WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Poster Contest for Kids 2014

"Every child is an artist: The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."  

                                                                                           -- Pablo Picasso

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  This is why we have chosen this month to announce our national 4^th Annual Poster Contest for Growing Healthy Kids.  This year's theme is �My Favorite Family Foods�.   Our goal is to encourage kids to express their visions about healthy foods.  Parents, please use this theme to talk with your children about family food traditions, preparing favorite recipes as a family, or favorite foods to grow at home. 

Guidelines for the 4^th Annual Poster Contest for Growing Healthy Kids are below:

• �         The poster contest is open to all children in the U.S. who are 13 years old and younger on October 16, 2014. 
• �         Artwork must be no larger than 8-1/2� x 11�.  All media are accepted.  Chalk, charcoal and pastel entries should be sealed with a fixative spray to prevent smearing.  Combinations of media (crayons, colored pencils, chalk, pen, torn pieces of paper, pictures from magazines, markers, etc.) are acceptable.
• �         Only one entry per child. 
• �         On back of the poster please include:

o   Parent�s name, email, phone number, and address

o   Child�s name, age, and school name 

Deadline:  Posters must be received or postmarked by October 16, 2014. 

Mail posters to: Growing Healthy Kids, 762 S. US Hwy 1, #106, Vero Beach, FL. 32962. Winners will be notified by November 16, 2014. 

Each poster is judged on originality, artistic merit, and expression of the theme.  Participants agree to allow Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. to use their names and posters for educational, promotional, and publicity purposes.  Three posters will be selected by a panel of educators and artists and will be published on the Growing Healthy Kids website and in the next Growing Healthy Kids� book about good food and health.  When posters are published, only the child�s first initial, last name, city and state will be included.  No other information will be published or shared.  Certificates of Recognition will be sent to the three children whose posters are selected, along with a signed copy of NOURISH AND FLOURISH:  Kid-Tested and Approved Tips and Recipes to Prevent Diabetes.  All entries become property of Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.  

A mother and daughter at a Growing Healthy Kids program
held at Gifford Youth Activity Center in Vero Beach, Florida.

We have a generation of kids at risk for obesity-related diseases.  The board of directors and volunteers who are part of the Growing Healthy Kids movement feel strongly about unleashing the power of the youth voice to improve the health � and lives � of America�s children and their families to reverse, prevent and halt childhood obesity and obesity-related diseases.  We can learn from our children.  They can learn from us.  Kids are very observant about their world.  There are teachable moments all around us.  

Studies have shown that having dinner together as a family is one of the most important ways you can teach your children how to stay at a healthy weight.  Planning meals together, shopping together, cooking together, taking care of a kitchen herb garden, and enjoying food together as a family�these tasks are about so much more than food! So enjoy talking about this year�s theme and start creating some family food traditions of your own.  Most of all, have fun!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Why I Love Watercress

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

Why I Love Watercress

�We now know what is true:  a whole foods, plant-based diet can prevent and treat heart disease, saving hundreds of thousands of Americans every year.�  

--from The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II

Several months ago, the organizer of the Fellsmere Farmers Market and Mercado heard what Growing Healthy Kids is doing to create solutions to diabetes and obesity.  She wanted someone to do cooking demonstrations for local residents.  Because our health literacy programs teach people how to eat good food that is tasty and affordable, I was very interested to see if we could be of service to local residents in Fellsmere, located in the northwest corner of Indian River County, Florida.  It is home to a large population of migrant and �settled out� farm workers in the citrus industry.  Many residents are overweight and have diabetes. 

Talking with residents at the Fellsmere Farmers Market and Mercado 

Watercress

Cooking demo using watercress and kohlrabi (in the lower left corner)

So with the invitation to participate at the Saturday market, I looked at vegetables being grown in Fellsmere to create a program using our �local, fresh, and healthy� formula.  It turns out a national company has a farm in Fellsmere and grows arugula and watercress which it ships all over the United States.    I drove up to their farm on a Friday after work and picked up several boxes of freshly harvested greens.  I stayed up late playing in the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen, experimenting with different tasty combinations of greens, grains, and flavors.

The next day I drove north to Fellsmere with my car filled with tables, tents, cooking supplies and, of course, watercress!  The day was great and glorious.  Vendors were selling local honey, fresh eggs, oranges and, of course, our famous Indian River grapefruit.  Lots of people stopped by sample the watercress dishes.  Everyone wanted the recipes!  We served over 150 plates of samples and talked with several hundred more people about simple ways to eat your way to a healthier weight and reverse diabetes. 

Watercress is a �nutrient dense� food.  In fact, it may be the most nutrient dense food known.  Turns out there is something call the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman based on the equation H=N/C (the health value of a food equal to the nutrients it delivers per calorie).  Watercress has a perfect 1,000 rating.  It has 10 calories in a 2 cup serving.  It is loaded with Vitamin C (and vitamins A and K). It contains calcium and beta-carotene.  Add watercress to your saut�ed veggies, a breakfast smoothie or pile it onto your favorite sandwich.  Watercress tastes good and is good for you. 

Our relationship with food should be built on a foundation of knowledge and honesty.  Kids need foods that deliver real results, not foods filled with added sugar, salt, and fats.  Next time you go food shopping, please pass by the PopTarts in the middle of the store and head to the vegetable section.  Take home a bag of watercress today!   In next week's Wellness Wednesdays column look for one of our newly created tasty and delicious watercress recipes.

Thank you,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

NATIONAL DIABETES MONTH AND SUPERFOODS

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

"I saw many people who had advanced heart disease and I was so frustrated because I knew that if they just knew how to do the right thing, simple lifestyle and diet steps, that the entire trajectory of their life and their health would have been different."

                                                    --Dr. Mehmet Oz

November is National Diabetes Month.  Diabetes is the reason why I started the Growing Healthy Kids movement.  After working with thousands of adults with uncontrolled diabetes and teaching them how to control their blood sugars and helping many of those thousands get off most or all of their medications, I came to the conclusion that the childhood obesity epidemic was a goldmine for Big Pharma and the Big Box Food companies.   Turns out I was right. Got diabetes?  Take a pill.  Got high blood pressure?  Take a pill?  Got high cholesterol?  Take a pill.  The problem with all these pills is that they were tested in clinical trials on adults and now we have a whole generation of kids with obesity-related diseases like diabetes and doctors are putting these kids on pills that were never tested on kids.

 

Eating too much of the bad foods (i.e., high fat, high salt, high sugar, high calorie) is a surefire way to increase your risk of gaining excess weight and developing diabetes.  A simple solution?  Spend a little bit of time planning and cooking meals instead of being led to believe that you are in so much of a hurry to get to your job that you have to go through the McDonalds drive through and then on to the pharmacy to pick up the drugs to control your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. 

Diabetes is simply a condition where there is too much sugar in the blood (eating too many refined carbs like sodas, white potatoes, white bread, and high sugar cereals) and/or the body is not using insulin correctly (not enough exercise).   A simple answer?  Start incorporating more superfoods and more exercise into your life and the lives of your children.  Make a simple commitment to make one change a week for ten weeks. 

At the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen, parents tell me, �My child will never eat that!�  When the child helps in the kitchen, the answer usually is a resounding, �Can I have more?�  When learning is personal and first-hand, we understand more.  We are lose our fears when the unknown becomes the known.

I like eating superfoods.  My goal is to eat several of them a day.  A key recommendation for healthy eating is to eat fish 2-3 times a week.  The fish mentioned most often is wild salmon.  Salmon, like all fish, contains the good kind of fat called unsaturated that most of our fat should be.  Eating the right kind of fat is essential if you or your kids have diabetes because the risk is 2-4 times higher for a heart attack or stroke. 

At  the Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen programs, we teach by having fun.  In November, because it is a month when there is more discussion about diabetes, we like to kick off new campaigns to teach kids and their parents how to get more superfoods into their meals each week.   

Check out these pictures from our First Annual Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen with Chef Chris Bireley at Osceola Bistro.  Click here for the salmon gravlox recipe.  Thank you, Chef Chris, for an amazing adventure with healthy food at your beautiful bistro!

This young boy was full of questions for Chef Chris!

Kids learned how to make fruit kabobs for
their own holiday parties!  Easy, healthy, and fast!

Kids helped prepare the fresh citrus and dill
for the salmon gravlox.

Tasting the salmon gravlox on fresh bagels - yum!

Do the right thing.  Eat more superfoods.  Make simple changes.  Growing Healthy Kids is looking forward to coming to YOUR city in 2014!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS WITH MISS NANCY'S SWEET POTATO AND LENTIL BURGERS

The Growing Healthy Kids Project conducts lots of healthy cooking classes for kids (of ALL ages).   In the process of planning unique events, foods, and menus, we create some really good recipes.  This recipe is one of them. 

Teaching kids to play with new flavors and spices is a fun way to improve what kids are eating.  Kids who eat lots of fast foods kill their taste buds.  Reclaiming kids� right to eat and enjoy real foods is part of what we do in this project.  If we as a country are going to reverse childhood obesity and prevent diabetes, then we have to find ways to eat more of the good foods like veggies, lentils, and beans so kids eat less of the bad foods.   

I recently created the following recipe in the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen and have asked many people to sample it.  EVERYONE has given it a �thumbs up� review.  Miss Nancy�s Sweet Potato and Lentil Burgers are extremely versatile.  They are filled with the spices known to have anti-inflammatory and disease preventing properties.    With sweet potatoes and lentils as the two main ingredients, it is very high in dietary fiber, something most kids (and adults) are lacking.  You can prepare these sweet potato and lentil burgers as a main dinner dish with roasted vegetables and couscous, then enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day as crazy awesome veggie burgers on whole grain flatbreads and a slice of your favorite cheddar cheese.   This recipe is my new favorite and I hope it will be yours, too! 

Miss Nancy�s Sweet Potato and Lentil Burgers

PULSE for 15-20 seconds in food processor:

• 1-1/2 cups cooked lentils*

PLACE lentils in large mixing bowl and add:

• 1 more cup cooked lentils
• 2 cups raw sweet potato, finely grated  (leave skin on)
• � cup corn meal
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Curry Paste**
• � teaspoon sea salt

MIX well.  Scoop burgers using a 1/3 cup measuring cup.  Roll between hands into a ball.

PLACE the following 3 ingredients in a ziplock sandwich bag, mix, then pour contents onto a plate.  Roll each burger until thoroughly coated.

• � cup corn meal
• � cup panko bread crumbs (if you are gluten-sensitive, then eliminate this ingredient)
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

FLATTEN burgers between your hands and cook in a frying pan sprayed with a nonstick spray such as Pam.  Cook on medium heat approximately 4 minutes on each side.

MIX the Zesty Lime Sour Cream in a small bowl:

• 1 cup fat-free or low-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• � cup cilantro, very finely chopped

SERVE burgers on a bed of mixed lettuce greens and sliced heirloom tomatoes (where available).

TOP with a generous dollop of the Lime Zest Sour Cream and a pinch of lime zest. 

MAKES 10 burgers. 

Miss Nancy's Sweet Potato and Lentil Burgers

*Cook lentils according to the directions on the package of dried lentils.  To make this recipe, I use 1 cup of dried lentils and 3 cups of water and cook covered over low heat for 20-30 minutes.  Cool, then store in the fridge overnight.  Make burger mixture the following day.   If you have leftovers, they make a great lunch:  reheat 2-3 minutes in the microwave.  Serve on a whole grain bun with lettuce, sliced tomato and onion and a slice of your favorite cheddar cheese.

**For demonstration purposes, Patak�s Hot Curry Paste was used in the preparation of this recipe.

**If unable to locate Patak�s Hot Curry Paste, then substitute 3 teaspoons no-salt added tomato paste plus 3 teaspoons of Miss Nancy�s Magic Spice Mix:

• 1 teaspoon coriander
• � teaspoon cumin
• � teaspoon smoked paprika
• � teaspoon ground ginger
• � teaspoon powdered garlic
• � teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
• � teaspoon turmeric

Enjoy the great flavor of sweet potatoes, lentils, and these great spices!  Stay tuned for more great foods from the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen.

Thank you,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder of the Growing Healthy Kids Project to halt, prevent, and reverse childhood obesity, one sweet potato and one child at a time

 

FIGHTING OBESITY...Recipes from the Growing Healthy Kids Project

At our last FITNESS, FUN, AND FOOD event in Vero Beach, Florida, the kids and adults learned how to make Fresh Corn Salsa.  This delicious dish can be used as a side salad and goes great with grilled fish, baked chicken, and of course, Mexican dishes such as enchiladas and fish tacos. 

Below is the recipe for this simple, healthy dish filled with flavors from the garden.  This is a basic recipe that can be changed up depending on what is fresh, in season, and of course, what you have on hand. 

To prepare corn, follow these easy 3 steps:

1. Put into a large pot of boiling water and cook 4 minutes:
• 4 ears of fresh corn, shucked
2. Rinse corn under cold water to stop the cooking. 
3. Stand up one ear of corn at a time in a large bowl and cut the corn off the cob. 

Chop and add to the corn:

• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow or red onion (we used a Florida sweet onion)
• 1 avocado (optional)
• � cup fresh cilantro

 Open, drain, and rinse:

• 1 can black beans

Add:

• Juice of 4-5 limes
• � cup Mojo marinade

 Thanks to Veggies of Vero (www.veggiesofvero.com) for supplying vegetables used in the preparation of this recipe.  Fresh Corn Salsa received the Growing Healthy Kids' Seal of  Approval on February 25, 2012 from the kids with Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program. As Ginny Rhodes, Program Director with Youth Guidance fondly says, �We LOVE Veggies of Vero!�

Did you know�

• An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows?
• More corn, in weight, is grown worldwide than any other grain?
• half an ear of corn has about 15 grams of carbohydrates (if you have diabetes, this is about 1 serving of carbohydrates)

 Enjoy this recipe and stay tuned for many more.  We�re working on something REALLY BIG for our readers all around the world. 

Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to reverse childhood obesity, one garden and one child at a time.  Thank you for all you do to teach your own children the joys of eating real food.

One of our Master Gardener volunteers teaches a girl how to slice peppers.

A boy concentrates on chopping cilantro for the FRESH CORN SALSA.

Sincerely,

Nancy L. Heinrich, M.P.H.

Founder

National School Lunch Week and Your Call to Action

Did you know that this is National School Lunch Week? Did you know that many of America�s children eat 2 of their 3 daily weekday meals from their school cafeteria? I am always amazed when I ask parents how often they eat lunch with their child at school and how rarely they�ve even been once. The results of my informal surveys reveal that most parents of kids whose breakfast and/or lunch is prepared by �lunch ladies� have never eaten what their kids eat. This is your CALL TO ACTION. 

National School Lunch Week is an opportunity to find out what your local public schools are serving for lunch. Here�s my challenge to you: Pick up your phone right now. Call the principal of your child�s school and let him or her know you�d like to come for lunch in the next week. If your kids are already grown or you don�t have kids, then call your local elementary school and make a lunch date anyway. Tell them you are celebrating National School Lunch Week.

Why am I asking you to make this call? Because the Growing Healthy Kids movement is about reversing childhood obesity. Kids deserve access to real food. Healthy food. Locally grown food whenever possible. I�m not saying that schools don�t serve real food. However, there�s lots of room for improvement.  With so many kids eating 2 of their 3 meals at school, it only makes sense that what they eat should not be high in fats, calories, added sugars, and salt. 

There is a �Farm to School� momentum underway here in Florida, which is great because one of Michelle Obama�s four guiding principles in her national call to action on childhood obesity is to increase access to locally grown foods. Who better to take the lead on making this happen than our schools? It�s a great way to support  local farmers, increase the nutritional value of foods served in America�s schools, and increase America�s productivity by creating agriculture jobs.

To learn more about National School Lunch Week, then check out: http://www.schoolnutrition.org/Level2_NSLW2011.aspx?id=15284

Growing Healthy Kids designs and delivers solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic because it is our belief that failure to reverse childhood obesity is not an option.

Have a fabulous and healthy day!

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

PS-Get some exercise today!!

Enter the 1st Annual Growing Healthy Kids Poster Contest for Summer Fun!

Dear Parents--

Looking for a summer art project idea for your kids?? Here it is! Growing Healthy Kids invites young artists ages 5-18 to enter our 1st Annual Poster Contest. The theme we have selected is "Healthy Eating...Healthy Me". Entry deadline is August 31, 2011.

Kids can create an 8-1/2 x 11 poster using any medium (pencil, crayon, ink, etc). for a chance to win prizes such as Publix gift certificates, personalized herb gardens, and T-shirts printed with the child's design. Several kids and adults in Indian River County will be invited to help judge the contest. The theme, "Healthy Eating...Healthy Me", must be included as the poster's title.

This poster contest is a great way for kids' voices to be heard so they can teach others about the importance of eating plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits and whole grains and limiting the sugars and the sodas. It's also an art project with heart which we'd like to display in public places throughout the Treasure Coast. Let us know if you know someone who would be interested in hosting a display this fall of some of the kids' posters.

Mailing address for entries:
Growing Healthy Kids
3300 43rd Avenue, #4
Vero Beach, FL 32960

Posters can be mailed (or dropped off during store hours), along with $5.00 entry fee (checks made payable to: Growing Healthy Kids), and the following information with each entry:

Parent's name
Parent phone or email
Address
Child's name
Grade in 2011/2012
School name

The organization sponsoring this poster contest, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc., is a non-profit organization which creates and delivers programs and events to teach and inspire kids of all ages. Its mission is to halt, reverse, and prevent childhood obesity.

Help us get the word out about this contest! Help us reach and teach kids and adults about the importance of healthy eating!

With sincere thanks and gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one garden and one child at a time