Archive for the ‘Healthy Eating’ CategoryThe Future Consequences of Childhood ObesityTuesday, January 3rd, 2012A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that heavier children are twice as likely to die prematurely, before the age of 55, than thin children. This conclusion was determined after researchers spent decades tracking and analyzing the specific functions that are directly effected by weight gain such as body mass index, glucose tolerance, blood pressure, and cholesterol in 4,897 non-diabetic American Indian Children. While this analysis provides solid proof of major long-term risks associated with childhood obesity, the big question is whether or not it’s enough to convince parents to take action. A 2007 poll on children’s health taken by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital revealed that a shocking 58% of parents did not cite childhood obesity as a health concern. Considering the various health problems that overweight children often encounter, this statistic has led me to wander: Are parents unaware of the medical classifications that define obesity? What IS Obesity?According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity in children is defined by having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile. To determine where your child’s BMI falls, enter their height and weight into a Body Mass Index Calculator and refer to the provided chart.
What Causes Obesity?The obvious answer to this question would be over-eating, however there are many factors that play a role in the development of obesity: 1. Unhealthy options offered for school lunches The Long-term Effects of Childhood ObesityWhen an adult is carrying around more weight then their body is built to handle, it often causes strain and discomfort. When a child is carrying around excess weight, it not only causes strain and discomfort, but may also be effecting growth and bone formation. Here is a list of the potentially fatal, long term effects of childhood obesity: 1. Unstable cartilage between bones and growth plates leading to the development of Blount’s Disease To learn more about these risks read this article from the Washington Post If childhood obesity continues to be unacknowledged by U.S. parents, fatalities will continue to rise along with the $174 billion in health care dollars spent on the diagnosis of diabetes. You can help fight the epidemic by not only promoting a healthy lifestyle, but also by educating your friends and family on the dangers of childhood obesity. It’s time to take action and pave the way for a healthy America. If you’re concerned about your child’s weight, call us at (512) 733-5437 to schedule an appointment for our nutrition management program. Getting your child on the right track for the new year will give them more energy, focus at school, and life-long good-eating habits. Posted in Healthy Eating | No Comments » The “Clean Plate” Policy – A Thing of The PastTuesday, October 25th, 2011
However in this day and age, the definition of “fun” has dramatically changed. Children no longer have to leave their bedroom for a good time and are spending the years when physical activity is crucial on technological forms of entertainment. Combine that with an extensive amount of available junk food and you end up with a country where childhood obesity is a norm; a country like America. The FactsAccording to Action for Healthy Kids, only 2% of school-age children eat consistently well, resulting in a tripled obesity rate from 1980. This substantial amount is not only shortening our children’s lives, it’s leading many experts to believe that for the first time in U.S history, the current generation of children will live shorter lives than their parents. So what’s to blame for this growing epidemic? Today’s fast-paced yet sedentary lifestyle and a lack of routine physical activity offered for children. The fundamentals of life are learned within the education system yet only 8% of elementary school students have a daily PE program. We’re also seeing less of a parental influence in the home due to a suffering economy forcing many to work long hours. Among these are a few other contributing factors: Nutrition and eating habits: An analysis conducted by the Bogalusa Heart Study discovered contributing changes in children’s eating habits over the last 20 years such as increased incidences of missed breakfast’s, more children eating dinner outside the home, and more snacking. Physical environment: Urban and suburban areas are shown to have less available outdoor space for recreational activities. Neighborhood crime and a lack of street lighting may also inhibit a child’s ability to get physical activity. Genetics: Studies indicate that 50-70% of a child’s over-average body mass index is determined by genetic influences and there is a 75% chance that a child will be overweight if both parents are overweight. Advertising and Marketing: It has been estimated that the average child currently views more than 40,000 commercials each year, and more than 50% of advertisements that are specifically directed at children promote unhealthy foods and high sugar beverages. The RisksChildren who are overweight miss four times as many school days as a child who is an average size. Much like with adults, a child suffering from obesity is at risk for many dangerous and potentially life threatening health conditions:
Is My Child Obese? Carrying a few extra pounds is not considered to be obesity. Growth patterns are different in every child and it’s not uncommon for weight distribution to occur at a slow pace. A good way to determine if your child is at risk is by using a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator. Although a BMI calculator can be misleading in some situations, it will provide you with a rough estimate of where your child’s weight is in comparison to the average weight of his or her age group. Underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile Normal weight: BMI at the 5th and less than the 85th percentile Overweight: BMI at the 85th and below the 95th percentiles Obese: BMI at or above the 95th percentile The most accurate way to determine your child’s risk factor is to schedule an appointment with your pediatrician who can properly asses eating and activity habits and screen for any contributing medical conditions. After finding the source, you can then begin the process of helping your child live a long healthy life. What Can I Do?Leading by example is one of the best forms of preventing childhood obesity. A parents influence plays a huge role in the developed eating habits of a child, and proper nutritional education may greatly improve your families quality of life. Here are some other helpful tips:
Remember, the behavior of parents reflect that of their child’s. Making these simple changes will not only improve your child’s life, it’ll improve your life too.
Posted in Healthy Eating | 2 Comments » Healthy Make-Ahead School Lunch IdeasTuesday, September 27th, 2011
When you’re serving small numbers, you can afford better ingredients, and you can take more time in the preparation. A meal for a large number of people would almost inevitably lean heavy on carbohydrates, with lots of high-fat and high-salt extras to add flavor. Our public schools face this issue on a much larger scale every day, which is why, try as they might, it is virtually impossible for schools to provide meals that are as healthy as parents can provide for their own children. The healthiest lunch at school is the one that a child brings from home.
…but I’m too busy to make lunch every morningFamilies today are busier than ever before, which means that parents have some tough decisions to make about where to invest their time. Providing children with a healthy lunch is a wise investment. Nutrition powers children’s learning. A healthy lunch will empower your child to make it through the school day alert and ready to learn. Overloading on carbs, fat, salt, and sugar by eating a lunch provided by the school can result in a spike of blood sugar, closely followed by sleepiness. If you’re too busy to make lunch every morning, consider spending half an hour every Sunday preparing lunches for the coming week. Don’t limit yourself to peanut butter and jelly – try these alternatives to make lunch interesting. Be sure to press as much air as possible out of the plastic bags before zipping, to keep the food fresh. Veggies and DipCut up a couple stalks of celery, a head of broccoli and a head of cauliflower. Thoroughly moisten and then wring out a handful of paper towels. Put the paper towels in a sealable plastic container, add the broccoli and cauliflower, then put more damp paper towels on top. The cold, damp towels will help keep the vegetables crispy. Every day, put some of these veggies in a bag along with pre-peeled baby carrots, sugar snap peas, and cherry tomatoes – whatever vegetables your child will eat. Serve with a small side dish of low fat salad dressing, peanut butter, or hummus. If you’re really rushed, you can buy a vegetable and dip tray from the supermarket and divide it into five days worth of meals. PinwheelsSpread a thin layer of low fat Laughing Cow cheese on a whole wheat tortilla. Top with turkey or chicken breast. Roll as tightly as possible, holding in place with toothpicks. Refrigerate until firm, then slice into bite-sized pinwheels. Use flavored cheese for variety. Serve with a piece of fruit. Flat SandwichesPlace a piece of low fat meat and cheese between two pieces of whole wheat flat bread. Put in a plastic bag. In a separate zipper bag, put a piece of Romaine lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a damp segment of paper towel. (The paper towel will keep the lettuce fresh all week.) Because the bread is so thin, the meat, cheese, and vegetables provide plenty of moisture, making mayonnaise unnecessary. Pasta SaladBoil whole wheat pasta according to package directions. Add in chunks of vegetables and thawed, frozen peas. Try to use as many vegetables as pasta. You can also add a small amount of meat and cheese. Toss with Italian salad dressing. Hard-Boiled EggsBoil half a dozen eggs, then cool. Peel and put into a plastic bag with a little salt and pepper. Seal the bag well with as little air as possible. Be sure to send some fruit or vegetables with this. Making a healthy lunch for your child to take to school doesn’t have to be complicated. Yes, it takes a little time, but by planning ahead, you can do it… and your child can help! By the way, these are healthy lunch options for adults, too. Posted in Healthy Eating | No Comments » Austin Area Chefs Want to Help Improve School LunchesSunday, February 27th, 2011
School lunches must be made healthier. The Let’s Move! campaign has invited chefs around the country to work with their local schools to come up with delicious, healthful ways to feed their children, and ways to get children excited about eating better. The Chefs Move to Schools initiative provides sign-up forms for interested schools and interested chefs. Within a week after signing up, chefs receive an email with information on how to connect with aschool in their area. Central Texas Chefs Want to Help Bring Healthy Meals to SchoolsIn this graphic, pulled from the Chefs Move to Schools page [link: (same as above)], the pencil icon indicates the schools that have signed up, asking for a chef’s help. The fork/knife icon indicates a chef who has signed up for the initiative. As you can see, Central Texas chefs are eager to do their part to help area children eat healthier. Participating chefs work with their local school to develop a plan to improve kids’eating habits. Chefs might invite local farmers to talk to children about local produce. They might provide healthy snacks at school functions, to replace the customary high-sugar, high-fat fare. They might teach hands-on cooking classes with an emphasis on whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. They might help the kids plant and tend a school garden. Each school and chef can work together to develop a plan that works for them. The important thing is that children learn that eating healthy doesn’t have to be a punishment. Healthy food can taste delicious. What Parents Can (and Should) Do to Improve School LunchesAccording to the map above, the Austin chef community knows about the Chefs Move to Schools initiative, but only a handful of schools are seeking the help of a local chef. Ask your school principal if they’re aware of the program. Or better yet, forward this article to him or her. One out of three American children is overweight or obese. Together, we can change that statistic. Chefs Move to School could be an important step in improving our children’s health. Posted in Health Alerts, Healthy Eating | 1 Comment » USDA Proposes Significant Changes to School Lunch ProgramTuesday, January 25th, 2011On January 13, the USDA proposed significant changes to the school lunch program for the first time in over 15 years, as part of the nation’s fight against childhood obesity. Lawmakers hope this will have a significant impact, since a great number of children rely on lunch at school for almost half of their daily nutrition intake. Parents can learn a lot from the proposed changes when it comes to fighting childhood obesity at home. This image shows an example of how a week of school lunches would look before and after the proposed changes take effect in 2012: School Lunch Comparison. Click here for the PDF version of the new School Lunch Program proposed changes. The full proposed rule for the school lunch changes can be seen by clicking here. More Fruits and Vegetables In Tuesday’s “before” example, children ate one-quarter cup of canned pears and one-quarter cup of Think about this when you’re preparing dinner. Your entrée does not need to fill up the plate. Consider An easy way to provide more vegetables at dinner is to make a practice of serving a salad with every The standards require schools to rely more on dark green and orange vegetables and less on starchy Go Whole GrainEvery child seems to get excited when it’s pizza day at the school cafeteria, and the developers of the Go whole grain at your house. Your children may require a brief period of adjustment if you switch to Cut Down on Salt and FatThe most effective way to cut down on sodium is to avoid serving your kids processed foods. The USDA’s To cut down on fat, choose lean meats and low fat milk, cheese, and other dairy products. The old Teach Your Kids to Prefer Healthy FoodWhen you put a concentrated effort into getting your children accustomed to healthy foods, they will Posted in Healthy Eating | 1 Comment » Back Pain? Pilates HelpsThursday, January 6th, 2011
I have a bad back from a congenital defect. I know it and I am very conscientious about keeping up with maintenance of this part of the body. I started doing Pilates two years ago; it takes just a couple of hours at week to remind my muscles what a good posture should be, while keeping strength in the whole core. These days a lot of exercise places offer Pilates classes, including our Brushy Creek Community Center. The classes run almost everyday of the week and they are free for members. The center offers lots of other classes for all ages, including Yoga, Aerobics, Racquetball training and general fitness training for kids and adults. They have a Basketball and a Volleyball League, Flag Football and Teen Fitness Boot Camp. Do you have small children? No problem, they offer a Child Care area for kids from 6 months to 7 years of age, for up to 2 hours. Living in this area makes it very difficult to come up with a good excuse not to exercise. To contact the center, call 512-255-7871. Carol Ratcliffe is one of the Pilates instructors at the Brushy Creek Community Center. A Physical Therapist herself, Carol knows how to help her students adapt the level of exercise to their particular needs. She explains her experience here.
I enjoy teaching the “Contemporary/Modern Pilates” which breaks his method down into various parts and the order of the exercises changes from lesson to lesson with variations made to his original exercises. This variety is important for your muscles as well as keeping you mentally in the routine! Pilates is great for anyone trying to maintain a strong and healthy back, strengthen joints without stress on your joints, lengthens muscles to make a longer, leaner physique, or reshape your body post-pregnancy. Come and check it out at the Brushy Creek Community Center! Posted in Healthy Eating | No Comments » A Pediatrician’s Gift Giving GuideSaturday, December 18th, 2010
Here are a few gifts that your kids will enjoy. The idea is to simply get kids moving, not necessarily to get them exercising. By buying gifts that encourage movement and imagination, you are teaching your children to value those things, and you’re teaching them to entertain themselves. Gift Ideas for Young ChildrenPuppet Theater – You can buy an elaborate puppet theater with lots of characters, or you can make something simple and inexpensive by decorating a cardboard box and affixing eyes and hair to colored socks. For older kids, finger puppets can help them develop fine motor skills. Children will love using their imagination to create stories. They’ll love it even more if you play with them, or ask the whole family to gather around for a performance. Play Spaces – A play kitchen with little plastic pots and pans, a tool bench with hammers and interesting nooks and crannies… These toys recreate the real world in miniature, so children can act out the roles that they see adults playing in real life. Costumes – Young children love playing dress-up, and you can encourage this by finding an interesting assortment of clothes for them to wear. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on store-bought costumes. You can find colorful options at your local thrift store and let your child’s imagination turn the used clothes into whatever they want to be. Other Gifts that Will Tempt Young Children Away from the Computer and TV: • Toy Cars with Racetrack Gift Ideas for Older ChildrenGuitars or Other Musical Instruments – If your son or daughter has a thousand songs loaded onto her iPod, then a guitar might bring a special sparkle to Christmas morning. Be sure to encourage your child by remaining noncritical and supportive during those early days of trial and error. Every world-famous musician started somewhere. In fact, Digital Camera – With no film to buy or process, digital cameras are surprisingly affordable long-term gifts. Give your child an inspirational book on photography with tips and tricks, and encourage him or her to test new techniques. Hobby Kits – There are kits that appeal to children with all sorts of different interests, from beading jewelry to building birdhouses to knotting rugs. Your child could even build a functioning robot! Radio-controlled car or airplane – Kids who feel a need for speed will light up at the idea of going outside to play when they have a radio-controlled car or airplane to control. If a friend’s parents get the same gift for their son or daughter, then the kids can have races. Other Gifts that Will Tempt Older Children Away from the Computer and TV: You’ll notice that the gifts for young children encourage play. In their own way, the gifts for older children do the same thing. For older kids, as for adults, hobbies are how we play, and each of the gift ideas encourages your child to develop a new hobby. It’s important to try to find a hobby that will appeal to your child, so that the gift feels like a toy and not like a chore. Happy holidays! Posted in Healthy Eating | 1 Comment » Waist Circumference Related to MortalitySaturday, November 20th, 2010
The risk of dying was double for men with a waist circumference of more than 110 cm (43.3 inches), when compared to those with a waist circumference less than 90 cm (35.4 inches). For women, those with a waist circumference over 120 cm (47.2 inches) also doubled the chance of dying, when compared to women with a waist circumference of less than 90 cm (35.4 inches). Find out if your waistline is a healthy size by following these guidelines for measuring. Time to get out the bike and start pedaling away the pounds while the weather is still mild and before the holidays contribute to an expanding waistline! Posted in Healthy Eating | No Comments » Children Are Not Hummingbirds: Stop Giving Them Sugary DrinksMonday, November 8th, 2010
Many of overweight kids drink more calories in a day than a child that age should eat. So even when their parents feed them nutritious meals in sensible portions, these children keep gaining weight. The calories going into a child’s body should be used as energy to power her through the day and as energy to help the body grow toward adulthood. Sugary drinks provide more calories than a child’s body can use. The excess makes the child go on a “sugar high,” and the remainder is stored in fat. A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains approximately 40 grams of sugar. If one were to fill a glass with soda and a second glass to the same level with water, he would add not one, not two … but ten teaspoons of sugar to the water. There are ten teaspoons of sugar in every 12 ounces of sodaThe only creatures who need that much sugar are hummingbirds. It’s no wonder that children who eat too much sugar suffer from behavioral problems. Their little bodies are trying to flutter away all that excess energy, the way hummingbirds do. Fruit juice has too much sugar, tooSoda is not the only culprit. Fruit juice should be drunk in moderation, as well. Even 100% juice with “no sugar added” has more sugar in one glass than a child should consume. The difference is only the type of sugar – natural versus high fructose corn syrup – but both sugars are full of calories. Parents should read the label before purchasing a bottle of fruit juice. The number of grams of sugar is almost as high as regular soda, and the number of calories may be even higher. Fruit juice does provide some vitamins, but even so, a child should not drink fruit juice all day. One small glass per day is plenty. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 4-6 ounces of fruit juice for children aged 1-6, and no juice at all for infants under the age of 6 months. Even better, kids aged 1 and up could skip the juice and eat a piece of fruit, which helps them get the fiber and other nutrients their bodies need, in addition to the same vitamins they would have received from the juice. Posted in Healthy Eating | 1 Comment » Childhood Obesity Could Create Lifelong Joint PainFriday, October 29th, 2010
To put it plainly, extra weight can make the bones grow improperly. That can create joint problems, and those joint problems could haunt the child through the rest of his life. As people age, everyone experiences aches and pains. No parents wants her child to endure an adulthood of crippling pain. At the extreme, too much weight is believed to cause Blount’s Disease in young children. In a toddler afflicted with Blount’s, the leg bows inward, and the shin develops wrong. This gets progressively worse and can have lifelong ramifications. The child may need to wear braces or even have surgery to correct the problem. But how much better it would be if the problem never occurred because the child maintained a healthy weight. Blount’s Disease, arthritis and cartilage deterioration, are serious, painful problems. And one of the worst things about the pain is that it makes children even less willing to be active. Which makes it likely that the child will grow even more overweight. Parents must take control of their children’s weight immediately. The sooner, the better – but it’s never too late. The short-sighted way of approaching mealtime and snacks is to give into a child’s pleas for junk food and too much of it. Parents want to make their children happy, and too often this leads to allowing the child to set the menu. Sometimes parents give in because it’s easier than saying no. But parents need to take a longer view that children are, by their very nature, incapable of seeing. Children believe they’re invincible. Young children think 25 is old. They do not understand the concept of the pain they might face in their 30s, 40s, and beyond because of the choices they make today. It’s up to parents to make those tough decisions for their children, and to say “no” when “no” is what should be said. Posted in Health Alerts, Healthy Eating | 1 Comment » |