On August 7th, a 64-year old champion for children made his transition. This man was one of the first people I worked with when I first conceptualized the national partnerships I wanted for Growing Healthy Kids, a young organization dedicated to reversing childhood obesity. Inspired by an article in Kiwanis magazine, I made it my goal to meet the local head of Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian River County. It took a couple of calls to pin him down to a date when we could meet. We finally met at the old Vero Beach Boys and Girls Club in a dilapidated building on 27th Avenue, where children played right next to a dangerous roadway. The rooms in the rented building had terrible acoustics, especially when filled with energetic kids spending their transition from school to home while their parents worked 2 and 3 minimum wage jobs to make ends meet. He wore a button-down white shirt and dress pants.
A quiet man and a great listener, I gave him the proposal from the Growing Healthy Kids organization: volunteer at the two Boys and Girls Clubhouses on opposite ends of Indian River County once a week for the next nine months, build teaching gardens and conduct weekly healthy eating classes with vegetables we would grow. Teach the kids how to be leaders in eating healthy and being active. Take the kids on field trips to meet with chefs and visit local farmers. It took him about 5 minutes of listening and asking me why I wanted to do all this for him to say "yes" to the proposal.
We did all those things and more because it was always �Fun with a Purpose�. Our purpose? To reverse childhood obesity in Indian River County and beyond.
His only request was that the Growing Healthy Kids program, in creating a partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian River County, employ his philosophy, � Fun with a Purpose�. He agreed to let us build small raised bed gardens, where over the course of the next nine months, we created magic for kids, many of whom moved once every month or two because their parents were recently unemployed. Our weekly healthy cooking classes became a popular class with the kids screaming with excitement because it might have been the best-tasting food they'd had all week.
When I first learned of the Executive Director�s illness, I sensed it was serious. Several times I called so I could update him on our progress and plan for the next phase. Each time, I was told he was on an extended medical leave but I could meet with the program director. Then, earlier this year I was a speaker at the Quail Valley Rotary Club and learned that he was not only a Rotary member, but also slated to be the incoming president. The officer said this quiet man had called him to ask that someone else step into the incoming presidency role. I was saddened that this man�s life-threatening illness was robbing him not only his day-to-day work providing a solid, safe base for success for so many children in Indian River County but also his passion for being a community leader.
On August 7th we lost a hero who fought for the right of children to be treated with dignity, regardless of economic background. We lost a hero who knew the difference between right and wrong. We lost a hero who believed in leading by example.
Good-bye, Ronnie Hewett. You inspired me to create programs and lessons where �Fun with a Purpose� is the driving force. You are my hero. Thank you. On behalf of all the children whose lives the Growing Healthy Kids project has touched, thank you.
Rest in peace, Ronnie. You will be missed.
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
GHK Poster Contest Deadline Extended
Dear Parents and Kids,
We want ideas from the kids about what being healthy means to them. So we are extending the deadline to September 30, 2011 for the 1st Annual Growing Healthy Kids Poster Contest!
The theme is "Healthy Eating...Healthy Me". Any medium can be used on an 8-1/2" x 11" paper. The theme words must be included as part of your poster. Prizes include Publix gift certificates, personalized herb gardens, and T-shirts printed with your design.
Mail your entries, along with a $5.00 entry fee* (payable to "Growing Healthy Kids") to:
Growing Healthy Kids
3300 43rd Avenue, #4
Vero Beach, FL 32960
Include the following information with each poster:
Parent name
Parent phone or email
Address
Child's name
Child's school grade in 2011/2012
School name
*$1.00 entry fee for families enrolled in Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program
Help us reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. Kids' voices can help teach others.
(Photo is from a GHK field trip to visit a local hydroponic farmer in Grant, Florida)
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to improve the health - and lives - of America's - and the world's - kids, one child and one garden at a time.
In gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
We want ideas from the kids about what being healthy means to them. So we are extending the deadline to September 30, 2011 for the 1st Annual Growing Healthy Kids Poster Contest!
The theme is "Healthy Eating...Healthy Me". Any medium can be used on an 8-1/2" x 11" paper. The theme words must be included as part of your poster. Prizes include Publix gift certificates, personalized herb gardens, and T-shirts printed with your design.
Mail your entries, along with a $5.00 entry fee* (payable to "Growing Healthy Kids") to:
Growing Healthy Kids
3300 43rd Avenue, #4
Vero Beach, FL 32960
Include the following information with each poster:
Parent name
Parent phone or email
Address
Child's name
Child's school grade in 2011/2012
School name
*$1.00 entry fee for families enrolled in Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program
Help us reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. Kids' voices can help teach others.
(Photo is from a GHK field trip to visit a local hydroponic farmer in Grant, Florida)
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to improve the health - and lives - of America's - and the world's - kids, one child and one garden at a time.
In gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Obese = Fat
It's soon back to school for the kids in the next few weeks. It's back to the basics for you parents.
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to not just halt and prevent, but to reverse childhood obesity. The only way this will happen is if you are crystal clear on why the health and lives of children who are obese are threatened.
If someone is obese, they are fat. They weigh too much. They are eating too much. They are eating the wrong kinds of foods. They don't get enough exercise. They probably don't sleep very well. They may be having joint problems. They are at higher risk for developing diabetes, including its nonreversible consequences such as blindness and amputations of the lower legs and feet.
Stop pretending that there are no overweight and obese children in our communities and in our own families. According to our national health department, CDC, approximately 17% of all children in the U.S. between 2 and 19 years old are obese and one in 7 low-income preschool aged children is obese. ONE IN SEVEN. Not good.
The childhood obesity crisis will not be solved until we adults learn some things (hence, today's lesson). When 2 in 3 adults are overweight and obese, we are the problem.
Start by figuring out your own Body Mass Index. The BMI is not perfect and there are some limitations. However, it is an excellent reference to begin making choices.
If you don't know your BMI number, go to www.cdc.gov for a BMI calculator. All you need is your height and your current weight.
Are you at a healthy weight? Yes or no?
If not, then pay attention. Make your first goal to not gain any more weight. Use smaller plates. Use half as much butter. Switch from 2% milk to skim milk. Eat more vegetables and fruit. Pick at least one of these things and do it starting today.
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to improve the health - and lives - of America's - and the world's children, one garden and one child at a time. Do your part. Be the solution.
Love to you all,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to not just halt and prevent, but to reverse childhood obesity. The only way this will happen is if you are crystal clear on why the health and lives of children who are obese are threatened.
If someone is obese, they are fat. They weigh too much. They are eating too much. They are eating the wrong kinds of foods. They don't get enough exercise. They probably don't sleep very well. They may be having joint problems. They are at higher risk for developing diabetes, including its nonreversible consequences such as blindness and amputations of the lower legs and feet.
Stop pretending that there are no overweight and obese children in our communities and in our own families. According to our national health department, CDC, approximately 17% of all children in the U.S. between 2 and 19 years old are obese and one in 7 low-income preschool aged children is obese. ONE IN SEVEN. Not good.
The childhood obesity crisis will not be solved until we adults learn some things (hence, today's lesson). When 2 in 3 adults are overweight and obese, we are the problem.
Start by figuring out your own Body Mass Index. The BMI is not perfect and there are some limitations. However, it is an excellent reference to begin making choices.
If you don't know your BMI number, go to www.cdc.gov for a BMI calculator. All you need is your height and your current weight.
Are you at a healthy weight? Yes or no?
If not, then pay attention. Make your first goal to not gain any more weight. Use smaller plates. Use half as much butter. Switch from 2% milk to skim milk. Eat more vegetables and fruit. Pick at least one of these things and do it starting today.
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to improve the health - and lives - of America's - and the world's children, one garden and one child at a time. Do your part. Be the solution.
Love to you all,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Our Blog Goes Global
Childhood obesity is a global problem. It's not just a problem in the U.S. Think about this: Where do you find McDonald's? Where high fat, high salt, high sugar, and white flour foods go (what you find in the foods at McDonald's), obesity follows.
My Russian friend, Luda, and I have been busy today with a big native plant sale and Garden Playshop at the Growing Healthy Kids Variety Store and decided to take a little break. I looked up where readers of the Growing Healthy Kids blog are located. Pinch me!! People in Canada, Russia, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and many other countries are reading www.GrowingHealthyKids.blogspot.com. I am honored to know that my words and actions have meaning for you.
Solving the problem of childhood obesity requires that we ALL take responsibility for the solutions. Kids are smart. They know if we say one thing and do another. They are watching when their teachers say, "Eat plenty of fruits and veggies" but have a coke and a sandwich on white bread. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and hope that the problem of kids being overweight will just evaporate. We must act deliberately every day to teach adults, to lead by example, and to care enough about our children's health to do the right thing.
Are you a good role model for healthy eating? Do you choose breads that meet "The Nancy Rule"?? Are you getting at least 150 minutes of exercise (aka "physical fun") every week??
Be a positive role model for healthy eating. Work on getting to a healthier weight. Lead by example. Because failure to reverse childhood obesity is not an option.
Growing Healthy Kids - we create and deliver solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic. We are improving the health - and lives - of America's and the world's children, one child and one garden at a time.
Perfect health!
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
PS--My gift to you for being part of the solution:
http://www.reallybigresults.com/shopping/health/5-great-health-tips-for-losing-weight-and-5-great-recipes-nancy-heinrich.html
My Russian friend, Luda, and I have been busy today with a big native plant sale and Garden Playshop at the Growing Healthy Kids Variety Store and decided to take a little break. I looked up where readers of the Growing Healthy Kids blog are located. Pinch me!! People in Canada, Russia, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and many other countries are reading www.GrowingHealthyKids.blogspot.com. I am honored to know that my words and actions have meaning for you.
Solving the problem of childhood obesity requires that we ALL take responsibility for the solutions. Kids are smart. They know if we say one thing and do another. They are watching when their teachers say, "Eat plenty of fruits and veggies" but have a coke and a sandwich on white bread. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and hope that the problem of kids being overweight will just evaporate. We must act deliberately every day to teach adults, to lead by example, and to care enough about our children's health to do the right thing.
Are you a good role model for healthy eating? Do you choose breads that meet "The Nancy Rule"?? Are you getting at least 150 minutes of exercise (aka "physical fun") every week??
Be a positive role model for healthy eating. Work on getting to a healthier weight. Lead by example. Because failure to reverse childhood obesity is not an option.
Growing Healthy Kids - we create and deliver solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic. We are improving the health - and lives - of America's and the world's children, one child and one garden at a time.
Perfect health!
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
PS--My gift to you for being part of the solution:
http://www.reallybigresults.com/shopping/health/5-great-health-tips-for-losing-weight-and-5-great-recipes-nancy-heinrich.html
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Got flavor? Make Chipotle Lentil Burgers tonight!
You've been asking, so I'm delivering. Below is the recipe for Chipotle Lentil Burgers.
Lentils are on my list of SUPERFOODS. They are a nutritional powerhouse. Full of fiber. Low in calories. When combined with rice, you get a complete protein. If you want/need to lose weight or have diabetes/prediabetes, eating more foods like lentils will put you on the right path towards your goals. Teach your kids how to cook lentils and let them create their own lentil burgers.
Yet I find that lots of people have never cooked lentils, let alone eaten them. I've been making a killer lentil soup for years, so when I found this recipe in a new cookbook a relative sent me (thanks, Pam!), I couldn't wait to try it. I made a couple of changes and taught dozens of people how to make Chipotle Lentil Burgers in this week's Healthy Cooking classes. (They are ALL clamoring for the recipe so they can make this at home now!)
I also love this recipe because it's also introducing people to one of my favorite spices: Smoked Paprika. NOT the same as paprika. When you open a bottle of smoked paprika the first time and get a whiff of it, the common response is, "WOW!!" So put dried lentils and smoked paprika on this week's shopping list and enjoy!
HEALTHY COOKING WITH NANCY HEINRICH: Chipotle Lentil Burgers
Ingredients:
� 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
� 1 small red onion, cut into small pieces
� � pound zucchini (1 medium). Cut in half lengthwise and slice � inch thick
� 3 cloves garlic, minced
� 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped, stems and leaves
� 1-1/2 cups cooked lentils
� 1 cup bread crumbs
� 1 Tablespoon chipotle peppers, seeds removed, with adobe sauce
� 2 Tablespoons �lite� soy sauce
� 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
� � teaspoon salt
� 2-3 teaspoons smoked paprika
Preheat a large pan. Saut� onion for about 3 minutes. Add zucchini, garlic, cilantro, and a pinch of salt, and saut� about 7 or 8 minutes, until zucchini is soft.
Transfer veggies to a food processor. Add all other ingredients EXCEPT for � cup bread crumbs. Pulse until mostly smooth, but leave a little texture. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add the remaining � cup bread crumbs. Use a fork to thoroughly combine.
Preheat the pan (OK to use same pan zucchini was cooked in). Divide mixture into 6 equal pieces.
Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Form burgers into patties and cook for about 12 minutes, flipping often, until nicely browned on both sides. Use cooking spray as needed.
Serve on whole grain buns such as Arnold�s whole grain sandwich thins with your favorite burger toppings. I like to serve this with sliced tomatoes and dill potato salad.
Note: If you�ve never cooked lentils before, here�s all you need to know: You cook them just like white rice. Dried lentils take about 20 minutes to cook. Just follow the directions on the bag and it�s easy. The thing about lentils is they contain about 9 grams of dietary fiber per � cup (dry) which is a little more than � cup when cooked.
This is adapted from a recipe in Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, 2011.
Live well, eat well. Using recipes like Chipotle Lentil Burgers, you CAN eat healthy AND economically.
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to halt, reverse, and prevent childhood obesity, one child and one garden at a time.
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Lentils are on my list of SUPERFOODS. They are a nutritional powerhouse. Full of fiber. Low in calories. When combined with rice, you get a complete protein. If you want/need to lose weight or have diabetes/prediabetes, eating more foods like lentils will put you on the right path towards your goals. Teach your kids how to cook lentils and let them create their own lentil burgers.
Yet I find that lots of people have never cooked lentils, let alone eaten them. I've been making a killer lentil soup for years, so when I found this recipe in a new cookbook a relative sent me (thanks, Pam!), I couldn't wait to try it. I made a couple of changes and taught dozens of people how to make Chipotle Lentil Burgers in this week's Healthy Cooking classes. (They are ALL clamoring for the recipe so they can make this at home now!)
I also love this recipe because it's also introducing people to one of my favorite spices: Smoked Paprika. NOT the same as paprika. When you open a bottle of smoked paprika the first time and get a whiff of it, the common response is, "WOW!!" So put dried lentils and smoked paprika on this week's shopping list and enjoy!
HEALTHY COOKING WITH NANCY HEINRICH: Chipotle Lentil Burgers
Ingredients:
� 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
� 1 small red onion, cut into small pieces
� � pound zucchini (1 medium). Cut in half lengthwise and slice � inch thick
� 3 cloves garlic, minced
� 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped, stems and leaves
� 1-1/2 cups cooked lentils
� 1 cup bread crumbs
� 1 Tablespoon chipotle peppers, seeds removed, with adobe sauce
� 2 Tablespoons �lite� soy sauce
� 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
� � teaspoon salt
� 2-3 teaspoons smoked paprika
Preheat a large pan. Saut� onion for about 3 minutes. Add zucchini, garlic, cilantro, and a pinch of salt, and saut� about 7 or 8 minutes, until zucchini is soft.
Transfer veggies to a food processor. Add all other ingredients EXCEPT for � cup bread crumbs. Pulse until mostly smooth, but leave a little texture. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add the remaining � cup bread crumbs. Use a fork to thoroughly combine.
Preheat the pan (OK to use same pan zucchini was cooked in). Divide mixture into 6 equal pieces.
Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Form burgers into patties and cook for about 12 minutes, flipping often, until nicely browned on both sides. Use cooking spray as needed.
Serve on whole grain buns such as Arnold�s whole grain sandwich thins with your favorite burger toppings. I like to serve this with sliced tomatoes and dill potato salad.
Note: If you�ve never cooked lentils before, here�s all you need to know: You cook them just like white rice. Dried lentils take about 20 minutes to cook. Just follow the directions on the bag and it�s easy. The thing about lentils is they contain about 9 grams of dietary fiber per � cup (dry) which is a little more than � cup when cooked.
This is adapted from a recipe in Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, 2011.
Live well, eat well. Using recipes like Chipotle Lentil Burgers, you CAN eat healthy AND economically.
Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to halt, reverse, and prevent childhood obesity, one child and one garden at a time.
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Friday, July 15, 2011
Listen to my interview on Public Radio WQCS
Friends,
What have YOU done today to be a role model to teach a child or youth good eating habits? Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to reverse childhood obesity.
Here are a few things anyone can do to be a great role model for kids:
Drink water, not soda.
Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
Take a child to your local farmers market and buy locally grown stuff.
It's easy to get to a healthy weight -- when you know what to do. To learn more, listen to my interview with Drew Mello on WQCS (just click on the link, then click on "listen now"):
WQCS: Growing Healthy Kids (2011-07-15)
The next Growing Healthy Kids Victory Garden Playshop is Saturday, July 31 at the Growing Healthy Kids Variety Store, 3300 43rd Avenue, #4, Vero Beach, Fl. 32960 (a mile north of SR 60 (AKA 20th Street). This event is FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Here's to your health!
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
dedicated to improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one garden and one child at a time.
If you know someone with diabetes OR prediabetes, go to www.ourlittlebooks.com for a copy of my book, Healthy Living with Diabetes: One Small Step at a Time.
What have YOU done today to be a role model to teach a child or youth good eating habits? Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to reverse childhood obesity.
Here are a few things anyone can do to be a great role model for kids:
Drink water, not soda.
Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
Take a child to your local farmers market and buy locally grown stuff.
It's easy to get to a healthy weight -- when you know what to do. To learn more, listen to my interview with Drew Mello on WQCS (just click on the link, then click on "listen now"):
WQCS: Growing Healthy Kids (2011-07-15)
The next Growing Healthy Kids Victory Garden Playshop is Saturday, July 31 at the Growing Healthy Kids Variety Store, 3300 43rd Avenue, #4, Vero Beach, Fl. 32960 (a mile north of SR 60 (AKA 20th Street). This event is FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Here's to your health!
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
dedicated to improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one garden and one child at a time.
If you know someone with diabetes OR prediabetes, go to www.ourlittlebooks.com for a copy of my book, Healthy Living with Diabetes: One Small Step at a Time.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Growing Healthy Kids Newsletter Debuts This Month
The GROWING HEALTHY KIDS movement to halt, reverse, and prevent childhood obesity is proud to introduce its monthly newsletter due to overwhelming requests from parents, educators, day care workers, and employers who see their costs skyrocketing due to the obesity-related costs of employees' children. It's time to get going so that all kids are surrounded by adults who know how to eat healthier and prevent diseases such as diabetes and heart disease if our kids are going to stand a chance.
To show you how serious I am about reaching out to you with the featured lessons, tips, recipes, video success stories that can help families get to healthier weights, I'm giving away my book to 10 special subscribers to the Growing Healthy Kids Newsletter...The first 2 subscribers from each of the states with the highest rates of childhood obesity (Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Louisiana) will receive a copy of my book, "Healthy Living with Diabetes: One Small Step at a Time".
Click here to subscribe to our Growing Healthy Kids Monthly Newsletter:
We need your help to reach and teach Americans who don't know what to do or where to start. Let's get started, get moving, and get healthy, America!! Eat well, live well.
Improving the health - and lives - of America's children - TOGETHER!!!
To your perfect health,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
To show you how serious I am about reaching out to you with the featured lessons, tips, recipes, video success stories that can help families get to healthier weights, I'm giving away my book to 10 special subscribers to the Growing Healthy Kids Newsletter...The first 2 subscribers from each of the states with the highest rates of childhood obesity (Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Louisiana) will receive a copy of my book, "Healthy Living with Diabetes: One Small Step at a Time".
Click here to subscribe to our Growing Healthy Kids Monthly Newsletter:
We need your help to reach and teach Americans who don't know what to do or where to start. Let's get started, get moving, and get healthy, America!! Eat well, live well.
Improving the health - and lives - of America's children - TOGETHER!!!
To your perfect health,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)