Archive for April, 2008
A New Shape for the Old Pyramid?
Post Date: Saturday, April 26th, 2008The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a new Food Guide Pyramid. There was talk of making it a different shape, like maybe a plate, but they ended up keeping the pyramid. Before they released the new version in April 2005, we asked kids what shape they would like the Food Guide to be.
A Food Guide Scooby Doo?
So what shapes did kids suggest? How about the Food Guide Lava Lamp - or the Food Guide Flower? Animals were big. Would you like the Food Guide Frog or the Food Guide Dog? Marissa, 12, even suggested a cartoon dog - the Food Guide Scooby Doo.
“He is my favorite character on TV and I know a lot of people would pay more attention to the good food groups,” she said.
Hey, Marissa is on to something. If the new food guide is something kids like and understand, they might listen to the message it’s trying to send about what to eat. Everybody wants kids to hear this message so they eat nutritious foods, feel good, and grow up healthy.
The Shape Matters
If the new food guide were Scooby Doo, it might get your attention, but it probably wouldn’t say much about healthy eating. The shape of this nutrition symbol is important.
Thirteen years ago, experts picked the pyramid shape because it could be divided into sections and those sections were different sizes. Different food groups were placed in these different sections. The bigger sections could show people that they should eat a lot of those. And the tiny tip, where fats, sweets, and oils are, could show people that they don’t need as much of those foods.
In the new version, the foods are vertical stripes to show that variety is very important. One side of the new pyramid also features a little guy running up the stairs. That’s to show people they need to be active and eat right!
Kids Get a Pat on the Back
We asked some nutrition experts about the ideas that kids sent us. The ones they liked best were those that made this connection between the shape and the message the shape sends. What do we mean? Some shapes would be fun to look at, but other shapes help say something about healthy eating.
“It sounds to me like we should have engaged these kids in this decision a long time ago,” Dr. William Dietz said.
Hey, that’s a big compliment to kids! Dr. Dietz has a top job at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heading up the division on nutrition and physical activity. His job is to figure out ways to help kids and adults eat healthy and get plenty of physical activity.
Another nutrition expert also praised the creative suggestions. Dr. Marion Nestle is a professor at New York University and has written books about food and nutrition.
Dr. Nestle said: “What’s so impressive about the ideas in your set are that they deal with the real issues: eating healthfully, eating less, being active, and not eating too much junk food. Good advice for everyone!”
Dr. Dietz liked the Food Guide Human Body, suggested by McKinzie, 11. She explained her choice this way: “The human body reminds us of the fact that you are what you eat.”
McKinzie made different parts of the body stand for different foods. For instance, the heart would be vegetables because they’re heart-healthy foods. The legs would be grains - for energy. Bones would be dairy products and the arms would be meat to keep your muscles strong. Just the tongue would stand for sweets, fats, and oils, which are “a good thing in small amounts,” she said.
“McKinzie has this right,” Dr. Dietz said.
He also liked suggestions for a Food Guide Star and a Food Guide Sun. Brandi, 9, suggested the sun because of “the beams of health beaming down on us.”
Dietitian Marilyn Tanner also liked the kids’ ideas for the new pyramid. Tanner said it’s a good idea for kids to learn about the Food Guide Pyramid. She teaches a class about healthy habits for kids and parents through St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri. Tanner, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says that when kids understand something about eating healthy sometimes they can teach their parents!
“I wish there could be a Pyramid song to go along with it,” she said. Then, like the songs in the old “Schoolhouse Rock” series, kids would know it by heart.
Saying Goodbye to the Old Pyramid
Now that there’s a new pyramid, kids will have to get adjusted to it. For instance, grains are no longer on the bottom. Instead, grains are represented by the orange stripe on the new pyramid. Some kids said they were ready for the pyramid to be a new shape. When we asked Sharmaine, 10, if she’d miss the old pyramid, she wrote “No” 47 times!
Grace, 12, agreed: “A pyramid wasn’t so exciting for the children to follow, so a new, funky one would be exciting!”
But Dana, 13, said she will miss the old pyramid because the new one will probably discourage too much white bread and pasta. “That stuff is good!”
To older people, like your parents, the old Food Guide Pyramid still seems kind of new. (They grew up learning about the 4 basic food groups.) But the old pyramid was around for 13 years - as long as many kids have been alive! So it’s OK if you think you’ll miss it a little now that the new one has arrived.
Jordan, 11, put it this way: “It is pretty hard to change something that you’ve known all your life and expect to learn it easily … What will they be changing next? The alphabet?”
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: April 2005
Topics: Education |
Be a Fit Kid
Post Date: Sunday, April 20th, 2008There’s a lot of discussion these days about fit kids. People who care (parents, doctors, teachers, and others) want to know how to help kids be more fit.
Being fit is a way of saying a person eats well, gets a lot of physical activity (exercise), and has a healthy weight. If you’re fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things you want to do, like run around with your friends.
Some steps only parents can take — such as serving healthy meals or deciding to take the family on a nature hike. But kids can take charge, too, when it comes to health.
Here are five rules to live by, if you’re a kid who wants to be fit. The trick is to follow these rules most of the time, knowing that some days (like your birthday) might call for cake and ice cream.
1. Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety. If you eat different foods, you’re more likely to get the nutrients your body needs. Taste new foods and old ones you haven’t tried for a while. Some foods, such as green veggies, are more pleasing the older you get. Shoot for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day — two fruits and three vegetables. Here’s one combination that might work for you:
- at breakfast: ½ cup (about 4 large) strawberries on your cereal
- with lunch: 6 baby carrots
- for a snack: an apple
- with dinner: ½ cup broccoli (about 2 big spears) and 1 cup of salad
2. Drink water and milk most often. When you’re really thirsty, cold water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher. And there’s a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to grow strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral. How much do kids need? Aim for 3 cups of milk per day, or its equivalent. You can mix it up by having milk and some other calcium-rich dairy foods. Here’s one combination:
- 2 cups (about half a liter) of low-fat or nonfat milk
- 1 slice cheddar cheese
- ½ cup (small container) of yogurt
You probably will want something other than milk or water once in a while, so it’s OK to have 100% juice, too. But try to limit sugary drinks, like sodas, juice cocktails, and fruit punches. They contain a lot of added sugar. Sugar just adds calories, not important nutrients.
3. Listen to your body. What does it feel like to be full? When you’re eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Sometimes, people eat too much because they don’t notice when they need to stop eating. Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable and, over a period of time, can lead to unhealthy weight gain.
4. Limit screen time. Limit screen time. What’s screen time? It’s the amount of time you spend watching TV or DVDs, playing video games (console systems or handheld games), and using the computer. The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff, like basketball, bike riding, and swimming. Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time, not counting computer use related to school.
5. Be active. One job you have as a kid — and it’s a fun one — is that you get to figure out which activities you like best. Not everyone loves baseball or soccer. Maybe your passion is karate, or kickball, or dancing. Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly. Find ways to be active every day. You might even write down a list of fun stuff to do, so you can refer to it when your mom or dad says it’s time to stop watching TV or playing computer games!
Speaking of parents, they can be a big help if you want to be a fit kid. For instance, they can stock the house with healthy foods and plan physical activities for the family. Tell your parents about these five steps you want to take and maybe you can teach them a thing or two. If you’re a fit kid, why shouldn’t you have a fit mom and a fit dad?
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: May 2007
Topics: Education |
Healthy Kids State, Local Partners Kick Off Healthy Kids Initiative in Las Cruces
Post Date: Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Department of Health Leads Obesity Prevention Project
(Las Cruces) – Students at Conlee Elementary School today walked to school, ate a healthy breakfast in their classroom, attended healthy cooking and tasting demonstrations and participated in physical education. The specially scheduled activities were a part of a kickoff celebration and represent the vision of Healthy Kids – Las Cruces a community wide obesity prevention project in Las Cruces.
Health Secretary Dr. Alfredo Vigil joined the city of Las Cruces, Las Cruces Public Schools and several state government departments today to launch the obesity prevention pilot project in Las Cruces. Healthy Kids – Las Cruces connects and enhances community efforts to motivate children, teenagers and families to eat healthier and be more physically active.
As a part of the project, the Department of Health has hired a dietician and physical activity specialist in Las Cruces to provide individual and group counseling for people who are obese. “We are concerned about the rising rates of obesity in New Mexico and how that negatively affects people’s health,” Dr Vigil said. “This project is a tremendous effort by state partners and community leaders who embrace our vision of helping children lead healthier lives.”
The Department of Health is leading the pilot project. Stakeholders representing local and state government, education, health care, social services, agriculture, nonprofit organizations,foundations and businesses worked with the Department of Health to develop a five year vision,goals and action plans for the initiative. “This program will be extremely beneficial to our children, considering the fact that studies have shown if we don’t do something now, in 20 years one out of two children will be obese,” said Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima.
Healthy Kids – Las Cruces Goals include:
· Create a Safe Routes to School Program for all public elementary schools in Las Cruces by 2013.
· Increase opportunities for elementary students to participate in daily physical activity, learn about nutrition, healthy cooking and how to make healthy food choices.
· Increase availability of affordable and healthy food in restaurants, grocery stores and schools, especially for families with low incomes.
· Increase opportunities for patients to receive health care obesity prevention services.
· Conduct a public awareness campaign that motivates children and families to reduce the amount of soda and high sugar beverages they drink, eat more fruits and vegetables, be more physically active and not watch television as much.
· Create an interactive website that provides information to motivate families to lead healthy lifestyles.
“A child’s health has a direct relationship to his or her educational success,” said Stan Rounds, superintendent of Las Cruces Public Schools. “Healthy students learn better and, more importantly, they learn about nutrition and physical activities that will be used throughout their lifetimes. As the flagship school in this initiative, Conlee Elementary will lead the way in proving that healthy living is possible for children and families of all socioeconomic backgrounds.”
The eight state departments involved in the pilot project hosted healthy events for children and families in Las Cruces this week. Activities included healthy home cooking demonstration classes for clients at the New Mexico Human Services Department’s Income Support Division Office and field trips to Leesburg Dam State Park and Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, part of the New Mexico State Park’s “Outdoor Classroom” initiative that promotes nature, physical activity and recreation.
“This partnership project will truly benefit New Mexico’s lower income families,” said Pamela Hyde, Human Services Department Secretary. “The healthy home cooking demonstration classes will show families served by the Human Services Department how to use their benefits to make healthier meals and lead healthier lives.”
Healthy Kids – Las Cruces is funded by a grant from the National Governor’s Association and supported by the New Mexico departments of Health, Human Services, Public Education, Aging and Longterm
Services, Children, Youth and Families, Agriculture, Parks and Transportation. Local partners are: city of Las Cruces, Las Cruces Public Schools, Doña Ana Cooperative Extension, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces Metropolitan Planning Organization, Envision New Mexico, Farm to Table, New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council, New Mexico American Heart Association, New Mexico Healthier Weight Council, Rio Grande Medical Group, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, New Mexico Ag in the Classroom, Families and Youth, Inc., Con Alma Health Foundation, La Clinica de Familia, Inc. and Healthy U Magazine.
At CYFD we work very hard to make sure our children are safe and healthy,” said CYFD Cabinet Secretary Dorian Dodson. “That’s why we’re excited to be introducing the Color me Healthy curriculum into child care centers beginning in May. The idea behind the program was to introduce children at an early age to new types of nutritious foods and to help them explore opportunities for physical activity that will become a habit for life. That is precisely the point of Healthy Kids – Las Cruces.”
Topics: Regional News |