Category: healthy eating

Making Classroom Parties Healthy…and Fun!

fun and healthy treats

For lots of school age kids, the holiday season means school parties, pageants and plays. These can be a lot of fun, of course, but they can also mean an abundance of sweets and high fat foods.

Sure, we all love to have a treat now and then, but a recent LiveWell Colorado survey found that Colorado moms estimated their young kids can eat up to 2-3 sugary snacks per week (cupcakes, cookies, cereal treats) in the classroom.

That’s more than a “treat” – that’s a regular part of the diet!

Most of us enjoy an indulgence once in a while. In fact cupcakes and other desserts and snacks can be part of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation. Making sure that moderation (and not domination!) is in place, however, can be tricky, particularly when it comes to treats outside of the home.

So what is a family to do? How can we help our kids stick to a healthy eating routine while having fun at the same time? How can you be “that parent” who monitors nutrition at school but who isn’t at the same time annoying, embarrassing or pushy?

….Check out the rest of this article over at LiveWell Colorado – including 5 easy tips for hosting healthy school parties.

Get The (Veggie) Party Started!

PFK Twitter Party

Do you have picky eaters in your family?

Could you use some creative, yummy ways to get more fruits and veggies in your diet?

Then join us tonight on Twitter!

Join Produce for Kids, and the Parents on Produce (including me!) tonight as we get this (veggie) party started – and talk about all things produce and healthy eating! See you tonight!

Produce for Kids offers hundreds of healthy snack and meal ideas like this one!

Produce for Kids offers hundreds of healthy snack and meal ideas like this one!

About Produce for Kids®
Produce for Kids® is a philanthropically based organization that brings the produce industry together to educate consumers about healthy eating with fresh produce and raises funds for local children’s non-profit organizations. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for Kids has raised more than $4.6 million to benefit kids. To learn more about Produce for Kids and healthy eating, visit www.produceforkids.com, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.

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Making Healthy Changes That Last

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Last week I had the opportunity to speak with Sam Lomeli of TipsOfTheScale.  TipsoftheScale is a podcast celebrating weight loss success stories from around the world and discussing the challenges faced on individual’s weight loss journeys.  In his podcasts, Sam Lomeli also interviews health experts who share their favorite tips, discuss common weight loss myths, and share their knowledge and expertise to help listeners make healthier choices.

Thanks so much to Sam and TipsofTheScale for hosting me – and for your great questions.

To listen to the interview – in which I talk about the importance of getting support from family and friends, what you’re already doing to make lasting change and share my thoughts about weight-loss surgery – click on the graphic below.

Click this image to listen to TipsofTheScale interview with Sam Lomeli

Click this image to listen to TipsofTheScale interview with Sam Lomeli

Is Exercise Stressing You Out?

Hiking anyone?

Hiking anyone?

Do you ever find yourself confused about exercise?  I do.

There’s so much conflicting information out there, it’s hard to know what to do.  So many of us do nothing.  And our inactivity is making us sick.

I recently went to a conference for fitness and healthcare people, and the news is bad: we are getting bigger and less active.  Our unhealthy lifestyles are leading to all sorts of chronic diseases and conditions.  And it’s just getting worse as the years go on.

As I sat there listening to the dire news in one ear, in the other I heard fitness professionals debate the different forms, modes and means of exercise:

  • strength vs. endurance
  • yoga vs. crossfit
  • running vs. walking

By the end of the two day conference I felt overwhelmed and ready for a Snicker’s. Then it hit me.  Lots of people feel like this too: caught between experts feuding about gluten and the exact number of minutes of exercise we need for optimal performance. And what do we do while these feuds are going on? Watch TV and eat Doritos. Just digging ourselves deeper into the hole of our unhealthy lifestyles.

So what can we do?

Stop listening.

No, I’m not saying that fitness, health and medical professionals (including psychologists) don’t have lots of good things to offer.  But when the constant stream of advice and directives becomes paralyzing, perhaps it’s time to turn it off and actually get active. Most of us can find something we enjoy doing: walking, bike riding, dancing, gardening – maybe your “thing” isn’t the newest craze or the hottest trend but it sure beats sitting on the couch.

 

 

Outsmarting Hunger, Men’s Health Style

One of the funnest things about my job is that I get to talk to the media.  This week has been a particularly interesting week in regards to interviews.  I shared this “buyer beware” story that came out a couple days ago.  Today I’m sharing another.

First let me give you a little background:

When I am contacted by a reporter, they usually say something like: “Hi Dr. Smith, I am doing a story on _______ and I have a couple of questions for you.  Do you have time to answer?”  To which I usually say: “Sure!”

After the interview is completed (sometimes on the phone, sometimes in person, sometimes via email) the reporter gives me an idea of when the story will come out – to which I say: “Great! Can’t wait to hear/read/watch it!”

Then comes the tricky part…waiting and hoping my quotes come out OK and that I don’t sound like:

  • I have no idea what I’m talking about
  • an arrogant jerk
  • a psychobabbling psychologist who isn’t helping anyone do anything other than role their eyes

OK…on to the story at hand.

I spoke to a reporter for Men’s Health Magazine a couple of months ago.  His questions were about late-night hunger and overall healthy eating.  He had lots of questions and I (of course) had lots of answers.  Well, my answers got boiled down to the following blurb:

Outsmart Hunger: Men's Health Magazine August 2013

Outsmart Hunger: Men’s Health Magazine August 2013

 

Not a bad tip – who doesn’t like frozen treats?  Sure, I would’ve liked for a few more of my very wise words to be included in the article – but that’s the fun of it!  You never know what will end up in print for all the world to read!

In case you were wondering, I couldn’t find an electronic version of this story – but here’s the cover story on Joe Manganiello from the August 2013 issue.

 

 

Childhood Obesity: Simple Steps for the New School Year

I read this article about childhood obesity over on Yahoo! today and it made me so sad. Of course we have all seen and heard the statistics about our kids getting bigger and less healthy, but for some reason this article really got me thinking. So many of us struggle to make changes in our lives because the changes we need to make seem so big, overwhelming, and frankly,  un-doable.  I think this deer-in-the-headlights phenomenon happens to families when we hear about all the things we should be doing for and with our kids each day: 60 minutes of active outdoor time, 3 home-cooked meals, 30 minutes of reading, plenty of time for free play and spontaneous conversation. Ugh. It’s overwhelming and just not possible for most of us (at least not everyday!).

So after looking at Yahoo!’s article and thinking about the reasons they note for childhood obesity, I am offering some tips for the new school year.  I hope you can find at least one tip to incorporate into your family’s school year routine.

Quit trying to reinvent the wheel.  There are lots of blogs out there that specialize in menus, meal plans and recipes that are simple, cheap, healthy and most importantly: hold their own when it comes to picky eaters.  Some of my favorite sites? Produce for Kids (full disclosure: I am on their advisory board) and Six Sisters Stuff.  Gourmet chefs these folks are not, but who really wants to eat gourmet every night anyway?

Water, water everywhere. We get it: soda pop and juice are pretty bad for us. Try switching just ONE beverage each day to water and go from there.  To make the transition easier, you may want to invest in a cool water bottle, some twisty straws, or my favorites – Red Solo cups!

Forget exercise, let’s just get active. I have tried to stop using the word “exercise” because there are all of about 14 people who actually want to do. “Activity” on the other hand, sounds like a lot more fun and elicits many fewer moans and groans when mentioned.  Activity also includes tons of interesting things that most of us want to do anyway: play badminton, plant flowers, go canoeing, ride bikes to the library and walk around the mall.  This school year, try encouraging (and demonstrating) activity to your kids by planning outings as a family or trying new activities after school.

If nothing else, eat together. We can blame our lack of family dinners on our busy schedules sometimes, but let’s face it: sometimes it’s just lack of motivation, preparation and organization that keeps us from sharing meals together. We know that eating dinner together more often than not helps in all sorts of ways (helps us all eat healthier foods, keeps kids away from drugs, encourages conversation and discourages family stress – check out this article on how and why family dinners are important).  In fact, participating in family dinners seems to be about the most important thing we can do to encourage health in our children.

Want more information and tips?

The Importance of Family Dinners

Making the Most of Dinnertime

 

 

Book Review: Please Don’t Label My Child

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I picked up this book, Please Don’t Label My Child, a couple of weeks ago at my local library. It was an impulse buy of sorts. I’m prone to those – particularly at the library.  And boy am I glad I am, because this book was fantastic.  It’s really much better than the title implies (it is not a rant against psychiatric diagnoses, labels, and drugs), but a thoughtful, common-sense, easy-to-read essay on kids and what affects them:

  • Poor eating habits/malnutrition
  • Lack of sleep
  • Lack of exercise
  • Stressors in the home
  • Stressors at school/with friends
  • Lack of exposure to sunlight

The author, Dr. Scott Shannon, posits that it is often these factors that negatively affect kids’ ability to concentrate, manage stress, and cope with worry – and NOT an organic psychiatric condition like ADHD, depression, or bipolar disorder.

While I don’t doubt the existence of psychiatric and emotional disorders in kids, I do think we sometimes overlook more basic explanations for maladaptive behavior.  After all, do any of us really function all that great when we are sleep deprived, grieved over the loss of a marriage, struggling with financial insecurity, or lack (for whatever reason) wholesome, nutritious foods?  Of course we don’t. And neither do children, whose systems are even more fragile than ours.

In our super crazy, complex world I appreciate straightforward answers and solutions.  Dr. Shannon’s book gives us just that. While there are many children and families who need more intensive interventions (therapy, medication) perhaps there are many, too, whose struggles can be aided by the relatively simple solutions offered in this book.

I recommend this book whole-heartedly for health practitioners, as well as parents who are concerned about some aspect of their child’s behavior.  It is a great first step in making some relatively small changes that can make a big difference.

Healthy Eating Over Summer Break

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Holy cow! It must be summer, because time is flying by and I am way behind on my blogging! While I wait for the “lazy” part of summer to arrive (rather than the super-harried, running around, getting used to new schedules summer that I’m in now) – here is an article I wrote for Produce for Kids.  I provide some tips for maintaining healthy eating habits while school’s out.  The folks at Produce for Kids provide some yummy, easy, and fresh recipes for summertime. Enjoy!Screen shot 2013-05-30 at 9.32.32 AM

Teaching Kids About Eating Right

Many of you know that one of the hats I wear is an advisory board member for Produce for Kids, an awesome organization dedicated to healthy kids and families.  One of my fellow board members recently wrote some guidelines about teaching even our youngest kids about healthy eating.  As obesity rises among kids (and adults!) this seems like a more important lesson than ever.  But it can be tricky: We don’t want to deprive our kids or set up an unhealthy relationship with food.  But ignoring the issue, or allowing them to indulge in all of their junk food fantasies doesn’t seem right either.  Estella Schnelle of the Weekly Bite provides some great tips for navigating these treacherous waters.

Check out her tips below:

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Party with Produce for Kids

I am so lucky to be involved with Produce for Kids – a wonderful organization that promotes healthy eating for kids and families. If you haven’t seen their site, check it out! There are lots of easy, healthy recipes and other information that is super useful for busy families.

This month they will be holding a Twitter Party on March 14th.  The party will be hosted by blogger, mom and registered dietician Estela Schnelle – author of The Weekly Bite and fellow Parents on Produce Board Member.  The party is sponsored by Earthbound Farm.  Check it out!

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