like tomorrow.
- Cut sandwiches into interesting shapes with cookie cutters.
- Recycle yogurt containers and fill with Jell-O or pudding mixture (before it sets), veggies or fruit.
- Add some fun by using colored plastic wraps, holiday zip-lock bags and napkins.
- To prevent soggy sandwiches pack the cheese, lettuce and/or tomato separately.
- Heat food thoroughly before pouring into the container. It is best to use a metal container. Heat the inside of the container with boiling water for 5 minutes then discard before adding hot food.
- Use freezer packs, gel pack or frozen juice or water to keep foods cold.
Pack perishables around the freezer pack.
- Leave the cookies at home. A couple of cookies with milk for an afternoon snack once in a while are treats kids look forward to. Give your kid a bag of carrots and a snack pack of oreos and guess which one he will choose? Stick with fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grain bread or crackers instead of chips and sweets.

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The Importance of Vitamin D – johanna
August 9th, 2009 | Filed under: NUTRITION, THE BOOKSHELF

Centuries of ongoing research dating back to the early 1800’s has made it possible for modern day scientists to unveil the vital role vitamin D plays in maintaining adequate health and preventing disease. Vitamin D remained an unknown character until the 1920’s, when scientist McCollum produced a publication noting the effectiveness of cod liver oil against Rickets. McCollum singled out a new nutrient and following the designation of vitamins in alphabetic order, he defined the essential nutrient “Vitamin D”.

What is Vitamin D:
Technically, vitamin D is not a vitamin, but a hormone that the liver and kidneys use to work in concert with other nutrients and hormones the body needs to function. The vitamin D hormone is the receptor that aids in the absorption of calcium which in turn regulates the mineralization of teeth, bones and gives support to the immune system.

When the body needs calcium, the parathyroid gland sends the parathyroid hormone to the kidneys to trigger production of the vitamin D hormone. The vitamin D hormone, in turn, prompts the intestines to transfer calcium from food to the blood. If calcium is not properly absorbed through the intestine, both the vitamin D hormone and the parathyroid hormone extricate the stored calcium from the bones. Without vitamin D, only about 10-15 percent of dietary calcium and about 60 percent of phosphorus is absorbed by the body.

Recent research has revealed promising discoveries suggesting vitamin D plays a larger role than maintaining the body’s calcium levels. Vitamin D has been linked to increased immune responses against infections both bacterial and viral. The use of increased levels of vitamin D (4000 IU) has proved beneficial in the treatments of tuberculosis, lung infections, periodontal disease, influenza, psoriasis, MS, Autism, diabetes and even some forms of cancer.

Where Does Our Body Get Vitamin D:
Not only is proper absorption of the vitamin essential in childhood, it is just as crucial in adulthood to stave off osteomalacia and osteoporosis in addition to protecting against both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Bones continue to harden until the age of 13 for girls and 17 for boys. After that bones will either maintain or loose their density.

We attain vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, diet and supplements. Vitamin D is naturally produced by the body when exposed to direct sunlight. However, with modern indoor lifestyles in addition to sun safety alerts to cover up and wear sunscreen while outdoors physicians feel we are not getting enough sunlight to produce the amount of vitamin D the body needs. Sensible sun exposure is required to satisfy the body’s vitamin D requirement.

Diet and exercise help contribute to strong bones. As children age, give them a diet laden with fresh fruits and vegetables and fat free dairy products. Vitamin D is also contained in fortified breakfast cereal and orange Juice and can be found in animal proteins such as fish, eggs and milk. Experts agree that children and adults needs 40 minutes of daily exercise to help to build strong bones and prevent problems later.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that all children, newborns to teens, get 400 IU every day. That is the equivalent of drinking four 8-ounce glasses of fortified milk, spending 20 minutes playing in the sun or taking a multi-vitamin. If your Pediatrician suspects a vitamin deficiency it is likely they will have you child tested and start him/her on liquid drops for babies and chewables or capsules for older children.

Bear in mind, moderation is the key. Research has come a long way but there is still so much more to discover. Therefore, be prudent when out in the sun, exercise and eat right.

Sources and Extra Reading:
Science Daily- Not Enough Vitamin D

Medicine Net- Are You Getting Enough

Vitamin Council: John Jacob Cannell MD Biography

Vitamin Council: Vitamin D and Autism

National MS Society: Vitamin D May Lower Risk, Link Between Vitamin D and Susceptibility Gene

ABC News: MS Research Highlights Role of Vitamin D

LA Times: Rickets on the Rise

Unraveling the Enigma of Vitamin D

Oakland Children’s Hospital: Vitamin D and Brain Function

Dr. McCleary: D Brain Boss

California Breast Cancer Research: Vitamin D Receptor Gene and Breast Cancer

Future Research: Optimal Vitamin D Levels

Harvard Cancer Center: Understanding environmental and genetic factors in GI malignancies

Oxford Journals: Is vitamin D indispensable for Ca2+ homeostasis

Technorati Tags: calcium absorption, cancer, harvard cancer center, MS, oxford journals, the importance of vitamin D, vitamin d and rickets, Vitamin D breast cancer

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Three Steps to Eating Healthy – johanna
June 14th, 2009 | Filed under: NUTRITION

Teaching our children to have healthy nutrition habits starts when they are young. More importantly it begins with us, their parents. We can teach our children to eat correctly by offering them healthy options regardless of our own food preferences.

Joan Lunden and Pediatrician Myron Winick co-authored the book “Growing Up Healthy: A Complete Guide to Childhood Nutrition, Birth Through Adolescence.” They discuss the importance of proper nutrition as early as in the womb. Healthy food choices are crucial during the first years of life as cells form and grow so rapidly. Moreover, Lunden and Winick maintain that an adolescent diet rich in fats and sugars is the pre-cursor to adulthood aliments such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. As parents we are entitled to teach our children to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats.

There are three steps to creating healthy meals. Getting some children to eat them can certainly be a challenge however, it is a most viable one.

1. Eat the colors of the rainbow. Fresh raw fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals your body needs to run. When our children fill up on high fat sugary treats and snacks they do not have room for the foods their bodies need to stay fueled and healthy. The body also feels sluggish and bloated. It is recommended that we should eat six servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Sounds like a lot, but when you think about it a serving looks like this:

1/2 cup of fruit
1 medium piece of fruit
1/4 cup of dried fruit
3/4 cup of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
1 cup of leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of cooked or raw vegetables

Substitute an apple for crackers. If they are still hungry at night fulfill their crunch attack by munching on some veggie sticks. It is easier to eat what is available and within reach. So keep the fridge and counter top stocked with fresh fruits and veggies.

2. Make Farmer’s Market meals. Create meals from an array of fresh produce and lean meats or legumes. Consider the paper plate model as a guide. Fold a paper plate in half. The bottom portion is for vegetables. Next divide the top portion of the plate in half. One corner is for protein (3 ounces constitutes a portion of protein) and the other corner is for starches such as rice, pasta, starchy vegetables or bread.

3. Limit baked goods and prepackaged foods. Prepackaged foods and take out are convenient especially after a long day of work and running around. However, for everyday nutrition they lack the required nutrients to stay fit and healthy. The flour and sugars commonly found in restaurant cuisine and boxed snacks is loaded with extra unnecessary calories and fat. When buying bread and crackers choose whole grain over the enriched white flour versions. To make sure you are getting the real deal be sure to read the label. Many whole wheat products claim to be such but a quick glance at the ingredients lists reveals otherwise. Try offering a serving of wholegrain cereal or muffins with a protein such as low-fat cheese or yogurt. The protein helps to fill hungry tummies longer. Avoid eating out of the box. It is to easy to consume 2-3 servings without ever knowing.

It is equally important to stress exercise, portions, eating out of stress, boredom or fatigue and the need to fill up on water before taking seconds. Learning to manage healthy eating habits now will put us and our kids on the right path for a healthy vibrant life.

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EAT THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW – johanna
April 24th, 2008 | Filed under: NUTRITION

EAT 5 A DAY!

Eating a serving of vegetables or fruit from each color group is one way to get the nutrients and fiber your body craves. You can buy them frozen, canned, fresh, or dried.

RED: red apples, red grapes, raspberries, cherries, watermelon, cranberries, strawberries, pomegranates, pink or red grapefruit, rhubard, radishes, tomatoes, red peppers, radicchio, beets and red onions.

ORANGE and YELLOW: Carrots, pumpkin, yellow and orange peppers, corn, yellow tomatoes, squash, and sweet potatoes, peaches, nectarines, cumquats, starfruit, apples, apricots, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, mangoes, pineapple and lemons.

GREEN: Dark leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, red tip lettuce, green leaf lettuce, swiss chard, kale, bok choy, spinach, and arugula. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, snap peas, edamame, zucchini, green onions, celery, asparagus, artichokes, parsnips, leeks, cucumber, collard greens, okra, green apples, limes, green grapes, kiwi fruit, honeydew melon, pears and avocado.

BLUE AND PURPLE: eggplant, purple cabbage, olives, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, plums, purple grapes, boysenberries, dates, figs.

WHITE: bananas, white nectarines, white peaches, jicama, palm, garlic, cauliflower, mushrooms, shallots, onions, white corn, water chestnuts and potatoes.

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