Strollerderby : nutrition

Some "Baby Food" Less Healthy Than a Cheeseburger

Shannon LC Cate — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

The Children's Food Campaign has released a new report analyzing the nutritional value of some of Britain's most popular baby and toddler foods, finding them worse for health than the average cheeseburger or chocolate cookie, claims the Guardian.

Of the foods surveyed, only half were found to be low in sugar, sodium and saturated fat--some even contained the dreaded transfat. But the worst culprit for unhealthy baby food was the Heinz company, of whose surveyed products, only one quarter were deemed to have sufficiently low amounts of sugar, sodium and fat.

Two Heinz products were singled out for headliner status. Farley's Husks, were higher in sugar than chocolate digestives, while mini cheese biscuits were found to have more fat than a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese. Both are foods aimed at beginning eaters and toddlers.

Okay, so these foods are unhealthy. Do they claim to be healthy? Do parents merely assume anything for a baby or toddler is healthy? I feel that while it would be nice to see the food industry regulated better in certain areas, determining what is a good diet for myself and my young children is my responsibility. In the line of this duty, I take nothing for granted. I read labels, determine what's in the processed food I give my children, then mete out such foods sparingly, focusing instead on whole foods in a nice variety.

Contrary to some opinion, this actually doesn't take a great deal of extra time or energy on my part. Washing and/or peeling and/or slicing a piece of fruit really isn't that much harder than opening a box of crackers and shaking a pile of them into a bowl. And even when the fruit is organic, it's usually cheaper. And it doesn't take a master's degree in nutrition to know it's healthier than the crackers.

So sure, shame on Heinz for marketing unhealthy food to parents. Shame on them for basically trying to get us to train our kids to expect food to taste sugary, salty, and fatty, so they'll have lifelong junk food customers. But ultimately? Shame on us for not taking the four extra seconds to read the back of a box before we throw it in the grocery cart. Really, it ain't that tough.

image: junkfoodnews.net

You Are What Your Mother Didn't Eat

JeanneSager — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:34:00 GMT

My mother always told me I was made of spinach - because that's what she ate during her pregnancy. Constantly. To the point where my father threatened not to come home for dinner again, lest he be presented with yet another plate of green stuff coated in cream sauce or sauted in olive oil.

It turns out, I'm only partially right. A new study says the genes of a fetus can mutate in the womb, based on what a mother ISN'T eating.

We all knew pregorexia was bad for baby, but this study points out that it's more than a lack of development that's being caused but actual development in the wrong direction.

The study at the University of Utah looked at pregnant rats to find how a lack of certain nutrients in the womb can create risk factors for certain diseases down the line. A mother rat whose fetus did not get proper nutrition was born smaller than his counterparts but also primed for heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. The researchers hope that this study could hold the key to helping develop a regimen for mothers to prevent health problems down the road for their babies.

Some of this is pretty common sense - you have to pack in the nutrition when you're pregnant (and when you're breastfeeding, natch). But knowing which nutrients are most important could be a lifesaver for moms like me - the moms who threw up for seven months. Did you eat differently when you were pregnant?

Image: CafePress

Breastfeeding Debates: Just a Tempest in a Sippy Cup?

JeanneSager — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:23:00 GMT

Here's the thing about the breast is best debate. Do we really care what another mother does with her boobs?

No, really. You might say you care that she gets the best medical advice, that that precious little baby gets the best start to life. But when your kid and her kid sit side by side in kindergarten, holding hands, is it really going to matter who did what on day thirty-six of that baby's life?

Sometime Babble contributor Lynn Harris turned her often irreverant sense of humor to the oh so serious topic of breastfeeding on NPR this week, and though she treats the subject with all due respect (she is, after all, a mother), she pokes her fun where it's due. The breastfeeding debate, she says, is nothing but "a tempest in a sippy cup."

For MOST women, it isn't about whether or not they think breastfeeding is good for babies, or even whether they WANT to do it. Says Harris:

"Because we don't read the Journal of the American Medical Association to decide whether, or how long, to breast-feed. We consider our bodies: Are we physically able to nurse in the first place? Or are we plagued, as I was with my first child, by plugged ducts and serious mastitis? We consider the child: Did we, luck of the draw, get one who just says no to latching? We consider our workplace: How long is our maternity leave? Where can we pump when we go back?"

And that, my friends, is where the debate needs to take a hike. You want to breastfeed? You made it work? Woohoo! Fabulous! Really. I'm not being facetious here. I'm happy for you that you are able to nourish your child with your breastmilk, that you have got the latch down and find the appropriate place to pump if need be.

Not breastfeeding? Didn't want to? OK, well, that's your choice. Did want to, but couldn't? I'm sorry, is there anything we can do? Other than berating you and telling you you're feeding your child pure evil in liquid form and forcing you onto mega doses of Paxil to handle your postpartum depression caused by feelings of inadequacy?

Here's why everyone needs to read Harris' essay: she puts blame where blame is due. On the crappy advice in hospitals. On the crappy employers who don't give moms appropriate time for pumping. On the family medical leave act's lack of depth and the lack of paid leave time available for new mothers. On the public breastfeeding conundrum, especially for women who are shy and uncomfortable out in the public eye.

"Show me a lactation room at the Qwik Mart, and I'll show you a woman more willing to leave the maternity ward without her care package of free formula," Harris says (see, told you she was a bit irreverant).

Come on moms, let's look at who you're really mad at. It's not each other.

Image/Source: NPR

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How Many of These Pregnancy Blunders Have You Made?

Jen Chaney — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:34:00 GMT

We all make mistakes, especially when we're pregnant and our hormones are wreaking havoc on our ability to process information. That may be why, according to an article on the Web site Divine Caroline, intelligent women often commit a few errors when they're with-child.

The site has published a list of Eight Blunders Even Smart Pregnant Women Make, which recently also was featured on the Web site Empowher. I was surprised by a few items, but also must acknowledge that I committed some of these during my nine months of fetus-carrying. Hey, I can 'fess up to my mistakes if you can 'fess up to yours'.

Of the eight errors on the list, here are the ones I made:

Eating For Two -- The Empowher list says most women only need an additional 300 hours calories per day when they're pregnant, but many consume much more than that, and not always of the healthy variety. Uh, yeah, guilty as charged on this one. I ate all kinds of things I shouldn't have when I was pregnant: burgers, hot fudge sundaes, my weight in Cheez-Its and more Christmas cookies than I can count. I was so relieved when I found out I didn't have gestational diabetes that I went on a sugar binge to celebrate. Not smart, Chaney. Not smart.

Decreasing Activity: In addition to gorging, I also was a lazy bum. I exercised a little: occasional gym visits and long walks with the dog. But not nearly as much as I should have. Although, comparatively speaking, I looked like an Olympic athlete compared to how often I hit the gym now. Apparently I am not just a stupid, unhealthy pregnant woman, I'm a stupid, unhealthy woman period. (Wow, this list is making me feel fan-TASTIC about myself.)

Not Addressing Emotional Well-Being: I can't say I got enough sleep or perfectly managed my stress when pregnant. Then again, being aware that I needed to put "address emotional well-being" on my to-do list probably would have only added to my stress.

Now, here are the items on the list that I find understandable, even though I didn't commit these blunders myself:

Not Continuing Medications for Pre-existing Diseases: A lot of women are understandably concerned about taking any sort of medicine while pregnant, so I can see how this might be a common problem.

Skipping Breakfast: Again, when things are busy, can totally see how this happens to some moms-to-be. Me? I was too hungry to even consider it. (Please see previous reference to overeating for two.)

Installing the Car Seat at the Last Minute: It's an unpleasant task and one many of us are inclined to put off. Seems like this might be the most widespread blunder of all.

And finally, the two items on the list that I found most debatable:

Not Buckling Up: Apparently some women get all weirded out by wearing their seat belts because they are afraid it will harm their child. Okay, fine. I still find it hard to imagine taking that fear to the next level and just not bothering to wear a seat belt at all. Are many moms out there really taking this risk? You tell me.

Electing for a C-Section: This is probably the most controversial item on the list. Plenty of women undoubtedly would say that going this route isn't a blunder at all. I had a C-section, though not by choice, and I have to say that I didn't have too much trouble recovering, nor did I have any infections. This one strikes me as a matter of opinion vs. a flat-out mistake that smart pregnant women make.

Okay, I've confessed my pregnancy sins. Now it's your turn: Which of these errors did you commit? Or are you so awesome that you invented a few that Divine Caroline hasn't even heard of yet?

Image: Divine Caroline

Smackdown: Breastfeeding -- Why Not?

Brett Singer — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:15:00 GMT

Cole challenged me to a Smackdown on breastfeeding, and of course I said yes. I never back down from a challenge, at least not one as harmless as a blog face off. (In other words, don't challenge me to get in the ring with Mike Tyson. That, I will decline.)

Breastfeeding is a controversial subject, but it wasn't always. Back in the day (as in, black and white televisions, Uncle Milty, etc.) many women took a pill to dry up their milk ducts. They didn't feel guilty about it, and those children grew up to live happy lives despite being denied breast milk.

There was also a point in our history when women didn't have the right to vote. In other words, times change. We've learned a lot about human health, and there is definitely evidence that breast milk CAN be good for your kids. Is it conclusive? No. So what? If you are able to breastfeed, isn't it worth the potential benefits?

Now for some specifics:

1. The Guilt Factor: No disagreement here. It's wrong to bully a woman, especially a new mother. However, let us not ignore…

2. The Laziness Factor: There are a number of reasons why some women don't breastfeed their kids. I've heard at least one new mom who said that breastfeeding her child made her feel "gross"; she had no problems with her child latching on, she just didn't like having a baby suckling at her "teet." It made her, "feel like a mammal." When someone says that, I want to ask them a simple question: If you are able to do something that has potential health benefits for your child, why wouldn't you? If you can't breastfeed, you can't breastfeed. But if you tried once and just bailed, that seems like a cop-out. Some of the La Leche people may be a little nuts, but many lactation counselors are very good at what they do. If you have trouble with latching or other breastfeeding issues, it's worth trying a counselor just for the potential health benefits.

3. Expressed Milk in a Bottle: Cole, I love ya, but sometimes I wonder if you've been sipping from a different type of bottle. (A glass one. Filled with bourbon.) Who says that expressed breast milk is a bad thing? As I understand it, the debate is usually between breast milk and formula. And I have yet to see a study that says formula is undeniably better for the child. At best, some say that breast milk may not have the benefits that some claim. Which brings us to the next point:

4. "No Proof That Breast Feeding is Healthier": Is there proof that it's harmful? There is certainly evidence that breast milk is good for babies. Again, why not give it to your children if you can? There was a time when doctors said that smoking was healthy. Look at how that turned out.

5. Formulas Aren't Perfect Either: I haven’t done extensive research but I know that whenever there is a product that is mass-produced, there is the potential for problems. Remember the Chinese milk recall? Ever heard of a breast milk recall? I didn't think so.

There's a difference between "can't" and "won't." No one should be bullied into breastfeeding (sorry, La Leche). But if you won't even try because you just don't want to, or you feel like you want to "rebel" against the "breastfeeding nazis", maybe you should rethink your position. Cole is right -- you shouldn't do anything JUST because of peer pressure. But if everyone isn't jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, that doesn't mean you should. (Think about it for a minute, I'm pretty sure it makes sense.)

Read Cole's take on the matter here.

Read Madeline's take on the matter here. (And I didn't say that ALL women who don't breastfeed are lazy. I mean, c'mon.)

What do you think? I'm right and he's wrong, yes? (Even if you think I'm wrong, let us know in the comments.)

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They Say: Margarine Makes You Stupid

Amy Kuras — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:06:00 GMT

Want to make your child stupider? Feed them margarine. If you’re looking to boost their intellect, though, feed them fish once a week and bread and cereal gains four times a day.

See? I KNEW carbs were our friends!

That’s the upshot of a major New Zealand study that looked at children’s IQ levels, diets and family situations.

It found margarine is strongly correlated with lower IQ scores, which is not so great for lower income kids because margarine is cheaper than butter. Fish and grains were linked with higher IQ scores.

Interestingly, another thing that shows a link with high IQ was alcohol use during pregnancy. The study found that mothers who drank moderate amounts of alcohol while pregnant had children with much higher IQs, than those who did not.

That’s at odds with an earlier New Zealand study that found negative effects at very low levels of alcohol consumption. It showed mothers who had one drink a week could change their child's behavior, and one drink a day could damage the child's cognitive skills.

As someone who had the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy, I like the first finding better.

The study covers 600 New Zealand children of European descent and has been doing so since their mother’s pregnancies with them.

Like any other “magical food” study, take this with a huge grain of salt (heh) – after all, finding out fish and grains are good is hardly news. How many of us were exhorted by our moms to eat fish with the words “It’s brain food!”

They Say: Parents Pack Bad Lunches

JeanneSager — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:33:00 GMT

My daughter gets the kind of lunch kids dream about. Sandwich. Fruit. Snacks. Milk or juice. But is that good enough?

A new study says parents aren't packing nutrition in their kids' lunch pails. We're packing what we know our kids will eat.

Can you blame us? We don't want to hear from our daycare providers that our kid was the one throwing a fit at lunchtime. And we don't have time for the "sneak it in there" recipes in all the parenting magazines. So we cut corners. We pack a fruit cup rather than cutting up fresh fruit, because if we chuck in an apple our kids are going to moan about the peels and the teachers at daycare aren't likely to sit down and peel it for them. We pick up crackers with the processed cheese of our childhoods, and we close one eye so only the words "whole wheat crackers" register.

According to the study in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, seventy-one percent of packed lunches don't have enough fruits and vegetables. One in four preschool kids don't get enough milk with lunch.

Interviews with parents revealed more than sixty percent were packing foods they thought were nutritious - but not expecting their kids to eat them. More than sixty percent also packed foods they figured the kids WOULD eat.

So what's the trouble? It's hard to track what your kids are doing out of sight. You can balance how much "good" and how much "bad" they eat at home during dinnertime, but kids don't have that guidance at a daycare center. It sounds like parents are giving their kids too many choices. If you know they will overeat on snacks, don't pack them. Are we really afraid our kids will starve if we give them choices of healthy vs. nutritious?

It's their first shot at learning to eat well and make healthy choices outside of the home, but they're still little kids. They still need some guidance from Mom and Dad. When we're not there, that means making the tough choice for them.

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They Say: Mothers Overestimate Kids' Eating Habits, Activity

Amy Kuras — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:31:00 GMT

Think your kid is developing decent eating and exercise habits? Think again, according to a new study published in the journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

A team led by Dr. Hollie Raynor of the department of nutrition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, surveyed the mothers of 174 children aged two to 12 about diet and activity in their free time. Heights and weights were obtained from the children's medical records.

Comparing what mothers reported to their children’s heights and weights showed that mothers tended to overestimate how well their children were eating and how much they were exercising, and that while mothers said preschool kids did better than elementary age kids, in fact there was not much difference.

Now, I have to say that if only heights and weights are looked at, that seems to be bad data. I know plenty of pudgebucket two-year-olds whose parents are really conscientious about food and TV and outside time (unless they are stuffing them full of McDonald’s and Dora when I am not looking, which I doubt). I know plenty more fat little toddlers who grew into lean, active kids. And conflating weight alone with poor diet is also a mistake – we all know people who are skinny by dint of great genes or by consuming few calories, but all they eat is crap.

Still, it’s fairly troubling that parents tend to think they are doing fine feeding their kids when in fact, they may not be. I’ve recently joined a very popular commercial weight loss program and the biggest key to success is tracking – you write down everything you eat and drink. Do that for a few days and lo and behold you realize why you ended up needing a weight loss program in the first place, and it keeps you on track and away from overeating. Maybe doing the same for our kids would not be the worst idea?

They Say: One in Two Hundred Kids are Vegetarian

JeanneSager — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:55:00 GMT

Think your kid is just being picky when she turns up her nose at your perfectly cooked hamburgers? Think again.

News out of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say vegetarianism is taking hold in American kids. Based on surveys in a study of alternative medicine from 2007, the CDC estimates one in two hundred kids are opting out on meat.

The information comes from interviews with nine thousand parents and other adults speaking on behalf of kids. Breaking down the ages of the kids the study dealt with, teens - who usually have more control over their diet - are considered even more likely to be vegetarian. The CDC says the one in two hundred number can be multiplied by four to six if you're talking specifically about teens.

As a complete vegetarian since I was a junior in high school (with attempts to go vegetarian before that, foiled by my parents, of course), I'm not really surprised to see the spike as kids get older. As a vegetarian parent, married to a meat-eater, I initially struggled with the decision of whether or not to let my child eat meat. But watching other parents deal with picky eaters, I worried that it would be more difficult to ensure she was getting enough of the "good stuff" if we limited her diet to non-meat products. My concern for her overall nutrition won out - she eats meat . . . and veggie burgers. My hope is that one day she'll opt to follow my ways, and by then it will be easier to convince her of the importance of getting the proper nutrients (and she'll be put on the same regimen of vitamins that I take to keep my body in check).

But I realize I'm still in the minority as a parent. The majority of parents I encounter who are not already in a fully vegetarian household have told me unequivocally that they want their kids to eat meat. My own parents still think I'm nuts. So I'm speaking from experience when I say it's a tough road for a lot of kids - they want to cut out meat, but their parents, their friends and their school lunch program make it tough.

It's only as a teenager, that becoming a vegetarian becomes a true option for these kids - because parents who eat meat often pooh pooh their choices when they're younger. They (we) are often written off as picky eaters, with parents forcing kids to eat meat simply because that's the way everyone else does things.

But it doesn't have to be that way. If anything, if these kids are truly trying vegetarianism because they want to embrace a fad, having their parents embrace it with them (at least having their parents support their choices - what they eat themselves be darned) might make them go back the other way. For the rest of these kids, learning good nutrition needs to start in the home, and that means having parents who become educated about how vegetarians remain a nutritious and balanced diet.

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New Food Pyramid Promises to Help Picky Eaters

JeanneSager — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:32:00 GMT

Is there anything your kid won't turn his nose up at? Help is on the way - via the federal government.

The new version of the USDA food pyramid breaks down the old one size fits all triangle, with a Website directed toward parents of the two-to-five set. MyPyramid for Preschoolers is being touted as the answer to all their nutrition needs.

The site launched this fall, with a customizable plan section that allows parents to input their child's age, gender, and amount of physical activity. When I tried inputting my daughter, however, I got a message saying the server was unavailable. So I can't say what comes next.

The site does, however, calm the nerves of parents of those picky eaters with reminders that kids who are growing normally are probably just fine (nice to hear something positive from the government), and tips on how to get them to eat something different - without hiding the food. We're talking ideas like give them new foods at the beginning of a meal, when they're so hungry they'll eat anything.

A lot of it is common sense, but for parents who have spent as much time as me worrying about their own weight vs. health issues, it's nice to have a little extra help. And it's nice to have something that we can relate to our pint-sized kids without having to account for their much-smaller sizes.

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Uninsured Children Turning to Alternative Medecine

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

For the first time, the government has officially studied the use of alternative medicine among kids, and the results are both exciting and discouraging. As someone who recovered from a severe childhood kidney disease using a combination of alternative techniques and low-impact mainstream interventions (I refused to do chemo against my doctors’ wishes), I find it exciting that the government is studying alternative medicine in the first place—and that nearly 12 percent of children are making use of unconventional techniques like meditation, acupuncture, and herbal supplements.

Being exposed to these techniques at a young age gave me a holistic approach to my mental and physical health that is invaluable to my well-being as an adult, so I hope the percentage of youth using non-traditional treatments continues to increase—but not as a replacement for traditional health care.

Unfortunately, the study also found that children are more likely to use alternative medicine when their families can’t afford traditional care. Appropriate nutrition and vitamins, no matter how useful they may be, are no substitute for necessary pharmaceuticals and regular doctor visits. Furthermore, studies on the benefits and risks of specific alternative treatments for children are few and far between.

Let’s hope the field of alternative medicine continues to grow in this country, right alongside the number of children with health insurance.

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To Flavor Milk or Not to Flavor Milk?

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:10:00 GMT

Is it nobler to offer kids a sugary version of a healthful beverage to encourage calcium consumption, or to restrict their sugary options, no doubt pushing some of them into the welcoming arms of empty-caloried soft drinks?

That is the question for Chicago-area public schools.

While some say that offering chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry milk encourages kids to get more calcium at a time when nine out of ten girls and 7 out of ten boys are not getting their three calcium sources per day, others are worried about the roughly 75 extra calories from sugar in the flavored milks.

Though some elementary schools have stopped offering the flavored milks and do not offer soft drinks, high schools with open-campus policies fear students will leave campus for a Coke if there's no chocolate milk on offer in the cafeteria.

Is it just me or is this kind of a ridiculous thing to worry about? No one cares more about kids' nutrition than I do, but I kind of hesitate to assume that when teens leave campus for lunch, it's all because there was no chocolate milk at school.

Meanwhile, sure, knock out the flavors for the the little captives at the elementary schools. Maybe by forming their tastes healthily while they're young we can send them off to the health food deli for off-campus lunch when they get their drivers' licenses.

The Breakfast Club: In NYC Schools, It's a Hit

Kate Tuttle — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:30:00 GMT

New York has offered free breakfast to public school students, regardless of need, since 2003. But the program, which served hot meals in school cafeterias, wasn't used by anywhere close to the number of students who qualified for free or reduced lunches. It seemed that kids felt embarrassed to show up early and eat in the cafeteria, singled out. School officials needed to figure out how to reach poor kids, or even not-so-poor kids who skimp on breakfast, which nutritionists and pediatricians call (all together now) "the most important meal of the day."

According to a recent New York Times feel-good article, a new program seems to be doing just that. Now in nearly 50 schools serving largely poor student populations, the plan provides free breakfast in the classroom, removing the stigma many felt was keeping kids from taking advantage of earlier cafeteria-based meals. After initial objections by some teachers -- would it cut into planning time? distract the kids? -- everybody seems very satisfied. Some see the possibility to take the show on the road:

Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, said that if the classroom breakfast program succeeded in New York it could blossom in other states, too. He said advocates for better nutrition are asking Congress to finance similar programs next year.

“Any program that feeds hungry children, improves education, reduces tardiness and absenteeism is clearly an overwhelming public good,” he said.

And as for the most exacting critics of all? “It makes me full and happy,” one student told the Times. “I’m ready to study and learn.” All together now: awwwww.

Photo: Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

Dr. Greene's Vitamins one way to get extra D

Brett Singer — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:15:00 GMT

One easy way to get the now-doctor-recommended dosage of 400 IUs of Vitamin D per day is to take one of the new Twinlab DrGreene nutritional supplements. I've been giving them to my kids and despite the fact that the tablets are larger than the Flinstones/Spider-Man/High School Musical variety (that last one I made up – I hope), they take them without protest. Dr. Greene, an author and pediatrician, included the higher dosage of D before the new guidelines came out, for what it's worth.

Also in the supplements are Omega-3s, which are really good for you but are not found in many of the foods kids (or adults) eat. NOT in the supplements are preservatives, high fructose corn syrup or unnatural colors and flavors. Dr. Greene is the doc's real name, and also his philosophy. (I admit I was a little suspicious that he changed his name for trendy reasons, but I've been assured that isn't the case.) Even the packaging is made with recycled content. Hey, every little bit helps, right?

If you want to go whole hog, the Twinlab DrGreene line starts Dr. Greene Prenatal and goes through Dr. Greene Children’s Chewable Multivitamin/Multimineral. I met the doctor at an event a few weeks ago (I'm writing up an interview I did with him) and he seemed like a tremendously nice man. He also acknowledged that it would be great if kids got these nutrients from eating food, but since they don't, these supplements are a way to do it. Bottom line: the kids take the vitamins willingly, they appear to have less crap (HFCS, etc.) in them than other kids' vitamins, and the amount of nutrients in them seems to be better than most. Works for me.

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October: It's not Just for Halloween Anymore--Eat Together Month

Shannon LC Cate — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:44:00 GMT

Before I had kids, I didn't eat very well. I still don't eat as well as I could (who does?) but I eat miles better now than I did as a kid myself. As skeptical as I usually am of sociological studies that draw connections between somewhat unrelated things, I do find myself rather charmed by the idea that simply be eating a family meal together most evenings, I can prevent my kids from doing drugs, getting into fights, committing suicide or having sex too early. Though I'm inclined to think that eating together is just another good habit that stronger healthier families practice, studies have shown that there is something more powerful about eating together than doing other types of things as a family.

Whatever the links to better outcomes for kids, I just like the idea of developing an old-fashioned family bond by eating together, Waltons-style. So we'll be celebrating National Eat Together-Eat Better Month throughout October. How does one celebrate this holiday? One thing I'm going to do is include my three-year old in the preparation of at least one meal per week this month. I've been slacking in that area since moving to a new place with a less kid-friendly kitchen than our old place. It's so much easier to do it myself, but she gets a genuine thrill from "helping" in the kitchen and it's good for her on a number of levels. I think I can commit to one meal a week without too much difficulty.

What will you do to celebrate?

Another Try at Getting Kids to Eat Fruits and Veggies

Amy Kuras — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:06:00 GMT

There’s been all sorts of handwringing over childhood obesity, and concerns about how to get kids establishing healthier eating and exercise habits. Unfortunately, many studies have shown that many of these programs work for a short time, and when they are over kids go right back to eating crap.

I think one of the biggest issues is that especially in poorer areas, there are not a lot of grocery stores selling fresh, good for you food. I frequently see kids and teens rolling up to the local gas stations instead and stocking up on potato chips, candy or hot dogs because they are cheap and easy to get.

Also, if parents don’t really understand proper nutrition, they are not going to pass it on to their kids. I mean, we never have spaghetti at my house because I, the chief cook and food procurer, hate spaghetti. If I hated fruits and vegetables and didn’t think they were that important, you can bet we’d rarely have them.

A University of Maryland research thinks she’s found the key – expose kids to fruits and vegetables at school, and let them taste a wide variety of them. Bonnie Braun, an associate professor at the university’s school of public health, targeted kids getting free and reduced price lunches at several Baltimore-area schools. They exposed them to produce frequently, and let them taste a variety of different kinds of vegetables and fruits. They ranged from the “exotic” like eggplant to the more mundane, like apples – although at least one kid hadn’t even had those before.

Pretty sad to think there are kids who don’t even get apples at home – but great that they’re learning about the taste and nutrition of produce somewhere.

Book of the Week: Eat This Not That - For Kids!

editors — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Eating out is one of life's great pleasures, but if you're anything like me, every meal out involves a hefty dose of denial. I've been a waitress. I've watched the guys in the kitchen lay a "low-fat" grilled chicken breast onto a steaming pile of lard, drop whole cups of butter into vats of "healthy" rice, and marinate "nutritious" vegetables in more oil than I have in my whole apartment -- and yet I still order the grilled chicken with rice and vegetables because it's the "healthy" option.

Of course, when it comes to my kid, I'd rather have the blinders lifted.

That's why I'm fascinated by the new Eat This Not That book, which gives a restaurant-by-restaurant run-down of the healthiest and least healthy things to order for your child. Some of the revelations are surprising: at Chick-Fil-A, the nuggets with BBQ sauce have 200 fewer calories than the Chicken Caesar wrap.In the yogurt aisle, Stonyfield O'Soy has almost 3 times as much sugar as Yoplait Kids. And that frozen pizza with Elmo on it? It actually is better than the non-Elmo variety.

Obviously this book is more useful for parents who visit restaurant chains and big grocery stores, as the corner Thai place and local gourmet market aren't listed. But even if you're a dedicated organic food hound, it's pretty eye-opening to see how many calories are actually in that Amy's frozen entree from Whole Foods. Helpful guides to lunch-packing and making square meals round out the offerings, along with lots of Denny's menu-style food photos. -- Gwynne Watkins

Eat This Not That for Kids! (Rodale 2008) is available for $11.97 on Amazon.

Book of the Week appears every other Friday. Sometimes every Friday. We’re fickle like that.

Your Stress Is Making Your Kid Fat

Amy Kuras — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:02:00 GMT

This, this is just kinda sad. Researchers have found that stressed-out moms may be raising fat kids because those kids respond to family stress by turning to food.

Awww.

More to the point, this affects kids who are raised in poverty because of their mother's money worries, long work hours, health insurance concerns and other factors, said study leader Craig Gundersen of the University of Illinois.

"People will eat in response to feeling stress," he told Reuters news service, "and in this case children may be eating more in response to stress-related trouble at home."

Gundersen's fix is a better social safety net for poor families, such as food stamps and better health insurance coverage and better financial education to help people manage money.

Gundersen and colleagues at Iowa State University and Michigan State University looked at data on 841 children in families living below the poverty line who were part of a government nutrition survey conducted from 1999 to 2002.

Certainly many of us have been guilty of "stress eating" – grabbing carb- and fat-laden foods that taste good and have little to no nutritional value, and we probably unwittingly pass that behavior on to our kids.

But I think this also overlooks a really important fact: Many people who are living in poverty also live in what are termed "food deserts" — places where it's difficult to find fresh, healthful food. I live in a pretty poor city and while my neighborhood is blessed with two decent grocery stores, that’s not the case for much of the city. What is common are gas stations and party stores selling chips, cookies, candy bars and pop, with not a healthy choice to be found.

If you're a mom working two jobs just to make ends meet and it's two bus rides to the nearest grocery store, I refuse to blame you for your child's obesity because you're stressed out and sometimes are reduced to shopping at the gas station. I think finding a way to make more healthy, affordable foods available to low-income families is key to the health of the next generation of urban kids. Sure, parents need to be responsible in what they feed their children, but offering them smart choices is key.

Five Things You Thought You'd Never Do To Your Kid

Kelly Mills — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:01:00 GMT

Pre-child, I was righteous. I believed that while parenting was hard, I was going to manage to conduct myself well at least the majority of the time. Ha. Ha. Ha. Now I know that I'm more likely to high-five myself on very rare occasions of almost accidental successful parenting, than to reflect every night on my serene and superior mom-skills. And the list of things I thought I'd never do and still find myself doing? It is very long. Here's just five. Maybe you've done some of these as well.

1. Lying to the kid. Oh, gonna be honest all the time, right? Mmm hmm. Let's see, there's the lies because the truth would hurt ("You do have a lovely singing voice"); the ones about things I can't control ("I swear, no one in your class will throw up today, now get dressed for school!"); and the just plain self-serving stuff ("No, that isn't chocolate, it's mama's medicine.") If my nose grew, I'd be poking the Olympians in Beijing with it right now.

2. Yelling, throwing stuff, and generally losing it. Because I have a pretty firm grip on my temper, I believed I'd have this one in the bag. But who knew I could get so angry at my kid, even when she was a baby? There's nothing like a little sleep-deprivation and a ton of stress and some well-timed whining to help you see the darkest sides of your personality. Good times.

3. Feeding her crap food. I've found that this one varies from person to person, but I doubt many of us imagined we'd simply wipe an apple off on our shirt after it fell to the floor and hand it back to the child, let alone serve boxed mac and cheese five nights in a row. And yet, my child has sampled all kinds of bad-for-you things on occasions when expediency trumped nutrition. I've held the line on fast food, but basically that's just holding up the bank at gunpoint but leaving forty bucks in the till.

4. Making hollow threats. I am a real firm believer in consistency, and I try to cash the checks I make with my mouth. But I've totally done this when I made a threat I didn't want to keep. "If you don't stop, we are leaving the pool right away." Yeah, except for the fact that we carpooled with two other people. And you aren't stopping the behavior. Ooops. Point goes to kid, mama miffs the serve.

5. Talking about things I shouldn't in front of the child. Whether it's a frustrated moment of disparaging someone, or mentioning a friend's not-yet-public pregnancy to a friend with my kid in earshot, I've sometimes fooled myself into thinking she can't hear or won't understand. Ha. Children hear everything and understand twenty times more than we think. And I'm not even talking about the pre-verbal baby stage, because I still catch myself doing this today. And when it leads to an awkward conversation when my child blurts out the tidbit later, I have no one to blame but myself. Parenting is grand like that.

Anything you thought you'd never do but yet somehow did anyway?

Ten Things Adults Don't Mind But Kids Try to Avoid

Boys Will Be Boys and Other Reasons For Theft

5 Things You Swore You'd Never Say To Your Kids

Global Approach to AIDS Overlooks Children

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:04:00 GMT

A general consensus that has emerged from the International AIDS conference currently being held in Mexico is that the global approach to fighting AIDS does too little for children. According to health workers at the conference, much of the government money earmarked for combating AIDS in developing countries goes to consultants and overheard costs, with little of that money directly helping children.

Infected pregnant women need expanded access to antiretroviral drugs to avoid passing the HIV virus onto their babies. And even healthy children in AIDS-affected communities need much more nutritional and psychological help than they are currently getting—it’s estimated that only about 6 to 10 percent of children who need therapy are getting it, compared with 30 percent of adults.

One health worker suggested that one way aid money could more directly benefit children would be to give the money directly to communities and families. She pointed out that it has been shown that poor people make good decisions about how to obtain nutritional and medical help for their families if they are given the resources to do so.

Photo: Maciej Dakowicz/photo.net

5 Exercises To Tackle the "Mom-Flap" Challenge

Kelly Mills — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:02:00 GMT

You know of this mom-flap? A.k.a. the spare tire, the c-section remnant roll, the muffin top. Crabmommy, who coined the term, is tired of hers and she has issued a challenge. Five minutes of abdominal exercises daily to banish the flap for good. She put out a call to her readers, and is now on week two, but not especially happy with how it's all going. And this is where a sister wants to help a sister out.

Yeah, I'm a fitness dork and a personal trainer, so I figured it'd be good to share some evil moves and a little strategy towards her goal. But first, I really, really have to emphasize something, even though it already came up in the comments thread.

You can't spot tone. Well, actually you can, but no one will see the fruits of your hard work if there is a layer of fat over the newly strengthened muscles. And the way to get rid of fat? There's a few, but most involve a combination of cardio exercise (running, biking, swimming, etc.) and nutritional choices. Oh, and for many of us, walking 20 minutes a day is not going to be sufficient for our goals. See, many of us hold fat in our hips and thighs, and many of us hold it around our middle, and wherever you hold it, it'll be the first fat to come back and the last to go. Sorry. Life's a bitch.

But that doesn't mean you should neglect the ab set, cuz stronger abs help your cardio and your whole damn life. It's your core strength. baby. So here's five minutes of hard core. And one more thing: Since lots of us don't get the aesthetic results we want, especially in the time frame we'd like, I am a big fan of setting stuff up so you also get to see your strength progress. It's positive feedback, and I sure need it.

Sooo, I'd do these exercises for time. See how many reps you can do, and try and shoot for more reps each week, or increase your time. Oh, and ask your doctor first, and never even think of suing me because I have NO money. And if you have diastasis recti (and you probably know it because you'll see a ridge or feel a separation between your abs) then really, go for a specialized program.

1. Do 30 seconds of full sit ups. If you can't do any, try having someone hold your feet. Work up to doing them with no one holding your feet. You can also use a weighted ball and bring your arms overhead while you lay flat, then use the momentum to help you get up. I know sit ups aren't in vogue, but hey, do the Pilates version if you can then. I still like them because you can crank them out fast, elevate your heart rate, and have lots of variations (while holding weight, slow, fast, legs flat, decline, and so on.)

2. Do 30 seconds of bicycle crunches. Bring your knee to your opposite elbow while you extend the other leg; then switch in a cycling motion. You should feel it in your obliques. It should be hard, and as fast as you'd go if you were actually cycling. Make it hurt. Yeah.

3. Do 30 seconds of straight leg lifts. Lay flat, and put your hands, palms down, under your back where your booty starts to support your back. Keeping your legs straight, bring them up to a 90 degree angle, then lower them almost to the floor. If this hurts your lower back, try bending your knees and decreasing the range of motion.

Repeat 1, 2, and 3.

4. Do 10 push ups, or as many push ups as you can. From your feet. Yes it is hard at first, and yes, it works your arms, but Crabmommy suggested it and I love the idea because you do have to hold your core tight for these. Consider the 100 push up challenge.

5. Hold plank for one minute. You can do this from the top of the push up position, or from your forearms. Abs tight. Have someone check you to make sure you are flat like a board, and not dipping your hips down or sticking your booty in the air. Add ten seconds every week if you can. Try side plank on alternate days for a super good time.

Extra credit: If you have a pull up bar or are at the park and see some monkey bars handy, hang from the bar and bring your knees up to your chest; then lower your legs sloooowly to avoid swinging and do the next rep without touching the ground in between. Go for 15. 20. Do the side version too. Have fun. This one is great for some folks with bad backs who have trouble with lower ab stuff.

Now go forth and dare people to punch you in the gut.

Kid Food Is Mostly Crap, and It's a Little Shocking

Kelly Mills — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:02:00 GMT

I doubt most parents would assume a box of waffles with a picture of SpongeBob on the front was necessarily health food. But what if the box also had a label saying, "high in essential nutrients for growing kids"? Even if you don't consciously think about it, you might soften in your approach to the waffles. Well, I got news for you: That food is most likely junk.

See, researchers in Canada analyzed more than 360 products marketed to children. They did NOT include junk food, so there's nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide on this study. Instead they covered what is sometimes packaged as "fun food", products with cartoon characters and so on pimping the contents, such as prepackaged dinners. And guess what? Nearly 90 percent did not meet established nutritional standards, measured by percent of calories from fat, and the amount of sugar and/or sodium. Worse still in my book, 62 percent of the foods researchers identified as being of poor nutritional quality had claims of health on the packaging, like "low fat" or containing "essential nutrients".

So yes, the food industry is not above using shady marketing (such as pictures of kids playing sports on a box of sugar-salt crack) to fool parents about the health value of foods. And of course, there's the issue of directly marketing to kids, by putting appealing and familiar characters on the packaging. Just be forewarned that the fun, convenient food you buy at your kid's request is highly likely to be straight-up junk.

Tyson Foods Big Fat Liars

Locally Grown Ain't All That

Poor Kids Face Hungry Summers

Amy Kuras — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:30:00 GMT

For too many kids, school is the only place they can be guaranteed a good meal every day – a situation that is sure to get worse as more families get squeezed by skyrocketing prices on food and gas and rising unemployment.

In summer, though, those kids are not in school and so aren’t getting the nutrition they need. During the summer, fewer than one in five get the free or reduced price lunches they are entitled to year round.

School officials in many cities find ways to get kids to come to school during the summer just so they can be fed, and parks and recreation summer programs and church groups also help pick up the slack. Some schools even offer food during the summer to families who qualify, whether or not their kids are in summer school programs.

Some experts believe that lack of nutrition and idleness during the summer months account for the summer slide – the phenomenon by which children lose a great deal of their progress in school over the summer. Over time, low-income kids end up about two grade levels behind higher income children by the end of elementary school.

This Washington Post article details some of things being done in that city's suburbs. This is such a simple solution to one aspect of the cycle of poverty that I hope other cities do similar things. I hate thinking that some of the major victims of this economy are innocent kids.

Babble Talk: Why Do We Worry About Eating Disorders, But Only for Daughters?

Jen Chaney — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:25:00 GMT

In this week's Bad Parent essay, Jeanne Sager confesses that she is a recovering bulimic and is petrified that she'll pass on her eating disorder to her daughter.

"I worry constantly: Should she have another cookie?" Sager writes. "Should I buy the organic peanut butter or the Skippy that's on sale? Am I letting her get too fat? Am I making her too thin"

Any woman living in our size-two-is-best society probably has some body image issues. I know I do. Even those of us who don't take those issues to the level of having an eating disorder worry that we'll pass on unhealthy behavior -- staring in mirrors for too long, obsessing over calories -- to our kids. But here's the thing: I say kids. But really I mean daughters.

Even though it's entirely possible (albeit less common) for males to develop eating disorders, we don't seem to worry as much about that happening to our sons. In fact, the very first comment on Sager's essay says: "This is the scariest thing to me about having a daughter (on Friday!). I'm ALREADY hearing the murmurs of my ED when the doctor says, 'Oh, she'll be at least 9 pounds.' I realized that with my son I was happy that he was 9lbs, 6oz, but I felt disappointed that my daughter might start out big."

While we don't want any of our children to be overweight, we consider it a compliment if someone says our baby boy is large. That means he's healthy, strapping, destined for football glory. If someone says it about our baby girl, though, we subconsciously think: Fat. Unattractive. Destined to be a Heavier Version of Bridget Jones, Sans the Love Affair With Colin Firth.

Of course, we all know this is unfair, wrong and inappropriate. And yet it's ingrained in us by society. It's a reflexive response. So what can we do about it?

Really, the same thing Jeanne Sager is doing to deal with her eating disorder's impact on her daughter. Be aware, feed our kids healthy foods and fight the good fight against those bad impulses. And that all starts in the very beginning. When someone says: "Oh your little girl is so pudgy and cute," we have to convince ourselves not to cringe. Instead we should say, "Thank you." We should give our strapping daughters a kiss. And we should be silently grateful that she's got some meat on her bones and a perfectly pleased smile on her face.

Image: Klee McMullen/Babble.com

Vegan Parents Malnourish Baby

Amy Kuras — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:02:00 GMT

It's my week to be on the bummer beat. To wit: A couple in Atlanta was sentenced to life in prison in the death of their 6-week old son. They were convicted last year of malice murder, felony murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children for feeding the baby only soy milk and apple juice.

Crown Shakur, the son of Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas, was only three and a half pounds when he died. The baby was born at home, so no records existed of his birth weight, but he was a full term baby and 3.5 pounds is less than half normal size. Also, there was only one bottle anywhere in the house.

He was never seen by a doctor in his entire six weeks of life, and the parents claimed they didn’t realize he was in real trouble until minutes before he died.

They couple claim they were vegans and thought the soy milk and apple juice diet was reasonable. A similar case in New York a few years ago led to a lighter sentence. Prosecutors, however, charged the couple deliberately starved their son.

Now I am not a vegan, but a very quick Google search turned up no evidence whatsoever that vegans would recommend such a whackjob way of feeding a baby – in fact, two different nutritionists were very clear that there is no acceptable homemade alternative to baby formula.

And it seems like vegans would be natural breastfeeders. I mean I know they are against animal products, but people products? Which the person can give willingly? Why not breastfeed if at all possible?

What do you think? Malicious? Or just plain dumb?