You’ll Be Amazed: For National Nutrition Month, American Dietetic Association’s Ideas For Helping Kids Develop A Taste For Healthy Food

Children learn their habits, attitudes and beliefs from their parents and other caregivers, and that includes their willingness to try new and healthy foods. For National Nutrition Month®, the American Dietetic Association encourages adults to be good role models and teach your children how to appreciate nutrition and enjoy healthful eating.

“The most important thing you can do is offer your children as many new foods as possible, as early in life as possible,” says registered dietitian and ADA Spokesperson Sarah Krieger. “It takes much longer to accept new foods when you are older.
“It’s amazing what kids will try,” Krieger says. “Hummus, beans, tropical fruits – whatever is available locally in your area, you can get your kids to enjoy it.
“Involve your children in grocery shopping and meal preparation as much as possible,” Krieger says. “Kids are more likely to try new things – especially fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products – if they are involved in choosing and preparing them.”
A survey by the American Dietetic Association Foundation showed parents have more potential to influence their children’s behavior, including their eating habits, than anyone else. In fact, parents outrank sports celebrities as the person the child “would like to be most,” according to the survey. By eating healthy foods and offering them to your children, you can give your kids opportunities to learn to like a variety of nutritious foods.
Kids can develop a liking for new dishes by researching recipe ideas. “Encourage them to go through cookbooks, or look online. There are Web sites that have hundreds of thousands of recipes you can search, and it makes meal preparation more real for children if they can find recipes themselves,” Krieger says.
One final piece of advice for parents, Krieger says: “Offer healthy foods and eat them yourself, rather than lecture your children. Just do it, put a smile on your face and your kids will follow.”

The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org for more info.

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health (December 2009), Yale researchers tested the effectiveness of menus that included calorie information and also notified customers that the average adult should consume approximately 2,000 calories daily.

In this study, 303 adults were given one of three menus: the first had no labeling at all, the second had calorie information only and the third had calorie information plus the recommended 2,000 calorie daily intake.

The people in the two groups with labeled menus ate about 14% less calories than those that ordered off the menu without any labels. Also, the diners that ordered off the menu with the 2,000 calorie recommendation reported a lower intake of calories over the rest of the day. They ate about 250 calories less than the people in the other 2 groups!

Bottom line: Paying attention to those calories that are listed on the menu can actually help you consume less. Also, it is important to keep in mind the daily 2,000 calorie goal so you can plan your calories accordingly.

For more heart healthy tips visit us at www.heart-strong.com.

Well, the Holidays are almost upon us and if you are anything like me…you are thinking about some of those delicious holiday treats and gatherings with family and friends. Almost every event that you attend will tempt your will power: cocktail parties, Christmas parties, office parties, etc. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa…food and drink will abound! Tasty hors d’oeuvres….Eggnog …Christmas cookies…Toasting the New Year with your favorite cocktail…etc.etc.etc.

Here are some tips to help you make it through the holiday season without too much damage to your waistline. There are things you can do to try and minimize weight gain during this tough season!

Heart Healthy Holiday Eating Tips:
1) Do not go to holiday parties hungry to avoid overeating at the party.
a. Eat regular meals before the party – do not skip meals.
b. Drink plenty of water before you go.
2) Avoid talking/socializing around the buffet or in the kitchen.
3) Walk around the buffet table first so you can choose the foods you really enjoy-which might be near the end of the table.
4) Watch your portion sizes-moderation is key. Choose a smaller plate if you have an option!
5) Eat slowly! Put your fork down between bites. Eating slower allows you to feel full when you have eaten enough.
6) Avoid high fat items-fried, buttery, creamy, and cheesy; fill your plate with healthy choices like fruits, vegetables, and baked, grilled or broiled options. Try to minimize sauces, dressings and condiments, if possible. These usually add a lot of calories to your food!
7) Bring a healthy meal or snack to a potluck dinner.
Take healthy snacks with you when you go food shopping. NEVER go food shopping when you are hungry.
9) If you are the cook – select healthy dishes prepared in a healthy manner.
a. Try to bake, broil or grill food, avoid fried frying.
b. Use low fat sour cream, cheese, and milk in recipes.
c. When baking, try to use fat free sprays or lower fat ingredients.
d. Try to add beans to salads, casseroles and appetizers (beans add fiber to the meal and helps you feel fuller).
e. Select whole wheat/whole grain products – crackers, bread and pasta (avoid white flour).
f. Serve fresh fruit for dessert or include it in dessert options with low fat cool whip or dark chocolate.
g. Offer bite-sized desserts that are low fat.
h. Serve fruit and vegetables as the main dish and meat as a side dish.

Heart Healthy Drinking Tips:
1) Limit alcoholic beverages to 1 or 2 servings per day.
2) Drink a glass of water in between alcoholic beverages.
3) Eat food prior to and while drinking alcoholic beverages.
4) Do not drink and drive.
5) Choose lighter options to cut back on extra calories – try spritzers, lite beer or low calorie mixers. Avoid drinks mixed with cream and frozen drinks.

Hopefully some of these tips will help guide you through the holiday celebrations. Remember, even small healthy changes count!

Join us next week when we discuss healthy travel tips and ways to stay active and decrease stress during the holidays.

All of us at Heartstrong wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season!!

For more healthy tips, visit us at www.heart-strong.com.

A new study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that wolfing down your food may increase your risk of overeating. Eating too quickly may halt the release of hormones in the stomach that make you feel full, which will cause you to overeat! In this small study, 17 men ate the same test meal at two different rates-once over a period of five minutes and once over 30 minutes. Blood levels of stomach hormones were drawn at 30-minute intervals ending at 210 minutes. When the men ate quickly, there were lower levels of stomach hormones that cause a full feeling. The researchers concluded that eating more slowly leads to greater appetite reduction than eating fast.

Bottom line is……if you are rushing through your day, spare a few extra minutes for eating your meals!!

For more information about healthy lifestyles visit www.heart-strong.com.

Approximately 24 million people have diabetes mellitus (DM) and 57 million are at risk of developing it.  The increased risk is due to the fact that more and more people are overweight/obese and thus have impaired blood sugar control.

A recent study published in The Lancet followed 3,000 high-risk patients for 10 years.  The focus of this study was on preventing DM.  One third of the participants were told to eat a low fat diet and exercise for 30 minutes at least 5 days/week.  The goal was a 7% weight reduction in one year.  The second 1/3 were given Metformin, a diabetes medication to control blood sugars.  The remaining 1/3 received no intervention.

 Many people in the lifestyle group met the weight reduction goal.  However, many also gained some of the weight back over time.  The good news was that their risk of developing DM was still the lowest of the 3 groups although there was some weight regained. 

 After 3 years, the incidence of DM was decreased by 58% in the lifestyle group and 31% in the Metformin group as compared to the group with no intervention.  After 10 years, the lifestyle group and the Metformin group had a decreased incidence of DM by 34% and 18% respectively.

 Lifestyle interventions delayed the onset of DM by 4 years and the Metformin delayed onset by 2 years.  The greatest benefit of lifestyle changes was seen in the 60 year old and above group.  The diet and exercise lowered their risk of developing DM by 50%!

These results emphasize the significant benefit of healthy lifestyle changes in preventing DM.  These simple measures should be incorporated into everyone’s daily life.

 Remember….SMALL LIFESTYLE CHANGES YIELD GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS!!!

This is exactly what Heartstrong is trying to teach. For more info please visit www.heart-strong.com