GROWING HEALTHY KIDS' Founder Visits Boys and Girls Club

MOTIVATING KIDS TO TRY NEW FOODS is a challenge for parents.  At the first �Meet the Author� program held at the Sebastian Boys and Girls Club, Growing Healthy Kids founder Nancy Heinrich talked with kids about what inspired her to write Nourish and Flourish, her new book for parents about what kids (and parents) need to eat to stay at healthy weights.  According to Heinrich, �Parents pick up their kids from Growing Healthy Kids' education programs and the kids can�t stop talking about the great foods they learned to make.  We kept getting requests from parents to come up with a book for families to make it easier to eat better.  Their requests inspired us to write this book.� 

In a frank discussion with the kids about inspiration, Heinrich talked about the steps involved from taking an idea to a published book that all the kids got to see up close.  Her discussion prompted lots of young hands to go up in response to her questions to the kids about what ideas they have for writing their own books.  She offered several tips such as identifying a favorite pen or pencil to write with and taking ten minutes a day to write in a favorite notebook or journal.  Club Art Director Ella Chabot-Policare, who invited Heinrich to conduct the first �Meet the Author� program in November 2012, prompted the children to create artwork based on the Nourish and Flourish theme.  See below for the art of two Boys and Girls Club participants inspired by the first "Meet the Author" program: 

The best part of the "Meet the Author" program just might have been the snack Heinrich made for the children from one of the recipes in Nourish and Flourish:  Artichoke- Lemon Hummus served with fresh celery and carrots.  It was a big hit enjoyed by even the younger kids when they saw the eyes of their friends light up with delight and surprise as they had their first taste of the garbanzo bean dish and proclaimed it tasty and delicious!  Who knew it could be so much fun to eat healthy! 

Nourish and Flourish is available at amazon.com.

NOTE FROM NANCY:  We have a responsibility to protect the health - and lives - of our children.  We can reverse, prevent, and halt childhood obesity.  Be a role model for your children.  Eat less sugar.  Eat more breads and pastas with four or more grams of dietary fiber per serving.  Drink water, not soda.  Eat fruit and drink less fruit juice.  Take walks with your kids.  Love life.  Your children will thank you.  Their health and their lives depend on the choices you make for them.  

Balsamic Vinaigrette will Spring You Into Health!

One way to improve the health of America's children and reverse the childhood obesity epidemic which is already bringing older adult diseases like type 2 diabetes into many children's world is to teach the adults.

At THE GIANT SALAD PARTIES (TM) developed by Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. we teach kids -- of all ages -- how to eat smarter and healthier. The key thing is we ALWAYS make it fun! Here is one of the recipes we are currently featuring at Growing Healthy Kids' educational events in Indian River County, Florida. Please DO try this at home with your own kids.

MIX together:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

WHISK IN: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

SERVE with a salad of locally grown vegetables like the ones I use that Nat Rew and Rebecca and Mark Hornbuckle are growing at Veggies of Vero (www.veggiesofvero.com).

Are you and your kids ready to learn more about healthy eating?? Then JOIN ME at The Club at Vero on Saturday, March 26 from 2 to 5 PM for SPRING INTO SPRING, an expo and business networking event. Michael Gifford (he's the one in the picture giving me a FABULOUS chair massage at the Growing Healthy Kids Variety Store) will be giving complementary chair massages and I will be teaching how you can easily and economically SPRING INTO HEALTH using recipes such as the Balsamic Vinagrette recipe above.

For information on vendor tables, call Barbara Petrillo at 772-205-7133 or email her at barb4jewels@yahoo.com.

Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to improve the health - and lives - of America's chldren, one child and one garden at a time. Because failure to halt, reverse, and prevent childhood obesity is not an option.

To your perfect health,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

photo credit: Ella Chabot, Get Shot by Ella

A New Year, New Commitments, New Results: Tip Three

My dear friends,

Today is a new day in the new year. What are you going to do differently? "The diets that have enabled the world's longest-living peoples to live such healthy lives are very high in whole grains and other healthful carbohydrates." --John Robbins. This is one of the quotes I used in my book, "Healthy Living with Diabetes: One Small Step at a Time" (http://www.economicwellnessworks.com/). The fact is that due to unprecedented numbers of children at unhealthy weights, for the first time in history, American children born today will lives shorter lives than our generation. We must act to change this. NO MATTER WHAT. So, here's TIP THREE for your new year, new commitments and new results: Use "The Nancy Rule" for buying breads and pastas: 1) 4 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving or per slice and 2) the first ingredient includes the word "WHOLE".

You can help Growing Healthy Kids increase the impact of its educational programs by joining us at A FUSION OF FASHION AND FUN February 1st at Vero Beach's exclusive Windsor Beach Club. With the collaboration of two amazing designers, Ella Chabot and Barbara Petrillo, and sponsors including Disney's Vero Beach Resort, Tom Nelson at Merrill Lynch, Staples, Blue Ribbon Pet Grooming, Publix Supermarkets, Jetson's, Senegence, and Don's Import Auto Service, we have a great afternoon planned for you! You will be able to purchase affordable and stunning new collections, including the new Growing Healthy Kids Get Shot by Ella designs! Purchase tickets at www.irculture.com/gala.cfm. Hurry, because there are only a limited number of seats available for this first annual event. Become part of our movement to prevent obesity-related diseases in children. Help us halt and reverse childhood obesity, because failure is not an option. STAY TUNED for Tip Four...

Growing Healthy Kids - improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one child and one garden at a time.

To your perfect health,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids