These days, more of us are trying to improve the nutrient quality of the foods we eat, whether it is avoiding certain added ingredients or choosing foods that contain more nutrients. As food prices continue to rise, however, it is getting harder to do. So here are a few of my tips to eat healthier and save money:

1. Don’t skip the leafy greens! Kale, arugula, and spinach are some of the most nutritious and affordable foods you will find in a grocery store. The darker the color of the leafy green, the more nutritious it is because of the antioxidant, beta-carotene. Many salad greens are also a good source of vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Rather than buying the pre-packaged bags of lettuce, go for the fresh heads. They are cheaper. However, if your store has those automatic misters, and the greens are priced per pound, be sure to shake off the excess water.

2. Canned tomatoes are a good source of the heart-healthy antioxidant, lycopene, which your body absorbs more easily from canned tomatoes than it does from raw tomatoes. It is time to make your own pasta sauce from crushed tomatoes: just add a tablespoon of olive oil and some spices, and you’ll have a great sauce for about a buck (rather than three to six dollars), and you’ll be avoiding those added sugars and other ingredients. The new MyPlate recommendations call for doubling our consumption of red and orange vegetables to two servings a day, and this is an easy way to do just that. Look for canned tomatoes that are naturally steam peeled. Most use chemical processes.

3. I grew up in a dairy family. My grandfather was a dairy farmer in Belleville, New Jersey, and I love natural cheeses. Because of the “Standard of Identity,” set by the USDA Federal Standards, natural cheeses like Swiss, Cheddar, and Monterey Jack that are aged for the same time from the same state, are the same quality, whether they are bought from the dairy case, deli or cheese table. Cheeses from the dairy case are wrapped in clear plastic, versus fancier packaging found elsewhere, and may save you up to 40 percent.

4. The USDA Agricultural Projections that were just released February 23, 2012, predict that the price of beef will continue to rise through the year 2017. But you don’t have to buy an expensive cut of beef to get your daily protein. Eggs are a great source of protein, and egg whites (found in the refrigerated sections of most super markets) are an even healthier way to get essential vitamins and minerals without the fat, calories and cholesterol.

5. If you don’t like eggs but still want to get your animal protein, try fish! In fact, the USDA Dietary Guidelines released last year specifically recommend “eating seafood in place of meat or poultry twice a week.” But don’t buy it from the “fresh” fish table. Look at those signs: most will say “previously frozen.” So head over to the frozen fish section, where you’ll find salmon, tilapia, sole, shrimp — all the basics are here — at about half the cost. And they are better, since they are frozen only once. Typically when fish is caught, it is put on ice or in a freezer on the boat, as the boat is on the water for weeks at a time. When it is brought to shore, it defrosts and is shipped to the supermarket. Then the store puts these “fresh” fish on ice again. Be sure to also read the country of origin label, which is usually on the back of the package, to make sure you know where the fish is coming from. About 80 percent of previously frozen and frozen fish is now imported.

Images are from http://www.morguefile.com.

George Washington? Ice Cream! (His wife, Martha made fancy cakes. She even wrote her own cookbook!)

Thomas Jefferson enjoyed international recipes and had his own garden at Monticello. He loved vegetables and grew over 300 different kinds of veggies and herbs!

Abraham Lincoln enjoyed Chicken Fricassee with herb biscuits.

John Adams was the Organic-food Prez : )
Inspired by a family tradition of farming, John Adams loved homegrown fresh fruits and vegetables.

John F. Kennedy has been described as a “soup, sandwich and fruit” man for lunch–always soup though.

Here is a list of the president’s favorite foods!
•    George Washington (1789-1797):  Ice cream, fish
•    John Adams (1797-1801):  apple cider, pickles, kale and onions
•    Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809):  Ice cream, pancakes, spoon breads, vegetables
•    James Madison (1809-1817):  Ice cream
•    James Monroe (1817-1825): chicken fried with rice, spoonbread
•    John Quincy Adams (1825-1829): fresh fruit
•    Andrew Jackson (1829-1837): French food, floating islands and mini-custard tarts
•    Martin Van Buren (1837-1841): oysters, doughnuts, raisins, figs, and apples
•    William Henry Harrison (1841): squirrel stew, hard cider
•    John Tyler (1841-1845): dessert puddings
•    James K. Polk (1845-1849): ham, corn pone, Southern food
•    Zachary Taylor (1849-1850): Creole food
•    Millard Fillmore (1850-1853): plain food, meat, potatoes, vegetables
•    Franklin Pierce (1853-1857): plain, New Hampshire food of his day, fried clams, chowder, apple pan dowdy
•    James Buchanan (1857-1861): French cuisine, gourmet food, cabbage
•    Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865): Fruit salad, crackers, cheese
•    Andrew Johnson (1865-1869): Fish, jam
•    Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877): rice pudding
•    Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881):  Cornmeal battercakes
•    James A. Garfield (1881):  squirrel soup, milk, homemade breads, apple pie
•    Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885):  mutton chops, rare roast beef, seafood
•    Grover Cleveland (1885-1889, 1893-1897):  pickled herring
•    Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893):  corn
•    William McKinley (1897-1901):  potatoes, meats and fish, eggs, bread
•    Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909):  coffee, wild game, biscuits and gravy
•    William Howard Taft (1909-1913):  Turtle Soup
•    Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921):  strawberry ice cream
•    William G. Harding (1921-1923):  chicken pie
•    Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929): curry of veal, pork apple pies
•    Herbert Hoover (1929-1933):  Virginia ham, corn soup, potato soup
•    Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945): scrambled eggs, fish chowder, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and fruitcake
•    Harry S. Truman (1945-1953): roast chicken, Senator’s Bean Soup
•    Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961): onions, oxtail soup, succotash, prune whip
•    John F. Kennedy (1961-1963): New England Clam Chowder
•    Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969): Ice cream, pancakes, seafood, spinach soufflé, sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows
•    Richard Nixon (1969-1974):  meatloaf, dried figs, cottage cheese
•    Gerald Ford (1974-1977):  pot roast, red cabbage
•    Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) eggplant, chicken, sirloin steak, cornbread
•    Ronald Reagan (1981-1989): Jelly beans, macaroni and cheese, monkey bread
•    George H. W. Bush (1989-1993): pork rinds, hated broccoli
•    William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001): enchiladas, ribs, hamburgers, pie
•    George W. Bush (2001 – 2009): Mexican food, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
•    Barack Obama (2009-present): Chili, hamburgers

Washington, DC — Four mobile phone applications have been chosen as winners of the Healthy App Challenge launched by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD to promote her vision for a healthy and fit nation.

The winning applications are: “Lose it!” In the category of fitness/ physical activity;” “GoodGuide” and “Fooducate” in the category of nutrition / healthy eating; and “Healthy Habits” in the category of integrative health.  In addition, highlighting the high standard of entries received, two other apps were recommended for fitness/physical activity: Fit Friendzy and MapMyFitness and two apps for children (and adults who are young at heart):  Max’s Plate and Short Sequence: Kids’ Yoga Journey.

The apps were assessed against a range of criteria including innovativeness, usability, the ability to generate and download personal data, and whether they made the health-promoting activity fun. They also had to be available for free.

“I’ve been delighted with the response to this challenge. The winning apps will help many Americans to have fun while getting fit and healthy,” said Dr. Benjamin. “I’m excited to learn to use these apps and to discover how they will help me meet my health goals.”

“The Surgeon General’s Healthy App Challenge highlights the ability of innovative new technologies to provide health information tailored to the needs of the user, and empower the general public to regularly engage in, and enjoy, health-promoting behaviors,” said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for  Health Information Technology.  The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology co-sponsored the challenge.

The Surgeon General supports using new technologies to bring healthy lifestyle messages to the American people.  She is involved in a number of consumer e-health initiatives led by HHS, including;

• Family Health Portrait – to help people understand and share their family health history;
• SmokefreeTXT – a free mobile phone-based tobacco cessation service for young adults;
• Text4Baby – a free mobile phone-based information services designed to promote maternal and child health; and
• Txt4Health – to tackle diabetes in Beacon Community Programs.

“I strongly believe in the importance of empowering individuals to make healthy choices. That’s one of four strategic directions of the National Prevention Strategy that aims to transform our healthcare system into one that rewards prevention.  Readily accessible tools like social media and mobile apps can help people manage everything from dietary choices to physical activity, stress management and relaxation techniques,” said Dr. Benjamin.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE WINNING APPLICATIONS

Lose It! helps individuals achieve their nutrition and physical activity goals by setting daily calorie budgets that require users to record their food intake and physical activity. It also has a feature that allows users to invite their friends to view their logs on Facebook.

GoodGuide makes it easy for individuals to get the information they need about their food, personal care, and household products to help make healthy choices.  It has a bar code scanner that allows users to scan products while they shop to get this information.

Fooducate helps you make healthy food choices.  When shopping you can scan the product bar code for a quick read on the nutritional values and additional information such as nutrients and additives; the app can offer healthier alternatives and compare two products side-by-side.

Healthy Habits recognizes that good health is not just about staying active and eating well, but is also reliant on other factors, such as sleeping well and mental health.  This application addresses health issues such as smoking, wearing sunscreen, and reducing stress by tracking the user’s success and goals.

All the winning and recommended apps are available for free download.

Please visit http://sghealthyapps.challenge.gov or http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ for more details.

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It was just over a year ago that President Obama signed into law the The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This act adds $3.2 billion to the pot (originally estimated at $4.5 billion) and reauthorized child nutrition programs for five years.

This act offered many improvements – giving USDA authority to set nutritional standards for foods sold in schools, increased the amount of reimbursement (as the program is implemented) to the schools that meet updated nutritionals up to 11 cents per lunch and 28 cents per breakfast which is the first increase in 30 years, improvement of nutritional quality of commodity foods that schools receive from USDA, and to require schools to make information about the foods they serve available to parents, to name just a few.

The objective is relatively simple:  provide the 31 million children grades K to 12 who rely on school lunch, “nutrient dense (high in nutrients and low in calories meals,” and to empower them with healthy eating habits to reverse obesity and the diseases created by this epidemic. The USDA reports, “that many of these children receive most, if not all, of their meals at school,” and that, “one out of three children in the US are now considered overweight or obese.”

So is there really a change?

Wednesday morning, First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak announced what Vilsak called, “an historic opportunity to improve the quality and quantity of the school meal programs.” And change there is. Highlights of the 280 page report include: lowering calories and sodium in all foods served, more fruits and vegetables, requiring all grains be rich in whole grains within two years, removing all trans fats, and that chocolate milk be fat-free. Compliance must begin by July 1, 2012.

For a sample of the USDA’s “before” and “after” 5-day menu go to www.usda.gov/documents/cnr_chart.pdf.

According to Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association, which represents over 55,000 school nutrition professionals, many schools have already implemented many of these improvements. In fact, on their website, traytalk.org, there is a series of videos made by school nutritionists that highlight the changes that have already been implemented (full disclosure: I supply the editing of these videos to SNA). After Wednesday’s announcement Pratt said, “These new nutrition standards are great news for our kids. They will help school nutrition professionals build on their efforts to offer more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-sodium entrees in our school cafeterias.”

Parents and others are concerned and involved. The USDA reported that they received a total of 133,268 public comments about the rule. No surprise, and when I spoke to school nutrition professionals at the Child Nutrition Industry Conference held in Orlando just about a week ago, they said one of the most important things that parents can do is come to their schools and actually sit down with the children and have lunch. When they do, many are surprised to see just how far school lunch has come since their school days.

Reviewing the final rule shows these topline changes to school lunch:

- Fruits will now be offered as a separate food component at lunch daily and a doubling of the minimum required fruit at breakfast by the school year 2014-5. Frozen fruits are allowed only without added sugars, canned fruits allowed with fruit juice, water or light syrup.

- Vegetables will also be offered as a separate meal component daily. The variety of vegetables will be increased to include these subgroups: dark green, orange, legumes. The proposed limit on starchy vegetables was removed (a controversial issue that Congress took on last year and effectively blocked the limit). Although a little known fact is that many schools around the country have been offering baked instead of French fries for years.

- A serving of grains must now be offered daily at both breakfast and lunch, and at least half of these must be whole-grain rich by July 1, 2013. After July 1, 2014 all grains must be whole-grain rich.

- Meat and/or meat alternatives must be offered daily at both lunch and breakfast (2 ounce portion for students grade 9-12 and 1 ounce for younger students). USDA is also encouraging a variety of proteins foods to meet this requirement including: lean or extra lean meats, tofu, seafood, poultry, beans and peas, fat-free and low fat milk products, unsalted seeds and nuts.

- The rule specifies that only plain or flavored fat-free milk and unflavored low-fat milk be made available.

- Saturated fat is now limited to less than 10 percent of total calories for the week, and Trans Fats are banned.

- Reducing sodium content is a “key objective” of the rule. Currently USDA reports that the average sodium content for a school lunch is high: in excess of 1400 mg, and sets out a gradual reduction, by age of student, over the next ten years with the result being a reduction of between 25 and 50 percent.

And this appears to be just the start. The new rule includes provisions that will also regulate all foods sold in schools, including in vending machines.

This announcement may just move The First Lady’s goal of reducing obesity in a generation a step closer to reality.

This column originally appeared on Huffington Post on January 25, 2012.

First published in Green Living Magazine, January Issue 2012

The biggest new name in children’s health belongs to the smallest of namesakes: Max, a little boy “just-this-side-of-five” who is bursting onto the scene with a message that couldn’t be timelier. He, the charmingly exuberant youngster at the center of the Max on Snax ® brand–which comprises animated interstitial episodes, recipe books, games, and kid-friendly kitchen paraphernalia, loves nothing more than to assemble healthy, tasty snacks for himself and his friends. In each of his animated shorts, Max performs a ditty, engages in some sort of physical activity, and whips up a nutritious treat in a manner easily followed by a preschool audience. “Counting Salad” (a zesty spin on the traditional fruit salad) and “Star Snax” (the sandwich elevated to astronomical heights by virtue of a shaped cookie-cutter) are among the recipes Max employs in his show. Safety always comes first for this self-professed assembly artist who shies away from the use of dangerous kitchen appliances and never fails to remind children to “get the ‘okay’” from “one of those big people” as well as to wash their hands.

Lori Osiecki, creator and founder of Merryweather Farms, the health-focused organization behind Max on Snax®, feels that Max holds a unique position in animated character lore, as one of the first children’s brands truly authentic to food. “Max’s imagination and his commitment to making ‘healthy’ synonymous with ‘fun’ situate him perfectly between the entertainment and health food markets,” says Osiecki. “He aims to educate three-to-five-year-olds, a demographic whose rate of obesity is skyrocketing.” In fact, 32 percent of US children and adolescents are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Undeterred by these alarming numbers, Max is making a splash in the world of nutrition, having just recently garnered widespread support from the members of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the Academy’s 21st Century Symposium in Boston earlier this October. The conference, addressing the critical issues of childhood obesity, also served to promote the release of the new Max on Snax® app, “Max’s Plate,” an innovative game and meal-tracker combo that includes multiple levels of game play and enables users to monitor their daily intake across the five food groups via its “My Plate” feature.

Following this success, the Max on Snax® brand intends to bolster awareness through its “One of Max’s Big People” campaign, wherein culinary superstars pledge their their support of Max and his mission. To date, Cat Cora, Betty Fraser, and Claud Mann have joined sports legend Brandi Chastain in donning the signature “One of Max’s Big People” shirts. “Reaching a wider audience is key,” Osiecki says. “The time for Max’s message is now, and I truly believe that he has the power to make a huge difference in the lives of preschool children.” And that’s just what this boisterous chef-in-the-making intends to do–make a difference, one snack at a time.

More info on Max can be found at his website, maxonsnax.com, and his two apps can be downloaded via the iTunes App Store.

How do you tell a child they need to lose weight without destroying their self-esteem or giving them lifelong issues with food?

Is my child overweight?

Kids are growing, which can make it difficult to tell whether they’re overweight or not. But there are some indicators, says Susie Burrell, a paediatric dietitian. Burrell suggests looking for the following indicators:

•Having a weight (in kilos) significantly greater than their height (in centimetres)   on their growth chart.
•Watching more than four hours of TV a day.
•Having a clothing size more than two sizes bigger than the average clothing size for their age.
•Eating as much as adults.
•Constantly asking for food, even when you know they couldn’t be hungry.
•Having thickened, darkened skin at the back of their neck.

Obesity paradox

We’ve all heard theories on why obesity rates are rising, but Dr Boyd Swinburn, a Population Health professor from Deakin University (Australia), who specialises in childhood obesity, points out the causes are more complex than many of us realise.

“Genetics and society are often blamed for the epidemic, but our physiology hasn’t changed, our genes haven’t changed, and our basic social patterns haven’t changed – so you can’t just put it down to that.”

He adds that eating has always been a social experience in our culture, rather than a physiological one. “It’s not something new in the last 20 years.” So if our genes and social eating are still the same, what has changed?

Physical environment

“The problem is environmental,” Dr Swinburn explains. “The food environment has changed hugely; the electronic environment has changed hugely.” Particularly, he says, we’re seeing more aggressive marketing of food. “Look at the four ‘Ps’ of marketing: food ‘prices’ have decreased; ‘products’ have been changed to add more sugar, salt and fat so they taste good; food ‘placement’ is everywhere; and ‘promotion’: we’re inundated with marketing for junk food.”

Social environment

Children are not only influenced to overeat by a number of environmental factors, they’re also taught that obesity and being overweight are undesirable.

“We live in a society which tells us to consume,” says Dr Samantha Thomas, a health sociologist specialising in childhood obesity and deputy director at Australia’s Monash University School of Primary Health Care. “But when we become overweight, we’re told we’re too fat, it’s our own fault, and that we need to take personal responsibility of the problem. It’s an impossible paradox.”
Professor Stephen Touyz, a clinical psychologist who specialises in eating disorders, points out it’s a paradox which can simultaneously prompt “restriction and emotional distress”, leading to behaviours such as bingeing.

How to deal with it

“At the most simple level, obesity is caused by exercising too little and eating too much,” states Dr Thomas. “But as we all know, it’s not that simple.” The factors contributing to any child’s obesity are unique, so Dr Thomas believes that addressing the issue will always require an approach that deals not just with their physical health, but their emotional health, too.

To help you address the topic in a way that doesn’t damage their self-esteem, consider the following 10 steps.

1. Use the right words

Dr Thomas advises to steer clear of the words ‘weight-loss’ and ‘fat’ at all costs.

“We know that for children who are very overweight, those two things have the potential to cause really damaging body image issues, as well as eating disorders and mental health problems,” she says. “If you talk to adults who were fat as children, the most damaging things they went through as kids were often people telling them they needed to lose weight.”

Instead, she says, you need to focus on improving their health.

“Instead of talking about becoming ‘skinny’, try ‘Let’s see how we can make you healthier. We want you to be fit and active and healthy and the best person you can be.’” Parents need to focus on health, not appearance and on more activity, not less food.

2. Do as you say

It’s time for a reality check: if a child is overweight, their parents are more likely to be, too. In a 2004 study, researchers found that children with one obese parent were almost twice as likely to be overweight than children whose parents were of healthy weight. Children with two obese parents were almost two-and-a-half times more likely to  be overweight. So it doesn’t matter how many times you tell kids to eat their vegetables if you don’t eat yours, says Professor Swinburn. “That’s why the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ style of parenting is such a disaster,” he says. To really help your children, you need to lead by example – and that may require you to address your own unhealthy behaviours.

“This is where the difference between adult and childhood obesity lies,” says Dr Thomas. “Kids model what their parents do. And often, childhood obesity is really challenging for parents because they have unhealthy eating behaviours and may be a negative self-image of themselves,” she says. What’s important is for parents to decide that they don’t want their kids to face the same problems they have and then resolve to break the cycle.

“Excuses like, ‘it’s just puppy fat’ or ‘he’s tall for his age’ don’t help anyone – it’s about changing your habits so your kids’ habits change too.” That doesn’t mean forgoing treats all together, she adds: “It’s about having biscuits [at hand], but knowing they are not an everyday food.”

Rethink your food rules

Many studies have proven that young children have an innate ability to self-regulate their daily kilojoule intake – so even when there is no clear pattern to what and how much they eat at each meal, their overall food intake works out to roughly the same each day.
But, as a recent study reports, children learn to ignore these natural hunger cues in favour of external, environmental cues by the time they’re five.
“Kids are attacked from every single corner about the need to consume,” explains Dr Thomas. And a big influence on kids’ behaviour is the ‘rules’ parents create around food. “For example,” Dr Thomas says, “when kids achieve something fantastic, it’s not uncommon for parents to reward them with a sugary treat.” Similarly, kids may be told to finish everything on their plate – even if they’re not hungry. To discourage overeating, reconsider your ‘rules’ and encourage kids to listen to their bodies.

3. Make it a family challenge

Being overweight often promotes the avoidance of exercise, says Professor Swinburn.
“If an overweight child is embarrassed about [putting on] their swimming gear in PE class, for example, they might get a note from Mum saying they don’t have to participate,” he says. “They don’t learn the skills, don’t get fit, don’t learn to enjoy exercise and don’t lose weight.”
But you can trick your child into exercising – by putting the entire house on a ‘health programme’. Dr Thomas says the beauty of this is that it draws focus away from the child, so they don’t feel as if there’s something wrong with them.
“If only one sibling is overweight and the other isn’t, you should all be participating in family walks, family bike rides, that kind of thing,” he says. “Everyone can benefit from healthier foods and a more active lifestyle.”

4. Watch your feeding style

When researchers analysed dinner table ‘feeding styles’ of parents with children aged between seven and 13, they found surprising results.

Parents who tried to exert too much control over their children’s eating – banning certain foods or pressuring kids to eat certain foods – had children who were more likely to be overweight and less likely to eat vegetables and fruit than normal-weight kids. Allowing kids to eat any food they choose is also inappropriate. The same researchers found that kids who were allowed to eat whatever they wanted were also more likely to be overweight.

To help kids identify their natural food intuition, American dietitian Ellyn Satter recommends following the ‘Division of Responsibility’. The adult decides what, when and where to feed children; and the child determines how much, and whether or not to eat.

5. Forget diets

Yes, the entire family should eat healthier, more nutritious foods, but that doesn’t mean they should diet. “Diets don’t last in the long term. They only make people gain weight,” says Dr Thomas. Indeed, when US researchers administered a diet plan to children between the ages of seven and 12, the kids lost weight, but when they inevitably gained it back, they gained an average extra 2.6% of their body weight, too. “Dieting impedes your ability to listen to hunger cues, creates poor eating habits and, ultimately, may lead to a clinical eating disorder,” observes Professor Touyz. “You’re much better off focusing on balance, moderation and healthy eating, than on dieting.”

6. Try a ‘confidence booster’

The medical community remains divided on whether poor self-esteem leads to obesity, or whether obesity leads to poor self-esteem, but Dr Thomas says there’s clearly a link, and it’s often self-perpetuating. Overweight and obese kids tend to suffer bullying and teasing because they don’t fit in, which may be one reason why their self-esteem is lower. You can help boost their confidence by considering ‘confidence boosters’ – a lunchbox which matches those of the other kids, some ‘cool’ clothes or a new haircut. And remember, exercising gives a great sense of achievement and will improve self-esteem. Take the kids for a walk – they’ll feel better than if they watched TV for an hour.

How can I help my teenager?

According to Burrell, the right approach to take with over-weight and obese teens varies from the approach for children.
“Pre-adolescent children, those aged under 10 years, generally, should not be involved in the process unless the child is mature enough and keen to be involved,” she says.
“But once children are over the age of 10 years, they are generally very aware of the issue and can be counselled along with the parents. In fact, many adolescents prefer to have separate sessions with health professionals.
“So while management principles remain the same – both groups need more activity, less sedentary behaviour, and no sugar sweetened drinks – the approach is different.”
In other words, adolescents need to be treated more like adults, she says. “The aim is to target adolescent and parents separately, with the aim of having support for the adolescent within the home.”
For this reason, it’s also important to realise food-related behavioural issues obese teenagers suffer from can differ from those of children, too. A study involving 2474 children and adolescents found that while overweight children tended to be affected by their environment, overweight adolescents – girls, in particular – showed much higher levels of emotional eating, a trait similar to that found in obese adults.

7. Share your meals

Eating regular family meals together results in healthier weight, improved nutrition and higher self-esteem. A Harvard Medical School study in 2000 of more than 16,000 boys and girls aged nine to 14 revealed that children who shared frequent meals with their families ate more fruit, vegetables, calcium, iron, folate, fibre, and vitamins C, E, B6, and B12 and less fried food, saturated fat and trans fat.

Other major studies have shown that children who eat regular meals with their families have fewer eating disorders, higher self-esteem, better school grades and lower rates of depression. Can’t manage dinner-time together? Aim to share breakfast or an afternoon snack each day. Even 10 minutes together will help.

8. Consider a family pet

The link between owning a pet and having a healthy self-esteem is commonly recognised, with researchers also discovering that kids with a family pet are less likely to be overweight.

One recent study found children between the ages of five and 12 who had a family dog were 50% less likely to be overweight or obese than those who did not. Even children who weren’t responsible for regularly walking the dog were less likely to be overweight, which researchers attributed to incidental play.

“When kids are sedentary, that’s when we see the biggest weight gain,” confirms Dr Thomas. Having a dog can be an excellent way to get your child active, while building their self-esteem.

9. Create TV boundaries

It’s really important to turn off the TV at dinner time, says Dr Thomas – and not just because TV can encourage overeating. “Just as much as kids get hit by advertising to eat chips and chocolate, they also get hit by a lot of messages about dieting on TV around dinner-time – and we know commercials about dieting can have a long-term effect on kids’ behaviours and self-esteem.”

Dr Thomas also recommends turning the TV off when no one’s watching. “Otherwise, people walking by are more likely to sit and start watching, which is sedentary behaviour,” she says.

10. Don’t make changes, make ‘tweaks’

“You don’t have to make huge changes to see a really big result,” says Dr Thomas. Making small, simple changes can often lead to very big differences, and they’re more likely to result in long-term success, because they’re not overwhelmingly difficult and don’t focus on changing the child.

“Simply making sure there are no TVs or computers in the bedrooms, limiting the amount of time spent playing on their Xbox, making the effort to cook a meal rather than swinging by the drive-thru on the way home, making only nutritious food accessible to kids, talking to them about being healthy and strong – kids respond to those things,” she  says.

What if parents won’t help?

As a concerned friend or relative, it can be tempting to try and intervene, but Burrell advises against it.
“At the end of the day, the child belongs to the parents and it’s their responsibility to address the situation. You cannot make them change if they do not want to, and it’s not anyone’s job other than medical practitioners to tell them that the child is obese,” she says.
If you are looking to help an overweight child, Burrell believes the best thing you can do is set a good example for them. “Give them an opportunity to learn healthy food habits by modelling them whenever you’re in contact with the child,” she suggests.
“And remember, it’s not appropriate to be discussing weight issues with the child. You have no idea why they are overweight – it could be a medical condition, emotional, genetics – it could be anything,” Burrell says. “It is an extremely sensitive issue and needs to be treated as such.”

Easy tweaks to help your child

Keep TVs, computers and anything else which encourages sedentary behaviour out of the bedrooms.
Turn off the TV when no one’s watching it, and put a two-hour limit on viewing time each day.
Aim to share at least four dinners a week together.
Keep low-fat yoghurt, fruit and air-popped popcorn on hand as snack foods. Get rid of sweetened drinks.
Rethink portion size: children shouldn’t be eating as much as adults. Serve them smaller portions and let them decide if they want more food.

Take charge of what, when and where to feed kids, and let them decide how much and whether or not to eat.

Max’s Plate! allows kids to play with their food as they learn all about the five food groups. Children can tap and drag each food image to the correct area of the plate to score points and progress through the game’s three exciting levels. The game also includes a “My Plate” section that gives users a simple way to track their daily servings.

Max’s Plate! introduces the concept of eating a balanced daily diet in an engaging manner that is sure to make healthy habits fun for all ages! Click on the icon to connect with the Apple Store and download the free app.

Ready? Let’s play!: )

For more information visit http://www.maxonsnax.com/maxsplate.php

To all the soldiers who have served our country, Thank You!