Let’s Make Our Children Rich and Fit for Life

By: Dr. Linda Carson, CEO, Choosy Kids

A friend of mine recently bought a Powerball ticket after being reminded of the popular saying, “You can’t win if you don’t play.” The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot that day was about 1 in 292 million, and there were nearly 700 million tickets sold! Human nature is ambitious that way. We’re willing to fantasize and sometimes even invest in pipedreams that we wish we could have—even when the odds of achieving them are overwhelmingly stacked against us. Maybe we could use our human nature for “aspiring for more” to our advantage. If we invest in something that we will receive a huge return on and keeps accumulating positive benefits for life, wouldn’t that be worthwhile? I think yes!

Let’s Invest in Health

Your body is your bank and health deposits of physical activity and nutrition can accrue great dividends. In actuality, health is the only true wealth and investing in it often in small increments can improve it and enhance it. And of course investing in children’s health has life long benefits. Let’s make our children rich and fit for life by investing in them too.

National Children’s Health Month and Day

October is National Children’s Health Month and the first Monday of each October is Child Health Day. October is a great time of year for transition and change in weather. It’s also a wonderful month for getting outside and enjoying the beauty and adventure of nature, our outdoor classroom. Let’s embrace October for its emphasis on making children as healthy as we can.

Since 1929, Child Health Day has been a United States Federal Observance Day on the first Monday in October. On Child Health Day the President invites "all agencies and organizations interested in child welfare to unite on Child Health Day in observing exercises that will make the people of the United States aware of the fundamental necessity of a year-round program to protect and develop the health of the children of the United States."

The Environmental Protection Agency celebrates Children’s Health Month. Download this poster and see how many tips you can fit into the month of October. This year’s EPA theme, Healthy Communities, Healthy Children, highlights EPA’s commitment to work with communities to ensure every child has a safe place to live, learn and play.

The Environment Affects Your Child’s Health and Wellbeing

Check out some information and resources from the EPA:

Outside: Studies show that spending time in green, natural environments can have positive impacts on children’s mental and physical health.

• Researchers from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign found that a 20-minute nature walk helped boost concentration levels in children who had been diagnosed with ADHD.
• A study of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in New York suggested that having nature in close proximity reduces the impacts of stressful life events such as bullying or family relocation.
• Australian 10-12-year-old children who spent more time outdoors were 27-41% less likely to be overweight than their peers who spent less time outdoors.

Want to Learn More about the Health Benefits of Nature?

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) established in 1990, implements broad public awareness and engagement campaigns, which showcase how simple everyday actions based on sound environmental knowledge can lead to huge impacts. Check out this infographic from NEEF about children and nature by clicking on link under the image. 

Be sure to also check out Get Into Nature for Better Health, a resource on free apps to help get you and your family out to the park.

More from the EPA

Inside: The “environment” also includes indoors. The “inside” environment, where Americans spend up to 90% of their time, such as at home, work, school, or daycare, can also have a significant impact on a child’s health.

• About one out of every 10 school-aged children in the United States have asthma, and every year, more than 10.5 million missed school days are attributed to this disease. Indoor air quality can be compromised with environmental asthma triggers such as mold, second hand smoke, or pet dander.
• Because children are not miniature adults, they are often more likely to be at risk from environmental hazards than adults. Learn to spot situations that may pose a risk to your child, such as exposure to pesticides, radon, and lead, with this guide from EPA on children’senvironmental risks.  
• Interesting but slightly dated facts about environmental health hazards and children can be found here.

AAP And Head Start National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Head Start National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness has resources for building healthy, active lives for everyone in the family. Especially helpful is the Growing Healthy Family Goal Setting resource.

The 5-2-1-0 message campaign adopted by the AAP provides suggestions for families to help meet or exceed these recommendations for living a healthy active life:

• Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
• Keep screen time (like TV, video games, computer) down to 2 hours or less per day.
• Get 1 hour or more of physical activity every day.
• Drink 0 sugar-sweetened drinks. Replace soda pop, sports drinks and even 100% fruit juice with milk or water.

You can read more about this in a past Choosy Kid's blog!

And Finally...

One final resource to recommend for families looking for ways to invest in the health of their children might be the website, www.KidsHealth.org, managed by the Nemours Foundation. It is a site devoted to children's health and parenting. There is a specific link just for kids and one for parents as well. Nemours is a leading pediatric health system and highly regarded for its research, and educational outreach.

  

It’s Children’s Health Month! So, let’s hit the jackpot! Let’s invest in the body banks of our children to reap dividends for a lifetime. 

Are there other resources that you have used and can share with our blog community?

About the Author: Linda Carson, Ed. D, is the founder and CEO of Choosy Kids, LLC, and the Ware Distinguished Professor Emerita at West Virginia University. An award winning, nationally recognized expert, Dr. Carson has devoted her career to promoting healthy preferences for young children and the adults who make decisions on their behalf. Click here to learn more about Linda.

How Much Should My Child Drink in a Day?

By: Christine Cox, The Choosy Mommy

Capri has always been my drink chugger. As soon as you hand her a drink, she drinks all of it. Then she usually asks for more, in which I oblige. It is rare that she leaves a cup with any kind of liquid in it. This goes for all drinks: water, milk, juice, smoothies, etc. I used to worry that she was drinking too much, especially when we were potty training. We were in the bathroom every 10 minutes! And then I would wonder if she was getting enough to drink since she was always chugging her drinks. My mind was going in so many directions. So I talked to our pediatrician.

There are many factors that come into play when discussing how much a child should drink in a day. Age, weight and even gender are considerations for determining the proper amount of liquid that a child needs. The weather, the child’s activity level, and the overall health of the child are also reasons for drinking more or less.

According to Reliant Medical Group, toddlers who weigh the following should drink, on average, this amount of water and milk in a day to stay properly hydrated:

• Children age 1, weighing 30 pounds or less need to drink 32 to 40 ounces
• Children 31 to 41 pounds need to drink 40 to 48 ounces 
• Children 42 to 63 pounds need to drink 48 to 56 ounces 

Remember that our bodies are made up of nearly 60% water. Children (age 1 and up) need to drink plain, unflavored water daily to keep their organs functioning properly. Newborns and infants obtain their daily fluid intake from breastmilk or formula and do not require additional water. Please discuss this further with your pediatrician if you have any concerns with your child who is under 1 as drinking water can be very dangerous for newborns and infants.

Pediatricians also advise parents to serve only 100% fruit juice because of the sugar and extra calories in sweetened juices or juice cocktails. To ensure your children aren't drinking too much juice, follow these guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• Birth to 6 months: No fruit juice, unless it's used to relieve constipation.
• 6 to 12 months: Limit juice intake to 4 to 6 ounces and serve it in a cup (not a bottle) to avoid tooth decay. (According to AAP.org, babies should drink breastmilk or formula for the first year of life. Try to avoid introducing juice until child is a toddler. If juice is introduced, wait until 6-9 months and limit consumption to 4-6 ounces a day).
• 1 to 6 years: Up to 6 ounces per day, again in a cup, not a bottle.
• 7 years and older: Up to 12 ounces a day.

While the total amount of water that children should be drinking in a day seems high, we need to remember that fruit and vegetables contain water too. Think of what your children eat in a day to help determine the correct amount they need to drink. And if they are highly active one day compared other days, they may need more to drink than usual.

If you are concerned your child is drinking too much, or too little, try to chart the amount your child eats and drinks in a week and discuss the topic with your pediatrician.

When it came to my daughter, I chalked her drinking habits up to being highly active. Her urine output and color were always normal for her and her skin was not dry at all; three highly noticeable sign of dehydration. Anytime she asks for a drink, I provide her with one, no matter if it is morning, noon or night. I know a lot of parents try to stop offering fluids at a certain time when nighttime potty training. Please take into consideration how active your child was all day before declining your child a drink at night.

If you need to help your children get excited about drinking, check out our song from the My Wiggle Makes Me Giggle CD, My Choosy Cup.

Do you provide easy access to water all day? Do your children drink a lot of water? How much, on average, would you say they drink in a day?

About the Author: Christine Cox is the blog master for Choosy Kids and owner of The Choosy Mommy. She has always had a passion for writing and is honored to contribute her work to this blog. Most of her writing inspiration comes from her daughter, Capri, who is fun-loving and full of energy, and son Cam, who is learning new things everyday. Click here to learn more about Christine.

Are Low-Fat and Sugar-Free Foods Really Better?

By: Lucy Nelson, Guest Blogger

The Low-Fat Farce

Since the 1980’s fat has been villainized as the cause of weight gain and heart disease. Products parade low-fat labels in order to persuade consumers that they are healthier. But the replacements for natural fat are as bad, if not worse, and fats are a necessary part of a balanced diet.

In order to maintain flavor in low-fat products, the fats are replaced with sugar and altered vegetable oils, some of which contain trans-fat. The result is a product higher in sugar and carbohydrates that your body burns faster. The quickly digested low-fat products lead to blood sugar swings and cravings, making it even harder to control your eating habits.

Fats are important in helping our body absorb vitamins. By providing our bodies fatty acids, such as omega-3 which are essential fats that we must acquire through food, we can maintain nerve function and produce hormones that promote healthy heart and blood vessel activity. Low-fat diets can lead to a deficit in vitamins A, D, E, and K which in turn can lower immunity and the body’s ability to heal.

Healthy fats and How to Include Them

Foods high in healthy fats include avocados, fish, nuts (especially walnuts), olive oil, flaxseed, and leafy vegetables. Full fat milk, yogurt, and peanut butter also contain helpful fats and vitamins.

• Try making your own trail mix with different nuts and dried fruits to substitute snacking on chips. 
• Avocado is a great topper for toast in the morning (or any other time!). 
• Replace mayonnaise with plain yogurt, just add a bit of lemon juice and a few choice herbs such as chives or rosemary. (This is a great dip as well!)
• Top salads with flaxseed, or add a spoonful to smoothies.

Sugar-Free 

Sugar-free products also contain replacements and additives counterproductive to health. Sugar substitutes are much harder for our bodies to digest and can sometimes cause digestive issues. Some studies have even shown that artificial sweeteners are addictive. Many countries have banned alternative sweeteners on account of health concerns.

The best way to watch sugar intake is to make better choices instead of trying to trick our bodies with chemicals. If you think of how we used to eat, before civilization and grocery stores, sugar was hard to come by. The sweetest things, fruit and honey, were either paired with lots of fiber or protected by stinging sentries. So while a chocolate bar or a soda every once and awhile won’t kill you, it’s best to try to eat sugar in its natural forms.

Natural Sugar and Where to Find It

• Fruits! Make a yummy smoothie instead of buying a carton of ice cream.
• Honey is great sweetener and has added effects of immune support. 
• Maple syrup (the real stuff) contains minerals and antioxidants, but it is still sugar so use sparingly. It’s great for fall flavors in treats. 
• While fruit juice is natural sugar, keep in mind that a glass of orange juice probably amounts to four or five oranges. You wouldn’t eat that many oranges in one sitting, and it is possible to overdo natural sugars.
• Buy plain yogurt and add your own sweetness with fruit, honey, or maple syrup. That way you know just how much is in each serving.

How do you ensure everyone in your family is eating healthy fats? How do you cut back on the sugary sweets that children love?

About the Author: Lucy was born in Western North Carolina. She is a current student at UNC Chapel Hill. While engaged in a yoga teacher training program, Lucy became concerned with mental, emotional, and physical health. She hopes to discover a career that involves these concerns.