Back to School Part 1: Fuel Up with Breakfast

We have all heard that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day” but few people understand why. Not only does it provide the fuel to get your day started, but it might be the cure for those yawns and sleepy eyes during morning class. Breakfast also helps to maintain a healthy weight and may prevent overeating later in the day.  So, don’t boogie out the door without breakfast. Need some help? Try these tips:

1) Make it quick & easy:  Mornings are busy.  Keep breakfast simple and realistic. If your child doesn’t like breakfast foods, offer dinner leftovers. It’s more important they eat something than skip the morning meal. No time to cook? Cereal with milk and berries is a nutrient-packed breakfast. Toast with peanut butter goes great with a banana. Don’t feel guilty that you didn’t turn on the stove to make breakfast. Feed good that you sent your child out the door with some healthy food in their tummy.

2) Power up with protein. More and more research  is showing that protein for breakfast can keep us feel full longer. Protein rich foods can help prevent tummy growls and hunger pains before lunch.  A handful of nuts in trail mix, a spoonful of peanut butter with your apple, or a quick egg sandwich are simple ways to pack your breakfast with protein. Take advantage of the convenience and nutritional benefits of dairy. Enjoy a glass of milk, a cup of yogurt or a piece of string cheese as you’re running out the door, and reap those same benefits of protein to start your day off right.

3) Moooove over juice.  Although juice seems like a natural beverage option in the morning, it doesn’t provide many of the nutrients a body needs. Typically only offering few or no nutrients and extra sugar, juice doesn’t serve a grand purpose in a child or adult’s diet. You know what does? Milk! Packed with three of the four nutrients of concern from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, milk offers calcium, vitamin D, and potassium (the 4^th nutrient is fiber). What more could you want?

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Guest blog by Angie Hasemann, RD, CSP

Angie Hasemann, RD, CSP is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Pediatrics who has spent the past five years teaching over 2000 kids the importance of healthy eating.  She works with children of all ages, from toddlers to teenagers, at the University of Virginia’s Children’s Fitness Clinic, an out-patient clinic specializing in pediatric obesity treatment. Angie is well-known for translating the complicated science of nutrition into easy-to-use and understandable information.   She currently serves as Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics President.   This blog is the first in a 3 part series on back to school nutrition.

Take a Second Look at School Lunch

It’s back to school time!  For many moms that means choosing between packing lunch or allowing your child to eat at school.  As a Registered Dietitian in the school foodservice arena, I encourage you to take a look at the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), before you make your final decision. After all, school meals just got healthier!

Thanks to changes mandated by the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the USDA can now develop and update federal nutrition standards that are compliant with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The new and improved school meals offer more nutrient dense fruits, vegetables (including dark green, red/orange and legumes) and whole grains; all served in age appropriate quantities.  Additionally, schools have eliminated trans fats and continue to work with food manufacturers to lower the sodium content of many foods served in the cafeteria.

Milk remains a major component of school meals and rightfully so.  Milk  is the #1 food source of three of the four nutrients the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans say both adults and children need to consume more of –Vitamin D, calcium and potassium- and evidence shows that the consumption of milk and milk products is linked to improved bone health, especially in children and adolescents.

Schools only serve fat free and 1% plain milk as well as fat free flavored milk.  Dairy processors have worked to reduce the amount of added sugar in flavored milk served in schools by an average of 30%. Therefore; flavored milk offered in schools today contains just 39 calories more than white milk, making it a nutritious beverage of choice for most students.

Overall, the changes to the NSLP intend to improve the health of the Nation’s children, increase consumption of healthy foods at school, and create an environment that supports the development of healthy eating habits. But don’t just take my word for it, come out and have lunch with us!

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Guest blog by Amanda Hester, RD, LDN, SNS 

Amanda Hester, RD, LDN, SNS has spent 10 years in school foodservice and is passionate about offering healthy, well balanced meals to all students. Currently, she serves as Director of Operations with Chartwells Dining Services at Winston Salem /Forsyth County Schools in Winston Salem, NC.  During her tenure from foodservice, Amanda helped promote and protect dairy in the school environment and implement Fuel Up to Play 60 in schools throughout North Carolina. She is also an active member of her local dietetic association.

Busy Bee Healthy Eating Shortcuts

The kids are back in school, sports have begun and after-work commitments are filling up your schedule—must be the beginning of fall! With so much to do, healthy eating often takes a back seat. Not to fear, try these “busy bee” healthy eating shortcuts and you will be feeling great with every item you check off your to-do list:

Batch Cooking
With all of the effort that you put into cooking meals at home, why not double the recipe and freeze half?  Bake two batches of this delicious Easy Italian Vegetable Pasta Bake or Slow Cooker Fresh Veggie Lasagna, freeze half and you have a healthy meal ready to go on a busy school night.

Semi-Homemade
Healthy eating does not have to mean making everything from scratch. The grocery store’s prepared foods section is a go-to healthy eating time saver. For example, pick up a rotisserie chicken; pair it with Light Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese and fresh green beans for a meal that will have everyone in your family asking for seconds!

Attack Snack Time
One of the biggest myths about healthy eating is that you have to stop snacking to be healthy. However, as a Registered Dietitian, I know that snacks are an important part of healthy eating. Not only do they help you to consume recommended nutrients, but snacking helps keep hunger at bay between meals and prevents mealtime overeating. Plan ahead and pack string cheese, sliced apples, roasted nuts and whole grain crackers in your bag in the morning to have on hand. Bonus: consuming dairy foods, like milk, cheese and yogurt, help provide three of the four nutrients that Americans are lacking in their diets.

With a little planning, you can stay on track with your health and nutrition goals, no matter how busy life gets!

Lanier Dabruzzi, MS, RD, LD

Mom Knows Best: Don’t Skip that Breakfast!

You may have grown up as I did with your mother saying “Eat your breakfast.  It’s the most important meal of the day!”  It is indeed important, because it gets your metabolism going after an overnight fast. And eating breakfast is on the list of obesity prevention strategies. Why? Eating a morning meal improves our mood, sharpens our minds and prevents us from getting too hungry before lunch so we eat less daily. Skipping breakfast can lead to overeating the rest of the day, which can lead to obesity. As a pediatrician, I worry about childhood obesity because it increases a child’s risk for other chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Breakfast also revs up your body and brain. Studies have demonstrated that students solve math problems better after breakfast.  And, people who eat breakfast tend to have other healthier habits. Wow – healthier and smarter too – you can’t beat that combination!  Eat a quality breakfast that includes 3 of the 5 food groups:  whole grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy.

Need some ideas? Try a bowl of cooked whole grain oatmeal with a banana. To boost calcium, make the oatmeal with milk instead of water. Research shows 9 out of 10 girls and 7 out of 10 boys do not get the recommended daily allowance of calcium.  Or, offer Apple Cheddar Toast made with slices of apples on whole grain bread, topped with low-fat cheddar cheese. Cheese is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry because it may help fight cavities.

Whether we are an adult or a child, this school year make the effort – don’t skip that breakfast!

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Guest blog by Gerri A. Cannon-Smith MD, MPH, FAAP

Gerri A. Cannon-Smith MD, MPH, FAAP is a pediatrician with over 25 years of practice and administrative experience. She currently serves as a part-time clinician with research interests in health literacy as it relates to chronic conditions (obesity, asthma) in children. As the Public Health Committee Chair of the AAP, Mississippi Chapter, Dr. Cannon Smith serves as team lead for the chapter’s Be Our Voice Obesity Prevention Advocacy project.

The Whey to Bariatric Recovery

If you have had bariatric surgery, the food you eat can make a great impact on your recovery and on how quickly you heal. Bariatric patients require at least 60 to 80 grams of protein a day in order to meet their special post-operative needs. According to the guidelines of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), dietary intake should be lower in fat and carbohydrate following surgery due to the way that nutrient absorption is affected. To spare protein for the building and maintenance of muscles in the body, I recommend that patients supplement intake with whey protein.

Whey protein is better absorbed by the human body since it is naturally found in dairy and is a high-quality, complete protein – meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids needed by the body to support growth and repair. Consuming regular amounts of high quality protein has been found to be very helpful in maintaining muscle mass during weight loss.

Research has shown that supplementation of whey protein can help to increase muscle strength, which is an important goal for those who have been relatively inactive due to a state of morbid obesity. Additionally, increased activity is recommended for most bariatric patients and whey protein can be helpful in building new muscle tissue.

Not only can it assist in building and preserving muscle, whey protein can curb the appetite and promote increased satiety for an extended period of time. This is particularly helpful to bariatric surgery patients who are limited to small portions at meal times. Commonly found in powder form and in dairy foods such as yogurt, whey protein can easily be added to meals and snacks. I always encourage patients to make every bite count and think of food as medicine for the body. Whey protein supplementation is a healthy habit that is simply good medicine for bariatric patients.

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Guest blog by Jacinda Roach PhD, RD, LD

Jacinda Roach PhD, RD, LD has a special interest is weight loss.  She currently works with patients in a bariatric and weight management clinic where she enjoys witnessing their transformations to better health.  She is also employed as an adjunct faculty member at several universities and teaches online courses in the area of nutrition.  

Grand-kid Approved

As a mother of three grown sons, a grandmother of three granddaughters and a school nurse, I understand the importance of keeping kids active during the summer.  Physical activity, as well as good nutrition and hydration, helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles while providing psychological and social benefits.

When my sons were younger, one of their favorite games was whiffle ball. They would gather neighborhood friends in the backyard, divide up into teams, and play for hours!   After an active day of playing they would enjoy a homemade malted milkshake.

Now, my granddaughters keep busy in the summer months by building “fairy houses.” They gather bark, rocks, pine cones, acorns and other forest treasures to create their houses. Once their house is built, they hide and wait for a fairy to appear. In the quiet of the woods, with sunshine streaming through the trees, a fairy is sure to be heard if not necessarily seen! This imaginative fun may be very different from whiffle ball, but the girls still enjoy cooling down with homemade milkshakes just like their fathers.

There are so many time-tested games to keep kids active through the summer.  Some of my favorites include:

• Dodgeball
• Hopscotch
• Penny Step
• Frozen Tag
• Kickball
• Lightening Bug Hunting
• Follow the Leader
• Flashlight Tag
• Hide-and-Seek
• Capture the Flag

Don’t forget to apply sunscreen and keep hydrated when playing outdoors!  Milk is the perfect rehydration beverage for active, growing kids because it provides carbohydrates, protein and eight essential vitamins and minerals that are important for good health, including calcium, potassium and vitamin D-three of the four nutrients many children are lacking.

This grand-kid approved milkshake is a cool and delicious dessert that will refuel growing children with the nutrients they need!

Frothy Malted Milkshake

1 cup cold milk (reduced or low-fat)

2 ½ cups ice cream or frozen yogurt (vanilla or chocolate)

½ cup malted milk powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender

Pour into cups with straws

Enjoy!

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Guest blog by Mary Burch

Mary Burch is a registered nurse and health coordinator for the Erlanger-Elsmere School District in Kentucky.  Her involvement with the Kentucky School Nurse Association, including serving as president in 2012, has helped her to learn effective strategies to advocate for the health of children. In addition to her nursing care and attention to the children, Burch was instrumental in the development of two school-based health centers in the district, which allow for more specialized and immediate care of children. Her goal is to provide good school nursing practice for students, resulting in a healthier community.

Dairy Packs Brain Power

Transitioning to a diet of whole foods can be a stressful time for parents. When babies turn into toddlers there are lots of questions about what foods are appropriate and how much food is needed.  Whole milk is just one example of the many foods that your toddler will now be able to enjoy.  Around their first birthday children are often experiencing a burst in cognitive development and learning new skills (like walking).  Adequate nutrition throughout this busy time is important.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that most children will get enough calcium and vitamin D if they drink 16 to 20 ounces (2 to 2 1/2 cups) of cow’s milk per day. Offer 1-year-olds whole milk. Toddler’s brains are still growing rapidly and brain growth requires fat.  It is also important to remember to offer whole milk in a sippy cup not in a bottle to avoid cavities on those little teeth.

Milk also provides other nutrients that are important for your toddler’s health and continued growth.  Calcium, Phosphorus and Vitamin D are needed for bone growth.  Dairy products like milk help to promote the growth of a healthy skeleton. Dairy products are also an excellent source of potassium. Potassium is important for heart health. It’s never too early to promote a healthy heart and lifestyle.

If your toddler is reluctant to white milk, offer flavored varieties. Flavored milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as white milk and about 4-5 teaspoons of added sugar. Research shows that children who consume flavored milk do not have higher intakes of added sugars or total fat than children who do not consume flavored milk, but flavored milk drinkers do have higher intakes of calcium.

As your child continues to grow and get older, it is important to keep up with the nutrient needs for each age.

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Guest blog by Brigett Scott

Brigett Scott, PhD, RD, LDN is an assistant professor and Head, Department of Allied Health Sciences. Dr. Scott has experience in clinical dietetics specializing in telemetry and cardiac care. She also analyzes menus for a local correctional facility. She has served as the President of the Louisiana Dietetic Association. She has received the Outstanding Dietetic Educator for Internship Programs, Emerging Leader Award and Outstanding Young Dietitian Award from the Louisiana Dietetic Association. She has presented abstracts and been a speaker at state meetings.  Dr. Scott currently serves as the Web Developer for the Louisiana Dietetic Association. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and three children.