The Scoop on Ice Cream and Nutrition for Kids

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When you think of summers as a kid, at least one memory probably includes licking a delicious, melting ice cream cone. ice creamIce cream is a popular summer treat for families, but some parents worry it doesn’t fit into a healthy diet plan.  Parents need not worry, though.  Ice cream can be included as a summer treat if you follow the guidelines below.

How can you preserve the ice cream ritual while keeping nutrition in mind?

  • Balance: The phrase “everything in moderation” is especially applicable to nutrition. Ice cream should be an occasional treat as opposed to a nightly routine. Refrain from keeping huge tubs of ice cream in the house, and instead buy small containers that can be divided among family members in proper portion sizes.
  • Portion size: The serving size for most ice cream is ½ a cup. If you imagine a baseball is about 1 cup, then half a baseball is about the amount of ice cream that  should be in a serving. One serving of regular ice cream can have 250 calories or more in it. Eating an extra 250 calories per day will result in a half a pound a week weight gain. This is two pounds per month or six pounds over the whole summer. Read more

A New Childhood Health Issue: Overweight but Undernourished

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If a child is overweight, it is easy to assume that he is getting more than enough of his daily recommended nutrients… right?  The answer is, not always.   Even if a child appears to be well-nourished or over-nourished, this does not mean that he actually has proper nutrient status from a physiological perspective.overweight kids

What nutrients might be lacking and why?

Calcium–Childhood and drinking milk are often thought to go hand-in-hand. But many kids avoid milk and instead drink juice or sweetened beverages with little nutritional value. Other food sources of calcium might not be at the top of most kids’ lists, such as dark leafy greens, beans, tofu, and quinoa.

Inadequate calcium intake can cause the following problems:

  • In combination with excess weight bearing on a child’s developing bones, a lack of calcium can put kids at risk for fractures and joint problems.
  • A lack of calcium in childhood can cause a diminished reserve of calcium in later life.  Calcium is used in the body for blood clotting, muscle contraction, and nerve signal conduction processes.  Calcium also works to buffer acid-base balance in the blood. It is stored in the bones, and pulled out from the bones for these functions. Your body stockpiles calcium from the diet into the bones much more effectively during childhood and the young adult years than after age 30. Read more

How to Get More Whole Grains into Your Kid’s Diet

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Whole grains are an important part of any diet.  Whole grains are more nutrient-dense than their refined counterparts. Whole GrainsRefined “white” starches have been stripped of fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals. Some of the vitamins and minerals are re-fortified into these processed grains, but refined grains remain nutritionally inferior to whole grains. The fiber in whole grains also helps create feelings of satiety, which in turn helps prevent overeating. Many typical kids’ foods are not made with whole grains. However, it’s easier than you think to sneak these healthy whole grains into your child’s daily diet.

Children’s Foods Made with Healthy Whole Grains:

  • Whole grain Goldfish
  • Whole grain bagels or English muffins
  • “White” whole grain bread, or 100% whole wheat
  • Oatmeal
  • Multigrain pancakes or waffles
  • Whole wheat pasta
  • Soft corn tortillas (made with corn, salt, and water)
  • Brown rice cakes
  • Whole grain cereals (look for those with less than 5 g of sugar per serving and 3+ grams of fiber per serving)
  • Cooked quinoa or uncooked oats in meatloaf, meatballs, stuffed peppers, muffins, pancakes, etc
  • Multigrain crackers

How to Spot Whole Grains at the Grocery Store:

When at the grocery store, labels can be a bit confusing. There are two ways to tell if a product is truly whole grain. First, look for whole grain as the first ingredient listed on the ingredient list. In other words, look for “whole wheat” or “brown rice.” Second, look for a gold and black, whole grains symbol on the box. Just be sure that your whole grain pick is an otherwise healthy choice; whole grains are only a part of the whole healthy food equation.

For other ways to clean-up your family’s diet, read here for ways to add more fruits and vegetables to your kid’s meals or simple ideas for cooking greens.   If you find your family has a hard time transitioning from refined to whole grains, contact a dietitian. They can help brainstorm recipes, come up with creative ways to help increase acceptance, and educate your family on the nutritional benefits of whole versus processed foods.

To learn more about nutrition services at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, call us at 877-486-4140.

Nutrition Implications of Pediatric Congenital Heart Defects

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Congenital heart defects in the pediatric population are a serious condition. Many defectscongenital heart defects require surgical intervention to correct or improve the problem. Often, there are nutrition-related implications associated with heart defects. Here is more information about how nutrition may be affected to help you understand this aspect of your child’s health.

The Link between Nutrition and Congenital Heart Defects:

  • Digestion and absorption of nutrients. The major job of the human heart is to pump blood throughout the body. The blood carries nutrients and oxygen to be used for energy and to support all body functions. With a heart defect, blood circulation may be suboptimal, since the heart may not be pumping strongly or efficiently. This can result in poor blood flow to the gut, which means that the gut is not getting the nutrients and energy it needs to perform digestive functions effectively. Nutrients may not be absorbed well, which can lead to poor weight gain and general intolerance of feeds (diarrhea, reflux, delayed gastric emptying). Read more

Does Your Child Need Feeding Therapy?

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There are a variety of reasons why a child may need feeding therapy. To many of us, it would seem like eating should be a basic instinct. However, eating is one of the most complex activities we do, especially for the developing, young child. Eating involves several processes in the body, including sensory, oral-motor, muscular, neurological, digestive, and behavioral systems. Feeding problems can arise involving any one of these systems, and often more than one of these is implicated.

The following are reasons why a child may have a feeding problem:

  • Sensory processing issuesFeeding Therapy
  • Food allergies or severe reflux
  • Autism
  • Developmental delays
  • Complex post-op recovery course
  • Transition from feeding tube to oral nutrition

Feeding therapy is usually done with one or more clinicians. Depending on the type of feeding problem, therapy may involve a speech language pathologist, an occupational therapist, a registered dietitian, a social worker or behavior therapist, and/or a physician. Read more

Cooking Greens Made Simple

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Swiss chard, kale, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, bok choy… the word “superfood” is synonymous with all dark, leafy green vegetables. The super greensreason why is because they pack such a large nutritional punch. In general, dark leafy greens are loaded in vitamin A, folate, fiber, and also provide minerals like calcium and iron. They are even a source of the heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids. As if that’s not enough, eating your greens can help fight cancer, which you can read more about on the website for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

So we know how nutritious greens are, but what about the taste? And what do you do with those big tough leaves of chard and kale anyways?

Here are some unique recipes to help your family eat more of this nutritional superfood:

Stir Fried Shrimp or Chicken and Bok Choy*

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (made ahead)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T plus ½ teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed OR 1 lb chicken, diced
  • 6 scallions, chopped
  • 1 T fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3-4 bunches of bok choy, stemmed and sliced
  • 2 T rice vinegar
  • Asian chili sauce

Cook shrimp or chicken in olive oil and ½ teaspoon soy sauce over medium-high heat, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Add scallions, ginger, Read more

Healthy Twists on Your Kids Favorite Foods

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Let’s face it; kids have their favorite foods and those foods may not be the healthiest choices. Wouldn’t it be nice if we, as parents, could make healthier mango icecreamversions of foods that kids actually enjoyed? Well, you can! These recipes have been kid-tested and approved in my office (and home).

Below are a few ideas on healthy twists on your kid’s favorite foods:

Rice Cake Pizzas:

  • Brown rice cakes
  • Fat-free pizza sauce
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Baby spinach, sliced tomatoes and/or diced green peppers

Take out one rice cake and place 1-2 tablespoons of pizza sauce on top. Sprinkle about ¼ cup of cheese and as many veggies as you can get on top. Heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds or until cheese is melted. One “pizza” is approximately 100 calories, which makes a great snack or part of a meal. These pizzas are also gluten-free.

Simple Homemade Mango “Ice Cream”:

  • 2 cups nonfat vanilla Greek Yogurt
  • 1 package (16 oz) of frozen mangoes

Let mangoes sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to thaw slightly. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth so that the consistency is similar to ice cream, or for about 5 minutes. Serving size is ½ cup, which is 100 calories. This is a great option for a healthy dessert. Mangoes are high in vitamin A and the yogurt is a great source of protein and calcium.

Kale Chips:

  • 4 large kale leaves, washed and stems removed
  • 1 tablspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. After washing kale and removing stems, tear kale into bite-size pieces (approximately 2 inches x 2 inches each). Put kale pieces into a large bowl with olive oil and salt. Toss to coat. Spread out on a rectangular cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until kale is crispy like chips. Recipe makes 3-4 servings;however, this snack is so healthy that there is really no limit to the serving! Kale is a superfood and is high in many vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

These recipes are all winners- for parents as well as kids. They are low in calories but high in nutrients, which is the best combination. What are some of your kid-approved healthy twists on recipes?  I would love to hear about your recipes in the comments section below!

What is a Videoflouroscopic Swallow Study?

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Many children experience feeding and swallowing difficulties and they present in a variety of different ways. In order to provide the VFSSmost effective and appropriate therapy, it is often that physical or physiological abnormalities of the swallowing mechanism must first be ruled out. In order to do this, a video swallow study – Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) or Modified Barium Swallow (MBS)- must be ordered by a physician. These are extravagant,  complicated sounding words that can be intimidating to parents; they may sound even more intimidating to children. In order to explain this procedure to your child, it is vital that you must first understand it yourself.

What is a VFSS?

In the simplest of terms, a VFSS is a moving x-ray that examines the process of swallowing food or drink from the mouth and down through the esophagus. A Speech-Language Pathologist and a Radiologist will be in the room to operate the x-ray machine, offer barium-based food and drink items and to decipher the results. The x-ray machine often resembles a large, robotic arm that is aimed at the side of a patient’s body. Patients are placed between this machine and a raised table that serves as the ideal back-drop to capture the best view of the swallowing mechanism.

The barium food products are white in color and taste slightly chalky, but they are typically flavored sweetly. An SLP will watch the Read more

Eating Disorders in Children and Teens

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Eating disorders are a scary topic for parents. It is critical to be aware of signs that your child may be at risk for developing an eating eating disorderdisorder. The earlier you can get professional intervention, the better outcomes your child will have. You may be able to prevent the eating disorder from taking over your child’s life and causing serious health affects. The longer a child struggles with an eating disorder, the more difficult it can be for him or her to overcome it. The eating disorder becomes a coping mechanism they rely on to feel in control, and is something to focus on to avoid other issues. Eating disorders are mental health diagnoses, and involve disordered thinking, beliefs, and behaviors around food and body image. They should be treated and managed by a team including at minimum, a physician, a mental health counselor, and a registered dietitian.

Warning signs your child may have or be developing an eating disorder:

  • Rapid weight loss
  • Eating the same things every day, often in very controlled amounts
  • Self- imposed rules around eating Read more

Spring Clean Your Family’s Diet

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Spring is here and, just like we give the house a good spring cleaning, this is a great time to do the same for your entire family’s diet. junk food garbage The growing season is beginning which means farmers’ markets will be opening in the next few weeks or months. In addition, we will be able to finally get outside more after a long, cold winter.

Here are a few ways in which you can help clean up your family’s diet this spring:

  • Eat more foods that “clean you out”. Think fiber. Foods that are high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Fiber binds fat in the gut and blood stream and carries it to be excreted in waste. Speaking of which, the more waste you are able to eliminate, the more toxins you are also disposing of as well.
  • Focus on foods that support detoxification processes in the body. The body has major organs that detoxify our system, specifically the liver, kidneys, skin and gut. Certain foods have phytonutrients that support these detoxification processes. These foods include lemon juice, onions, garlic, asparagus, apples and brassica vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and brussell sprouts.
  • Drink plenty of water. I recommend that kids drink milk with meals and water only between meals. Water helps “flush out” toxins. Drinking water throughout the day provides our blood and cells with fresh fluids continuously for optimum function. Drinking water throughout the day prevents sluggishness that accompanies inadequate hydration.
  • Get rid of sugar. If sugar is present in your family’s diet more than once per day, consider decreasing what sweets you keep in the house. Eating sugar in moderation is fine, which is about once per day. Remember that sugar is in many more foods than just candy and cookies. It is a major ingredient in many cereals, granola bars, yogurts, fruits snacks and beverages.
  • While you’re at it, clean out the food pantry. Just go ahead and toss or donate any foods that are not “clean”. This includes processed foods (think boxes and bags of snacks) and refined flours and sugars.

For more ideas on how to clean up your family’s diet, schedule an appointment with one of our registered dietitians today.