Nutrition

Kid Chefs – 6 Tips to Getting Children Involved in the Kitchen & Eating Right | Chenell Griffiths

Kids in the Kitchen!

Getting kids involved in the kitchen is one great way in which parents can encourage their kids to eat right; let them be Kid Chefs! Kids that are involved in the meal preparation process feel encouraged to eat the meal they have helped to cooked.

However, do bear in mind that parents need to lead by example; and as such, in an effort to encourage children to eat right, parents must also eat right. Thus, meals that are prepared together (parents and their kids) should be had together. Without further ado, here are 6 tips for parents on how to get their kids involved in the kitchen, and eventually eating right:

Kid Chefs – Retrieved from http://rainbowchefs.com/aakid/

6 Tips To Encourage Your Kid Chefs

1. Ensure that you are never in a rush when cooking with children. Always be patient; you do not want them to associate meal preparation with the feeling of anxiety.
2. Demonstrate kitchen safety measures and good hygiene practices. See Kitchen Safety Rules for Kids.
3. Children ages 3-5 can help with
   • mashing, mixing, stirring, blending,
   • cracking eggs,
   • using a butter knife to cut soft foods and
   • washing ingredients.

In addition, children in this age group can also help with measuring and pouring. Measuring and pouring is a great time to incorporate practicing to count.

4. Children ages 6-12 can help with:

• cooking simple starches such as rice and pasta
• cutting and peeling vegetables
• separating eggs
• chopping, dicing and mincing of ingredients and also
• preparing easy breakfast items such as scrambles eggs, cereal with milk and oats porridge.

5. Have children help with age appropriate cleanup:

• children ages 3-5 can help by wiping up spills on the counter; likewise,
• children ages 6-12 can help with the washing of dishes and utensils and sweeping.

6. Finally, let your kid chefs know that they have done a good job, and thank them for helping you in the kitchen.

Though cooking with your children can get quite messy, above all, it is important to focus on the bonding experience as well as the fact that you are positively impacting their health, both physically and mentally, for the rest of their lives.

Written by Chenell Griffiths, Nutrition Educator

Is My Baby Growing Properly? | Kerry Weatherly

WEIGHT GAIN & GROWTH

The relationship between weight gain and growth begins at conception and continues through adolescence. From birth to the first year of life is a period of rapid weight gain and growth. The general guidelines for growth in the first year of life are:

Weight

• baby loses 5-10% of birth weight in the first week and regains this by 2-3 weeks
• birth weight is doubled by about 5 months and tripled by 12 months

Height / Length

• birth length increases 1.5 times in 12 months about 25.5 cm

Head Circumference

• birth head circumference increases by about 7.6 cm in 12 months.

It is important to remember these are guidelines. Weight gain and growth in infants will be individual. Clinicians track and assess growth using growth charts. These charts were developed based on standards which assume optimal conditions are present. Your infants growth and or weight may be above or below the standard. In many cases this is normal, and the overall trend is more important than a single recording. If you are concerned about a trend talking with a physician and a nutritionist who works with children may provide useful tips and practices to keep your baby on track. We strongly recommended that you keep a record of your infant’s growth and weight and update it regularly.

Important to note:

Exclusive breastfeeding means that baby gets ONLY breast milk only for the first six months of life.

This is recommended for an infant’s ideal growth and development.

COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING

At the age of six months complementary feeding should begin. Complementary foods are added with continued breast or formula feeding. Breast milk no longer provides all the nutrients needed for continued healthy growth and development after six months. Complementary feeding is necessary for adequate nutrition.  One such nutrient required during this period of rapid growth is iron. Some good sources are fortified cereals, pureed meat, chicken, peas and beans. Vitamins C helps in the absorption of iron from plant sources. Vitamin C foods include pureed vegetables and fruit.

Complementary feeding, with the introduction of new textures and flavours is also important for taste development, acceptance of new foods and even speech.

Written by, Kerry Weatherly, Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist

Leading by example… “to the world”

Miss Kitty, The fluffy diva

Congrats to Miss Kitty! She has shown us that we can be our better self and our healthier self all at the same time. Childhood obesity is a serious issue throughout the Caribbean. It is creating problems for us now, and will continue to challenge the health and  productivity sectors for years to come. Families fear starting on the path to “health”, but Miss Kitty has shown us all it is worth the effort.

 Sure, she’s not running away from her fluffy ways, she’s as authentic as they come.

People aren’t abandoning her because she’s shedding her fluffiness.[…] she can use her new found shape to inspire more Jamaican women to understand that being ‘fluffy’ shouldn’t be your final comfortable state.

Thanks to Daily Veritas for highlighting the reality of obesity, starting in our children, while giving us a positive message of encouragement. Click on the link below to enjoy the entire article:

Is Miss Kitty still “fluffy to the world”? And why she’s perfect to change the nation…

Dying to be Beautiful 2014

Please share this poster.

Please come:  Be informed, get involved.

For more information click & go to the conference site.

myspot.mona.uwi.edu/dtbb

Obesity in Children: a growing problem

The Caribbean region is a curious mix of wealth and want, resources and deficiencies, and in no way is this better demonstrated by our curious blend of childhood malnutrition where both the critically undernourished and the disturbingly over-nourished child may live side by side on any street. We must pay attention to the sneaky but certain increase in obesity in our children as it will create increasing health challenges not only in childhood but in the later years, with sure increases in chronic non-communicable diseases.

The New York Times outlines findings from a recent study which show Obesity Is Found to Gain Its Hold in Earliest Years

Parents, teachers, governments of the West Indies, we MUST wake up and DO something now.

Hunger and Behaviour

What would your answer be if someone asked, “What affects a child’s behaviour?”

• Genetics
• Socialization
• Faith & Religion
• Culture

Rarely would the answer include hunger. But believe it or not, hunger plays a major part in behaviour. Look at the most basic form of behaviour, newborn babies. How do you known when babies are hungry: their behaviour changes. Most definitely you won’t see a hungry baby laughing and playing. Likewise, the statement “a hungry man is an angry man” is factual.

Narrowing down to school-age children, hunger will affect them both academically, and socially. Teachers may report a child as lazy, disruptive, withdrawn/antisocial, or they may find the student is unable to grasp the simple concepts being taught in class. It is important to note that it isn’t absolute that this is simply a lazy child, a disruptive child, an antisocial child, or a child that isn’t smart. It could just be that the child is hungry. Yes: HUNGRY.

Hunger is not simply a craving. Hunger is a physiological condition that is brought about by the anticipation of a meal. Hunger may include a long-term painful experience brought on by lack of food over a prolonged period. Hunger can lead to starvation, stunted growth and development, and even death. Depending on the duration of hunger, the child’s behaviour may be change immediately by simply feeding them.

From as far back as 1998, Dr Murphy et al conducted and published research in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that revealed “Hungry and at-risk for hunger children were twice as likely as not-hungry children to be classified as having impaired functioning by parent and child report. Teachers reported higher levels of hyperactivity, absenteeism, and tardiness among hungry/at-risk children than not-hungry children.”

In addition, the Food Research and Action Center’s Breakfast for Learning report in 2010 reported that, “hungry children have lower math scores, are more likely to have to repeat a grade, are more likely to be hyperactive, absent or tardy, and have more behavioural and emotional problems in comparison to other children.”

Research coming out of Barbados, in conjunction with Harvard Medical School has recently confirmed that long-term changes occur in children who were hospitalized because of severe starvation. Although they had caught up with their physical growth, “these adults were more anxious, less sociable, less interested in new experiences and more hostile than those who were well-nourished throughout childhood”, as reported by  Dr Janina Galler and her team in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Now that you know that hunger affects your child’s behaviour, academically and socially, ensure that your child is properly fed. The best way of doing so is to ensure that they have the most important meal of the day:

BREAKFAST

Our Guest Blogger is Chenell Griffiths of Nutribites. 

Check her out at nutribites.webs.com or follow her on twitter @NutriBites

Healthy Holiday Beverages

IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN… and Christmas time represents family, fellowship, food and fun.  This year will be no different for many of us, and of course, there is always the temptation to over indulge.  Children are always a big part of Christmas festivities and while we want them to have a Merry Christmas and make many memories we also want them to stay healthy.  Depending on your family favourites and your holiday traditions the drinks our children will consume this Christmas will range from sorrel to hot cocoa with marshmallows, ‘chawkit’ tea and everything in between.

SORREL is a good source of Vitamin C & flavonoids, provide powerful antioxidants that helps to improve the body’s immune system

COCOA is also high in antioxidants and provides important vitamins & minerals, so drink up & enjoy.

Keep in mind the importance of good nutrition along with portion control. There is always the temptation to over- indulge when celebrating, especially with children who are free and happy. Parents need to be aware of this and make adjustments to some of our traditional recipes, for example use:

• low-fat milk or nut milk in place of whole milk in Eggnog; Ponche Creme or Cocoa Tea
• fresh fruits in place of can or bottle juices.

Portion control is also important. Use a smaller “Christmas” cup so that your child will not feel cheated. Try this trick on yourself! Offer a serving of

• 4 ozs or 1/2 cup of hot cocoa and
• 6 oz – 8 oz of sorrel

during the day depending on the age of the child.

Start a new Christmas tradition in your kitchen. Let your child help to make these two fruit smoothies It will be FUN and they will also enjoy drinking them.

 Cherry Banana Smoothie

1 ripe Banana

1 cup low-fat milk or nut milk

2  maraschino cherries ( to give color & taste)

Blend, serve with crushed ice.

Sparkling Pineapple Yoghurt Smoothie

2 slices pineapple

1 cup low-fat milk

1/2 cup Cherry yoghurt or ice-cream

Blend, then

Add sparking water and serve cold.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS  

From your Nutritionists: Enid & Kerry

Back to School: Eat smart! Nutritionist Kerry Weatherly speaks

Back to School: Eat Smart! Mrs Kerry Weatherly speaks on Smile Jamaica TVJ. There is no “bad” food or “good” food. Listen in and learn some tips on the right WAY to feed your school-age children.

BREAKFAST: hot or cold cereal with milk and a fresh fruit make a quick, nutritious and affordable breakfast

LUNCH: send your child to school with a fresh fruit even if they are getting lunch at school.

Even on a budget, you can serve the SAME FOODS prepared in different ways, and keep food interesting! Choosy kids enjoy being given the opportunity to be a part of the decision making. Get them involved!

Enjoy the video 🙂 and please share your comments with us.

back to S-C-H-O-O-L tips for parents

Here are some tips for parents to keep in mind as we dive head first into BACK TO SCHOOL!!

NO! No caffeine.

COMMUNICATION! Your child needs to talk to you about school. Where will you find five dedicated minutes to listen? How about no electronics while commuting to and from school; or at mealtime together; and even 5 minutes before ‘lights-out’ at bedtime? With no television, cell phone or computer, your child will know you are ready to hear from them.

HOMEWORK!  Create a homework spot, well-lit and away from distraction. Let your child pick out their own style of desk accessories, a cork board (for great test results and upcoming projects) and a jumbo calendar.  Personalizing the space makes it easier for children to sit and tackle the task at hand. No Excuses!

OPEN-MINDED OPTIMISM! It’s a clean slate, a new beginning, a fresh start. Expect the best. Work hard. Block the negative messages you may hear about the new teacher, the new student or the new syllabus. This is an Olympic year: Go for Gold!!

LUNCH! Now more than ever parents are aware of the cost of buying lunch on-the-road and the low nutritional value of many pre-packaged snacks. Shop purposefully. Encourage your children to help make their own lunches as a part of their “winding down” every evening. Home-made sandwiches, a fruit (or two) and an igloo of ice and water can be prepared from the night before, and will be cheaper and healthier than “ a patty plus tax”. WATCH this video featuring some more tips from our nutritionist Kerry Weatherly.

A little planning ahead and a lot of agreement on goals can result in a fruitful year for every member of the family not just the ‘schoolaz’.

• S Sleep
• C Communication
• H Homework
• O Open-mindedness
• O Optimism
• L Lunch

Strong Body. Healthy Mind. Solid Foundation.

This is an edited reproduction of our editorial as it appears in the

Back to School Supplement of the Jamaica Observer

Friday Aug 17, 2012