The Relationships between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Cardiometabolic Markers in Young Children

The Relationships between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Cardiometabolic Markers in Young Children

Nutrition Guidelines from American Heart Association

Some tips to improve nutrition in kids and teens:
Excerpt from
Circulation Journal of the American Heart Association
Practitioners: Consensus Statement From the American Heart Association

Dietary Recommendations for Children and Adolescents  2005

TABLE 2. Tips for Parents to Implement AHA Pediatric

Dietary Guidelines

Reduce added sugars, including sugar-sweetened drinks and juices

Use canola, soybean, corn oil, safflower oil, or other unsaturated oils in

place of solid fats during food preparation

Use recommended portion sizes on food labels when preparing and serving

food

Use fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables and fruits and serve at every

meal; be careful with added sauces and sugar

Introduce and regularly serve fish as an entrée

Remove the skin from poultry before eating

Use only lean cuts of meat and reduced-fat meat products

Limit high-calorie sauces such as Alfredo, cream sauces, cheese sauces,

and hollandaise

Eat whole grain breads and cereals rather than refined products; read labels

and ensure that “whole grain” is the first ingredient on the food label of

these products

Eat more legumes (beans) and tofu in place of meat for some entrées

Breads, breakfast cereals, and prepared foods, including soups, may be

high in salt and/or sugar; read food labels for content and choose

high-fiber, low-salt/low-sugar alternatives

"Target ain't people" and Pizza ain't vegetable

A win for pizza companies a loss for child nutrition. I love pizza like everyone else, but I am under no illusion that it is a vegetable. Sure pizza can be made healthier but the standard fare served at schools is high in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and low in fiber. Can a little tomato paste really make it a vegetable? NO!
"House protects pizza as a vegetable"

Kids Eat Right Monday August 22 Message

sanitize your sponges

Ages: Gradeschooler, Teen

Topics: Food Safety

Do you know what's lurking inside of your kitchen sponge? A smelly, wet sponge is a sure sign of one thing: bacteria. Reusing a sponge that's contaminated is dirty business. You can easily spread bacteria to other kitchen surfaces and utensils, increasing your chances of foodborne illness.

Keep your kitchen clean by swapping out kitchen sponges regularly and following these rules:

• Replace worn sponges rather than reusing.
• To clean a sponge, wash it in the hot cycle of your washing machine or wet the sponge well and microwave it on high for about 2 minutes. Microwaving a dry sponge could start a fire.
• Pay close attention to what the sponge was used to wipe up. If it was a drip from raw meat, it's necessary to clean the sponge and sanitize it in a diluted bleach solution (1 tablespoon of bleach added to 1 gallon of water) before using a second time.

Since bacteria also can live in dishcloths and kitchen towels, wash these items often on the hot cycle of your washing machine, too.

Yikes! I put mine through the microwave, gets it steaming hot!

Kids Eat Right Monday Message August 8, 2011

Celebrate the Watermelon!

Ages: Toddler, Preschooler, Gradeschooler, Teen

Topics: Fruits, Vitamin C, Fiber, Cooking Methods, Food Library, Meal Planning, Preparation, Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, Snacks

It's fitting to celebrate the watermelon, since no summer gathering is complete without it. In addition to being a tasty treat, watermelon is a good source of vitamins A and C and contains lycopene, fiber and potassium. It's also more than 90% water, so it can help you stay hydrated on hot days too.
Try a new twist on an old favorite with these ideas:

• Caramelize watermelon slices on the grill, then drizzle with honey, lime and a pinch of salt.
• Pair with shrimp on a kabob.
• Carve out a watermelon to use as a bowl and fill with fruit salad.
• Use watermelon in place of tomatoes in a citrus salsa.
• Use its juice as a glaze on shrimp or pork.

Of course, watermelon is also a crowd pleaser "as is." Slice it up and you have an instant appetizer, side dish or dessert.

Kids Eat Right August 1, 2011

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Cherries!

We can't grow melons or peppers without a greenhouse but we can grow cherries!
It's been a  great cherry season here.
I made preserves and froze a bunch of cherries.
Soon I will dry some and make more into jelly.
Northwest Cherries website inspired me to make
Fresh Northwest Cherry Salsa:








From www.nwcherries.com
FRESH NORTHWEST CHERRY SALSA

• Appetizer

Servings: 

2 servings

Ingredients: 

1 cup pitted Northwest fresh sweet cherries
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped green peppers
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon each Worcestershire sauce and grated lemon peel
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash bottled hot pepper sauce

Directions: 

Chop cherries in food processor or manually. Combine all ingredients; mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Value: 

Nutritional Analysis Per Servings: 124 Cal., 1.6 g pro., 0.2 g fat (2% Cal. from fat), 32.1 g carb., 0 mg chol., 4.5 g fiber and 168 mg sodium.

I made some changes to make it my own here is what I added:

4 cups pitted bing cherries

1/2 green pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil

1 jalapeño pepper

1 clove garlic

1 shallot

lime juice instead of lemon

3/4 to 1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce

fresh ground pepper

1/2 -3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp hot sauce from bottle

Follow the preparation instructions from NW Cherries website