Active Holiday Season

The cold weather means spending more time indoors. Many of us also eat more during the winter months. Eating more and exercising less is not a great combination. We still need to be physically active and moving during these months. Debi Pilarella, from the American Council on Exercise said "The trend toward inactivity in children is all to common during the winter months. Kids are continuing to eat higher calorie foods and not working them off like they would in warmer weather. It's the parent's responsibility to make sure their child/children remain active when playing outside isn't an option." Parents can help children stay active by taking their kids to an indoor recreation center or also finding fun outdoor activities and providing proper clothing for the cold.

There are lots of fun outdoor activities that you could try: sledding, building a snowman, skiing, ice skating, walking, build a snow fort, and have a snowball fight. You can find other ideas at
http://www.skiutah.com/activities/. If you want to stay inside, you can try jump roping, building a fort, dancing, hula hooping, cleaning your room walking the malls, or go to a fitness center.

The following are local places in Utah County that have fun indoor activities:
The Quarry
Peaks Ice Arena
Jumpin Jacks
Kangaroo Zoo
Orem Fitness Center

Easy and Healthy Recipe

I found this recipe on Familyfun.go.com - give it a try!

Sneak-it-to-'em Broccoli Soup

Kids love the creamy texture of this light green soup, and it's a great choice if your kids are vegetable haters. Instant mashed potato powder makes it thick (you can substitute leftover mashed potatoes or a baked potato). Other green vegetables, fresh or frozen, may be substituted in equal measure. The soup is especially nice poured over crusty bread. It keeps well overnight and can be frozen.

1 cup water mixed with 1 cup homemade or canned chicken stock
1 onion, sliced thin
1 10-ounce package frozen broccoli, or 2 1/2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
4 tablespoons instant mashed potato powder
3 tablespoons butter
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Heat the stock mixture over medium heat, add the onion, broccoli, and salt, and cook about ten minutes or until tender. Puree half the vegetables with half of the liquid in a blender or processor until smooth, then repeat with the other half (be sure to vent the steam, since processing hot ingredients can cause small explosions). Heat the milk in a large saucepan until bubbles form on the edges. Stir in the remaining ingredients and carefully simmer for three minutes. Stir in the pureed broccoli and onion, taste for seasoning, and ladle into individual bowls.

Serves six.

Diet Pills are NOT Acceptable

The rates of overweight children are alarmingly high – 1 out of 3 children are now considered overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is considered an epidemic in the U.S. – about 32% of children; in Utah about 9.7% of elementary school students were obese and 22.5% were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight(http://health.utah.gov/obesity/docs/2008Ht_Wt_4_page.pdf ). Obesity is second to smoking in the leading causes of death in America. Obesity leads to many other problems including Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The way to combat this is by changing the lifestyle of children; setting healthy habits for life. Children need to be more active and eat healthier foods. The goal is not just to lose weight, but to change your lifestyle. It takes work and diligence; there is not a quick fix!

However, there are many who look to “diet pills” as the way to go. Diet pills are very dangerous for adults and should be forbidden for children. Most pediatricians recommend trying to help children and teenagers by eating a low-fat diet, being very active, and other techniques for staying on target. There is not a lot of information about children using diet pills. Dr. Graham Archard said, “Children should not come to rely on tablets to keep their weight down.” We don’t want a pill-popping society; that doesn’t teach good habits or responsibility. Diet pills may actually encourage more eating disorders such as bingeing.

There are diet pills that are being sold over the Internet. Some are even marketed as a “natural” herb supplement for children. “Natural” does not mean its safe. One “diet pill” had 3 herbs in it. One of the herbs was a diuretic and another one can be toxic to the liver. A poll was done that showed that 11% of parents would give their child diet pills and 32% were not sure (http://www.obesitysanswer.com/index.php?cid=824). Often diet pills do cause weight loss, but it comes back when the pills are stopped if the lifestyle has not been changed.

There are those few people who have tried everything and nothing works. Some teenagers claim they do everything they are suppose to and still can’t lose weight. Usually doctors will only prescribe diet pills in extreme cases. This is only after the child has done everything possible and worked diligently at it. Parents can get diet pills such as BioSlim Youth System and Freedom Fighters Kit off of the Internet. However, little research has been done in children using these types of drugs. Drugs may be useful for very few situations – as a last resort.

The things that need to be done are not complex, but it does take discipline and motivation. Teenagers and children need to be more active. This includes exercise, but also just being more active throughout the day and playing more rather than sitting in front of the computer or television. Diet is also a major factor. Junk food and high-fat foods need to be replaced with healthier choices. More fruits, vegetables, and whole grains should be eaten. Moderation is the key. Eating out occasionally is fine, but not every night.

Parents play a huge role and set a good example. They need to teach good habits that can be kept for a lifetime. Parents are responsible for providing healthy foods at home. Have healthy snacks available and limit sweetened beverages. Try to sit down together as a family for meals. Parents can also encourage children to be more active and plan activities rather than allowing them to spend most of their time in front of the TV. Find activities that the family can do together. Schools can help by offering healthier food choices at lunch time as well as in vending machines and getting rid of soda. Also, schools can help by providing more time for physical activity.

A pill may cause one to lose weight, but it is not the solution to the problem. That only teaches children that they can eat junk food, get fat, and then take a pill to try and solve the problem. The solution needs to be one of lifestyle with the goal for lasting change. Drugs can not replace the need for a healthy diet and an active lifestyle.

Family Meals - A Lost Art?

What is something you can do as a family (that's not too hard) that can help your children have better eating habits? Eat meals together! A great book (pictured above) talks about the "power" that family meals can have. Studies have also shown that kids who eat family meals together eat more fruits, vegetables, dairy, and have better overall nutrition. There are many other benefits including better grades and less risk of alcohol or drug use. It doesn't have to be a fancy meal - it's just the fact of being together. Once you have that accomplished, you can work on improving the nutrition of your meals. Of course, you wouldn't want to go out to eat or bring fast-food home each night in order to eat together as a family.

Many families have both parents working and children are able to eat whatever and whenever they want or graze. Also, families have so many activities going on that it is hard to all sit down together and eat. Often times individuals are eating on the go . In both of these situations, junk food is usually eaten. Just taking a few minutes here to come together and sit down and talk with each other will provide better nutrition and time to communicate. The following websites provide healthy and easy recipes as well as meal plans that you may like to try:

• http://www.never2early.org/fpf_meal-plan.html
• http://kidshealth.org/parent/recipes/
• http://www.mealsmatter.org/
• http://www.3aday.org/Pages/Welcome.aspx

You may not be able to eat together as a family everyday, but even aiming for a few times a week can be beneficial. Weekends may be a great time to get together for a family brunch or maybe eating breakfast together in the morning works better for your schedule. Research has shown that eating family meals together during adolescence is associated with better diets during adulthood. This simple activity will provide so many benefits long after the meals are over and your children are grown. Don't let family meals become a lost art! Check out this website for more benefits of family meals and ideas on how to get together.

The Media

On average how many hours of TV do children and teens watch daily? I posted a poll a while back and most people thought about 2-3 hours or more than 5. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the U.S. watch about 4 hours of TV daily! By the time one graduates from high school, more time will have been spent watching television than spent in the classroom. Time in front of the TV, computer, or playing video games takes away from other important activities such as homework, reading, playing, exercising, and interaction with family and friends. Children are also exposed to thousands of commercials each year. A study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that one-third of commercials aimed at children are advertising candy or snacks.

Kids who spend more time in front of the television are at more of a risk of being overweight or obese. First of all, they aren't exercising or being active. Many kids come home from school and go straight to the TV for hours rather than going out to play. Oh and don't forget the snacking that takes place as well. Second, kids are influenced by the junk food advertisements. According to the AAP, children in the U.S. see about 40,000 commercials every year. These advertisements encourage unhealthy foods such as chips and empty-calorie beverages that children start to prefer.

What can you do as a parent?
- Limit amout of TV each day and week
- Don't allow TV during family meals
- Set a weekday as a "no TV" day
- Don't allow TV while doing homework
- Limit snacks when watching TV and choose healthy snacks
- Offer fun alternatives to watching TV
- Treat TV as a privilege that your child can earn
- Don't have a TV in a child's bedroom

Health Consequences

For the first time in history, American children could have a shorter life span than their parents…

Obese and Overweight Children are at Risk for Serious Health Problems
• Obesity is associated with more chronic (continuing) medical conditions than smoking or excessive drinking. (Colditz GA, 1999)

• Diabetes on the rise- Type II Diabetes was once called “Adult-onset Diabetes.” Now, what was once thought to be an adult only disease is now affecting a number of overweight and obese children. (Daniels SR, Arnett DK, Eckel RH, 2005)

• If current childhood obesity trends continue, adolescents with type II diabetes may experience heart troubles beginning as young as 30 or 40 years old. (Rand Health, 2004)

• It is estimated that children who are obese have a 70-80% chance of becoming obese adults (Preventing Childhood Obesity: The Need to Create Healthy Places, LA County Public Healthy,October 2007).

Obesity Related Healthcare Costs are Soaring
• Severely overweight people often spend more on healthcare than smokers do. (Rand Health, 2004)

• The direct national costs of treating obesity-related diseases are estimated at $61 billion. (American Heart Association, 2006)

• The indirect national costs of obesity (such as missed work days and future earnings losses) have been estimated at $56 billion dollars per year. (American Heart Association, 2006)

• The number of people filing for disability is rising rapidly, and the fastest growing cause of disability is type II diabetes, which more and more children are suffering from because of obesity. (Rand Health, 2004)

• Treating a child with obesity is three times more costly than treating the average child (Daily Herald, 2008)

The Damaging Effects of Eating Out
• Of the money spent eating out, over half of it is spent on fast food. (Fetto, 2002)

• Over the last thirty years Americans’ spending on fast food has increased from $6 billion[15] to $110 billion - or more than 18-fold. (http://restaurant.org/)

• Kids and Fast Food: The average teen eats fast food twice a week. (Paeratakul S, Ferdinand D, Champagne C, Ryan D, Bray G, 2003)

*Over a 15-year study, adults who ate fast food more than twice a week gained 10 pounds more than those who ate fast food less than once a week. (Pereira MA, Kartashov AL, Ebbeling CB, 2005)

• Adolescents today are eating on average 8% more than they were less than thirty years ago. (Enns CW, Mickle SJ, Goldman JD, 2003)

Local School Participate in Walk to School Day

At the invitation of the Utah County Health Department, Edgemont and Cherry Creek Elementary Schools participated in Walk to School Day on October 8th. The Utah County Health Department (UCHD) promotes Walk to School Day to all Gold Medal Schools programs.

“That day we passed out incentives and healthy treats to students that walked or biked to school that morning,” said Carissa Hoggan from the UCHD. “This is part of the kick off week for Gold medal Schools in Utah. We are having an assembly right before it to encourage children to walk to school and live healthy lives,” said Chelsea Foutz from Mount loafer Elementary in Salem.

Walk to School Day was established in the United States in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. Today more than 40 countries around the world participate in this event. This year, the event was held on October 8, 2008. Communities can choose to celebrate for a day, a week, or for the whole month as part of the International Walk to School Month. It was expected that 5,000 schools from all 50 states would be participating this year. About 76 of these schools came from Utah.

Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community. Many of the events are part of ongoing activities to promote increased physical activity throughout the year.

In the 1960’s, about 90% of children, who lived within a mile of school, walked or biked to school on a regular basis. Today only about 10-15% of children nationwide walk to school regularly. As we have all heard, the U.S. is experiencing an obesity epidemic among children; 1 out of 3 children is considered overweight or obese. In 2006, 22.5% of all elementary students in Utah were at an unhealthy weight. Programs such as these can help to reverse the decline in children walking to school and increase their physical activity.

The UCHD along with GMS encouragges children to increase thier physical activity and decrease their time in front of the television or computer. There are many benefits from walking or biking. Children who are more physically active have increased alertness, which can help children to do better in school. An active lifestyle in children will increase the number of children who will grow into adults with an active lifestyle. This will improve their chances for better overall health and decrease their chances for chronic diseases.

This is a great event that can help us to incorporate physical activity into each day, realize the great opportunity to have a safe place to walk or bike to school, enjoy the fresh air – and become healthier!

For more information, please visit the following websites:
International Walk to School in the USA http://www.walktoschool.org/
National Center for Safe Routes to School http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/
International Walk to School http://www.iwalktoschool.org/
Utah County Health Department http://www.utahcountyonline.org/Dept/Health/index.asp
Gold Medal Schools http://www.hearthighway.org/