Healthy Eating for Life

One aspect of parenting I am very passionate about is making sure my family eats nutritious healthful meals.

In some ways this concept is incredibly straightforward. Eat and drink, from the earth, meats, fruits and vegetables with minimal/no processing and drink water.

I don’t really buy packaged foods so I don’t worry too much about reading labels. Rice is rice, apples are apples, etc. I buy/grow my own herbs and use a variety of spices to add flavor vs buying pre-seasoned products. If I do buy items that have been processed, when I read the label, sugars and fats cannot be the first ingredients. My rule of thumb – I must be able to read, pronounce and RECOGNIZE (without reflecting on my college chemistry classes) all (preferably 5 or less) the ingredients. Pretty quickly you realize that few things in the aisles fit this criteria.

When I shop in the grocery store I stay to the walls and rarely go up and down the aisles. I try to buy local organic, then local and then organic when it comes to meat and produce. There are guides to help you figure out which items are more a priority for buying organic.

Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 – download pdf or get the IPhone app

Many people complain about the costs related to buying local and/or organic but there are many ways to reduce costs:-
1 – Buy your grains, rice, oats, etc. in the bulk section of the grocery store
2 – Join your local coops or CSA – a great local resource is from Richmond Good Life or for non-Richmonders check Local Harvest
3 – Buy less processed and learn how to do the work yourself. For example, buy the whole chicken cut it up yourself.
4 – Coupons – Check out Mambo Sprouts, Brown Cow, Earth’s Best, Organic Valley

Now some may complain about the convenience but I bet I can throw a meal together just as fast as those using convenience foods and I bet I waste less. I keep pre-cooked grains in the fridge all the time and will add them to some sauteed greens. Leftovers are turned into a frittata. And there is always salad!

To me this is not about food this is about health. And we all want our kids to have long healthy lives. I’m gong to put my money upfront into their food and not in the pocket of health care professionals and pharmaceutical companies.

Add – Last night Swedish Medical Center Tweeted this link The 9 Worst Summer Snacks and Treats for Kids. I don’t really know anyone that eats these things but it’s good food for thought about our summertime treats!

The following was sent to Richmondmom by M Booth & Associates for Country Crock. I have received no products or money from this or any company. Any references or links I have written about are for products or businesses I like and use.

Getting kids to eat healthily is a challenge for most families and 90% of parents are concerned about their children understanding the importance of healthy diet and exercise, according to a new survey.   The survey, by Country Crock, which has removed all trans fat from its soft spreads, also found just 11% of parents say their families eat healthfully enough.  Other findings:
 
• 69% of parents who want their families to eat a lot more healthy say they read nutrition labels and 86% are concerned about the amount of trans fat in their family’s food
• More than half of the concerned parents (51%) say that the rising cost of healthy food choices is a deterrent for purchasing better options for their family
• Picky eaters are a major hurdle among parents who are concerned about their children understanding the importance of healthy diet and exercise; nearly half (49%) find it challenging to get their kids to try new foods due to limited preferences
• Outside pressures on children that encourage unhealthy eating (32%), and the negative influence of advertising and marketing of unhealthy foods (34%) add additional challenges for concerned parents to win the battle to serve better food options
 
More about the survey follows.  Also attached are several graphs that highlight key findings about family nutrition.  Ruth Carey, R.D., CCSD, is available to discuss the findings. 
 
 
WHEN IT COMES TO ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO EAT BETTER, PARENTS HAVE THEIR PLATES FULL, COUNTRY CROCK SURVEY FINDS

 
New Survey Reveals 90% Fret Over Kids’ Diets, But Simple Steps Can Feed Good Habits From the Start
 
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 2, 2010 – Families face many challenges today in staying healthy. But you’d be hard-pressed to find one that eats at moms more than this: getting family members, especially children, to consume better, more healthful foods.  In fact, according to a survey conducted by Country Crock®, 90% of parents are concerned about their children understanding the importance of healthy diet and exercise.
“With government initiatives and a new national focus aimed at improving family health, the challenge is even greater to find ways to instill healthy habits in family members starting at a young age,” said Ruth Carey, RD, CCSD and family nutritionist.  “The key is making small, simple changes that add up to a hugely positive impact on health and diet.”
 
The survey revealed a number of challenges parents face in getting their kids to eat better foods.
• 69% of parents who want their families to eat a lot more healthy say they read nutrition labels all or some of the time, and more than 3 out of 4 parents (86%) are concerned about the amount of trans fat in their family’s food
• More than half of the concerned parents (51%) say that the rising cost of healthy food choices is a deterrent for purchasing better options for their family
• Picky eaters are a major hurdle among parents who are concerned about their children understanding the importance of healthy diet and exercise; nearly half (49%) find it challenging to get their kids to try new foods due to limited preferences
• Outside pressures on children that encourage unhealthy eating (32%), and the negative influence of advertising and marketing of unhealthy foods (34%) add additional challenges for concerned parents to win the battle to serve better food options
 
 
The great concern among parents over their kids’ trans fat consumption and eating healthy isn’t surprising.  In fact, checking food labels for trans fat continues to be common among Americans as reported by the International Food Information Council Foundation’s 2009 Food & Health Survey, with 57% saying they use the information on the Nutrition Facts panel in 2009 compared to 49% in 2006. It’s also a concern shared by many food manufacturers today, and joining in this movement is Country Crock, which has completed the removal of partially hydrogenated oils from it soft spread products, and now boasts 0g per serving.  Plus it still has the same great taste, contains essential vitamins A, D and E, and has 70% less saturated fat and 30% fewer calories than butter[1].
 
Nutritious Eating, from Toddlerhood to Teens to Adulthood
The survey also found that eating patterns developed as children are likely to continue into adulthood. In fact, more than half of moms with children ages 5-12 (56%) are very concerned that their kids know about healthy diet and exercise patterns. This concern doesn’t dissipate drastically even as kids grow and become more independent, with 44% of parents still involved in ensuring healthy eating and exercise habits translate into the teen years (13-17).
In addition:
• Parents are getting their kids involved in meal preparation from an early age (54% of kids ages 5-12) as a guidance tool to better eating habits. They are also actively teaching kids about the benefits of healthy eating at a young age (66%, 5-12) and continuing these practices into the teen years (60%, 13-17)
• Good eating habits develop through years of teaching. More than half of respondents’ (51%) say that they eat more healthfully than their parents, and 51% expect their kids will eat even healthier than they do when they grow up
• Some 47% of moms are consciously avoiding ingredients that they know are bad for their kids, but 94% of parents do agree that some fats are essential for a healthy diet
 
 
So which fats, exactly, are essential? Simply put, they’re the fats that we can’t live without. There are two types of fats the body can’t make; therefore it’s important that they be part of a balanced diet. These essential fats are omega-6 linoleic acid (omega-6 LA) and omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3 ALA) polyunsaturated fatty acids – and they are found in every tub of Country Crock, as well as other foods such as fish and walnuts[2].
 
For more information, go to www.countrycrock.com. 
 
Methodological Notes:
The “Country Crock Report on Food, Fitness and Families” Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.WakefieldResearch.com) among 1,000 moms, aged 18 years old+ and with children ages 17 and younger, between March 26th and April 1st, using an email invitation and an online survey. The following sub-groups have been examined for this data addendum – moms who are concerned about their children understanding the importance of healthy diet and exercise (N=899) and moms who say their families need to eat a lot more healthfully (N=309).
 
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the 1000 interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. For the additional sub-groups, margin of error for moms who are concerned about their children understanding the importance of healthy diet is plus or minus 3.27 percentage points and for moms who say their families need to eat a lot more healthfully the margin of error is plus or minus 5.58 percentage points. The “Growing Great Families” survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 mothers nationwide of children 17 and younger, between March 26 and April 1, 2010, using an email invitation and an online survey.
 
About Unilever North America
 
Unilever works to create a better future every day.  We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  Each day, around the world, we serve over two billion consumers. In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009.  For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, www.unilever.ca, or www.unilevercaribbean.com.
 
 
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[1] Regular has 70 calories; Churn Style, 60 calories, and contain 7g of fat and 2g saturated fat; Light and Calcium Plus Vitamin D have 50 calories, contain 5g of fat and 1.5 saturated fat.  All Country Crock tubs have 0g trans fat per serving. Country Crock is not a low-fat food.  Butter has 100 calories, 11g of fat and 7g saturated fat per serving.
 
2 Country Crock Regular: 400 mg Omega-3 ALA, 3000 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Light:  280 mg Omega-3 ALA, 2200 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Calcium Plus Vitamin D: 280 mg Omega-3 ALA, 2200 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Churn Style: 400 mg Omega-3 ALA, 3000 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Whipped Easy Squeeze: 500 mg Omega-3 ALA, 3900 mg Omega-6 LA. Choose a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grain fiber-rich foods, and fat-free or low-fat dairy. 
 

[1] Regular has 70 calories; Churn Style, 60 calories, and contain 7g of fat and 2g saturated fat; Light and Calcium Plus Vitamin D have 50 calories, contain 5g of fat and 1.5 saturated fat.  All Country Crock tubs have 0g trans fat per serving. Country Crock is not a low-fat food.  Butter has 100 calories, 11g of fat and 7g saturated fat per serving.
 
2 Country Crock Regular: 400 mg Omega-3 ALA, 3000 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Light:  280 mg Omega-3 ALA, 2200 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Calcium Plus Vitamin D: 280 mg Omega-3 ALA, 2200 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Churn Style: 400 mg Omega-3 ALA, 3000 mg Omega-6 LA; Country Crock Whipped Easy Squeeze: 500 mg Omega-3 ALA, 3900 mg Omega-6 LA. Choose a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grain fiber-rich foods, and fat-free or low-fat dairy. 

Kate Hall

Kate Hall is the Founder & CEO of RichmondMom.com and author of Richmond Rocks ,a history book for kids. She has three children and a cup that overfloweth. She is truly appreciative of the 100,000 + visitors who visit the blog every year, and for the amazing team of writers who create unique, valuable content. Kate is thrilled to fulfill her dream of having a cool place for Richmond, VA parents to learn, grow, and share while supporting local charities.

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