529 I Street
Eureka, CA 95501
TEL: (707) 441-5081
FAX: (707) 268-0415
jhouston@co.humboldt.ca.us
Decorate Your Dinner,
Add A Vegetable
September 12, 2007 - Providing Healthy Food Choices on Campus
Parents are the most powerful models for helping children develop healthy eating habits. That important role doesn’t stop when a child becomes a teenager. Teens begin making choices for themselves and look around for examples of how to nourish themselves.
Anyone who has experienced adolescence knows that at some time (especially in the early stages), a button is pushed that creates an "eating machine". That doesn't mean they always eat well . . . it means they eat a lot of whatever food is most available to them! That’s when parents and other adults can play an important role...they can lead the way to healthier food options.
Teenagers need a lot of food for growth and physical activity...the more active they are, the more food they need. Believe it or not, teens can sometimes 'afford' to take in 500 to 1800 calories of nutritionally questionable food in a day, and still get the nutrients they need. That is
only true IF MOST OF THE FOOD THEY EAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY IS REASONABLY WELL-BALANCED. That means that most of their foods give them a plentiful supply of protein, vitamins and minerals. For teenagers, the nutrients most commonly lacking are iron, calcium, magnesium and vitamin B6, and these aren’t nutrients that are easily found in fast foods or vending machine products.
The primary factors influencing what foods teens select when away from home are price, taste, convenience, and access (not necessarily in that order). You can be sure that the fast food and soda industries carefully watch and develop these elements in each of their products. And they are very successful in their marketing, in part because of the billions of dollars they put into "creating a need" for a product and marketing it so that it maintains high visibility. (If you’re looking for an eye-opening read, take a look at
Appetite for Profit by Michele Simon.)
Schools need to encourage healthy eating by making nutritious foods and beverages available for both meals and snacks. Our challenges as parents, educators, and educational establishments are to make attractive alternatives to commercial fast foods and beverages inexpensive and readily available on campus, as well as to motivate students so they make healthy choices when they visit fast food establishments.
It is the job of schools to educate our children about making good choices, and part of that task includes modeling behaviors that we want our children to emulate. Healthy food and beverage choices on campus reinforce their education. The biggest challenge is accomplishing that without the "mega-bucks" of the food or beverage industry. It’s important that don’t inadvertently accept money from industries that will eventually sell student health "down the river"! Students will continue to buy these products, but if they have to walk somewhere to get them off-campus, at least they will be getting some exercise at the same time.
For more than a decade, California Project LEAN has worked with high schools throughout the state to increase the availability and accessibility of healthy food choices as well as increased options for physical activity on campuses. Now, all schools should have adopted their district-wide Wellness Policies to make healthy food, beverages, and physical activity available and accessible, and parents need to be active partners in their District’s Wellness Committees. Do you know what foods and/or beverages are available to your children (or grandchildren) at their schools? Check it out!
Here’s a tasty recipe that is great for a quick breakfast or snack, and teens will enjoy making as well as eating them!
Oat Scones
(adapted from The Eating Well Cookbook)
2 Tbsp. butter
1-1/4 cup rolled oats
½ c. all-purpose white flour
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
¼ c. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ c. raisins or currants*
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ c. nonfat plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. canola oil
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until it begins to turn light brown, about 2 minutes. Do not burn. Skim foam and carefully pour the butter into a small bowl. (Browning the small amount of butter helps to give these scones a buttery flavor without using a lot of saturated fat!)
- In a large bowl, mix oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in raisins (or other fruit) and make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- Combine browned butter, egg, yogurt and oil and add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead several times to form a ball. Pat the ball down into an 8-inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.
- Place the wedges on a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with vegetable oil cooking spray, and bake for about 12 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm.
*Vary this recipe by trying a variety of fruit substitutes, such as dried cranberries, chopped apples, apricots, pears, berries, or your favorite combination - experiment!
Makes 8 scones, with 251 calories per scone; 8 g. fat; 34 mg. chol., 449 mg. sodium, 4 g. fiber, 41 g. carb., 6.6 g. protein.
September 19, 2007 - Be a Part of the Nutrition and Fitness Solution
Humboldt County has two serious, growing problems that are having a bad effect on the health of our children. The problems are excessive weight and hunger. Many people wonder why these two problems are associated. They seem to be complete opposites, but in fact many families don’t
believe they can afford healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and therefore feed their families on the cheapest, most filling food that they are familiar with. This is frequently fast foods, or foods that have a lot of fat, sugar, salt, and refined grains. So stomachs get filled, but don’t get the necessary nutrition for long-term health. And because these foods are frequently high in sugars and simple carbohydrates, they don’t satisfy an appetite for very long.
Many of these same families also have challenges in finding places where they and their children can be safe and physically active.
It doesn’t have to be expensive to eat healthy foods! Fresh fruits and vegetables are more reasonably priced when they are in season, and frozen and canned produce are available year-round (they’re just as nutritious and very convenient)! There are also many possibilities for inexpensive physical activity, and we’ll talk about that another time.
Childhood overweight, inability to purchase healthy foods and physical inactivity are problems for the whole community to solve, and they can frequently be worked on from many different levels. In fact, it is when a community works on a variety of issues from different angles that small or big challenges can be conquered. It truly does take a village! Following are some recommendations for how community members can help reverse our current problems. Take a look and see how you can be a part of the solution.
For parents and guardians:
- Select and prepare healthy foods for your children, and eat at least one meal each day together as a family.
- Advocate for safe places for children to get active play, at school or in your neighborhood.
- Join with your children for at least one hour of physical activity every day.
- Work with your child’s school to promote healthy changes and healthy environments, and/or become active in the school wellness committee to advocate for health.
- Talk with your children about the benefits of fruits and vegetables and physical activity.
- Order healthy food options at fast food and other restaurants.
- Enroll your children in school food programs (breakfast, lunch, after-school snacks and summer foods).
- Promote and support school gardens and Walk to School Programs.
- If eligible, enroll in USDA Nutrition Assistance Programs.
The greater the variety and number of fruits and vegetables regularly eaten by you and your family, the healthier you and your family can be. In fact, increasing fruits and vegetables in family meals is one way you can help your family members have normal weights. Try the following "kid-tested" recipe to add more interest to your family meal.
Baked Potato with Cheesy Vegetables
(adapted from www.kidsacookin.ksu.edu)
2 cups chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrots
2 Tbsp. light margarine
2 Tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour
11/2 c. nonfat or 1% low fat milk
1 c. reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
8 potatoes, baked
- Cook broccoli, onion and carrots in a small amount of water until tender. Drain and set aside. (If using frozen chopped broccoli, add it to the carrots and onions once they are cooked.)
- In a saucepan, melt margarine and stir in flour. While stirring, slowly add milk and continue cooking until sauce thickens.
- Add shredded cheese and stir until melted. Add vegetables and heat through.
- Serve over hot baked potatoes.
Makes 8 servings with 313 calories per serving, 4 g. fat, 4 mg. chol., 181 mg. sodium, 7 g. fiber, 59 g. carb., 12 g. protein.
September 26, 2007 - Make Family Dinners an Enjoyable Experience
Children who have infrequent shared family dinners are more likely to abuse alcohol, drugs and tobacco. This year’s study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), showed that frequent family dinners has the greatest positive impact on 12- and 13-year olds, though the positive effects are significant for all age groups. It’s also important to note that 84 percent of teens prefer to have dinner with their families rather than eat alone, and seemingly, the more nights each week they eat together, the better the teens like it.
Other studies have shown that there is a greater possibility that family dinners will be more nutritious than foods purchased outside of the home, and that kids who eat regularly with their families are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods and more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Dinnertime is also an important time for families to reconnect, and this has increased importance as children become teenagers. Almost half of the parents and teens in the latest CASA study agreed that the best time for teens to talk to their parents about something important to them was during or after dinner.
Most parents know that shared family dinners are a good idea. Many of them have fond memories of family dinnertimes when they were children. Busy parents of today, with children involved in a myriad of activities throughout the week, have difficulty figuring out how they can make family dinners a reality in their household.
It takes time to plan, prepare, and share them, but sharing at least three meals each week (preferably at least five) can significantly benefit a family. Here are some ideas for scheduling meals and making them enjoyable:
Make a Plan: Find out how many family dinners you’re currently having, and decide how many more you can include. Be realistic and reasonable. Look at the calendar, with the family, and identify how many additional family dinners can be added.
What are your obstacles? It might be busy schedules, no food goods in the house, or no time to cook. Get help from the family. Consider different options. Is there a better time to go shopping? Can more family members help do the shopping? Work together on solutions.
Prepare meals: What are the best times to do food preparation? Can some preparation be done on weekends? Can some family members get involved in at least part of the meal preparation? Kids are frequently very interested in helping, and it’s important to give them age-appropriate "jobs" that they can accomplish and that won’t make food preparation more challenging for the adults. Sometimes it’s helpful to give them a fresh fruit or vegetable snack that they can eat while you’re doing preparation. If there are teens in the household, consider assigning them a night to cook, with you as the helper (if they want). Different solutions work for different families.
Make meal preparation a positive experience for both you and your kids. Be sure to thank them for their efforts...give them lots of positive support. It’s important to work together to make it a great time for everyone.
Enjoy the meal together: Be present. In other words, try not to think of everything else you need to accomplish before the evening is over. Sit down at the table and enjoy the time with your children. Work to create a calm, easy-going environment, and gradually work on creating (or improving) table manners (in a positive way). Practices like waiting to start eating until everyone is seated, asking for and passing foods around the table, and not talking with your mouth full of food help your children learn to be polite. If someone doesn’t act in an appropriate manner, be gentle. Keep mealtime pleasant. Focus on conversation that explores the positive parts of everyone’s day, and give everyone a chance to talk.
Here’s a simple recipe to try at one of your family meals.
Baked Fish with Rainbow Salsa
(adapted from Communicating Food for Health)
4 - 4-oz. fish fillets, fresh or frozen (tilapia, flounder, haddock, cod)
1 tsp. paprika
4 Tbsp. water
Salsa:
½ c. diced pineapple, canned or fresh
½ c. diced mango, peach, or pear
¼ c. diced green onion
½ c. diced bell pepper (your choice of color)
1 c. diced ripe tomato
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
- Prehat oven to 350 degrees. Place fish fillets on a baking pan so they are spread apart evenly. Sprinkle tops of the fish with paprika and put water into pan. Bake until fish is done, about 15-20 minutes (fish should flake apart and be fork tender).
- Meanwhile, place salsa ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
- Serve each fish fillet with ½ c. of salsa on top.
Makes 4, 1 cup servings, with 210 calories per serving, 7 g. fat, 68 mg. chol., 63 mg. sodium, 2 g. fiber, 15 g. carb., 23 g. protein.
