Healthy Family Fun Planned at Interfaith Council Community Event

The Interfaith Council on Community Health and Wholeness is launching its “Our Whole Community”  project in a community event from 3-6 p.m. September 14 at Winter Park Presbyterian Church, 400 S. Lakemont Ave, Winter Park.

The family event will feature tours of a community garden, tips on planting vegetables from Tom McCubbin and Ed Thralls, as well as cooking demonstrations and fitness presentations. There also will be a food court setting with healthy food choices. Soil testing is available.

For more information, contact Council Coordinator Joann White, 407-998-5659.

Parents Shape Their Kids’ Eating Habits

Providing fruits for snacks and serving vegetables at dinner can shape a preschooler’s eating patterns for his or her lifetime.

To combat the increasing problem of childhood obesity, researchers are studying how to get preschoolers to eat more fruits and vegetables. According to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, one way is early home interventions–teaching parents how to create an environment where children reach for a banana instead of potato chips.

“When parents eat more fruits and vegetables, so do their children,” said Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. “When parents eat and give their children high fat snacks or soft drinks, children learn these eating patterns instead.”

Click here to read more on the Washington University in St. Louis website.

Most Restaurant Kids’ Meals Are Too Fattening

Most restaurant kids’ meals have too many calories, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which recently released the results of a study of the nutritional quality of kids’ meals at 13 top restaurant chains.

Ninety-three percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceed 430 calories–an amount that is one third of what the Institute of Medicine recommends that children aged four through eight should consume in a day, according to the CSPI release.

“Parents want to feed their children healthy meals but America’s chain restaurants are setting parents up to fail,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.

Click here to learn more about the healthiest options for your children.

Childhood Obesity A Top Concern for Parents

Childhood obesity now tops the list of parent concerns when it comes to children and health–up from third place in 2007, according to the results of a poll conducted by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

The National Poll “clearly shows that adults in America are very concerned about the problem of childhood obesity and its causes,” said Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the National Poll.

New to the list were bullying, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and environmental toxins. Also making the overall list of top 10 health concerns for kids in 2008: Internet safety, abuse and neglect, sexually transmitted infections and lack of opportunities for physical activities for kids.

Click here to read more about the poll on the University of Michigan website.

Pay Attention to Your Child’s Food Cues

Parents of young children can help them develop healthy eating habits by watching the clues youngsters give at mealtime about their hunger and fullness. The American Dietetic Association offers these suggestions:

1. Serve a toddler or preschooler small helpings and let the child ask for more.

2. When he or she starts to play with food, becomes restless or sends a signal of “no more,” remove the food. Knowing what it feels like to be full–and when to stop eating–helps children learn not to overeat.

3. No more “clean plate club.” This practice may encourage overeating or a food aversion–habits that could set up a child for weight or eating problems later.

Slow Down, You Eat Too Fast

It should come as no surprise, that when you slow down, you are more likely to enjoy a meal. It also may be a way to trim calories.

Researchers, who studied a group of young women, found they ate an average of 70 fewer calories when they ate at a leisurely pace than when they quickly chowed down their food.

Click here to read more about the study in the Reuters Health story.

Love Your Veggies Competition a Big Hit at Schools: Lake Sybelia Elementary Gets First Place

Love Your Veggies, a competition to inspire healthy and creative vegetable recipes at school, proposed by Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) trustee Tom Holley, wrapped up just before the end of the school year with Lake Sybelia Elementary School tying for first place.

The goal was to encourage school cafeteria staff to get creative with vegetable recipes, and simultaneously interest students in them. Mr. Holley provided his quarterly discretionary grant to provide cash prizes for kitchen and cafeteria managers with winning recipes.

Winners included Lake Sybelia and Hillcrest elementary schools in first place, Audubon Park in second place and Cheney Elementary in third place.

 

 

Kids Continue to Down Too Many Sugary Drinks

Kids continue to consume too many sugary drinks, a habit that can wreak havoc on weight and teeth.

According to a report from the Kidshealth.org website, a recent study shows these drinks make up 10  to 15 percent of a kid’s daily calories.

The Kidshealth report includes more information about the survey and recommendations on the healthiest beverage choices.  Click here to read the full report.

Whole Foods Market Hosts Hunger Banquet With Local High Schools

Whole Foods Market in Winter Park, in collaboration with Winter Park and Timber Creek High Schools, will present a Hunger Banquet to benefit the Whole Planet Foundation at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3 at Glenridge Middle School.

A Hunger Banquet illustrates the disparity in distribution of the world’s resources by randomly assigning attendees to dinner tables representing different areas of the world to highlight the circumstances involved in the distribution of food in those areas. The event is open to the public, ages 12 and over.

For more information, go the the Whole Foods Market website.

Colas Could Harm Bone Health

Drinking too many colas–especially those containing sugar–can be unhealthy for anyone, but a new study suggests they could jeopardize bone health.

“There is enough evidence that high consumption of soda and carbonated beverages is associated with somewhat lower bone mass in children and that’s a real concern and people should be aware of it,” said Dr. Lawrence Raisz, director of the University of Connecticut Center for Osteoporosis.

Experts don’t know the exact cause of the problem, but believe it may be related to the caffeine or phosphoric acid in colas or the fact people drinking colas may consume fewer nutritious beverages with calcium and vitamin D.

Click here to read the complete HealthDay news story.