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During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
Health: In Shape
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With three busy kids, a full-time public school teaching job and a husband whose working hours vary, Danielle Vargas and her family are always on the go. But the Temecula mom has figured out a system that helps her ensure the whole family is eating healthy foods as much as possible. “The key for me is organization. When I grocery shop I have a list with menus planned out for a week,” says Vargas, whose children are 7, 12 and 16. While her husband often works the evening shift and can’t be home for dinner on weekdays, Vargas and her kids try to eat together and rarely eat out during the week. The family also avoids fast-food restaurants. Vargas has found that her family tends to eat healthier foods if everyone eats at home, where she can whip up tacos with lean meat or easy chicken dinners in a crockpot. For snacks, Vargas keeps the kitchen stocked with healthy foods like grapes, baby carrots and bean and cheese burritos. “I go to the farmer’s market once a week,” says Vargas who places a high priority on good nutrition for the whole family. She also tries to set a good example. She loves salad, so all three of her children have learned to eat salad too. What you eat is what you get The health consequences can be severe. Overweight and obese people are at increased risk for life-threatening physical ailments including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems and psychological disorders such as depression, eating disorders and low self-esteem. The incidence of another weight-related disease, diabetes, in the U.S. has jumped nearly 50% in the past 10 years, in large part due to poor diet and physical inactivity, according to the CDC. Diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure and is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States. Nutrition experts advise parents to plan ahead to make meals at home and shop in advance. Know your family’s schedule, include foods that can be prepared in the time available, and have the kitchen properly stocked. As Danielle Vargas has discovered and experts widely agree families that eat more meals at home eat healthier foods. Family meals can also be a comforting ritual for parents and their kids. Children like the predictability of the scheduled meal and parents get a chance to catch up with the children’s day. Persuading toddlers and preschoolers to join in or try new foods at dinner can be a challenge to parents. One way to get young children to try new foods is to get them involved in preparing the meal. The CDC suggests letting your 3-year-old wash and tear the lettuce for a salad, rinse off vegetables, and mix ingredients in a bowl. Four-year-olds can quarter oranges, mash bananas with a fork and help set the table. Eliminating fast food from the menu is equally critical to eating better for adults and children, Berenson says. “There’s more calories and fat than in a meal you would get at home.” Parents can take advantage of many healthful and convenient foods available for take-out, including cheese pizza topped with vegetables or pineapple. “For busy moms, so many of these markets have roasted chickens to go. Taking that home and adding a salad or veggies and milk would be fast and convenient,” Berenson says. Another key is cutting out junk food snacks at home. Chips and cookies can be replaced with yogurt and fruit. Bologna can be replaced by sliced turkey or tuna for sandwiches. Finally, everyone in the family needs calcium, but it is especially important for children to drink milk during their growing years. Children over the age of 2 can drink low-fat milk if they are overweight. Parents should always have milk in the house and eliminate the soft drinks, which have an average of 10 teaspoons of sugar per 12-oz. can. Dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt contain nutrients that lead to strong bones and healthy teeth, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Longtime journalist Amy Bentley lives in Temecula with her family. Time management Advance planning helps Vargas avoid a time crunch that can lead to poor eating habits for the whole family and an overreliance on nutrition-poor, fast-food meals. “Kids, especially, eat so much fast food, chips, cookies, and refillable sodas. There are hundreds of calories just in these drinks,” says Joyce Berenson, a registered dietitian and nutrition counselor in private practice in Temecula. Working parents have less time to cook, which has led many people to live a “drive-through, pick-up” lifestyle that lends itself to eating too much fast food instead of healthy meals, Berenson says. “You get in the habit of convenience and it’s hard to get out of it.” Eating healthy has become an increasingly important issue for the whole family as more and more, the poor eating habits of Americans are being blamed for a myriad of growing nationwide problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 16% of children and adolescents ages 6-19 are overweight. The percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has more than doubled since the early 1970s, the CDC says. The news is even worse for adults: The CDC estimates 64% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Healthy snacks Here are some convenient and healthy snacks that adults and kids of all ages will love: • String cheese • A piece of fruit • Peanut butter on whole wheat crackers • Peanut butter on slices of an apple or celery • Yogurt • A fruit smoothie made with fresh or frozen fruit and yogurt • Unsweetened cereal with low-fat milk. For extra punch, top with sliced banana. • A quesadilla made with a whole wheat tortilla • Baby carrots. • Fruit cocktail cups • Applesauce Dietary guidelines The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, provide advice for people 2 years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce the risk for major chronic diseases. Key recommendations: Consume two cups of fruit and two 1/2 cups of vegetables daily. Select from all five vegetable subgroups (dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) several times a week. Consume three or more ounce-equivalents of whole-grain products per day. In general, at least half the grains should come from whole grains. Children 2 to 8 years should consume two cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products. Children 9 and older should consume three cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products. More details and advice can be found online at www.healthierus.gov/dietary guidelines. |
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