Moms' Nutrition Hotline: Halloween Treats Part 1

Hi Phil,This is a two-part Halloween question. With Halloween fast approaching, how does a parent deal with the influx of sugar (okay, more sugar) into the house? Is there a good way to go about doling out the dole? Also, can you recommend alternative Halloween treats to hand out? Thanks! Anne

Anne,"Influx" is a great word to describe the sharp-increase of household processed sugar levels when Halloween rolls around each year. Heck, we've all been there as kids pulling in the loot and seeing who could get the heaviest trick-or-treat bag. And then proceeding to dump it out on the floor, hording favorites and trading with siblings. You know, as I recollect, most of the fun about Halloween is dressing up and getting the goods. Yes. It was great to O.D. on sugar that evening, but with the hype over, eating the candy just became more of an autonomous routine until my stash was exhausted. The magic of Halloween Eve was gone. That said, I suggest --and do this with my own kids -- is let them have their fun on Halloween, Hey, I am no fan of processed sugar and candy, but I am not going to deny my kids the "fun factor" that Halloween represents. But the next day, we sit down together and sort through their candy, let them keep a "few" of their favorites to let the fun linger for a couple of more days. The rest of the candy goes to the top of the pantry, and a week or so later when forgotten, then: Bye, Bye! To save them any trauma or create grounds for a tantrum, I do not overtly tell the kids I am throwing away the candy (and obviously not in front of them), I also give my kids a little more education as to why they can't consume all of the candy they get at Halloween ("It's Bad For You" is a lttle to genernal and tends to fall in the same category as, "Because I Said So." ). My kids work well with this plan of action. Some parents trade-out candy for a small toy purchase. I even came across a local dentist that is taking an exchange of $1.00 for every pound of candy. That's cool. Whatever your plan, I suggest discussing it with your kids before they hit the neigborhood. That way there will be no surprises when they heave home their bags with expectations of indulging in every sugary morsel! Your second question is on my next post. Phil

Moms' Nutrition Hotline: Halloween Treats Part 2

This is part 2 of the previous post. The second question was suggestions on healthy alternatives to give out to Trick-or-Treaters.

Anne, Being that parents were Trick-or-Treaters a "few" years ago, we still remember being bummed out with the neighbors, that although in good faith, passed out apples, popcorn balls and pennies. I even had a neighbor that gave out toothbrushes (no surprise, he was a dentist)! And now as parents, we also remember that such treats ended up in the street or driveway of these folks. To stay hip, we can either accept that Halloween is a special occasion and just give kids candy. On the other hand, there are healthy and affordable alternatives that kids will be cool in getting as treats. Box stores and larger supermarkets offer bulk packs of snack-size bags of healthy chips, crackers and pretzels. Some more popular brands are SmartFood Popcorn, Pepperidge Farms Gold Fish and a really nice product, Healthy Handfuls (Click label "SmartGroceries" in TLN site for more on latter). Phil

SmartGroceries Intro

SmartGROCERIES are nutritionally sound and contain beneficial nutrients for a healthy lifestyle. These products frequently find the bottom of TLN founder Phil LeClair’s family shopping cart and are recommended for their good taste, value and functionality in everyday diets. They are widely available in grocery and natural foods stores.

Along with being posted in the blog as TLN Approved products, you can find a complete list of SmartGroceries at TLN Group!

Moms' Nutrition Hotline Intro

Topic Discussions with Phil LeClair in helping to get the kids and family on the right eating track!

Working or stay-at-home, written or unwritten, mom runs the show in most households (it's no secret in my house!). That said, I created the Help Hotline especially for Moms (or Mr. Moms) looking for some guidance on better eating habits for the kids and family. From what to put in lunch boxes to ideas of getting hubby out of late night snacking, keep on the lookout for Moms Nutrition Hotline posts!

Fast Food Hall of Shame: McDonald's Happy Meal

For all those out there who feel that a McD's visit once in a while is not so bad for their little bodies, check out the nutritional breakdown of a cheeseburger Happy Meal with soda (yes, they have "healthier" choices, but let's face it, that's not what the kids usually want):

Calories 879
Fat 32g
Cholesterol 45mg
Protein 21g
Carbs 129g
Sugars 49g
Sodium 1195mg

Ingredients Lowlights: Easier to list Highlights: NONE!

Never mind what children's Recommended Daily Intakes are, the above amounts are 50% or greater for an ADULT"s Daily Intake--all in one, happy little meal. Nasty!

TLN Health News Heads-Up: Clogged Arteries Showing Up in Kids

Highlights from MSN.com article:

Fatty diets, lack of exercise are boosting children's heart risks, study shows

Children with heart disease risk factors -- obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol -- already show indications of fatty build-up in their arteries that could cause heart attacks when they're adults, Canadian researchers report.

"Obesity puts children at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. Children's diets have changed dramatically, influenced by television commercials and the convenience of fast foods," she said. "Children are eating too much fatty and processed foods. Parents need to involve their kids in regular exercise activities and cut down on fatty meals, emphasizing healthy food such as vegetables."

Read the article in its entirety at the above link.

Phil's Journal: Fitness Raking and the Trick with Treats

With autumn in full swing and winter right around the corner, I will be dedicating a weekend to raking an ungodly amount of leaves. As much as I can’t stand this last rite of the outdoor yard season, it’s a pretty darn good workout! From a fitness perspective, raking works essentially every muscle in your upper body, and by keeping the consecutive strokes to several at a time, provides a nice little cardio burn. My routine is: Ten strokes. Pause to curse under my breath how much I hate raking. Repeat.

Fall also marks the beginning of the holiday binging season. Serving as warm-up for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, Halloween gets kids and adults alike exposed to a spiked volume of sugary treats. To help keep this ritual under control, I addressed this very topic in a recent post for Moms' Nutrition Hotline.

Mom's Nutrition Hotline and other TLN Blogs are really starting to gain some attention. I am receiving excellent questions and replies from TLN Members as well as TLN Advisors who are now chiming in to offer their expert opinions. If you are not signed up for TLN's e-newsletter, sign up and join in on all the fun. Why not? It’s FREE!

I close my entry with a “Happy Raking” to all of us who, through each fall and spring clean-up, wonder why we did not buy a condo (or at least a smaller lawn)!

Enjoy and Be Healthy,

Phil

Moms' Nutrition Hotline: Kids and Fast Food

I was fired up after watching a recent Dateline segment that focused on obesity on the U.S with special emphasis on kids and today's hypnotic barrage of advertising from the likes of fast food and cold cereal giants. The most alarming part of this Dateline special was when they conducted a panel with children (I say around the ages 5-6) and had them choose between two items for breakfast. Get this: On the last choice, the kids were given the option of a plain banana or rock platered with popular cartoon characters. All of the kids picked the rock!

Read the article Whose to blame for the US obesity epidemic.

From the article, you can go to the MSNBC site and see the video clips from the Dateline segment. You have to check it out. It is very sobering.

Moms' Nutrition Hotline: Vitamin Water as Soda Alternative?

Phil, Is Vitamin Water a good alternative for myself and kids? My kids just use it during sports activities. Thanks, Darlene

Darlene,Vitamin Water is all the rage isn't it? I remember being at a nutrition industry show several years ago and thinking to myself, "vitamins in water will never sell". Boy, was I off! But the big success with Vitamin Water isn't so much the trivial amounts of vitamins and minerals in it--the stuff tastes darn good! We use it quite a bit in our household. The caveat is that although it contains no artificial anything, it is sweetened with fructose, which is a type of sugar. Although fructose is absorbed much slower in the body than other sugars (so it does not cause a more immediate "high", like other sugars), the number of grams add up in one 20 ounce bottle. Take notice of the total sugars per serving. For all flavors, it usually hovers around 16 grams. Keep in mind that I stated "per serving". Look closely at the bottles Nutrition Facts and you will discover that it states "Servings Per Container: 2.5". That's bogus because nobody drinks a bottle of Vitamin Water over more than one sitting (this irresponsible labeling is common with most sports drinks greater than an 8 ounce serving)! So when you or a child drinks a full bottle, they are actually taking in 40 grams or 8 teaspoons of sugar (5 grams sugar equals one teaspoon)! For athletes during or after moderate to heavy exercise, this is no big deal because they need to rehydrate and replace energy. As a casual beverage or for kids during their activities, it is best to dilute it in half or more. It still tastes good and you are getting half the sugar. I might also recommend Fruit Water, which has a nice flavor with only a few grams of sugar and still no artificial anything. I also take the little plastic lemon or lime-shaped concentrate bottles (in the produce section) and squirt small amounts into my water bottle for a cheap, homemade version of Fruit Water. Phil

Moms' Nutrition Hotline: Healthy Alternatives for My Daughter!

Phil, Please talk to me about coming to my house and emptying my cupboards of junkfood. I'm having a hard time finding substitutes for the junk I give them. Is that part of the process? Can I get a list from you of what you feed your kids! Anne

Anne, As much as I like to purge cupboards and fridges from junkfood, I love getting feedback from moms telling me they did it themselves after talking to me. It's one more battle won against the processed food empire. So for starters, the answer is YES! Throw it away. if it's not in the house, the kids can't eat it and eventually won't ask for it. Sure, grade school kids have opportunities to get their hands on junkfood outside the house, consumption will decrease dramatically as there is none in the house. They will likely go through withdrawal, but this will pass with time. Just stick to your guns and don't relent. Your daughter should be eating the same meals and snacks as the rest of the family. It may be difficult from the start, but hunger is sometimes the best cure for being finicky. Never use a treat as a reward for eating a healthy meal. That sends out the wrong message. You can find healthy snacks and dessert ideas in TLN's SmartGroceries postings. Phil

Phil's Journal: Back to School, Back to Work!

With my two kids back to school, I have been granted the wonderful privilege to work again in an uninterrupted stretch of more than 46 minutes at a time. As much as I enjoyed working at all hours of the day (and night) and completely messing up my sleep patterns, I gladly take the "back-to-school" 6-hour workday!

A great thing about working from home with the kids this summer was that I was responsible for all their meals, snacks and completing the grocery shopping. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be documenting this info into various areas of the site, including a nutritionally sound grocery list and menu for parents looking for help on getting their kids's eating habits in check.

In theme with "Back-To-School", I posted a topic regarding a recent Dateline episode. It covers Fast Food and its correlattion to the obesity epidemic in the U.S. There is special emphasis on children and how they are influenced by the bombardment of advertising by Fast Food and Junk Food mega-corporations. You just have to see the video clips of the kids choosing a rock with cartoon character stickers on it over a banana as a breakfast choice!

If you are not a member of the TLN Network yet, join us. It only takes seconds to sign up for a FREE membership!

Enjoy and Be Healthy,

Phil