Cute Notes for Lunches & Snacks

I was shopping at a local specialty toy store near our home last weekend and came across these super cute notes and stickers especially made for your child's lunch and/or snacks.  I've been using them with the food I send to school for my daughter, Hannah, and she loves them! 

This little 4" x 3" trifold notes and stickers set is such a neat, compact set of "special touches" that  buttons up nicely and can be stored easily in a kitchen drawer.

When you open it up, there are 3 pockets.  I laid out what each pocket contains.  The right side contain the stickers in each pocket and the left side contains the note cards.  On the back of the note cards are lines where you can write your child a special little note or reminder.

You can purchase these online at Chronicle Books.

Make your child smile by sending sweet notes to school that will make them especially look forward to eating healthy. Order these, or you can start simple by just writing a little "I love you" on a sticky note.  What a great way to make them feel special!

Oh My Gourd (OMG)! Super Easy Roasted Butternut Squash

After such a sizzling summer here in Texas, I am really getting into fall festivity.   The weather here is slowly getting cooler and it feels great! I just love going to the market this time of year and seeing all the gourds so beautifully displayed.  The warm colors remind me of the colors of the changing leaves.  Displaying gourds are such an easy way to add to fall to your home décor;  you can put them in nice bowls as a centerpiece for your dinner parties and warm up the room.  When we think of edible gourds, we commonly think of our famous pumpkin.  But zucchini, squash and some melons also get categorized in the gourd family since they fall in the same plant species.  The orange colored varieties like pumpkin, acorn and squash are high in beta carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant. They are also rich in fiber, potassium and vitamin C.

Roasting butternut squash is super easy,
and can be a great fall complement to
your family dinners. 

Butternut squash is a tasty choice that children have a tendency to like because of its mild taste.  There are a lot of great recipes for butternut squash, but they can be very easy to prepare without a recipe.  For a nice roasted taste, all you have to do is cut one butternut squash in half horizontally and put face up on a baking sheet lined with tin foil.  Scoop out the seeds (you can wash and roast them with a pinch of salt..they are edible!).  Brush the squash with margarine, sprinkle with sea salt and a dash of brown sugar.  Roast it in the oven at 375 for 45-60 minutes until the squash is tender enough to cut with a butter knife.  Cut it up into small squares and serve as a side dish, or if you have more time, add it to some cooked quinoa pine nuts, sautéed onion and your favorite spices for a great flavor combination.  If you want to serve it with an interesting flair, present the roasted squash in-tact and stuff the area where the seeds were with other colorful roasted vegetables.

Take advantage of the great fall vegetables to add a nice, seasonal taste to your family dinners.  Food variety is best for overall nutrition and it also exposes your children to more flavors.  It doesn’t have to be complicated.  What’s your favorite easy, but tasty fall recipe?  I’d love to hear from you!

Great Food Products, Nutrition Tools & Resources

Dietitians met for our great, annual conference just one month ago in San Diego, and like I mentioned before, I want everyday, busy families to be in-the-know of what we discuss when we get together and talk food and nutrition.  So, I dedicated three blog posts on my experience while there.  The last two posts I discussed the vision and education that I had, and this last post shares some of the great products and tools that were at the exhibition hall.  These were some of my favorites that were there, so check them out.  (All are active links!)

General Food Products

Stonyfield Farm: my children loved the YoBaby yogurts as toddlers, and we especially like their vanilla yogurt now.

Laura’s Lean Beef: their website has some great, low-fat recipes!

The Laughing Cow: my favorite is the light mozzarella, sun-dried tomato & basil

CalNaturelle Svelte: if you're looking for a good, dairy-free, high protein beverage that is low in sugar, CalNaturelle Svelte is a great option.  The spiced chai is very tasty!

Silk: overall great soy products, but I like the Vanilla soymilk the best for taste and nutrition quality.

General Mills: great choices overall, but I really like their Cascadian Farm line of products.  Many of them have <10 grams of sugar per serving and at least 3 grams of fiber.

Beanitos: great-tasting chips derived from beans, are high in fiber, low in saturated fat and gluten-free.  I like the black bean flavor!

Daisy: did you know that just 1/2 cup of cottage cheese has 14 grams of protein?  The low-fat Daisy brand cottage cheese has such a great taste.  You can mix it with some fresh berries for a quick, nutrient-rich snack.



GoodBelly makes a special probiotic drink
for kids that is great, especially when they
are on antibiotics.

Fuctional Foods

GoodBelly: a dairy-free probiotic drink (juice) that contains a proprietary Lactobacillus plantarum 299v strain that survives the acidity of your stomach acids.  It's a great product for young children because the juice is extra tasty, which assures ingestion.  The website has a great, short video to show how probiotics work and benefit the body.  Take their 12-day Good Belly challenge!

Yakult: a small 2.7 ounce milk-based probiotic drink that contains Lactobacillus casei Shirota, which has some great science behind it for digestive health.

Gluten-Free Products

Udi’s: overall, they have the best-tasting, gluten-free breads and grain products on the market.

Kinnikinnick Foods: good tasting, what I call "sometimes" foods, baked products that are all gluten-free

Amy’s Kitchen: quality vegetarian (many are vegan, some contain cheese) convenience foods; their gluten-free frozen pizzas are very good!  Note: not all of their foods are gluten-free.  Look for their gluten-free label.

Ian’s Natural Foods: great line for kids with food allergies and celiac disease; the gluten-free chicken nuggets are well-received by children and the ingredients are wholesome. 

Organizations and Associations

National Dairy Council: excellent website with great resources on lactose intolerance, dairy nutrition and childhood nutrition in general.  Their FuelUpToPlay60 campaign with the National Football League has been making a great impact on the health education.  I got to witness it in action here in Dallas.

National Beef Council: their beef nutrition site is full of great nutrition information.  The old thought that you have to give up beef to be healthy continues to die a very slow death.  Check out their 29 cuts of lean beef fact sheet.  Great info!

U.S. Potato Board: did you know that potatoes are one of the cheapest, most nutrient-rich natural foods for the price?  Potatoes have gotten such a bad wrap and unfortunately, it's because of the fatty toppings that are put on them. 

California Strawberry Commission: did you know that the majority of our strawberries come from California?  Both potatoes and strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges.  Why did oranges get the vitamin C label?  No fair!

Gluten Intolerance Group of North America: I highly recommend joining a local GIG (gluten intolerance group) if you or a family member is gluten intolerant or has celiac disease.  Chances are, there is a group near you.  Although I don't advocate that everyone try a gluten-free lifestyle like this group promotes, I do think their website is a great resource for those that need it.  They have a great restaurant search.

Dole Nutrition Institute: they have great information on the power of produce; they also have a great kid-friendly section.

Nutrition Tools & Programs

Healthy Steps by Jokari: Healthy Steps is the maker of very helpful portion guidance kitchen gadgets that are very practical.  As you can see, I like to use the word "guide" instead of control.

Nourish Interactive: check out Chef Solis as he teaches kids about good nutrition.  This is one of the best, free nutrition educational websites I have seen.  Lesson plans are categorized by age.

Supermarket Savvy: this site is chocked full of brand names of foods based on your nutrition interest; you can join and have access to up-to-date food product information.  Check out their virtual supermarket!

Papayahead, Inc.: this website has a meal planning database that is FREE and will generate your own grocery list.

Disclosure: I have done compensated work with Heatlhy Steps on creating nutrition education videos.  But everything listed here are my own personal recommendations and not paid advertising.

Nutrition Education Highlights For Families

If I was a mother trying to feed my family healthy, but wasn’t a dietitian, I would hope that someone would give me the highlights of what dietitians talk about when they get together!  Well, here you go, part 2 of highlight series on the ADA Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE).  If you missed the vision that was imparted on us, check out my first post, Vision: Do You Have It?.  This post discusses just some education sessions that apply to families.  Truly, I could do a 20-part series on everything because really everything ties back to families, doesn’t it? 

Since I have nutrition specialties in digestive health and immunology, I have a separate section on that for those families that may have a child or family member with a chronic condition.  I am always looking out for you!

GENERAL

Food processing.  There isn’t an official definition for processed foods – anything that has been done to get your food to your table is processing, really.  However, we all agree that minimally processed foods are usually the best choice.  But do know that some processing has been shown to be beneficial.  For instance, our fortification process of grains in the U.S.  has virtually eliminated illness and death associated with B-vitamin deficiencies like pellagra and beriberi.  When you get technical with the words “processed foods”, you do get foods that I recommend for busy families like bagged salad, pre-cut veggies and even dried fruits.  Don’t be completely averse to the reference of processed foods, but instead focus your attention on minimization.


Create a short video showing how
you build a healthy plate with fruits
and veggies on a budget and you
could win some serious cash for
your family!

Update on MyPlate.  The MyPlate website is getting even more full of practical applications for families.  There is an entire section on eating healthy on a budget, you can analyze your own diet quality and you can get personalized plans for each family member.   Anyone want to participate in the MyPlate Fruits and Veggies Video Challenge?   They are giving a lot of cash for prizes out on this one!  There will be 3 winners picked to win $1500, 3 for second place that will win $1000 and 3 “Popular Choice” winners that will each receive $500.

Farm to School Initiatives.  This is a super cool trend that is spreading (not fast enough) across the US.  California is a really good example of how connecting children to food at the farm level grows their appreciation for foods.  I sent an e-mail to my daughter’s school foodservice manager encouraging them to do something in this arena.  Even if you can get them to do a field trip to a local farm, this will give kids a bit more insight than just seeing food on their plates.  Go to the USDA Farm to School site for more information on these type of programs.

Digestive Health and Other Conditions

Gluten-Free (GF) Diets.  There was some interesting investigation presented on current gluten-free products currently sold in the U.S.  Here are the highlights and recommendations:
•Whenever possible gluten-free consumers should choose labeled gluten-free grains, flours, & products made from them.  Even GF flours such as buckwheat, soy, sorghum and millet have been shown to have 29-2900 ppm of gluten!
•When choosing processed foods not labeled gluten free consumers should look for 6 ingredients on the food label, namely wheat, barley, rye, oats, malt, & brewer?s yeast; for starch, starch, & dextrin.  Glucose syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, caramel color, & sugar alcohols that contain wheat must have wheat listed in the ingredient label under FALCPA. (Even when derived from wheat or barley these ingredients are exceedingly unlikely to cause an otherwise gluten-free food to contain 20 ppm or more gluten)
•While gluten-free foods may be allowed to contain < 20 ppm gluten, the vast majority of products tested by Gluten Free Watchdog contain < 5 ppm gluten

Irritable Bowel Syndrome.*   Gerard Mullin, MD, Associate Professor at The John Hopkins Hospital, presented some current research on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and it looks very promising:
• Nutraceutical supplements such as peppermint oil, STW5 and melatonin may be helpful to control IBS symptoms• Commercially available herbal preparation STW 5: bitter candytuft, chamomile flower, peppermint leaves, caraway fruit, licorice root, lemon balm leaves, celandine herbs, angelica root, milk thistle fruit.• Elimination of “FODMAPs” may help a subset of IBS patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth [The acronym, ‘FODMAP’—Fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Monosaccharides and Polyols—was coined to describe a previously unrelated group of short-chain carbohydrates and
sugar alcohols (polyols). They comprise fructose, lactose, fructo- and galactooligosaccharides (fructans, and galactans), and polyols (such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol).
• Probiotics (VSL #3 showed great results) appear to control IBS symptoms.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).*  The great GI dietitian queen herself, Dr. Laura Matarese, RD, presented on functional and superfoods for IBD.  There was some decent research on things such as high levels of omega-3’s, curcumin, probiotics and diet.  For those that are interested, let me know and I could discuss these with you. 

Update on autism and diet.  Dr. Timothy Buie, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School presented an accumulation of current studies and recommendations on autism and diet.  This is the take home as of now per Dr. Buie.   Current studies, including survey studies from complementary providers do not support diet changes for the treatment of autism (*Note: Current studies do suggest that 5-8% of pediatric patients may have food allergy). Some individuals with history consistent with food sensitivity may merit testing or trial of diet.  However, available research data does not support the use of a casein-free diet, a gluten-free diet, or combined gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet as a primary treatment for individuals with autism.  Could GI issues CAUSE autism? Environmental/nutritional factors modulating genetically predisposed individuals.  GI inflammation where some body processes (colitis, allergy, infection) release chemical or immune mediators that affect brain function.  Further studies need to be done.

* If you are interested in trying some of these supplements or nutraceuticals, do check in with your physician and your local registered dietitian first.  They can advise you if any therapies are right for your particular situation and specifically how to implement them if at all.

My last post in this recap series of the dietitian’s conference will be food products and tools that were presented in the exhibit are – that I thought were the best.  Don’t miss it!