Healthy Habits for Kids

By Terry Orr

Your child's habits start with you!

The most important thing to remember is that you are your child's role model. Your habits affect your children's habits.

If your habits are unhealthy—smoking, drinking too much alcohol, or always expecting the worst, for example—your child is more likely to get those habits.

If your habits are healthy—eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, looking forward to tomorrow, for example—your children are more likely to build those habits in their own lives.

Sounds simple?  It really is pretty straight forward and without all drama and tantrums - if done smartly.  Some folks pile on the food for a child and complain about them unwilling or unable to finish what’s on their plates. Think smaller portions – say a tablespoon – and if they want more – then allow it – providing they are also eating the other items.

After research the Internet on healthy habits for kids, I found that the article by Robin Madell to capture the true essence of habits we all should follow.

10 Healthy Habits Parents Should Teach Their Kids

Written by Robin Madell /Medically Reviewed on May 10, 2013 by George Krucik, MD, MBA http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/healthy-habits-mothers-should-teach-kids#1

• Habit 1: Make Eating Colorful – They are beautiful, healthy and good for you.
• Habit 2: Don’t Skip Breakfast – It really is the most important meal of the day.
• Habit 3: Pick Enjoyable Physical Activities – Sure makes it easier to do when you enjoy them.
• Habit 4: Don’t Be a Couch Potato – We need at least 60 minutes every day to be physically active!
• Habit 5: Ready Every Day – When you wake up – be grateful and thankful to be alive and have an opportunity to accomplish wonderful things.
• Habit 6: Drink Water, Not Soda – 8 glasses of water each and every day!
• Habit 7: Look at Labels (Food Labels, Not Designer) - Know and understand what those pesky items in what you are considering to eat.
• Habit 8:  Enjoy a Family Dinner – Too important to miss!
• Habit 9: Spent Time with Friends – Amen!
• Habit 10: Stay Positive – With a smile on your face and love in your heart and understanding in your mind.

 Following these healthy habits are a good starting point. Please let us know what other healthy habits you use.

References and Links:

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/HealthierKids/HowtoMakeaHealthyHome/Help-Children-Develop-Healthy-Habits_UCM_303805_Article.jsp#

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_habits.html

http://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-education-printables/category/7-kids-healthy-habits-goals-tracking-sheets-charts-eating-healthy-foods-diary-cards-nutrition-physical-activity-goals-agreements

http://www.parents.com/health/hygiene/

http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kb/content/special/aba5985.html

Grits

By Diane Forrest

Recently I was having a discussion about breakfast side dishes with a friend of mine.  He lives up north, and declares that people there want breakfast potatoes.  However, here in the south, Grits are the food of choice.  He questioned why anyone would prefer grits over potatoes, and given a choice, everyone would eat potatoes for breakfast.  I let him know that babies are started out on Grits, and eat them probably most of their lives.

My friend is Italian, and the Italian version of grits is Polenta, originally thought of as a peasant food.  His grandmother used to make them into patties and fry them, and he developed distastes for them.  These days, grits aren't just for breakfast anymore, they can be found served with entrees at finer restaurants at lunch and dinner.  My father, who attends a weekly club meeting where lunch is served, loves the cheese grits that are on the buffet.  In fact, if grits aren't present, I can always tell by his grouchy disposition.

When I see the word "grits" I think of the expression, "Girls raised in the South."  That makes me think that southern women have grit and determination and makes me proud to be a southerner.

Today is World Grits Day.  It’s the perfect day to start your morning with some eggs, bacon and a big side of hot buttered grits.  McDonalds recently started serving grits on their breakfast menu, so I decided to give them a try.  They came in a tiny bowl, about two tablespoons full, and it was a liquidly tasteless mixture.  Here we take our grits very seriously, nearly sacred.  So today, grab some grits at your store, or head to the nearest diner and enjoy a heaping helping.  I like mine with butter and sugar on top.  How do you eat your grits?  Leave us a comment in the section below.

(All images from Google) 

Celebrating National School Breakfast Week 2013

By Nurse Diane

Most people know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  People normally eat dinner around 6 or 7 pm, and by the time breakfast rolls around the next morning, its time to refuel.   This is not only important for adults, but also kids in school.   Children who eat a good breakfast miss less school and do better in courses like math and science.  According to join.strength.org, 21million kids attend school.  Only half of these have a breakfast even though they may be eligible for free or reduced price breakfast.

This year marks the 3rd year for First Lady Michelle Obama's "Lets Move" campaign.  During the anniversary she along with Chef Rachael Ray traveled to Mississippi to help promote school nutrition.  They went to Clinton, MS, right down the street from where I used to live.  They chose this school because of the great improvements they have made not only in school nutrition, but in education too.

This year the slogan is "Be a Star with School Breakfast"  Some sample menus include:

• Corn Flakes
• Wheat Toast
• Bananas
• frozen peaches
• Milk

• Pancakes
• Syrup
• Sausage Links
• Applesauce
• Grapes
• Milk

• Strawberry sandwich
• Yogurt
• Apple wedges
• Fruit Juice
• Milk

• Oatmeal
• Raisins
• strawberries
• Milk

• Breakfast Burrito made with ham and cheese
• Salsa
• Orange wedges
• Fruit Cocktail 
• Milk

For ways you can help to ensure kids start the day with a good breakfast, click on this site, and they will provide you with a number of a school in your area to call and they will provide you with questions to ask to ensure kids are eating a healthy breakfast.....so lend them a hand and help the kids get a brighter start.  

References and LInks:

http://join.strength.org/site/PageNavigator/SOS/Breakfast_2013.html?gclid=CK6lhY-P5rUCFQk6nAodVA8Agw

Eat a Good Breakfast - Everyday!

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By Terry Orr

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Breakfast has always been an important part of daily routine.  As a kid going to school – cereal – cream of wheat, oatmeal or cold cereal was the general rule in our home.  We enjoyed family breakfast on weekends and holiday and they were simply wonderful with eggs, breakfast meats (including fresh water fish – yum), fruit, veggies, French toast, pancakes, gravy and biscuits could be part of our meal.  Breakfast continues to be an important part of my life and more nutritional balance over the past few years.

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Ask Dr. Sears offers these 10 Balanced Breakfasts:

Granola cereal, yogurt, a sliced apple

Scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice

Veggie omelet, bran muffin, fruit with yogurt

Whole-grain pancakes or waffles topped with berries and/or yogurt, milk

Whole-wheat zucchini pancakes topped with fruit, milk

French toast topped with fruit, orange juice or milk

Low-fat cheese melted on toast with a piece of fruit

Low-fat cream cheese on a whole-grain bagel, orange juice

Peanut butter and banana slices on an English muffin, milk

For a breakfast-on-the-run smoothie

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Spry Living offers “3 Reasons to Eat a Balance Breakfast:

To maintain healthy blood sugar levels;

To maintain a healthy weight; and

To maintain cognitive function.

All three make good sense. There are probably hundreds of recipes, ideas on what are the right types of foods to eat for breakfast – including portions of each – I still a believer in moderation and balance.

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What are your thoughts regarding a good breakfast?

What is your favorite breakfast?

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Thanks and enjoy your breakfast!

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References and Links:

http://www.myredrabbit.com/blog/why-should-you-eat-a-healthy-breakfast-everyday-.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/brain-foods/10-balanced-breakfasts

http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/healthy-breakfast

http://spryliving.com/articles/3-reasons-to-eat-a-balanced-breakfast/

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

By Chef Diane

Have you ever seen Bill Cosby do his Chocolate Cake for Breakfast routine?  It is the funniest thing I have seen by him....and this is how it goes....You can also watch the clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZlCPQur4hc

My wife woke me up 4:00 in the morning.

She said,

“I want you to go downstairs and cook breakfast for the children.”

And I looked at the clock and I said,

“Dear, it’s 6:00 in the morning.”

She said,

“Exactly. Go down and cook for the children. They have to go to school.”

I said,

“Yes, but to eat at 6:00, isn’t that bad for your stomach? I mean, they just ate twelve hours ago.”

My wife said,

“Bill, get out of that bed and go downstairs and cook breakfast for your children!!”

I said,

“Well, I don’t know what they want to eat.”

She said,

“It’s down there! Now you get out of the bed!”

And I said,

“But where are the pans? Do we have pans to cook with?”

She said,

“Bill, I’m not talking to you anymore! You ask another stupid question, so help me God, I’ll get the shotgun out of the closet and blow your face off!!”

I said,

“Well, there’s no need to become violent about this. You seem to be having trouble intellectualizing on where the cooking apparel is.”

So I fell back to sleep again. The next thing I knew, there was a bucket of ice water being shaken over my head, and this woman, that I’ve been married to for some 17 years, was standing over me like this. [makes angry face at audience]

“Now, you get up and cook some breakfast or you’re gonna wear this bucket of ice water!!!”

So I said,

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

So I got up. Needless to say, I was angry. And I went downstairs without putting on my robe. Standing there in my pajamas, and I’m talking to myself. I said,

“Get these, go down and cook breakfast, but it’s six o’clock in the morning,”

[angrily cooking breakfast] and I slam the pans down. Blam! On the stove. I slam them down and go to the refrigerator and look around and I get to the damn bacon and the sausage, cooking breakfast, six o’blam in the morning, and I grab the- you have to be careful with eggs.

“God! I have to cook breakfast! Boom!!”

I turn around. The first one down was the four-year-old. The child looked lovely. Cute little face, clean. Hair in little braids, little things, you know.

“Good morn’, Daddy.”

And I said,

“What do you want for breakfast!?”

The four-year-old has the ability to see through and find the wrong thing. The child saw through my body what was behind me. She saw the chocolate cake. She said,

“Can I have the chocolate cake?”

And I said,

“Chocolate cake, where?”

She said,

“Chocolate cake behind you.”

And I looked… and there was chocolate cake! The child wanted chocolate cake for breakfast! How ridiculous! And I said… and someone in my brain looked under chocolate cake and saw the ingredients: eggs! Eggs are in chocolate cake! And milk! Oh goody! And wheat! That’s nutrition!

“What do you want?”

“Can I have some chocolate cake?”

“Chocolate cake coming up.”

[imitates slicing sound] Sliced it for her and served it.

“Now, you need something to drink with the chocolate cake, something breakfast… grapefruit juice!”

[Woman in audience]

No-o-o!

[Cosby]

This is not your child!

So I give the child a glass of grapefruit juice and chocolate cake — nutrition. Eggs, milk, and wheat in the chocolate cake. And… I didn’t have to cook. And the other four came downstairs. And when they came downstairs… Those of you who have children, you’ve seen them come downstairs for school. [imitating sluggish children] And they got to the kitchen. [imitating sluggish children] They saw the four-year-old eating chocolate cake. And they said,

“Dad! Where did she get the chocolate cake?”

And they went to the child and said,

“How did you get chocolate cake?”

She said,

“Dad give me chocolate cake!”

And they looked at me and said,

“Father… could we have chocolate cake?”

And their father said,

“Chocolate cake coming up!!”

Four slices — [imitates slicing sound] — and grapefruit juice! And five children sat at breakfast and the morning music was playing [imitating bass guitar] and they were eating chocolate cake and singing songs to me:

“Dad is great! Give us the chocolate cake!”

And we had a ball until… she came down like this. [makes angry face at audience] And when she saw what the children were eating… [when his wife sees that he has given the kids chocolate cake for breakfast] I’ve always heard about people having a conniption, but I’ve never seen one. You don’t want to see ‘em! My wife’s face… split! The skin and hair split and came off of her face so that there was nothing except the skull! And orange light came out of her hair and it lit all around! And fire shot from her eye sockets and began to burn my stomach! And she said,

“Where did they get chocolate cake from?!?”

And I said,

“They asked for it!!”

And the children, who had been singing praises to me, lied on me, and said,

“Uh-uhh!! We asked for eggs and milk, and Dad made us eat this!!!”

And my wife sent me to my room, which is where I wanted to go in the first place. So you see? We are dumb, but we are not so dumb. It takes great thinking and work to keep from working.

Today is Ice Cream for breakfast Day.  While it may not be chocolate cake, you can still use Bill's reasoning that Ice Cream has eggs and milk.  You can dish it on a waffle for the wheat.  So, have a little fun today...and start off with some creamy ice cream!!!