Harvest of the Month

Last week, I volunteered in my daughter's 4th grade classroom presenting the health benefits of kiwi as part of Harvest of the Month. For those of you who aren't familiar with Harvest of the Month, it's a public health nutrition initiative designed to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption among children. The produce of the month is introduced to children in a variety of ways and accompanied by a historical and nutritional overview. It's educational, tasty, and fun!

At Montair Elementary, Harvest of the Month was started in 2014 by Robin Clark, a mom, physician's assistant and child health advocate extraordinaire. In the early days, it began with just a few classrooms participating. Fast forward to today and the whole school participates.

When we introduce the fruit or vegetable of the month, we offer it to children both fresh and cooked. For example, this month I made kiwi muffins, kiwi salsa, and strawberry kiwi smoothies.  The latter was wildly popular with the kids (see recipe below)! While these recipes make kiwi highly palatable, Robin feels it's important to have kids taste the produce in it's natural state. Ultimately, they're more likely to encounter kiwi in a fruit salad than in a muffin!

Are you interested in bringing the Harvest of the Month program to your school? Robin has graciously created a website for Montair that can get you started. You can also download lesson plans from the California Department of Public Health's Harvest of the Month site. Harvest of the month requires a few dedicated parent volunteers willing to commit to a monthly lesson.

I'd like to think that the day ended with a few more kiwi fans than it started with, but ultimately, it is the exposure that matters. According to dietitian and family therapist Ellyn Satter, it could take 15-20 times of introducing a food before a child tries it, and that's ok.

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bananas, frozen

• 2 cups frozen strawberries

• 2 whole kiwis, peeled

• 3/4 cup plain plant-based yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Just Plum Good!

Plums are not only sweet and delicious, they offer many health benefits too. Naturally high in vitamins A and C, plums are a rich source of antioxidants. Antioxidants, especially when consumed through foods, can help prevent premature aging and some kinds of cancers. A study published in 2010.(1) showed that plum extracts were able to kill aggressive breast cancer cells without harming the surrounding healthy cells.

Dried plums keep our digestive tract moving. The insoluble fiber and the soluble fiber of the plum work in unison to help relieve constipation. The insoluble fiber found in the skin doesn’t dissolve and scrubs the digestive lining. Soluble fiber in the pulp makes a gluey mass that traps fats, sugars, bacteria, and toxins and moves them out of the body. In fact, research has shown that dried plums are more effective than psyllium.(2) Psyllium is commonly found in fiber supplements like Metamucil.

Good news for diabetics! While plums are sweet tasting, they don’t raise blood sugar drastically.(3) Remember all that soluble fiber we mentioned? When we eat a plum, thanks to the soluble fiber, it enters and exits the bloodstream more slowly, stabilizing our blood sugars. Avoiding spikes in blood sugars is key for managing diabetes.

Here’s another reason to increase your intake of this sweet and juicy stone fruit. Plums are good for our bones. The polyphenols and potassium in plums enhance bone density and can protect us from bone loss.(4)

Besides being amazing for our health, plums are versatile. They can be grilled, baked, broiled, or stewed. They come in a variety of colors from green to yellow to deep purple to red, with a gorgeous yellow or red flesh inside. They are healthy for our bodies, aesthetically pleasing, and delicious. What more could we ask for in a fruit?

Guest blog for The Urban Farmer

Exercising Patience and Creativity for the Picky Eater

At a couple of recent PTA events, the question of picky eating came up several times -- "My son won't eat vegetables," and "My daughter won't eat fruit except strawberries but only if smothered in chocolate." If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

First and foremost, kids need to feel that they aren't forced to eat. Dinner should be a relaxing experience. Some find it more successful to offer vegetables/fruit at the table, along with other foods, in a bowl they can self-serve. Some kids need multiple exposures including touching, smelling, and even putting the food in their mouth and taking it out again before they'll even take a bite. That's ok. Exposure to "new" foods can take time, so be patient.

Even if they pass on eating the food, seeing it at the table makes it more familiar. They are more likely to eat it if parents are modeling it, and again, they don't feel forced. Ellyn Satter is a dietitian who is an expert on this subject and talks about the division of responsibility. "The parent is responsible for what, when, where. The child is responsible for how much and whether."

There are a lot of other ideas to make fruits and vegetables more enticing.

• Take kids to the farmer's market and have them pick out their own.

• Have them help in the kitchen.

• Roast vegetables rather than sauté or steam - vegetables caramelize, release their natural sugars, and taste better.

• Smoothies - create some sweet berry/mango/pineapple smoothies. Then start adding greens to it and give it a fun name like "leprechaun smoothie."

• Start with the least bitter of the greens (such as spinach rather than kale).

• Some kids are "super tasters" and texture and strong smells are a real turn off. They might be more open to vegetables if they are raw, and have a nice ranch dip to go with it.

• If parents have time to blend vegetables and mask them into marinara sauce on pasta, there is no harm in that. Ideally, you want them to eat the right food but temporarily, it'll give parents peace of mind.

• Nutrition education - educating a child through a healthy cooking class or fun workshop that includes nutrition education can make a big impact.

Children want to do right by their own bodies. Remember, they have so little choice and freedom over their lives and sometimes food is the only way for them to exercise some control. Give up the struggle, educate them on what will serve their bodies and what won't, model it, then let go and trust them.

When Teens Make Their Own Choice to Become a Vegetarian

As our children mature into tweens and teens, parents are sometimes faced with when, and how, to best support their kids' desire to make independent and conscious food and health related choices. A good example of this is when teens choose to give up meat, for any variety of reasons, including animal rights, health or the influence of their peers.

While avoiding meat, however, sometimes kids choose meals that are heavy on carbohydrates and low in fiber and protein (e.g. enriched pasta with marinara, french fries and soda, etc.). As parents, we are here to guide them as they assert themselves and start to make their own choices. It's important for parents of teens who choose a vegetarian lifestyle to be aware of the health aspects and to prepare food that will provide the necessary nutrients your child needs for his or her growing body. In a meatless diet, particular areas of concern are vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, protein, iron, zinc and fiber. Below are some good sources of these important nutrients:

• Vitamin B12:  vitamin-fortified products, such as soy and rice milks, and nutritional yeast.

• Vitamin D: milk and vitamin D-fortified orange juice.

• Calcium: dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, dried beans, and calcium-fortified products, including orange juice, soy and rice milks.

• Protein: tofu and other soy products, dried beans, and nuts.

• Iron: dried beans, dried fruits, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables.

• Zinc: wheat germ, nuts, dried beans, and pumpkin seeds.

• Fiber: beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains 

A plant-based diet can be very healthy. Some of the latest research supports the idea that vegetarians and vegans have a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, obesity and some types of cancer.

Do you want to learn how make nutritious, easy-to-prepare plant-based meals? Join me and Chef Lisa for Let's™ Get Vegucated: a plant-based nutrition talk and cooking demo on March 23 from 7-8:30pm at Gale Ranch Middle School. This class is geared for parents and teens but all are welcome. Please register for this free event!

Resolutions and Creating Health Habits

As we enter 2017, many of us resolve to make healthier choices for ourselves and our families. Often our New Year's Resolutions might include things like:

• Lose weight

• Exercise

• Save money

• Spend more time with family

• Get more sleep

• Fill in the blank

What happens between January and March? Well, the parking sure gets easier at the gym! A tight work deadline, a sick child, or other unforeseen event, and our well-intentioned plans get derailed. Change isn't easy. We have patterns that have kept us following the paths we're on so we need time to alter our course and we need to create a plan.

Just one resolution

Have one goal and follow through with it. One goal is easier to work on than five all at once. See the success that comes with achieving that particular goal. The mindset shift we have to make to achieve one goal is often enough to make change in other areas of our lives.

Be specific

Instead of "I will work out three times a week," put it on your calendar with more detail. Monday: spin class from 4-5pm; Wednesday: walk on the trail with Jane from 5-6pm; Friday yoga DVD before work. Be realistic. If exercising in the morning is crazy because you need to pack lunches, make breakfast and get the kids off to school, pick another time that makes more sense.

Divide up tasks and set yourself up for success

If your goal is to prepare home-cooked meals but you have to do groceries, put it all away, chop vegetables, and then cook the meal, it's easy to see how eating out would be a very tempting short cut!

Create margin

Schedule your day with enough time so you can play catch with your child in the early evening, prepare a healthy dinner, get to bed on time, or whatever your goal is. It's less stressful that way too.

Accountability

Have a friend join you for that run or gym class. You are less likely to miss it if a friend is expecting you.

Habits take time to form and setbacks are inevitable so most importantly, be patient with yourself. Have a happy and healthy new year.

Healthy Holiday Eating

Peace, love and joy are sentiments of the holidays, but not always accurate about how we feel about our eating during December. Often we stuff ourselves silly at holiday gatherings, feel guilty about it until New Years, then resolve to eat healthy the next year. Why do this to ourselves? Sure, eating healthy around the holidays can be challenging, but with a little preparation, it's very do-able.

Don't go to a holiday party starving. Have a healthy snack beforehand to help take the edge off your hunger and allow you to make better choices when you are faced with tempting foods. This goes for the kids too. You'll take comfort knowing they ate something nutritious to balance out some of the treats they'll eat later that evening.

Offer to bring a healthy dish to the party. You know there'll be one dish you can load up on.

Fill up half your plate with vegetables. The fiber will help fill you up and help you stay full longer.

Incorporate plenty of physical activity into the day. Go for a walk or hit the gym before the party or collect family and go for a post-dinner walk.

Eat mindfully. Rich, indulgent foods shouldn't be labeled as "bad" or forbidden food. Rather, they are to be enjoyed with the fullest attention. Notice the aroma, texture, and flavor of the food and savor it. Mindful eating is a proven method to prevent overeating and increase satisfaction. Give it a try!

The Importance of Sleep

You know you are pretty sleep-deprived if you're looking forward to the fall clock change! That's how it was for me this past Sunday. Just imagining an extra hour of sleep sounded so luxurious. It's not just parents who are sleep-deprived; it's our kids are too. Jam-packed schedules of school, an after-school activity and/or a sport, dinner, followed by homework is sending our kids to bed later and later. Let's face it, unless they're done, we can't relax either. On a more serious note, according the The Journal of Sleep, lack of sleep can manifest in depressive symptoms and and even suicidal thoughts in children so just like food and water is essential for our health, so is healthy sleep.

Good Sleep-hygiene

The Academy of pediatrics recommends that elementary-aged kids get 10-12 hours of sleep, preteens get 10, and teens get 9. A prescription for healthy sleep:  

• Have a consistent bedtime. Your body well get accustomed to sleeping at the right time.

• Create a bedtime routine for your children (and yourselves) - put phones and computers away, dim the lights and do something calming a half-hour before bed such as a hot shower, some light reading, or whatever is relaxing.

• Keep electronics out of the bedroom. The light from phones and computers inhibit melatonin production (the sleep-inducing hormone) and keep us falsely alert. Checking texts at night disrupts sleep.

Sleep and Weight Gain

Believe it or not, sleep deprivation can affect your weight. A recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that after a night of limited sleep, people ate an average of 385 extra calories the next day, the equivalent of a frosted cupcake or serving of French fries! They also consumed less protein and more fat. Hormones that control our appetite are regulated by good quality sleep too. For the sake of mental and physical health, make sure everyone in your house gets their zzz's. Need help convincing your kids? This video sums it up in a fun way.

Boosting Your Family's Immunity

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," said Hippocrates. As the cold and flu season approaches, focus on eating healthy to keep infections at bay.

Vitamin A regulates the immune system and protects from infections by keeping skin and tissue healthy. Vitamin A rich foods include tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, peppers, and egg yolks. It's also found in orange fruit like apricots and peaches.

Vitamin C protects us from infections and stimulates the production of antibodies. Peppers, strawberries, kiwi, citrus fruit and tomatoes are great sources of this vitamin.

Vitamin E neutralizes free radicals. Seeds, nuts, nut butters and spinach are good sources.

Zinc helps the immune system too and aids in wound-healing. Zinc can be found in lean meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, whole grain products, beans, nuts and seeds.

So many of us are low or even deficient in Vitamin D. Get your levels checked and see if supplementation is necessary. Vitamin D plays an important role in the function of our immune system.

Probiotics promote gut health and strengthens the immune system too. Sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt are good food sources.

Turn to your spice drawer
Feeling a cold coming on? Head it off with this immune boosting broth. Boil a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, 1 smashed garlic clove, and a pinch of turmeric (dried or grated fresh) in a cup of water and sip.