Back to School Nutrition

Tweaking some of the favorites

Bring or buy? What to pack? Snacks? Soccer practice?

There is so much planning involved with food away from home that its important to know where to start and how to make the process as easy and as healthy as possible.

1) Keep “buying” school lunch to 2-3 days maximum.

The independence that comes with buying school lunch is a good thing. For a student, having money in their possession and getting to choose whatever they want is a step towards independence and confidence. There is a social aspect and a health aspect here. Make sure your child understands what components they need at lunch:

· Carbohydrate or Starch – For energy, brain boost and blood sugar
· Lean Protein – For blood sugar stability and satiety
· Healthy Fat – For satiety
· Non-Starchy Veggies – Vitamins, Minerals, Water & Fiber

2) Breakfast is non-negotiable.

So make it balanced, nutritious and fast. You’ll need:

· Lean Protein
· Carbohydrate or Starch
· Healthy Fat

**NO CEREAL & MILK.
**Try a flavored, 0% fat greek yogurt with 1/4 c of nuts or seeds for a fast grab & go option.
**English muffin with a Morningstar Patty, 1 slice cheese and 2 tsp butter for a quick made- at-home breakfast sandwich
**Protein Smoothie: protein powder, 1 cup fruit, 1T Peanut Butter, water + ice

**Breakfast Parfait: 0% Fat Plain Greek yogurt with layers of berries and whole grain cereal

for a fun option.

3) Dessert is not a daily meal.

So don’t pack it in their lunch every day! If you are the one packing the lunch then you are the one setting the examples and creating the habits. Desserts should not be an everyday occurrence despite what you may be used to. They will get enough energy and carbohydrates from their sandwich bread, fruit, jelly, etc.

4) Have your kids EAT their calories, not DRINK them.

Juice, soda, hot chocolate, or any other liquid beverage that has calories listed on the back shouldn’t be a staple in your home or in their meals. An appropriate serving of juice is about 4 oz or ½ cup. When was the last time you saw someone drink just 4 oz of juice? Liquid calories go down fast and don’t fill you up.

Better options are:
· Plain Water (adding lemon, lime or orange slices to the bottle)
· Sparkling Waters like Perrier
· Flavored Sparkling Waters like Talking Rain (find ones flavored with fruit essence, not

artificial sweeteners)
· Flavored Flat Waters like Hint – no artificial stuff
· Adding cucumber or mint or basil to flat water
· Pre-Flavored Mint waters like Metromint

Read More

Pediatricians call for a choke-proof hot dog

Most non-fatal choking episodes involve food, according to a study of 17,537 children ages 14 and younger.

Source: Pediatrics
By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
See Original Article Here: http://tinyurl.com/yhoh65f


Nutritionists have long warned of the perils of hot dogs: fat, sodium and preservatives to name a few.

Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants foods like hot dogs to come with a warning label — not because of their nutritional risks but because they pose a choking hazard to babies and children.

Better yet, the academy would like to see foods such as hot dogs "redesigned" so their size, shape and texture make them less likely to lodge in a youngster's throat. More than 10,000 children under 14 go to the emergency room each year after choking on food, and up to 77 die, says the new policy statement, published online today in Pediatrics. About 17% of food-related asphyxiations are caused by hot dogs.

"If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog," says statement author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "I'm a pediatric emergency doctor, and to try to get them out once they're wedged in, it's almost impossible."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission requires labels on toys with small parts alerting people not to give them to kids under 3. Yet there are no required warnings on food, though more than half of non-fatal choking episodes involve food, Smith says.

"No parents can watch all of their kids 100% of the time," Smith says. "The best way to protect kids is to design these risks out of existence."

Though Smith says he doesn't know exactly how someone would redesign a hot dog, he's certain that some savvy inventor will find a way.

Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, supports the academy's call to better educate parents and caregivers about choking prevention. "Ensuring the safety of the foods we service to children is critically important for us," Riley says.

But Riley questions whether warning labels are needed. She notes that more than half of hot dogs sold in stores already have choking-prevention tips on their packages, advising parents to cut them into small pieces. "As a mother who has fed toddlers cylindrical foods like grapes, bananas, hot dogs and carrots, I 'redesigned' them in my kitchen by cutting them with a paring knife until my children were old enough to manage on their own," Riley says.

The Food and Drug Administration, which has authority to recall products it considers "unfit for food," plans to review the new statement, spokeswoman Rita Chappelle says.

Given the health risks of obesity, pediatrician Alan Greene, author of Feeding Baby Green, says, "The last thing we need is to redesign candy and junk food with cool shapes, so we can give them to kids even younger."

Heads up to Moms introducing foods to their little ones!!

Blessings,

Ashley

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