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A Back-to-School Nutrition Guide

I tell all my young clients (and my own kids!) that I think it’s crucial for everyone from the age of 12–20 to sit down and chat with a nutritionist at some point. Now I know I may be just a tad bit biased, but I truly believe that having a down-to-earth convo about what’s real and realistic when it comes to food, eating, and being healthful can really help sort through the daily confusion that we hear on this topic.   Since this is also an age where even the most well-intended and brilliant parent is considered less than wise by their own children, having a neutral party discuss food can often save much frustration and reduce power struggles.  Here are some suggestions written directly to your kids; this may open up some questions and conversations after they read it, but know that even if it doesn’t, you’ve helped create just a little more info for them to become their own responsible self and a more connected eater.

Photo Credit: Sidereal via Compfight cc 

Next Stop:  School!
Nutrition Tips for Middle- and High-School Success
By Christie Caggiani, RDN, LDN, CEDRD

 

Voluminous —your vocab word of the day!  It also describes the amount of confusing and contradicting nutrition info that comes at you on a daily basis.  There’s just so much, how do you know what to believe?  Students are not only bombarded with social media messages about food and bodies, they are influenced by friends, parents, teachers, and coaches who each have their own individual belief and bias about nutrition and health.

Photo Credit: shinealight via Compfight cc

As you head back into the fast-paced routine of school, studying, and extra-curricular activities, it’s important to remember a few simple things to keep you, your body, and your brain in top-notch shape:

 

  • Avoid “diets” at all costs—not only does restricting make it harder for us to access and use our intelligence, it also leads us think more about food, taking away brainpower from other important things.
  • Include complex carbs/grains at all meals—your body is using up food at rapid pace, and it needs to eat about every 3–4 hours most days.  Grains give us immediate fuel and go straight to our brain to help us think.  In fact, carbs are the only macronutrient that feeds our brain.  Protein and fats help keep us satisfied and are also important at each meal, but they won’t give you the immediate mental or physical energy that carbs do.
  • Keep some food with you—pack some trail mix, fruit, and/or a whole grain granola bar for the times when your meal doesn’t come soon enough.  Ask your teachers if they allow food in their class, something particularly important if you’re going longer than 4-ish hours without fuel.
  • Breakfast—yes, it really does set the pace for your day!  Without it, you are more likely to feel and function unbalanced, and you may even eat more later in the day.  A pbj sandwich, yogurt parfait, or leftovers from dinner can all work for a fast, little-effort meal.   And yes, when you eat breakfast, you’ll feel a little more clearly hungry at lunch.  That is a GREAT thing, because it signals that your body is functioning just as it’s supposed to!
  • Try a new food—your taste buds are becoming more diverse at this age, and things you didn’t like earlier (green beans maybe?!) may not be so bad now.  Add your creativity to it—throw some salsa on veggies or melt a little cheese on a new-to-you protein.  And try the new food at the beginning of your meal.
  • Don’t skip meals—if you can’t stand school lunch, pack your own.  Make sure you take a few minutes to sit down for dinner.  Skipping meals will confuse your body and make you over-hungry later.  If you eat regularly, you can better know when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re just right.
  • Include some color—add some fruit and/or veggies at each meal.  Not only do they help you feel satisfied, but they also give you nutrients you can’t get from other foods.  Your whole body system is working at a crazy pace at this age and needs a greater mix of different energy, vitamins, and minerals just to keep up with you.

 

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MDIO March Giveaway

Happy March everyone! A few of our recent posts were written about traveling. I recently traveled to Peru with my family and wrote a few months ago on the importance of healthy eating while on-the-go. So, to continue this theme of eating while traveling, I wanted to host a giveaway!

We’re giving away some great items that are sure to help you pack healthy while traveling with your little ones. This month’s giveaway features a brand known as Kangovou. This company offers stylish and eco-friendly food containers that make great travel accessories. Their products are BPA-free and dishwasher safe. To learn more about Kangovou check out their website here.

Now, on to the giveaway details! One lucky reader will win 1 Kangovou Compartment Tray with lid, 1 snack bowl with lid, and a copy of Healthy Habits.

To enter follow the instructions below:

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Kids’ Nutrition on the Go…for planes, trains and automobiles

Kids’ Nutrition on the Go…for planes, trains and automobiles
By Laura Cipullo, RD CDE CEDRD CDN

 

My family and I are about to set off for Peru. I’m very excited to take this trip and quite eager to learn as much as possible about the Inca culture. However, I’m also ready and “armed” with “nutrition on the go” items for my two boys…especially my younger son Billy. With the help of their star charts, they’ve been trying many new foods lately…even fruits and veggies.  Though they’ve been successful at home in their own environments, the Peruvian cuisine and culture may present a sense of uncertainty…setting the food consumption situation up for possible disaster. So I’ve stocked up and packed our bags with kids’ nutrition essentials to get us through our ten days aboard planes, trains and automobiles as we travel to the “Lost City of the Incas.”

 

A Sneak Peak into Luggage Packing—Kids’ Nutrition on the Go

Pack a few items in your carry on for the plane ride and then safely store the rest in plastic storage bags within your to-be-checked luggage. This helps to ensure that all the food is not confiscated at the security gate! Here’s what I’ve packed:

Milk Boxes: One percent milk in aseptic boxes.

Peanut Butter Packets: Justin’s individual peanut butter packets and some hazelnuts packages. Billy can have a peanut pack and a cereal bar as breakfast. Of course, he can have milk too. Individual packs can ensure food safety and are less likely to be confiscated at security. Plus, you can carry a few with you at all times.

Cereal Bars: Inexpensive Whole Food Bars that Billy loves and can eat as part of his breakfast.

Chia and/or Veggies Squeezers: When traveling to foreign countries, eating raw fruits and veggies may be limited due to the possibility of getting typhoid fever or traveler’s diarrhea. For my kids, I most definitely err on the side of caution and give them squeezers to get their “5-a-days” rather than risk their getting sick.

Clif  Z Ropes: Fruit is the first ingredient listed in this easy snack. They’re individually wrapped and easy to eat in the packaging…particularly for dirty hands that have touched railings and plane seats.

Annie’s Fruit Snacks: A favorite real fruit snack option that both my boys absolutely love.

Clif Bars: This is a great bar as it typically doesn’t melt or “smush.” This bar, a yogurt, and a fruit squeezer can serve as an easy, nutritious lunch on the go.

Spelt pretzels (an entire bag): I’m assuming I can buy hummus in Lima. Let’s hope this is true as these Spelt pretzels and hummus can be part of Billy’s dinner although I’m expecting that restaurants in Lima and our hotels in the Andes really will provide a few options the kids may enjoy.

Gummy Vitamins: These will ensure their micronutrient needs are being met on the road. I’ve packed enough vitamins for each child each day of our trip.

Mom and Dad’s Bars: Nutrition bars for the parents can serve as snack options or possibly parts of meals if you’re traveling without actual meal opportunities.

Wipes: Quite obviously, wipes are not edible but they are a must when traveling.  Surfaces and little hands have to be cleaned before as well as after eating.

 

Please wish us luck! I will report back about the food situation when we return from our adventure to South America’s Machu Picchu.

 

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Cookie Comparison: Which Cookie Should You Feed Your Children? & Giveaway!


 

Check out Laura’s review of four popular cookie brands to find a great, kid-friendly cookie!
Click the photo above or here to view.

While we’re talking about feeding our children, we have a fun giveaway to share with our readers! We’re giving away an adorable Planet Box Shuttle Lunch Box, perfect for school and on-the-go lunches. You can learn more about this great product by clicking here.

To Enter:

  1. You must be a subscriber of Mom Dishes It Out (which can be done by entering your email address on the top of our homepage).
  2. Comment on this post.
  3. Like us on Facebook and/or tweet us with #MDIOGiveaway in the message.

Entries will be accepted until next week, Wednesday October 30th!
Good Luck!

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Constant Hunger…your child’s relentless pursuit of food!

Does your child constantly nag you for food? Does this happen only at particular times…or all of the time? Do you eventually give in due to exhaustion? Or perhaps a headache? What is his/her temperament like? Is he persistent in getting his way all of the time? If so, this is likely a power struggle…and not a hunger issue. Think about your child’s interactions with others. Do grandma and grandpa or the nanny spoil your child and always oblige him? If so, you may have a cute little “monster” on your hands.

Sometimes our children are naturally hungry—a wonderful trait for many. As parents, however, we need to determine when our child is truly hungry or truly just pushing our buttons to see how much he/she can get away with—or actually get from us. Remember, structure and boundaries are important issues in raising our children whether it’s about food or even something as simple as wearing a hat on a cold day.

3 Clues to Determine If Reported Hunger is Real or an Attempt for Control

  1. Your child nags you about food at non-meal times when you are trying to get him to do something else. (Examples: Bedtime, clean up time, quiet time.)
  2. Your child is asking for food when you are not giving her attention. (Example: You are talking on the phone or working on the computer and your child is not self- entertaining.)
  3. Your child engages in power struggles over food he/she likes yet refuses to eat.  (Example: You agree to a snack of apples and cheese at the kitchen table but your child demands crackers instead and wants to eat them on the couch.)

If these mini scenarios remind you of your child, be very cautious in your next moves. Your child is most likely trying to win a power struggle around food…and may be succeeding! This battle is comparable to his/her feelings about control in life and about the parent/child relationship.  If not kept in check, it may turn into a counter-productive relationship with food later in life…likely leading to obesity or any other eating disorder.

 

5 Tips to Eliminate the Parent/Child Power Struggle

  1. Set specific times for meals and snacks. They can range with a “must” start time of 15 minutes before or after the predetermined times.
  2. Have your child sit down at the kitchen table for all meals and snacks with no screens to view while eating.
  3. At least one hour before bedtime, offer a p.m. snack and clearly state that this is the last opportunity for food. After that time, do not give in to your child’s pleas! You are setting appropriate food boundaries.
  4. Do not succumb to the begging, crying and screaming even if it lasts for an hour. If you give in, your child will recognize his power and push the limits even more or longer the next time. Instead of crying for an hour to get his way, he will persist for 75 to 90 minutes until he gets his snack.
  5. Ask your child if there is something else she would like…perhaps a hug or to read a book with mommy, or even the chance to help prepare the next meal.

 

Don’t fall prey to the hunger trap. Employ the five tips above to help create positive new behaviors. If struggles remain or you feel helpless, enlist the help of a Registered Dietitian specializing in both pediatrics and eating disorders. This will help to guarantee that food intake is removed from the power struggle and make it less likely your child will/won’t eat to satisfy control issues.

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MDIO Answers Questions About Feeding Her Boys

Last week, Mom Dishes It Out appeared on the set of Veria TV‘s “What Would Julieanna Do?” In an interview conducted over do-it-yourself granola bars, chia seed pudding and plant potting, MDIO Answers Questions About Feeding Her Boys.

 1. As a Mom, what is the hardest part of getting your kids to eat healthy?

Not being the nutrition gatekeeper of our children’s food is a challenge all moms face. Camp, school and the playground expose my boys to chewing gum, drinking sports drinks and eating low nutrition foods such as crackers and candy during snack time.

As any mom may know, feeding our children can be trying. I created Mom Dishes It Out, a blog for moms to learn from my personal experience in feeding my boys and a place where they can share their experiences and ask questions.

2. How do you explain eating healthy in a context that they understand?
There are everyday foods that we eat to grow, run and think. We need to eat these foods every day. Then there are “sometimes food”—food that we can eat some of the time.  Since the foods are low in nutrition and aren’t the best for growing, they are not considered everyday food.

3. Do you have any tricks to get your kids to eat healthy?
One sure way is to stock the house with only healthy food. I allow all foods but I don’t necessarily have them in the house on a regular basis.

4 Tricks To Getting Kids To Eat Healthy
1. Stock the house with healthy everyday foods
2. Limit boxed or in the pantry packaged food items to three or less
3. Allow all foods but focus on the need for everyday foods
4. Don’t make a big deal about healthy food – offer and expose but don’t overemphasize

 

4. What two kid-friendly recipes did you bring to share today?
Good-For-You Granola Bars – It can be quite challenging to find a granola bar that is nutrient dense, low in added sugar and will not melt in the heat.

My youngest son is a vegetarian so getting omega-3 fatty acids and even omega-6 fatty acids are a challenge. Adding chia seeds to any recipe is a sure way to get vegetarians eating omega-6’s. I give Liam an omega-3 fatty acid liquid supplement to get the beneficial fatty acids only found in fish.

5.  How often do you cook with your kids?
I try to cook with my kids as often as possible and in every little way. Perhaps they do something simple like adding wheat germ to their yogurt, cracking the eggs into their pancake mixture or adding berries into their smoothies.

6. What sorts of foods do your kids crave?
My oldest son loves pancakes with chocolate chips and macaroni and cheese (the chips are dark chocolate and the pancakes are whole wheat or kamut; the pasta is usually whole wheat), while my youngest son favors yogurt, hummus and pretzels (made from spelt or whole wheat).

7. What are your go-to snacks for your kids?
I always offer a carbohydrate with a fat or a carbohydrate with a protein. Then I’ll offer homemade smoothies with fresh and frozen fruits and chia seeds, fruit slices or fruit squeezers with Greek yogurt or cheese

8. Do you guys ever have a cheat day, or treats for special occasions?
I have told my boys time and time again, food is not a treat. A helicopter ride around the city is a treat or a day of bowling is a treat. Food is food. We enjoy ice cream with gummy bears, drink Gatorade and eat cookies some of the time, but not all of the time. Since it is critical that we meet all of our nutrition needs, it is important for parents not to put certain foods on a pedestal, because this will become the food your child will then want.

 

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Win a Month's Supply of Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars!

Mom Dishes It Out is giving 5 lucky winners

a month’s supply of FREE Yasso!

As the temperature increases, so can our the calling for cold, creamy sweets. If you’re looking for a cold treat, we have a delicious dessert for you. And if you’re not already a fan of Greek yogurt, these Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars will win you over! Available in three berry delicious flavors, these gluten-free bars ring in at 70 calories each and provides 6 grams of protein. Made without corn syrup and with rBST-free milk, these treats contain live and active cultures-which are good for your body. The individual packaging of each treat also allows for practicing good portion control skills too!

Want to enter for a chance to try this deliciously cold treat?

Enter by one of the following ways:

Let us know what you like about the Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars and you could be one of five lucky winners!
Winners will be announced on Friday, August 24, 2012 at 6:00 PM EST.
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Mixed Berry Smoothies

Photo Credit: madlyinlovewithlife via Compfight cc

On Saturday, we had my son’s school spring fair. Being that I am the food and
nutrition chair, I was automatically given the responsibilities of the Smoothie Bar.
I never follow recipes so trying to forecast the amount of fruit we would need to
make 100 smoothies seemed impossible. Thankfully, Driscoll’s Berries offered to
donate to our event. The graciously sent us delicious raspberries, blackberries,
blueberries and strawberries. I used their recipe to determine the quantities to buy
and then just improvised on the day of. We didn’t need the OJ and we used low fat
organic vanilla yogurt. To my delight, we sold every last berry and my boys loved
the smoothie. Hence my blender is not going away. Both of my boys drank two
smoothies each over the 4-hour period. And, last night they had smoothies for the
night snack!!!

Moms and Dads, I highly recommend this smoothie to help increase your children’s
intake of fruits and vegetables. You can use plain Greek yogurt and or add protein
powder to increase the protein content of the smoothie. The added protein
will prevent a blood sugar roller coaster. Yes, this can happen in children too,
so as adults we should always be thinking of serving our children wholesome
carbohydrates, with lean proteins and healthy fats at each meal and or snack.

So get refreshed this spring with this awesome antioxidant mixed berry smoothie.
Here is the Driscoll’s Mixed Berry Smoothie. I adapted it by eliminating the OJ and
ginger and using extra ice. You can use this version or modify to your heart’s desire.

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Hints for Halloween from the RD in this mom.

What are you giving out for Halloween?

Written by Laura Cipullo, RD, CDE on October 18, 2011 · From www.LauraCipulloLLC.com

Trick-or-Treat: Keeping Halloween Healthier Yet Fun.

With Halloween around the corner, why not think outside the box? We can’t trick our Halloween visitors but we can treat them to new Halloween delights. Read on to get some healthier options, unconventional goodies, and finally a run down at the candy counter.

New Delights:

Clif Kid Twisted Fruit Rope, Clif Z Bar (granola bars), Organic raisins, Blue Diamond mini nut packs – almonds, Bearito’s No Oil No Salt Microwave Popcorn or Earth’s Best Organic Puree (fruit and veggies pureed like applesauce in squeeze pack)

Unconventional Goodies:

Tattoos, bouncy balls, yo-yos, stickers, pencils, chalk and mini coloring books

Candy Counter:

For those that adhere to moderation the top 5 Halloween candy picks: Smarties, Tootsie Pops, York Peppermint Patties, Twizzlers and Milk Duds

**Just know I will be giving out Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups because they taste so yummy and a variety of the above!!

Optional Reading – nutritional information listed below:

  1. Smarties: 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 6 grams of sugar (per roll)
  2. Tootsie Pop: 60 calories, 0 grams of fat, 10 grams of sugar (per lollipop)
  3. York Peppermint Patty: 60 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 grams of sugar (per snack size patty)
  4. Twizzlers: 160 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 19 grams of sugar (4 pieces)
  5. Milk Duds: 170 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 20 grams of sugar (13 pieces)