To help combat childhood obesity MARTIN’S is arming parents and kids with the tools they need to live a healthier life in their new initiative Passport to Nutrition, a Kids Healthy Ideas Program.
Valerie Waters, RDN will be teaching a four-week summer program for children ages 6-10 years old and their parents to arm them with the tools they need to live a healthy lifestyle.

Each of the four 75-minute classes are designed to give kids and their parents the information and motivation to achieve a healthier weight by improving one’s lifestyle and eating habits. Among the topics to be covered include the food pyramid, understanding food labels, how to integrate enough fruits and vegetables into one’s diet and ideas for healthy snacks. Kids will also learn about nutrition through a store scavenger hunt and other games.

The four classes are scheduled to begin the week of July 12.
There is a $20 registration fee and space is limited.
John Rolfe MARTIN’S at 2250 John Rolfe Parkway, Richmond

Call 804-364-3644 to schedule an individual appointment or register for a class

I always knew I would breastfeed. It never occurred to me not to. It never occurred to me that there was some question, because everyone I knew did it. My mom did it. My sister did it. My friends did it. It made perfect sense to me that my body made perfectly good, free food for my babies, and that I would give it to them.

I remember in my early 20’s, though, seeing that mom. The mom with a baby nursing in a sling and a toddler strapped on her back, her broomstick skirt swishing through the organic foods aisle at the grocery store, her hemp sandals flip-flopping with each step, her bangle bracelets tinkling beautifully with each graceful. As she swept her pile of reusable bags aside to make room for her Pirate’s Booty snack and variety of Yogi Teas, she absentmindedly nuzzled her baby’s cheek, her patchouli scent wafting my way as I pushed the mini-cart containing bagged salad and chips and salsa.

It never occurred to me until years later that that mom was the picture of breastfeeding in America.

Apparently, breastfeeding is viewed as something engaged in by a certain type of woman. Moms who stay at home and espouse themselves to ideals very far outside the mainstream – those are the breastfeeders. Moms who work, who watch TV, who let their kids listen to rock and roll, eat gluten, drink pasteurized milk, moms who buy Gerber baby food…those moms don’t breastfeed. And if they do, they don’t do it for long. So society tells me.

WHAT THE HELL?

I started to hear one horror story after another about moms who tried to breastfeed and failed because they

Photo: Daquella Manera

“couldn’t make milk” or whose “baby didn’t like their milk” or whose “baby had reflux on breastmilk and could only drink soy formula” or any number of other horrific stories.

I’m not saying they aren’t true, but we as a society stacked the deck against them. Chances are situation was a bigger factor than biology in mom’s low production or fussy child. If you took just the stories I heard about breastfeeding when I was pregnant, and nothing else, you would that no mom ever successfully breastfed.

So social media, and parenting sites, and just the world, created this crunchy mother earth image of breastfeeding moms that made them seem to do nothing but breastfeed and eat an occasional organic snack, dedicating their lives solely to nursing their children, all their other desires and ambitions going unfulfilled.

For a long time, I thought I was a crunchy person. If you don’t know what that means, you probably are not

one. A “CRUNCHY” person is defined by urbandictionary as follows:

Adjective. Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc.

Modified derivative of granola.

Nothing about that definition seems absurd to me, and for a long time, I thought I was pretty crunchy. I

make an above average effort to recycle. I think hybrid cars are awesome. I once used tea tree oil. I take probiotics. I don’t litter. I think that the preservation of our natural resources is our responsibility. Crunchy, right?

So I had a baby. There I was thinking I was this crunchy mama. And then… I met that mom in person (that

mom being a collection of those moms who truly do embody crunchiness). That Mom was so much crunchier than I was. I worked full-time after my maternity leave. I didn’t make baby food. Or clothes. I don’t buy organic anything. I believe that the market for supplements is a bit of a racket by the supplement makers that convince people that putting more things into their body is somehow more helpful than a healthy diet and exercise. I take a variety of prescriptions. I think homeopathic medicine can be hokey. I let my children watch TV. Before they were two. Kind of a lot. We eat chicken nuggets and pizza. And chocolate. Kind of a lot. My kids go to day care.

Compared to that mom, I was something I never would have described myself as before meeting that mom.

I was mainstream. Absolutely, positively mainstream.

You may wonder what I am getting at here. And, in fact, I have labored over how to phrase this writing so as to be inoffensive to both the crunchy moms and the mainstream moms (and those who fall somewhere in the middle).

I am not only a mom who breastfed, but a breastfeeding advocate. And it’s not because I think that formula

feeding is bad (GASP! The breastfeeding counselor just said formula isn’t bad!). I don’t honestly believe it is scientifically the better choice, but I also know plenty of awesome kids who had formula and are just fine.

But I also know that our mainstream world wants us to believe that breastfeeding is really hard and inconvenient. Especially for working moms. Especially for moms who aren’t that mom. That moms who work are doomed to fail, so why not just go ahead and use the “easier” choice?

Oh by the way, the formula companies (who sponsor the mainstream world) want you to believe that breastfeeding is harder than formula feeding.

But you don’t have to be crunchy to breastfeed. You don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom to breastfeed. You don’t have to eschew television and synthetic fabrics and meat and social acceptance. You do have to want to do it. You do have to commit to doing it, find a support system, and believe that it’s possible. And there are lots of people who are willing to help. Pretty much any breastfeeding mom I know would help you. And Breastfeeding USA has trained volunteer counselors ,  who are chomping at the bit to get your call and help you.  And lactation consultants, midwives, OB’s, and maybe even your mom.  And I assure you… none of them will tell you to wear hemp or eat tofu if you want to breastfeed.

So get it out of your mind that you have to fit some kind of mold to be a successful breastfeeder, because you just don’t. I don’t and didn’t. Breastfeeding moms are moms whose breasts make milk… so pretty much any mom who wants to.

Megan Hartless is a mom of two sons and one stepson. When the boys aren’t keeping her on her toes, she is volunteering as a Breastfeeding USA Counselor in Virginia’s Staunton-Augusta area, blogging about breastfeeding, and running a monthly support group for nursing moms. In her “spare time,” she has a full-time job as the Associate Director of Financial Aid at Mary Baldwin College.

In August of 2012, the Newsweek Gallup Poll – Daily Beast named Richmond, Virginia the second fattest city in the United States. Virginia’s obesity rates are steadily climbing ahead of most of the country, with a current rate of 29.2%(2011). This rate is higher than the national average of 27.8%. The rates will soar and adult obesity will burden an already ailing healthcare system if nothing is done to curb the current trend.

Enter: Jamie Oliver’s Global Food Revolution Day on Friday, May 17, 2013.

Chef Ann Butler of Edible Education is leading the charge for the 2^nd Annual Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Day in the Richmond, VA area. The global initiative is aimed at inspiring people to cook and champion better food skills for all ages with the mission to: ‘Cook It. Share It. Live It’.

Butler also works closely with Greg Riggs of Field of Dreams Farms throughout the year promoting healthy nutrition and active lifestyles. Butler and Riggs are advocates for improving the health and nutrition of kids and adults.

“The CDC reports that kids who are exposed to at least 50 hours of food and nutrition education prior to age 12 will stick to a lifetime of healthiness! That fact alone should be enough to spur a revolution,” exclaimed Butler. That’s just one reason she decided to take action and join Jamie Oliver’s crusade. She has also engaged Jennifer Madden, an intern from the Virginia Department of Health, to help organize and manage events.

“I’ve always focused on child and adult nutritional education and when I saw Jamie Oliver’s search for Food Revolution Day ambassadors last year, I knew I had to check it out. I was eager to serve as an ambassador in their inaugural event. The 2013 annual event promises to be even more popular in Richmond,” explains Butler.

Food Revolution Day has grown this year to more than 1,000 events in 664 cities across 62 countries. There are 515 Food Revolution Ambassadors in 72 countries celebrating this global initiative.

And what better time to educate kids and families locally on the benefits of healthier eating?

Health Diagnostics Laboratory (HDL) is the corporate sponsor this year. With their help, along with dozens of volunteers and local businesses, Food Revolution Day spans several days of healthy events. The number of participating restaurants offering fresh local food has grown to over 100 local venues this year.

“We are very excited that The Farm Table is donating local strawberries for the school lunches and other events,” Butler says. “This is a great way to introduce kids to real food. We know that kids love to try something when they’ve had a chance to touch it and create it themselves. Kids will create their own salads using strawberries and fresh spinach for a delicious treat.”

Source: http://edibleedu.com/

Kids are participating in a Kids’ Cooking Contest hosted by Edible Education at locally owned Kitchen Thyme on Saturday, May 16th. There will be some great local chefs judging the food. Child contestants are given a specific ingredient they must use, and then creativity is encouraged for everything else. (To be considered as a contestant, contact jbmadden116@gmail.com).

“It’s amazing what kids come up with,” laughs Butler. “At our last cook off, kids used tomatoes to prepare their mystery dish. They came up with unusual and healthy dishes like tomato stir fry, tomato omelets, dipping sauces, and even a tomato based chicken soup. We can’t wait to see what these novice chefs come up with in this contest.”

How You Can Participate

The best thing you can do is to get your kids excited and involved with Food Revolution Day. Talk about it and go to the website where you can download posters, graphics, coloring pages, and more. Plan a fun day on May 17th with fresh fruits, vegetables, and fun!

In addition to the events above, Butler and Madden encourage individuals to step up and take action for Food Revolution Day. Some ways to participate the weekend of May 17^th include:

• Host a dinner party or gathering at your home and invite friends to participate. Feature some locally grown, gorgeous Virginia food to highlight the occasion and take pictures for social networking.
• Patronize a participating Food Revolution Day restaurant and ask about their ‘real food specials’.
• Shop at a local grocery store and purchase everything ‘out of the box’. Purchase only fresh and healthy ingredients to prepare your weekend meals – skipping prepackaged boxed mixes, frozen dinners, and other foods filled with unnecessary ingredients.
• Shop only at a local farmers’ market for the weekend meals.
• Take your kids grocery shopping to pick out fresh ingredients, give them a little direction, and allow them to prepare a meal at home for the family.
• Visit the Food Revolution Day Facebook site and join the discussion (https://www.facebook.com/FoodRevolutionCommunity).
• Tweet (@FoodRev) to your friends and associates and let them know what’s happening in Richmond, VA as we celebrate a real food revolution! Use hashtag #FRD2013.
• Follow the movement on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/foodrevolution.
• Visit the Food Revolution Day website (www.foodrevolutionday.com) and sign the pledge to join thousands of others who are making the switch to real food and encouraging healthier food in schools and at home.

“Working as a Voluntary Food Revolution Day Ambassador is an honor. Jennifer Madden and I are both thrilled about the positive impact we can have on the community and especially on kids. All of the Volunteer Ambassadors work hard for no pay – but total satisfaction comes from making a healthy difference in the lives of other people. Food Revolution Day proceeds go directly to the Jamie Oliver Foundation to further nutrition education and support for a global revolution in how people view and use food,” emphasizes Butler. “For us, the reward is healthier living!”

“Let’s put Richmond, VA on the map in the next Newsweek Gallup Poll reported in the Daily Beast. But this time, let’s get on the map as a leader in healthy eating and lead the country by lowering Virginia’s obesity rates through a real food revolution!” challenges Butler.

Resources:

• To learn more about Food Revolution Day and local Richmond events, visit http://foodrevolutionday.com
• For more on Edible Education and local events for Food Revolution Day, visit http://edibleedu.com/fresh-ideas/
• Visit Field of Dreams website
• Visit the Backyard Farmer website
• Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) website