THE GREAT PUMPKIN

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

"There are three things I've learned never discuss with people:  religion, politics, and The Great Pumpkin."

                                    --Linus  from "It's the Great Pumpkin,                                                            Charlie Brown" (1966)

October is when parents think about taking the little ones to the local pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins for Halloween.  Pumpkins are great for more than decorating your front porch a couple of weeks a year.  Pumpkin is a squash that is delicious, healthy, and good for you.  Like all vegetables that are orange, pumpkin is high in the anti-oxidant, beta-carotene.  Beta-carotene converts to Vitamin A in the body and may offer protection against certain cancers and degenerative aspects of aging.

Growing Healthy Kids has been asked to create a gluten-free pumpkin recipe for the first ever children�s October event on Main Street Vero Beach.  We�ve been working furiously in the GHK Test Kitchen to come up with the perfect pumpkin cookie for kids.  The results so far are..."YUM...More, please!"

I have a confession, dear readers...Cooking pumpkin is SO EASY.  Before this challenge to create a gluten-free pumpkin cookie came to Growing Healthy Kids, I had never cooked a pumpkin to use in a recipe.  Now that I have crossed that line and I have learned how easy it is, I am a convert and will probably never go back to using canned pumpkin again!

DIRECTIONS FOR USING FRESH PUMPKIN IN PIES, SOUPS, AND MORE:  Break off the stem of a small pumpkin.  Wash the outside.  Cut pumpkin in half.  Scoop out seeds.  Place upside down (skin side up) in a large baking dish.  Add a small amount of water (1/2 cup or so).  Roast in an oven at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.  Let cool.  Scoop out pumpkin and puree in a food processor.  Freeze pumpkin if you are not going to use it right away.

AMAZING PUMPKIN FACTS

One cup of 1� pumpkin cubes contain:

• 30 calories
• 394 mg of potassium
• 197% of daily Vitamin A
• 17% of daily Vitamin C
• 1 gram of sodium

CLICK HERE to get into the mood with The Great Pumpkin Waltz by Vince Guaraldi.

Happy, Healthy Pumpkin Season to you and your family!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS FOR KIDS

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

�A lot of parents ask me how to get kids to eat more vegetables.  The first thing I say is that it starts from the top.�  

                                           --Chef Emeril Lagasse

Our Growing Healthy Kids movement features some awesome classes in the kitchen for kids.  One thing I love to watch is how the kids all clamor to do something.  When the kids show up for a class, the first thing they see is a display of all the ingredients we are going to play with.  A lesson  I learned from my father who was an aerospace engineer was to always use the right tool for the job.  That same lesson applies in the kitchen, which is why this week�s WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS topic is about kids� favorite kitchen tools:  lemon squeezers and garlic presses. 

A recent GROWING HEALTHY KIDS IN THE KITCHEN program
in Vero Beach, Florida.  Kids wait with anticipation
to use the lemon squeezer!

Lemons have seeds.  Using fresh lemon juice is so much better than using bottled lemon juice.  Having a lemon squeezer in your kitchen makes having fresh lemon juice to use a no-brainer.  Look for one that is easy for the kids to use and easy to clean.  You can get a great lemon squeezer for under $5.00.

In our Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen educational programs, we ask kids if they know the trick for releasing the juice from lemons (or limes) so it is easy to squeeze.  No one ever guesses the trick but it is so easy:  roll a lemon on the counter with just a little bit of pressure.  Another trick is to put the lemon in the microwave for ten seconds but I really don�t like using a microwave anymore.  

Garlic is really good for keeping us healthy and protecting us from colds.   So good that I look for ways to have garlic every day.  I am one of those people who never takes a sick day because I don't get sick and I owe a big part of my own wellness to eating garlic.  One of my observations in every Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen class is how much the kids LOVE to use the garlic press.  They will stand in line to wait for a turn to be able to use the garlic press.  Buy your family a good garlic press � one of my favorites is made by Pampered Chef. 

Garlic and lemon are great additions to vegetable dishes. Try these ideas at your house this week: 

RECIPE IDEA:  Steam some broccoli and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on it for flavor instead of butter.  The lemon is healthier and better for you than butter!  

RECIPE IDEA:  Use the garlic press and add fresh garlic to a foil packet of vegetables such as zucchini, green beans, and carrots.  Add a little extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt and pepper.  Wrap tightly.  Throw the foil packet on the grill with some fresh fish and you will have an amazing vegetable dish that the kids will devour!

With gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.   

5 TIPS FOR SUMMER SOLSTICE, SUMMER SLEEP

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

�Sufficient sleep is not a luxury � it is a necessity � and should be thought of as a vital sign of good health.� 

    --Wayne H. Giles, MD, MS, Director

     Division of Adult and Community Health

     National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and 

     Health Promotion

Did you know�Summer Solstice � the longest day of the year - is June 21^st?   Here are some fun ideas for things to do with your extra daylight:

• Read another book with your kids. 
• Spend some time dreaming with your family. 
• Make a new recipe together.
• Take an extra lap around the block before the bugs bite.
• Write down a new goal for your family�s health.

Our �Growing Healthy Kids� movement is giving parents the resources to, you guessed it, grow healthy kids (and families).   Here are five of my favorite Summer Solstice tips for parents:

1. Make eating fun - have dinner together at least 4 nights a week.
2. Let the kids play with their food.
3. Show your kids how to use a small knife to cut vegetables, based on age appropriateness.
4. Drink 6-8 eight ounce glasses of water a day (keep a family journal for a week as a check).
5. Get enough sleep every night:

• Adults:  7-9 hours
• Adolescents 10-17 years old: 8.5-9.5 hours
• Children 5-10 years old: 10-11 hours
• Children 3-5 years old: 11-13 hours
• Toddlers 1-3 years old:  12-14 hours
• Infants 3-11 months old: 14-15 hours
• Infants Birth-2 months old: 12-18 hours

My advice for the Summer Solstice?  

• Sing your favorite songs at the top of your lungs.  
• Decorate your dining table with fresh flowers.  
• Dance in your back yard by the light of the full moon.  

Remember, as parents, it is our job to ensure that we teach our kids about the importance of a good night�s sleep.  Did you know that not getting enough sleep has been shown to prevent people from losing weight?  Be a good parent.  Lead by example.  Dance in the moonlight and celebrate the summer solstice.  Then sleep! 

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

The movement to reverse, halt, and prevent childhood obesity and obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.  

P.S. Kid-friendly fun recipes for summer.  

OBESITY, HUNGER, AND A PLACE AT THE TABLE

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

�I can�t afford to feed my kids healthy foods.� This is something I hear from parents all the time.  My response is always the same, �Give me an hour and I�ll show you how.�  One of our local education projects that teaches parents the HOW part is our collaboration with Vero Beach Elementary School (VBE).  With over 600 kids and one of the highest rates of kids on the free and reduced meal program in Indian River County, Florida, VBE is a special school.  This school year saw the demolition of the old school and dedication of the new green school and the building of new garden projects, including a large hydroponic garden.  This week I stopped by VBE and visited Alex Gomez of Pure Produce, who built the garden.  He was  putting finishing touches on the project but when I visited, cucumbers and sugar snap peas were ready to harvest!  For young children to be able to see how to grow real food and then be able to attend our family education program with their parents and learn how to prepare foods that they love to eat is reward enough for me.   The school also has some square foot gardens built with a grant and volunteers from our local Audubon Society plus the first of several family plots.  If you live in the Vero Beach area, stop by the school at the corner of 12^th Street and 20^th Avenue for a look at how we can afford to feed kids healthy foods.  For Wellness Wednesdays readers in faraway places, here�s some pictures from the gardens at VBE.

Alex Gomez shows off the first crop of cucumbers at
VBE's new hydroponic greenhouse.

The square foot gardens at VBE are a hit with the kids!  

Raising community awareness about hunger and childhood obesity will be center stage tomorrow with the screening of A Place at the Table at The Majestic Theatre in Vero Beach.  What will follow will be a community discussion lead by a panel of local leaders in the fight against poverty, hunger, and obesity.  As one of the panelists, I look forward to discussing implementing local solutions to hunger, obesity, and education about healthy foods.  David Jackson, from U.S. Representative Bill Posey's office, will be the moderator.  

In this county more than 63% of all public school children are enrolled in the free and reduced meal program.  The economy is still in the tank.  There are kids are coming to school on Monday mornings who have had very little or no food over the weekend.  We have older adults having to choose between medicine and food.  There is an urgent need to quickly move beyond the rhetoric, regulations, and red tape and act to increase access to locally grown foods and education programs that teach and inspire individuals of all ages to eat real foods, not processed foods high in sugar, fat, and salt.  I encourage you to set personal goals for personal fitness and exercise.  

Getting to a healthy weight is easy to do when you get away from the cheap, processed foods and buy what is in season from the local farmers.  For others, it may mean starting a small herb container kitchen garden.  What can you do to increase your own access to locally grown foods?  Join me tomorrow at The Majestic Theatre at 5:00 PM and I promise you will leave with lots of ideas for taking action.

To see a trailer from A Place at the Table, click here:

For a great recipe using quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), my favorite supergrain which is also a complete protein, try this at home:

Glazed Shrimp with Quinoa and Curried Tomatoes

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup red quinoa (don't forget to rinse quinoa in a fine sieve for 1 minute under cold water)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3 Tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled
• 2 Tablespoons red currant jelly
• 2 Tablespoons chopped, seeded jalapeno peppers
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

1. Toast quinoa in olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes.  Add water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook until tender, about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir, and set aside. 

2. Heat 1 Tablespoon butter over medium heat.  Add shrimp and saute 3 minutes.  Add jelly and peppers.  

3. Heat 1 Tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add tomatoes, curry powder, water, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook 10 minutes, or until tomatoes break down slightly.  Stir in remaining butter and lemon juice.

4. To serve, place a mound of quinoa on plate and top with shrimp and curried tomoatoes.  Serves 8.  

This recipe was created by Daniel Lindley of St. John's Restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was printed in Relish Magazine (which has a great motto, "Celebrating America's Love of Food").  To find more recipes from Relish, click here.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

CHEAP FOOD CONTRIBUTES TO CHILDHOOD OBESITY EPIDEMIC

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

Since writing last week's column, The High Cost of Eating Cheap, I've have several conversations with parents which have caused me to lose sleep.  

This country has become The Fast Food Nation with an unhealthy reliance on highly processed, cheap foods and the result is a nation full of sick children.  Educating parents and grandparents about the good foods that kids need is what WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS is all about and I am even more passionate about the mission of the Growing Healthy Kids movement than ever before.  I have always believed that parents need to be educated about the relationship between what kids eat and the health of their kids.  If kids are not healthy, they will not be able to concentrate at school and to learn their ABCs and 123s.  I keep receiving lessons that grandparents also need education.

Let me share happenings from this week.  

One morning, while visiting a local elementary school at breakfast time, I stopped by the school cafeteria to take a look at what the kids were eating.  Keep in mind that the official position of the school district is that they are making great improvements to what the food choices are for the kids.  Most, if not all, of the kids who eat their breakfast at school qualify for the free and reduced meal program which means the kids eat for "free".  What I saw saddened me.  Believe me when I say that I believe that some food, even bad food, is better than no food.  Most of the kids were eating a tray full of white sugar.  Most were drinking the strawberry milk (it is fat-free, but what the staff won't tell you is that each carton contains a whooping 7 teaspoons of added sugar).  The day I was there I saw waffles made with white flour, topped with artificial maple syrup, lots of plastics bag of apple juice, and cinnamon toast.  Didn't see any protein for the brain power they need in class.  Didn't see any whole grains to give kids a sustained source of energy.  All I saw was sugar and lots of it.  Kids need breakfast.  Make sure your kids are getting what they need, not what is cheap and easy.  The elementary school cafeteria is where you will find the intersection of hunger and childhood obesity.  If you don't believe me, then go have breakfast at your local elementary school.  

I received a call from a parent who got my name at a school presentation.  She called asking for help with her young daughter's recent weight gain.  The daughter, due to a recent family relocation, just spent the past several months living with grandparents while her parents worked getting the rest of the family moved to their new home.  While the young girl lived with her grandparents, they apparently didn't say "no" to the child's food requests for ice-cream, hot dogs and McDonald's.  The mother and I have had several long conversations about how to make small changes to put the brakes on all the cheap, easy foods that are most likely the culprit in the child's rapid weight gain.  Two recommendations I made were to switch from whole milk to 1% milk and to limit trips to McDonald's to no more than once a month.  

The cool thing that happened this week was the grand opening of the new hydroponic garden at Vero Beach Elementary School, where Growing Healthy Kids is conducting a monthly wellness program for parents and their children.   Kids are now able to see real food grow as part of their school lessons and to taste the goodness and freshness all for themselves.  I am so excited about what is happening at Vero Beach Elementary School because it can be a model program for teaching kids and also their parents and grandparents that eating plant-based foods is so much better for your health than the highly processed cheap foods you find on the dollar menu at McDonald's or in the boxes in the middle of your favorite grocery store.   

In keeping with my promise to share tips with you, America's parents, here is a list of 20 basic pantry ingredients for your kitchen:

1. red lentils
2. brown lentils
3. garbanzos
4. split peas - green and yellow
5. white beans - Great Northern or navy
6. black beans
7. pinto beans
8. rolled oats
9. basmati rice
10. quinoa
11. multigrain cereal
12. dried whole grain pasta - spaghetti, penne, lasagna
13. couscous - white for pilaf and whole wheat for breakfast cereal
14. pearl barley 
15. ground flax seeds (look for Bob's Red Mill brand)
16. sunflower seeds
17. walnuts
18. pecans
19. almonds
20. apple cider vinegar (Braggs is the brand I recommend)

My advice to parents?  Limit the ice-cream or McDonald's for your children.  Ice-cream or an order of McDonald's french fries every day results in SUPER SIZED CHILDREN.  McDonald's once a month might be OK, but McDonald's once a week or more often will be detrimental to your children's health.  The food engineers are working at creating addictive food flavors.  The result of eating cheap food is a sicker generation of kids with shorter lives than ours.  That is an option we cannot afford.  Eat real food! 

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

  

3 TIPS FOR GREAT LUNCHES

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

Last month I wrote a column about great breakfasts.  Now let�s talk about great lunches.  Since February is American Heart Month, we are going to keep the conversation going about how to keep our ticker ticking.  For a healthy heart, parents need to be aware of the importance of getting to � and staying at � a healthy weight.  What we feed our kids is a matter of great importance, because if they are categorized as obese when they are children, they are much more likely to be obese as adults.  Eating 3 small meals and a couple of small snacks every day is key to a successful plan for staying at a healthy weight. 

LUNCH IS A MEAL WE NEED TO EAT EVERY DAY.  Are you a parent who packs a lunch for your child (or children) every day?  What about your own lunch?  Do you skip lunch?  What are your kids eating for lunch?  Are you eating a lot of junk foods?  Sodas?  Cookies?  Are there Burger King wrappers in the car when you pick up your kids from school?  We are the role models for our kids, so whatever you eat, your kids are watching you, even if they don't say anything now.  

LUNCH IS ONE OF THE MEALS WHEN WE NEED A SERVING OF CALCIUM.  When you are planning lunches, for your kids or you, remember to include the calcium.  Kids need their 3 servings of calcium every day for healthy bones and teeth.  Adults need 3 servings of calcium for our heart health.  We all need calcium to get a good night�s sleep!  Remember that there are dairy sources of calcium (think milk, cheese, and yogurt) and non-dairy sources (think almonds and broccoli). 

GREAT LUNCH TIP #1:  Use dinner leftovers as the basis for a healthy lunch.  At my house, I plan dinners and cook a little extra so I can take leftovers for lunch the next day (and make all my coworkers ask me what smells so good!).   When I make a fresh fruit salad or a chopped green salad, I always make a little extra for lunch the next.  Package up a couple of slices of your child�s favorite cheese.  Place a serving of freshly prepared tuna salad in a beautiful container, add an oat bran pita cut into quarters, and you�ve got a healthy lunch that will have all the kids in the cafeteria (or your coworkers at the office) wanting to trade lunches. 

Use Barilla Whole Grain Rotini for a delicious pasta salad your kids will love!

GREAT LUNCH TIP #2:  Include whole grains in your kids� lunchboxes.  One great suggestion is to make a whole grain pasta salad for dinner.  Just make a little extra for lunches the next day.  After dinner, let the kids pick out their favorite container and pack up some pasta salad for their school lunch, adding the right amount of parmesan cheese on top. 

Creating customized LUNCHABLES can be fun using in-season fruits and veggies!

GREAT LUNCH TIP #3:  Pack either fresh in-season fruit or vegetables as part of a healthy lunch AND as a source of dietary fiber, which is what fills us up.  Right now in Florida, we�re getting the delicious Plant City strawberries in the markets and I can�t get enough of them at my house!  Pears are a fabulous source of dietary fiber.  Cut up a fresh apple into slices (add a little lemon juice to prevent oxidation) and pack a few slices of your child�s favorite cheddar cheese for a great lunch combo.  Or pack celery strips with a 1 ounce container of almond butter. 

All these ideas have received the Growing Healthy Kids Seal of Approval and are recommended for kids everywhere!  

For more healthy lunch box ideas, here are 3 resources parents can use:

http://www.parenting.com/tags/kids-lunch-ideas

http://pinterest.com/tpasholk/kids-lunch-ideas/

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/lifestyle/vegetarian

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich,

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

TIPS FOR GREAT BREAKFASTS

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

Great health begins with a great breakfast.  So what exactly is a great breakfast?  It is the meal that sets the tone for your day, breaks the fast after not eating all night, and gives your brain and body the energy, focus, and power for a day of learning and activity. 

Great Breakfast Idea: Toast that meets THE NANCY RULE topped with peanut or almond butter and sliced strawberries.

Planning great breakfasts for your kids means learning the basics about carbohydrates, protein, and fats.  Loading the kids up with bowls of refined sugar, found in most breakfast cereals, will doom them to a day of hyperactivity followed by blood sugar crashes and the inability to concentrate.   Whenever I see kids on their way to middle and high school in the morning stopping by the 7-11 convenient store to purchase one of those monster energy drinks or an Arizona Southern Style iced tea, I wonder why the parents of those kids let them out of the house without their most valuable meal of the day. All sugar = empty calories and no nutritional value.

Here are three great breakfast ideas:

1.       Steel cut oats with blueberries, cinnamon, and agave nectar plus almond, rice, or soy milk

2.       Toast made from whole grain bread that meets THE NANCY RULE* plus a hard-boiled egg or a fried egg plus half an orange, peach, or pear.

3.       Whole grain waffles (try the Van's brand in the freezer section to make this an easy choice) topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and/or bananas and yogurt.

*THE NANCY RULE is something I created to make it easy to remember what kind of bread to buy: 

• (1) 4 or more grams of dietary fiber per slice AND 
• (2) the first ingredient includes the word �WHOLE�.  

Set the example and make sure YOU are having breakfast, too.  It may mean getting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning but it will pay great dividends - today and the rest of your life!  Why?  Because preventing obesity means not skipping meals.  Losing weight means not skipping meals.  

For more great healthy breakfast ideas for kids, go to: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/kids-breakfast-recipes-00412000072277/

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

METABOLIC SYNDROME

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS 2013

New Year�s Resolutions usually include something about exercise.   As parents, you know that exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy weight.  It is essential for helping kids get to a healthier weight.  The fact is that you can lose weight by just eating less calories but to keep off the weight you have to move more.

The tip for parents from Growing Healthy Kids  is this:  take responsibility for your kids� fitness by taking family walks together several days a week.  

Exercise as simple as taking regular walks can assist your kids (and you) to get to (and stay at) a healthy weight.  What kind of exercise is best?

A recent Danish study of 10,000 adults revealed that taking a short, fast walk was more beneficial than a long, slow walk in improving the risk factors for metabolic syndrome.  According to a January 2013 article in USA Weekend, �Researchers found fast walking and jogging every day can cut the risk of heart disease and stroke by up to 50%, but walking an hour a day makes little difference.  Another study found that people who lift weights are less prone to metabolic syndrome.�  The metabolic syndrome is present when you have three or more of these five signs:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated blood sugars
• Large waist circumference
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Elevated triglycerides

For a quick lesson on metabolic syndrome BY THE NUMBERS, read the section below:

Metabolic syndrome is present if you have three or more of 

the following signs:

�         Blood pressure equal to or higher than 130/85 mmHg

�         Fasting blood sugar (glucose) equal to or higher than 100 mg/dL

�         Large waist circumference (length around the waist):

o    Men - 40 inches or more

o    Women - 35 inches or more

�         Low HDL cholesterol:

o    Men - under 40 mg/dL

o    Women - under 50 mg/dL

�         Triglycerides equal to or higher than 150 mg/dL

For more information about the metabolic syndrome, click here:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004546/

Walking can lower your blood pressure, lower your blood sugars, improve your waist circumference, help you to lose weight, help keep off weight, and raise your good cholesterol (HDL).  

Ready to walk your way to wellness?  As parents, we can choose to be positive role models for our children - OR NOT.  Let�s get moving, America, because we can walk our way to wellness!  I commit to MOVE MORE in 2013.  

Now, the question is, will you?

In gratitude,

Nancy L. Heinrich, MPH

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR HEALTHY FAMILIES

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS 2013

JANUARY IS A GREAT MONTH to set your intentions to be healthier.  Some people do this by making New Year's resolutions.  Some people buy a new journal to write in every day.  Some people join a fitness club in hopes of losing 10 pounds.  Some commit to eating less junk foods.  What is your intention? 

AS PARENTS, we set our intentions to help our kids have better lives.  To live better, we need to focus on our health.  Something is wrong with our country when 17% of America's kids are already categorized as "obese".  Many parents think they cannot afford to feed their kids healthy foods, something I hear all the time when I speak at schools.  Can you afford to "eat healthy"?  Of course you can, once you know can define it.   

Growing Healthy Kids Rule #1:  EAT RAINBOWS

EATING HEALTHY MEANS:

• lots of vegetables and fruits (these should be half of what you eat, hence, my "eat rainbows" rule)
• if you drink fruit juice, limit it (rule of thumb is no more than 1/2 cup - 4 ounces - a couple of days a week)
• plenty of grains (such as barley, oats, wheat, rye, and quinoa) - more than half should be WHOLE grains, not refined
• most of your fats should be unsaturated fats (like nuts, fish, avocados, flax seeds, and liquid vegetable oils such as extra virgin olive and canola oils)
• include cold water fish (such as salmon or tuna) at least twice a week as part of your low-fat protein choices 
• drink plenty of water every day (AND cut back/eliminate sodas, including diet sodas) 

FOR NEW IDEAS to help your kids and you eat more fruits and vegetables, check out this great resource:




In gratitude,
Nancy L. Heinrich 
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

Get your "Eat Rainbows" T-shirt or apron at http://www.cafepress.com/growinghealthykids. 

EDUCATIONAL EXTRAVAGANZA: AS YOU GIVE, YOU RECEIVE

Saying "thank you" does not cover how grateful I am for the support  you gave to Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. at last Thursday's (September 13, 2012) Educational Extravaganza at Jetson Vero Beach.  Our event goal of raising awareness about childhood obesity and preventing obesity-related diseases in children has been met and exceeded --- BECAUSE OF YOU.  

When we collaborate with others to achieve a common goal, we can achieve great things.  When we collaborate to improve the health - and lives - of America's children, we will achieve great things.  Thank you to each and every one of you!

Anthony Villafane, participant at the Growing Healthy Kids Educational Extravaganza, learning about aromatherapy

A special thanks...

To Susan Harris, thank you for inviting Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. to partner with Jetson.  Susan, you are absolutely amazing.  Thank you for the invitation to use your company's Vero Beach store to connect with the community.  

To Barbara Petrillo, thank you for the many hours you invested in a 2-1/2 hour event on behalf of Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. and our work to prevent, halt, and reverse childhood obesity in Indian River County and beyond.  From the outside, this kind of event looks so simple.  On the inside, there are hours and hours of work, writing, phone calls, and meetings that go on behind the scenes.  Thank you for the beautiful Growing Healthy Kids limited edition Petrillo Collection jewelry you created using the colors of the rainbow which also represent the chakra.  Thank you for the work to create the educational scavenger hunt for the alll the children enjoyed!  You see the vision of our work.  Thank you for taking care of the details before, during, and after our Educational Extravaganza.  

To those who helped Barb and Susan plan this event, please accept my sincere thanks for the time and work you invested in this event.  Your investment in the health of our children will pay dividends. 

To everyone who was part of our Growing Healthy Kids Educational Extravaganza, you have my respect.  I am honored to know that, with your help, we are working together to improve the health - and lives - of America's children.  

Terrence Lee, Jr, was absolutely enthralled with the Pampered Chef  device that peels, cores, and twirls an apple.  Tara Mc|Farlane with Pampered Chef was happy to teach him how much fun it is to eat fruit!

Now for the update.  The day after the Educational Extravaganza, I met with the principal of the brand new GREEN Vero Beach Elementary School, Mrs. Bonnie Swanson, about our new Growing Healthy Kids project to create a school-wide Wellness Champion project. The project will launch on Thursday, November 1.  

If you are 18 or older, we are in need of adults age 18 and older to help at the Saturday morning Growing Healthy Kids with Youth Guidance educational programs planned for the 2012-2013 school year. If you belong to a service organization or church that will partner with us at these events for the "unmatched" kids enrolled in Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program, please contact Barb Petrillo (772-205-7133) or me.  At these events, we teach kids about healthy foods and physical fun AND introduce prospective mentors to the great kids in our community who can benefit from having a mentor in their lives.   It is always a memorable morning with friends, fun, fitness, and food.  

If you know someone who believes in the power of collaboration and can help us take the Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. organization to the next level, please contact me via email at growinghealthykidsnow@gmail.com.

In gratitude, 

Nancy L. Heinrich, MPH

EXCERPT FROM EMAIL BY BARB PETRILLO, EVENT CHAIR, TO EVENT PARTICIPANTS: 

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Hi Everyone,

I'll start by thanking Susan Harris for the opportunity to use the Jetson Vero Beach location for the Educational Extravaganza.  Susan looks out for everyone, wants us all to succeed and is great with connecting people with one another and good things happen.  Thank you Susan for the door prize for the drawing.

Cori McWillams and her mom enjoyed their first HERO POPS outside the Jetson Vero Beach store in downtown Vero Beach and got to meet  the Chief Pop Creator, Michael Haggerty, at the Growing Healthy Kids Educational Extravaganza in downtown Vero Beach.  

To the committee who planned this event, it could not happen without you.  As you know, every event takes a lot of effort and with all of you on board it went very smoothly. 

To the vendors who participated, we thank you very much for being a part of this event and hope your evening was a success and thank you for your door prizes for the drawings.

Thank you to TD Bank for furnishing the great bags and pencils. 

Thank you to Nancy Villafane & Anthony, Diane Dzadony and Cindy Hejlik for your help in directing the attendees to the vendors and helping to keep everything flowing.

Door prize winners:  Electrolux Hand Held Vacuum-Lisa Lopez; Overnight Stay at VB Resort-Lori Bender; Lunch for 2 @ Costa d'Este: Karen Kozdren; Tupperware storage containers & GHK Apron-Diane Dzadony; Wood carved Manta Ray from Growing Healthy Kids Variety Store, Gift Certificate to TriVita and Gift Certificate to Vittorio's Pizza-Anthony Villafane.

It was my privilege to work with you on this event.  I am sure great things will come to each of you.  As you give, you receive.

NOTE FROM NANCY:  THANK EVERYONE TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN AND ATTENDED THE GROWING HEALTHY KIDS EDUCATIONAL EXTRAVAGANZA FOR HELPING US RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE SOLUTIONS TO CHILDHOOD OBESITY.  You're the best!!

Sincerely,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder

www.growinghealthykids.blogspot.com

www.growinghealthykids.me