Eat, Save, and Be Healthy

Every day on the news we hear stories about childhood obesity, programs to improve the foods served at schools, or the garden at the White House. But have you learned the steps you can take to encourage your children, grandchildren, or the children in your scout troop or 4-H club to try healthier foods like vegetables or fruits? A recent research report from the USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides vegetables and fruits to students in low income areas, found that when children are introduced to fresh vegetables or fruits they will try them. Students in the program who tried a vegetable were shown to eat most or all of it 60% of the time, and those who tried a fruit ate most or all of it 85% of the time. The study also found that when these fresh vegetables and fruits were offered to students as a snack, almost every child tried one. So if you have a picky eater, have you encouraged them to try something new lately? Here are a few tips to encourage the children (or even picky adults) in your life to try new healthier foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, or low fat dairy products:

•       Let your child select the new food to try – for example encourage them to select one new vegetable each time you grocery shop.
•       Allow your child to help with part of the food preparation – can they select the recipe used, wash the food, get out the bowl, or mix up the ingredients? Think safety though and know when they are old enough to use knives or be close to the stove.
•       Be sure to serve a food you know they enjoy with the new food.
•       If you have always served the food one way – try a new way or recipe. Do you always serve steamed broccoli – think fresh or stir fry next time.
•       Serve the food when you know your child is hungry, not after they have filled up on other foods. Try serving a new vegetable or fruit as a snack.
•       Set a good example, if children see adults eat a food they will usually try it, but if the adults complain, the child will too.
•       Encourage older children to be “Food Explorers”. Remind them that many of our favorite foods came from different parts of the world. Assist them with them investigating the country of origin for a food, how it was traditionally prepared, or how it        may have made its way to other parts of the world. This is a great project for elementary aged children, and may even be a way to incorporate their Social Studies classes into your meals at home.
•       Serve the food creatively or attractively – cut it into a cute shape or put it on a colorful plate.
•       Do not battle over foods – encourage children to at least try one bite. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to eat it – but you aren’t fixing them something else. Don’t be a short order cook!

It may take children 10 to 12 tries of a new food before they enjoy it. But by trying a few of these tips you should encourage your family to try a few new foods, and remember – you probably didn’t like every food the first time you tried it either. I know it took me a while before I liked asparagus.

Writer: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County, barlage.7@osu.edu.

Reviewed by:  Linnette Goard, Field Specialist, Food Safety, Selection and Management, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension.

Sources:

Creative Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat, The University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Clever Ways Parents Get Children to Eat Their Vegetables, University of Missouri Extension, http://extension.missouri.edu.

Oregon State, Agriculture in the Classroom, http://aitc.oregonstate.edu/teachers/pdf/handson/foodexplorer1.pdf.

USDA Blog, http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/04/05/secretarys-column-research-shows-that-kids-like-healthy-options/.

Did you know that children who eat fewer meals with their families when they are 4-years-old are more likely to be overweight by the 3rd grade? September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and we’ll be reaching out to families all month-long to discuss how they can realistically increase the number of meals they cook and eat at home. How often you cook and eat meals together at home as a family can impact many aspects of you and your childrens’ lives. Studies show that kids who eat frequent family meals are healthier (they eat far more fruits and veggies) and happier. They are also better students and are less likely to become depressed, have behavioral issues, or have low self-esteem problems. Kids who sit down to the table with their families on a regular basis also drink less soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages. Still, given all of these wonderful statistics, only one-third of the nation’s families on average cook and eat a family meal at home each night. According to the 2010 Census, 50% of meals were eaten out of the home. Now, as our children are flocking back to school and families are settling into school-year routines, it’s a great time for families to also get “Back to the Kitchen” – to be inspired and to be armed with information, tips, and suggestions for increasing how often they cook and eat healthy home meals together.

How you can get started:

Watch the Back to the Kitchen campaign video here:

http://youtu.be/kBBtHIKxwEM

Follow us online this September during “Back to the Kitchen” campaign at the following pages:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/osuefcs 

Twitter: @jamies4families or @lmgoard or follow #backtothekitchen

Pinterest: http:///www.pinterest.com/osuefcs

If you’ve been following our green gardening series, you know that I’ve chosen which vegetables to plant in my backyard garden and have started seeds for some of them indoors. The next step in my gardening adventure was getting everything planted in the garden! This year, due to more motivation from the blog, good weather, or unseen magical forces we can’t explain, my husband and I got our garden in weeks before we normally do. Here’s the layout of what I planted in early May:

As you can tell, we have a pretty decently sized garden for living in town – and we try to take full advantage of it! The perimeter of the garden is fenced, thus the peas, cucumbers, beans, and tomato locations. Growing close to a fence will allow them to climb and produce more yummy vegetables! (Peas and beans especially.) The corn was planted in double rows to allow for cross-pollination (a must for producing corn, read more about that here).

The tomatoes and peppers were started from seed indoors and moved out to the garden just this past week to allow plenty of time for them to become hardy enough to plant outdoors.

Below are the steps I took to plant seeds in the garden:

1. If you haven’t already done so, map out what you will plant where. Take into consideration if the plant(s) need to climb or can grow on the ground, how much space they need to grow, and if they need to be planted in double rows to allow for cross-pollination (such as corn and peas).

2.  Till up the dirt in the garden before planting using a gas or electric-powered tiller for large gardens, or simply a shovel. This gets the dirt nice and loose and ready for seed growth – if the dirt is too packed down it will be much more difficult for seeds to grow and reach the surface where the all-important sunshine is!

Read the rest of this entry »

This series is authored by Jamie Seger, Ohio State University Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Program Assistant.

I love this time of the year! Spring is full of new beginnings, the color GREEN, and that wonderful sense of “hey, it’s time to get out there and get your hands in the dirt again!” For me, spring = gardening. My husband and I purchased our first house in 2008 and one of the selling points of the place was the fenced-in garden behind the garage. We both grew up enjoying fresh veggies from our mothers’ gardens and I had always dreamed of having my own someday – our new home made that a reality! So, we’ve planted vegetables in our garden each summer since 2008. Some summers consisted of more planting than others (one year I only had the motivation to throw tomato seeds directly into the dirt and hope that something sprouted), but I’ve come to have a deeper appreciation for gardening that goes beyond enjoying the fruits of my labor. As you’ll find out, gardening can offer physical activity and even stress relief! Nothing calms me more after a hard day at work or hearing “Mommy!!!!!!” screamed a million times in my direction than going out into the quiet, peaceful garden and pulling the heck out of some weeds!

I had great intentions with my garden last summer. I spent a lot of time planning and planting  – filling the garden to capacity. And then I stepped outside one night to water the tomato plants and discovered that my neighbor had accidentally sprayed weed killer through our fence, killing everything that was planted along the west side – sugar snap peas (my husband and son’s garden favorites), corn, cucumbers, and half of our green beans. It goes without saying that we had a pretty pathetic harvest by the end of the summer! This year, I’m going full throttle. I was armed with a garden diagram (only necessary for severe control-freaks like myself), an armful of seed packets, and potting soil in early March – about the time that us Ohians were still under the “oh my goodness summer came in February!” guise. Then, Mother Nature gave us a reality check and has sternly reminded us the past few weeks of April that we’re still technically in “Spring” and that Old Man Winter hasn’t yet decided if he is satisfied with his underwhelming appearance from December to March!

So I was probably in the same boat as many other garden enthusiasts who prematurely wanted to start their seeds without thinking they would have to constantly bring the containers inside each night to preserve them from frost’s root-killing wrath! After reality struck, I decided to wait to start my seeds.  Depending on where you live in the country, the best time to start seeds is about 4 to 12 weeks before they will be transplanted into your garden.  This typically means that you should start seeds indoors during the months of March or April. Take a look on the back of the seed packets you purchase to find out when they can be safely planted in garden soil. Note:The next post in the series will focus on how to start seeds indoors and prep them for transplanting into your garden.

While I was waiting to start the seeds, I had to think of what to plant and where to plant it. Which in my opinion is half the fun of gardening – planning! Listed below are the steps in the planning process

1. Find your hardiness zone on the USDA map to find out which fruits, vegetables, and other plants will grow best in your garden.
2. Choose from these plants which ones you and your family will enjoy – and which ones you may be willing to “try out.”
3. Go to a store to pick out your seeds (or you can also purchase plants that have already been started for you). Carefully look at the back of the seed packets or plant info stick to see how much space the plant will need, if it vines (requires a lattice or fence to “climb up”), and if there should be concerns about what type of critters or insects it might attract. (My husband loves raspberries but won’t allow me to plant them because of the amount of bees they attract!)
4. Select and purchase your seeds/plants based on how much space you have in your garden and if you have a fence available to either keep pests out or allow certain plants to climb up (you can also purchase a lattice for this purpose if you don’t have a fence).
5. Take the time to actually draw a diagram (in your mind or on paper) of what you will plant where in your garden. Knowing this ahead of time comes in handy on the days that you’re hot, sweaty, and tired in May or June when you’re planting the garden!
6. If you’re starting seeds, also pick up a bag of seed starting or potting soil and some biodegradable little pots (they can be directly planted into the garden soil – pretty nifty!)

Sounds easy enough, right? It is – and it’s fun! I hope you will join me in planting a vegetable garden for you and your family to enjoy this summer.

Happy seed/plant picking! On Friday, I’ll share how to properly start your seeds for indoor growth before planting in the garden – and how you can even get your kids involved.

Did you ever stop to think about how long your body goes without food from the time you eat dinner until you have breakfast in the morning?  It could be 10 or 11 hours.  And if you skip breakfast, add another 4 or 5 hours.  No wonder you get hungry. 

According to the Food Research and Action Center, children who eat a school breakfast have better test scores, are more attentive, and have less discipline problems.  Their overall diet is better — eating more fruits, drinking more milk and having more variety of foods each day. Make sure your child is eating breakfast each morning – either at home or at school (if it is available).

Author:  Linnette Mizer Goard, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

OSU Extension has a new program geared specifically to kids and is bringing it to schools, churches, after-school programs and other organizations across the state this fall and winter. It comes complete with a series of video-recorded motivational messages including this one by Buckeye football players Jamie Wood, Jake Stoneburner and DeVier Posey. Contact your local county Extension office for more information!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlpfjYSmGi8&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Childhood obesity has been in the news a lot recently, as First Lady Michelle Obama takes it on as her signature issue.  This is indeed a problem as we have seen a steady rise over the past years.  Consider these stats from the Center for Disease Control:

“Data from NHANES surveys (1976–1980 and 2003–2006) show that the prevalence of obesity has increased: for children aged 2–5 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 12.4%; for those aged 6–11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 17.0%; and for those aged 12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.6%”

There are many possible avenues to consider when we wonder how we got here, but as we consider reversing this trend, let’s start with simple steps at home.  As a family life expert, I am especially interested in the link between parenting and childhood obesity.  According to a new study by researchers at Ohio State University and Temple University, household routines are a key aspect of reducing obesity.

The study found that in household of preschoolers, children who:

• ate the evening meal as a family,
• got adequate sleep (10 1/2 hours)
• and had less than 2 hours of TV time on weekdays,

had a 40% lower prevelance of childhood obesity!

One of the researchers states,  “I imagine people are going to want to know which of the routines is most important: Is it limited TV, is it dinner, is it adequate sleep? And what this suggests is that you can’t point to any one of these routines. Each one appears to be associated with a lower risk of obesity, and having more of these routines appears to lower the risk further,” Anderson said.

While nutrition information may seem often confusing and overwhelming, this shows that there are other aspects of the home that are critical to a healthy lifestyle.  Think about simple ways that you can incorporate these routines into your family today!  Click here to read more about this study, or it can be found in the March 2010 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Give a child a giant pixie stick and what happens?  Many people would say, watch out!  Refined (processed/added) sugars may have some effect on children’s activity, according to the National Institutes of Health. Refined sugars enter the bloodstream quickly, so they produce rapid fluctuations in blood glucose levels.  This might trigger adrenaline and make a child more active.  And falling adrenaline levels may bring on a period of decreased activity and/or a desire for more sugar to kick the level back up to high.

However, research is inconclusive as to whether or not sugar is linked to hyperactivity.  Some child may be genetically predisposed to hyperactivity after doses of sugar, while others may not respond in the same way.  Scientists also reason that if a special diet of foods with less sugar works for a child, it may be because that family has begun to interact with each other differently when they are following the special diet.  These behavioral changes, not the diet itself, may improve the child’s own behavior and activity level.

For every child, there are many reasons to eat whole grains and less sugar.  Sugar remains a key cause in tooth decay.  High-sugar foods tend to have fewer vitamins and minerals, and may replace more nutritious foods.  Also, high-sugar foods have many unnecessary calories that can lead to obesity.  Adding fiber to your child’s diet may help to keep adrenaline levels more constant.  Check out previous posts on identifying added sugars and improving fiber intake for ideas.

Cheers, Julie

September 28, 2009 is Family Day, a day for families to eat dinner together.  Why dinner? Research shows that family meals are almost magical.  Almost every benefit you could want for your child and your family has been shown to be related to the simple act of sitting down without the TV and eating a meal together.

What kind of benefits?

• In one study family meals were the largest predictor (more than sports, church or studying) of academic success and fewer behavioral problems for children 3-12.

• Family Meals are associated with vocabulary and sophisticated word use in children.

And the results just get better as the children get older…

• One study of adolescents found a strong correlation between regular family meals (five or more meals a week with at least one parent) and academic success, psychological adjustment and lower rates of alcohol use, drug use,  sexual activity, and suicide risk.
• Children 9-14 who had regular meals with their families also had more healthful eating patterns, consumed more fruits and vegetables, less trans and saturated fats and less sodas.
• Furthermore, one study found that college students with eating disorders engaged in less family meals as a child

But the benefit is not longer just for the children…

• a recent study found that more frequent family meals were correlated with adult life satisfaction.

Despite these huge benefits, we also know that families taking time for  meals together are declining- almost 1/3 of a decline since 1970.  Among the reason cited are TV, weeknight activities, and cleaning. Isn’t it ironic to you that in an age where we have sophisticated devices to communicate with people across the world, we find that one of the greatest predictors of so many good things for our families is actually to disconnect for a little while and tune in to the lives of those around us.  Family meal time does not have to be a fancy, laborious event.    Sometimes all that children need is for you to listen to them and pass the salt and pepper.

Take a night off from all the running around on Sept 28th and spend a night with your family. Make them their favorite meal and listen to them.  You never know what kind of impact it is having.

Update: A new study in the 2010 march issue of Pediatrics shows that preschoolers who eat a meal together as a family, in addition to getting adequate sleep and less TV time have a 40% lower prevalence of childhood obesity!  Check it out.