LOCAL FARMERS AND CHEF JON ASHTON

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

"In cooking, as in all arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection."

                                                             -- Curnosky

Another Wellness Wednesday, waiting for the local tomato crop to start showing up at the Saturday Green Markets.  Do you know your local farmer?  I do.  His name is Kevin O�Dare.  Kevin is the owner of Osceola Organic Farm in Vero Beach, Florida and is a huge supporter of the Growing Healthy Kids movement to reverse childhood obesity.  He has been supplying the greens, squash, tomatoes, and other locally grown veggies we have been featuring this school year in an educational family fun project at Vero Beach Elementary School.  

Local farmer Kevin O'Dare's Osceola Organic Farm

Kevin also has been a part of the fabulous �Hummus at Humiston� parties I orchestrate, with the gracious help of volunteers, for children enrolled in the Youth Guidance Mentoring and Activities Program who are on a waiting list for mentors.  At these parties, we introduce kids to the farmers who grow vegetables, oranges, and grapefruits for local and international markets.  We introduce kids to vegetables they have never "met" before. 

I do a lot of research on foods in order to create educational programs that engage people in having fun in the kitchen.  I always enjoy reading the Dash insert in my newspaper.  Chef Jon Ashton is on a national Dash Around the Table Tour and today he is in our piece of paradise.  The fun starts at 7:00 PM at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.  When I read his bio, I came across something that captured my attention.  The chef who likes to be called �Our Jon� wrote this about himself:

�After Granny passed away when I was thirteen, no one was around to tell me to stop eating in between meals.  My mother was always at work or out with her friends at the pub and my dad lived in a flat across town.  Between the ages of 13-16 I became 60 pounds overweight.  Being overweight in England at this time was not common, let alone obese.  I was the prime target for the bullies; the teasing was relentless and I could not wait to leave school.�

His words remind me of so many kids I work with these days  in south Florida and the southeast U.S.  Kids need adults around them to teach them how to make good choices about food and fitness.  It really does take a village to raise a child.  We are the village. The more parents know about accessing locally grown foods and tips for preparing simple, delicious family meals, the healthier we will be, as families, as communities, and as a nation. 

The fact is that more than 80% of all cases of type 2 diabetes are related to weight.  The fact is that obesity-related diseases are now costing this nation more than smoking-related diseases.  

Parents: to be good role models for your children, look at your weight first.  Here are 5 tips to help you lose weight:

1. Eat smaller meals, more often
2. Spend at least 30 minutes on a meal
3. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, especially berries
4. Sleep at least 7 hours a night
5. Drink water.

Speaking of vegetables, here�s a picture of one of my favorites, purple cauliflower, purchased last Saturday at the Fort Pierce Green Market.  I used it to make mashed cotatoes and served it with wild salmon and local swiss chard for a fabulous dinner this week.  

Fresh picked purple cauliflower

The recipe for mashed cotatoes is in my book, NOURISH AND FLOURISH:  Kid-Tested Tips and Recipes to Prevent Diabetes (available at www.amazon.com). 

To read more about Jon Ashton,  go to:  http://jonashton.com/

While we wait for the local tomatoes to show up at the market, remember:

• Support your local farmers. 
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits.
• Get inspired with Chef Jon Ashton tonight at Vero Beach High School!  See you there!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

DAVE THE RAW FOOD TRUCKER AND WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

"The childhood obesity epidemic is an urgent public health problem. The most recent data available show that nearly 19 percent of boys and about 15 percent of girls aged 2-19 are obese, and almost a third of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or obese (Ogden et al., 2012).

The obesity epidemic will continue to take a substantial toll on the health of Americans.In the midst of this epidemic, children are exposed to an enormous amount of commercial advertising and marketing for food. In 2009, children aged 2-11 saw an average of more than 10 television food ads per day (Powell et al., 2011). Children see and hear advertising and marketing messages for food through many other channels as well, including radio, movies, billboards, and print media. Most notably, many new digital media venues and vehicles for food marketing have emerged in recent years, including Internet-based advergames, couponing on cell phones, and marketing on social networks, and much of this advertising is invisible to parents.

The marketing of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages is linked to overweight and obesity. A major 2006 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) documents evidence that television advertising influences the food and beverage preferences, requests, and short-term

consumption of children aged 2-11 (IOM, 2006). The report also documents a body of evidence showing an association of television advertising with the adiposity of children and adolescents aged 2-18. The report notes the prevailing pattern that food and beverage products marketed to children and youth are often high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium; are of low nutritional value; and tend to be from food groups Americans are already overconsuming. Furthermore, marketing messages that promote nutrition, healthful foods, or physical activity are scarce (IOM, 2006)."

The preceding 3 paragraphs are from the introduction in a new National Academies Press report:  Challenges and Opportunities for Change in Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Workshop Summary.

One of our Chefs cooking at a recent Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen program. 

Nancy with one of the kids attending a Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen program  in Vero Beach. 

Raising awareness about the problem of � and solutions to � the childhood obesity epidemic is fundamental to the mission of Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.  When two in three adults are overweight or obese, it is up to us as parents to set a better example today and in the future for children.  I want to share two events happening this week in Vero Beach, Florida that set good examples � for adults AND kids.

Tonight, Dave the Raw Food Trucker will be in Vero Beach to share his story at The Cloudwalker Place(between the Kmart and Goodwill stores on US 1 at 14^th Street).  A truck driver who used to be 430 pounds, was on 19 medications, and had several conditions including diabetes, this guy changed what he was eating and lost the weight � and the diabetes including, acid reflux disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease.  He is on a national tour to raise awareness about healthy eating � my kind of guy! 

Tomorrow evening, Growing Healthy Kids will be holding its 
monthly education program, GROWING WELLNESS 
CHAMPIONS, for 2^nd and 3^rd grade students at Vero Beach Elementary School and their parents. At each month�s event, we prepare a delicious dinner using locally grown foods and share recipes and resources to help parents and kids eat great foods.  Tomorrow we are featuring locally grown tomatoes, green peppers and onions, complements of Osceola Organic Farm and making Pizza � Designed by kids for kids.  The focus of the pizza is using a crust high in dietary fiber so everyone gets filled up.  We have made these pizzas for hundreds of kids and they all love making and eating it.  If you live in the area and would like to attend, please email me at growinghealthykidsnow@gmail.comfor event details.  In case you live in Idaho or Ohio, here is the recipe for what the kids and I will be making tomorrow for dinner (with veggies courtesy of Osceola Organic Farm):

Pizza�Designed by Kids for Kids

Ingredients:

• 6 English muffins*
• 1 jar pizza sauce or 1 large can tomato paste
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 12 portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 large can sliced black olives
• � cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Pesto (optional)

Directions:

• Split muffins in half.
• Place muffins on baking tray.
• Spread pizza sauce (or tomato paste, with a little water and dried basil added) on muffins.
• Add toppings of your choice.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until done. 
• Serve with a chopped green salad or fresh fruit salad. 
• Serves 6.  Enjoy!

*For demonstration purposes, Thomas Light Multi-Grain muffins containing 8 grams of dietary fiber per muffin were used in the preparation of this recipe.

NOTES FROM NANCY:  Choose muffins, breads, and tortillas with five (5) or more grams of dietary fiber per serving.  WHY?  Fiber is the GOOD carbohydrate and fills us up so we don�t overeat. 

Remember, plan family dinners this week and every week.  Let your kids help in the kitchen.  Now, off to the farm for some tomatoes and peppers!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

LEADING THE WAY with the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

I have a confession:  I was not a Girl Scout.  

Growing up in California, I was a Camp Fire Girl (the West Coast equivalent of Girl Scouts).  As a Camp Fire Girl, I learned how to collaborate, how to lead, and how to follow instructions.  I will always remember the camping trips into the Sierra Nevada and summer camps filled with memories made while swimming in high elevation lakes and hiking through the mountains on old logging trails.

Last year, it was a huge surprise to learn that I had been nominated for an award by the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida as their 2012 Woman of Distinction in the Healthy Living category.  I was honored last April, along with four other incredible women, for my work to raise awareness about the childhood obesity epidemic and why we cannot fail. The award has meant a lot to me because of the recognition for the leadership I provide in a health issue that threatens today�s children to lifespans shorter than ours, unless we take action to reverse, halt, and prevent obesity.

Alma Lee Loy (R), the first lady of Vero Beach, graced last year's event with her presence as she greeted
Tammy Vock (L), City Clerk. 

Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, and me at last year's Women of Distinction event.

What would a Girl Scouts event be without the COOKIES!  (Pass the Samoas, please.)

Juliette Gordon Low and one of the local Girl Scouts at last year's event.  

Tomorrow the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida honors Indian River County�s 2013 Women of Distinction.  They are:

• Amy Borello, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida (STEM-Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
• Catherine Lambert (Financial Literacy)
• Linda Hart (Healthy Living)
• Kerryanne T. Monahan (Environmental Leadership)
• Bunny Frey (El Hogar Ministries, Inc.) 

I am absolutely delighted to have nominated Linda Hart for this recognition and to be invited to introduce her at tomorrow�s event.   Linda�s work to create healthy food choices for local residents and guests is an example of the leadership by women for women and girls to act boldly based on your beliefs.  When Linda moved to Florida from Texas, where she had been raised on her family�s farm, she was recruited for a job in nursing.  She bought a five acre homestead in Florida and saw the trends toward locally produced foods.  She started raising chickens and turkeys.  

When she received an inquiry from a private country club, she knew what direction to take.  She worked for months to gain certifications from the USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture.  I first met Linda at the local green market in Fort Pierce and started buying the eggs she sold on Saturday mornings.  I discovered that they tasted so much better than any eggs I had ever had.  Linda also taught me that they are nutritionally better than any commercial eggs because she provides the chicken with good food and they get to run free at Crazy Hart Ranch.  I enjoy making spinach and sun-dried tomato fritatas with eggs from Crazy Hart Ranch because I love great tasting foods that are also good for me.  

If you live in or around Indian River County and would like to join me at Quail Valley River Club in honoring Linda and the four other 2013 Women of Distinction who are leading the way, go to www.gssef.org or call 561 427-0192.  

Leadership is in the actions we take.  Kids are watching us every day.  As a parent, you are providing leadership every day to your family.  Make healthy choices for healthy living, for your children's health - and lives - may depend on it.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

FLAVORING FOOD WITHOUT SALT

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

This week�s WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS column is filled with ideas for parents to bring out the best flavors in real foods.  In our Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchenprograms, we teach kids (and parents, too) how to make kitchen herb gardens and how to season, cook, and flavor foods using fresh and dried herbs.  Learning to cook without relying on salt is important because when someone is overweight, they are more likely to have high blood pressure.  It is well known that the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure will be.  

As I like to say, when you know what to do, it is easy to eat healthy foods every day!

Spices, herbs, and sauces add depth and interest to everyday foods.   One of my new favorite finds, since discovering their store in a recent trip to Louisville, Kentucky, is a company called Penzeys Spices.  They search around the world for the best spices so that we can create and enjoy foods.  Their bumper sticker says it all: �Love People.  Cook Them Tasty Food.�  Their catalog includes recipes from readers and artwork from kids.  I�m really not into catalogs, but I do enjoy the one from Penzeys.  One of the first issues I received featured a Chicken Paprikash recipe by someone named Balog and I thought, "What a concidence!" because the parents of James Balog live in the same town as I do (Vero Beach, Florida).  I kept reading and was indeed delighted to find myself reading an interview with James Balog, the photographer and explorer who is documenting the melting glaciers with time-lapse photography.  A quote from him really hit home: �I dream of a society focused not on money or markets but on quality and meaning, purpose and goodness.�  Good words to live by.

Sauces are a great way to kick up the flavor without a lot of calories.

For three good reasons, herbs are a favorite topic in our educational programs with kids.  One, because we distribute a lot of herb seeds, two, because we teach kids how to propagate, plant, and grow the seeds, and three, because we use fresh and dried herbs in all our kitchen programs.  But I find there are many adults who know little or nothing about growing and using fresh herbs in cooking.  Just yesterday an acquaintance stopped by my house after arriving in Vero Beach for the winter from her other home outside out New York City.  I gave her a pot of fresh basil to take to her winter home here.  She asked me how to take care of it and what to do with it.  It made me realize that the simple ways to flavor foods that I have grown up with I take for granted and not everyone knows how to play in the dirt! 

Keeping several pots of fresh herbs can make cooking fun for your family!

Sauces are the third way to add incredible flavor to foods.  One of the books I am reading now, In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart by Alice Waters, has great recipes from lots of chefs.  I have long admired Alice Waters because of her commitment to using locally grown foods and because of her Edible Education Foundation, a national movement to change the way children eat and how they learn about food in the public schools.  Her work inspires me to teach parents just like you that when you start making simple changes to eat real foods, the health � and lives � of America�s children - YOUR children - will improve. 

Here are links to resources you can use:

www.penzeys.com

http://www.seedsofchange.com/

http://edibleschoolyard.org/

In gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich

Founder, 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 HEART HEALTH

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

February is a great month to learn about fiber.  This is American Heart Month and one great way to improve our heart�s health is to eat plenty of foods high in dietary fiber such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lentils and split peas. 

Half of your lunch and dinner plate should be fruits and veggies.

Lentil burger on a whole grain flatbread bun.  

I frequently write about the importance of dietary fiber because too many of us eat too little of it.  Too little fiber is a major contributor to our obesity epidemic.  When we are overweight or obese, our hearts have to work harder. 

Here are some facts and tips for parents:

• Fiber is what fills us up and prevents us from overeating. 
• Fiber is the GOOD kind of carbohydrate.
• It is only found in plant foods.
•  It is NOT found in foods that come from animals. 
• Every day we need 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories  consumed (around 28 grams of fiber based on 2,000 calories a day).
• As you increase your dietary fiber, increase the amount of water you drink.
• Read food labels of the foods your kids eat most often to check for grams of dietary fiber.
• Use �THE NANCY RULE� for buying breads and pastas:

1. Choose products with 4 OR MORE grams of dietary fiber per slice or per serving AND
2. The first ingredient includes the word �WHOLE�.

Here are links to great resources on fiber, heart health, and weight loss parents can use: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/NU00582 and http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-health-benefits-11/fiber-weight-control

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

TIPS FOR PREVENTING HEART DISEASE

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

February is American Heart Month.  This is the month when we raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of heart disease and steps we can take (like walking every day) to prevent heart disease.

The human heart - the engine for human life.  Take care of your engine so it can take care of you.

If you have heart disease, such as high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol in your family, AND you are overweight, did you know that losing as little as 5 to 10% of your weight can have a substantial impact on lowering your blood pressure and improving your cholesterol?  It's true.  One of the primary reasons why I started the Growing Healthy Kids movement and focus on solutions to childhood obesity was because of the results I saw among adults in my wellness classes who became educated about how they could get to a healthier weight and come off insulin and blood pressure medicines. When I worked with older adults taking ten or twelve medications and a couple of months later they started coming off their medications as their weight came down, I knew we had to take bold action to educate parents. 

Children who are overweight and obese are being diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.  Children are being medicated with drugs that have never been tested on children.  Children who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as teenagers will live about 17 years less than normal.  

We know that children who are not at healthy weights will have shorter lifespans than our lifespans - UNLESS WE BECOME EDUCATED AND COMMIT TO HALT, REVERSE, AND PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY...one child at a time. 

The best prescription we can write is one for education.  Education for parents about how to cut back the saturated fats in foods, like switching from whole milk to 2% or 1% milk.  Cutting back on trips to McDonald's for 10 piece orders of McNuggets and burgers and fries loaded with 3 days worth of sodium - and a guaranteed case of high blood pressure sooner, not later.  Education for teachers, principals and cafeteria managers, so that they will do whatever it takes - no matter what - to bring in locally grown fruits and vegetables to their school cafeterias.  Education for our business leaders so they will invest in the health of America's children through their employees' own health literacy.  

Being overweight is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease.  It ranks up at the top, just like smoking.  American Heart Month, in my opinion, should be all about America�s problem with eating the wrong kinds of foods and not exercising enough.  Too much of the wrong foods and not enough of the right foods.  Too much salt will raise your blood pressure.  Eating more calories than you need will cause you to gain weight.  Eating too much fat - mainly too much of the bad fats (saturated and trans) - leads to heart disease.

Obesity and heart disease are connected, just like heart disease and diabetes are connected.  If you have diabetes, for example, you are at 2-4 times higher risk for a heart attack or a stroke than someone without diabetes.   Heart attacks are the number one cause of death in the United States.  

Everything is connected.  �When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.�  (quote by John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club)

If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or diabetes in your family, take a few minutes to watch this clip from THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION.  It might just change your life by motivating you to start making small changes that will lead to big results.

Click here to watch a clip from the HBO special, THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION:

http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/watch/bonus-shorts/obesity-research-and-the-national-institutes-of-health

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

PS - Growing Healthy Kids will be hosting screenings of THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION in 2013 as part of our Wellness Wednesdays series.  If your organization would like to collaborate with us on a screening, please contact me at growinghealthykidsnow@gmail.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!