Back to School Nutrition tips for Kids!

It's that time again.  Kids are going back to school and they have to adapt to changes to their schedule as well as you.  During the summer, they have been waking up late, playing video games, and eating ice cream.

It's during this time of change that parents can take advantage of creating new habits.  Not only for the children they love, but for themselves as well.  Considering that childhood obesity is a serious threat to the nation, it's what is being done at home that is going to make the most impact.

Here are a few tips to get your kids on a path of true health:

Teach your kids to eat breakfast by Eating with them!

As a nutrition coach for over a decade, I have discovered that many parents do not eat breakfast with their children.  Though they tell them to eat breakfast, they often find it challenging for them to eat it.  Even worse, for the kids who do, parents will often throw a granola bar at them and have them eat it on the way to school.  This is a dangerous pattern that will lead to unhealthy eating behaviors.

If you want your child to eat healthy breakfast, eat breakfast with them.  I'm usually out of the house before my kids are out of bed, but my wife prepares and has breakfast with our children.  She doesn't give them Pop-tarts and calls it breakfast.  Instead, she cuts up bananas, gives them blueberries, whole grain waffles, and eggs with a glass of water (not juice).  You know, healthy stuff.  By the way, they love it!  Why, because it's what we eat too.

Pack your kids healthy lunches
A lot of times parents go for the convenience factor instead of the health factor.  Throwing in a juice pouch that claims to be healthy because it has vitamin C or calcium does eliminate the fact that it has additives and sugar.  Besides, you're spending a lot of money on what is primarily water.  So, perhaps you can just give them a water bottle.  Better yet, a reusable BPA free bottle and add lime, lemon, or a small amount of O.J. to give it flavor.

As to food, give them fruit, carrots, and a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread or a potato roll (if you're going gluten free try Rudi's).  Don't tell me that the only thing your kid will eat is junk.  Just a little over 50 years ago, the only option they would've had would be to eat is real food.  On occasion, maybe once a week, you can throw in some chips and a cookie.  But these should not be your staples.

Once again, if you eat healthy lunches, they are more likely to eat what is given to them as well.

Take your kids to the grocery store

Now, I know that when you take your kids to the store, usually they are driving you crazy asking for junk.  However, don't under estimate the power of role modeling.  If you don't buy junk for yourself, they will make less requests for it.  

Children like to learn too.  Teach them about reading labels. Teach them about the tricky and misleading advertisements and hooks on the cover of cereal boxes, fruit roll-ups, etc.  Usually, product makers claim a product is healthy (when it's really not) and they often try to hook children prizes (the movie industry will ticks me off about this).

I know for a fact that children can make changes, as I've had children go on grocery store tours with their parents.  The parents tell me later that it's often the kids that are holding them accountable.  

Give kids healthful after school snacks
I'll admit it.  When I was a kid, I often would hit the pantry for powdered donuts and cheese puffs after school.  It was my favorite after school snack.  When I got old enough, I would eat hot dogs and cheese sticks, then chase it down with a sugar-filled soda.

Once again, kids will eat what is available to them and eat what their parents eat.  Instead of junk, have fruit, nuts, and other healthy options available to them.  Perhaps, you can create your own trail mix filled with lightly salted nuts, pretzels, and raisins.  Yogurt bars are a great option too.

It's not about the kid(s) as much as you.  
Teaching your kids how to eat healthy is not going to be an easy task.  However, if you remain steadfast and culminate to healthy eating habits yourself, your children will also change.  

In the state of Georgia, nearly 40% of children are obese.  Georgia ranks a dismal 2nd in highest childhood obesity in the U.S.  If you would like to make some changes or to learn more about permanent health, go to Strong4Life, a program sponsored by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. 


written by:
Kelly Huggins
Exercise Science, B.S.
Fitness and Nutrition Coach
Fitness Together

12 Days of Fitness Tips: 1st Day - STRENGTH

On the 1st Day of Fitness, Your Trainer Says to Thee  "Strength train a minimum of 3x/week this holiday season to maintain fitness levels and keep weight gain at a minimum.  Strength, not just cardio will COMPLETE your fitness solution!"  Read article- Maximize your strength training efforts

YOU GOTTA WATCH THIS VID

 

Nutrient Brief: Powerful Pecans

No matter how you pronounce it, pecans are another “nut”ritional powerhouse.  Pecans are the only tree nut native to America, cultivated mostly in the south and central parts of the country.  Thus, they have become a staple in many southern recipes.  Steer clear of the pecan pie though—one traditional slice can contain 500 calories or more! 

Stick with fresh or roasted pecans, with as little added sodium or sugar  as possible.  As with other nuts, while nutritionally dense, pecans are also calorically dense due to the high percentage of fat per serving (about 195 calories per one ounce serving) so enjoy in moderation and always be aware of portion size. 

Some of the benefits include:

*High antioxidant content has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, and quite possibly some neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

*Great source of mono and polyunsaturated fat which contributes to a lowering of LDL “bad cholesterol” and raising of HDL “good cholesterol”.

*A one ounce serving contains more than half the daily recommended serving of the mineral manganese, as well as calcium, zinc and phosphorus on the mineral side and vitamins A, E, and several types of B vitamins.

*Nuts make a great on the go snack  either alone or paired with fresh or dried fruit—just portion out small containers so you have some handy to take with you wherever your winter travels lead!

written by:

Katie Jensen, CSCS
Psychology, B.S.
NPTI Graduate

The Insulin Effect of Fitness! (National Diabetes Month)

Besides Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, November is also known as National Diabetes Month. Though there are two types of diabetes, this article focuses on Type II diabetes. If you have it you're feeling the effects of decreased quality of life.  This is quite unfortunate, as it is probably the most preventable of diseases along with heart disease.  Interestingly, Type II diabetes correlates closely with heart disease.

In a world of traditional Western medicine, the medical and pharmaceutical companies are constantly on a search to find drugs to treat Type II diabetes. Interestingly, there are ways to reverse the effects of diabetes without using pills.

Before I go any further, I feel compelled to tell you that if you think you have diabetes (or have been diagnosed), you need to see a medical professional regularly.    Preferably, you would see an endocrinologist. Any way you look at it, you will most likely need medication (like Avandia, glucophage, metformin etc.). Also, I need to remind you of the role of insulin in the body, which is to allow blood sugar to be extracted into the muscle.

To truly beat diabetes, you must eat right and get physical.  As always you need to incorporate the synergistic effect of resistance training (weight lifting), cardiovascular exercise, and supportive nutrition if you want to beat diabetes (related article). Every endocrinologist I have known concurs. Here is the first reason why:

The Insulin Effect of Exercise- When you exercise (with weights and with cardiovascular training), your muscles do a very unique thing. It starts to extract blood sugar without the use of insulin. More interestingly, the body will begin to release glucose (blood sugar) from the liver to balance things out. (That's a really good thing .) Even better, when you lift weights and increase your muscle tone, your muscle will extract more blood sugar even at rest.

Studies show, that many Type II diabetics are able to decrease the amount of diabetic medication as a result of exercise (at some point you usually have to). This is because you become less insulin resistant.  You may even begin to experience fatigue because the medication is greater than the resistance of insulin, thereby bringing your blood sugar too low.  Most doctors recognize this right away and are often thrilled that their patients are making better choices and become healthier.  Think about the money you'll save medications.

There are even some reports that when caught early, diabetes can solely be treated with exercise and eating right. This can prevent you from taking med's and can possibly create physical changes (hormonal shifts) in the body that makes your insulin regulation normal again.  Don't forget that when you do the right things you will also lose the "extra" body fat which contributes to developing Type II diabetes.  However, it should be noted that being overweight is not the sole cause of Type II diabetes.  Conversely, it highly correlates to Type II diabetes because the same lifestyle choices lead to the same symptoms and illnesses.  It is for this reason that weight loss alone is not enough. 

If you or someone you know has diabetes, this is the time to take back control of your body and improve your quality of life.  Make every effort you can to fight the disease instead of letting it defeat you.  A long-term, comprehensive fitness and nutrition program is what you need.  If you don't know where to start, seeking the help of a professional fitness coach (at Fitness Together of course) is a good idea!  Your fitness and nutrition program has to evolve and be more progressive.  Quick weight loss gimmicks do not work long term.

written by:

Kelly Huggins, A-CPT

Exercise Science, B.S.

NPTI Instructor

Fitness Together - Fitness/Nutrition Coach

October Nutrition Tip of Week 3: Have a Plan to Divvy up the candy

If your kids are the age where they bring home pillowcases full of Halloween candy, you need to have a plan of action! Have your child pick out 10 of their favorite pieces of candy loot. Divvy the candy up allotting just one or two pieces per day—and give all the rest away! 

This is just one idea on how to deal with candy.  However, there are other alternatives as well- Healthy Alternatives to Trick or Treating

www.FitnessTogether.com/NorthBuckhead

October Nutrition Tip of Week: 2. Eat baked apples for dessert

It’s apple season so why not bake some up for dessert? Nothing could be simpler than coring an apple, adding a little water, a sweetener and maybe some raisins and chopped pecans or walnuts and baking in a hot oven. The best “baking apples” are: Rome Beauty, Golden delicious, Honeycrisp and Jonagold.  

Go organic when possible!  

Click it- Go local and pick some of your own! 

Stuffed Baked Apples Recipe

October Recipe 2

October Recipe - Pumpkin Apple Butter Spread

Pumpkin Power Article

Pumpkin Power Article

Void the Pitfalls of Food Reward!

Void the Pitfalls of Food Reward!

Many of your food behaviors stem back to childhood.  Though mama taught us to eat breakfast, she also gave us a plate of cookies with a glass of milk when you didn’t feel well.  When you made a good grade, you would take a trip to McDonald’s.  When you won a ballgame, you got ice-cream.  There always seems to be a time to celebrate or medicate with food.  This is destructive behavior.

Science also supports the notion that we create neuro-associations to food for reward, even when you’re not hungry.  This makes this behavior one of the most difficult to break, as you can find a means to reward yourself for accomplishments of which you normally would not reward.  Make sense?

For example, after a hard day at work, patting fires, and dealing with traffic, you finally make you’re way back home to end the day.  Then the little devil pops up on your your shoulder and says, “You worked really hard today! You should go get a greasy cheeseburger with fries and a shake," or it may say,  "Cupcake!”  Then the devil says, "just one more time!"  But, you know that little devil is you that's talking. The mental processes (what you're thinking) drives the physiological desire and vice versa.  You also know as well as I do that it's silly to reward yourself with something so trivial.  There's always going to be good days and bad days.  Save the celebrations.

By the way, it's also dangerous to reward yourself with food when you achieve weight loss or fitness goals too! Especially if you already have these behaviors, you will eventually find yourself going in reverse.

In order to break this negative behavior, you have to change your perspective.  In other words, you have to understand that every time you reward or treat yourself with food, you are actually punishing yourself.  When you do this, chances are you will have more bad days than good.  There are long-term consequences.  If you reward yourself with things that may actually help you relax without all the calories, chances are you will have more better days than good!

Here are some better ways to reward and de-stress yourself:

• Get a massage
• Watch a movie
• Play golf, go bowling, or play mini-golf
• Go for a run
•  Organize something, like your closet
• Listen to music
• Walk the dog
• Do some gardening

Understandably, you may not look at some of these things as rewards.  However, you have to change your attitude.  What you see in everyone of these tips is that there are no long term consequences.  If anything, you achieve a true reward.  One of the other benefits of these rewards is that it keeps your mind off of food (with exception of gardening, which is good food)!  

written by:
Kelly Huggins, A-CPT
Exercise Sci., BS
Fitness Together Expert Fitness/Nutrition Coach

September Nutrition Tip of Week 4: Try a new leafy green-Swiss chard

Did you know that alongside spinach, Swiss chard is one of the most nutritious leafy greens on the planet? Swiss chard is related to the beet, and is an excellent source of vitamins A, K, C and potassium. Easy to make, buy it fresh and simply remove the stalks, chop up the leaves and sauté with extra virgin olive oil and garlic.


http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/swiss_chard/