Nutrition Know How

A research study published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that the average daily whole grain consumption by adolescents and young adults was less than 1 serving.  The average recommended amount is 3 servings.*

Whole grains play an important role in preventing coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and overweight/obesity.  They also reduce constipation and provide many important nutrients.

So what is a parent of a teenager to do?  Discussing the importance of eating whole grains is not likely to get a parent far.  Teenagers live in the “now”.  Long term health benefits are of little interest.  Here are a few ways to get your teens to eat whole grains everyday:

Stock your kitchen with plenty of whole grain foods.
Home availability impacts the consumption of whole grains.  It makes sense – kids eat from what’s available.  Make sure you have plenty of whole grain foods in your pantry.

Provide a variety of whole grain foods and see which ones your teenager likes.
There’s a good chance nutrition isn’t influencing what your teenager eats.  Taste, however, is.  Finding out what whole grains your teen likes eating is a process worth undertaking.  Try different whole grain breads, breakfast cereals, crackers, popcorn and pasta.  Make sure the first ingredient includes the word “whole”.  Some products tout themselves as being made with whole grains but may include only a small amount of whole grains.

Purchase new grain products.
The marketplace continues to include more and more whole grain products.  Whole grain pastas are becoming more common and are cheaper than they were in the past.  Just the other day I saw Boboli offers a 100% whole wheat pizza crust.  There are even white whole grain breads made with a specific type of wheat.

Pack a lunch or snack for your teen (if they let you).
Many foods available to teens, such as fast food, offer few whole grain choices.  Bringing a lunch from home allows you to include some whole grain foods.  Snacks are a great time to enjoy whole grains.  Popcorn and trail mix made with whole grain cereal seem to be winners with kids of all ages.

Start offering whole grain foods when your kids are young.
I enjoy hearing nutrition-related stories from my friends who are parents.  One of my favorites was my friend’s toddler telling his mom he didn’t want that peanut butter and jelly sandwich because it was made with yucky bread.  The yucky bread he was referring to was white bread.  He’d always eaten whole grain bread.  Kids get accustomed to what they eat at home every day.  It’s never too early…or too late…to start offering healthy foods.

What ways do you have of encouraging your family to enjoy whole grains?  Some of the best ideas come from our readers.

* The 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend at least half of the grains you eat should come from whole grains.  Go to www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx to see the recommended amount of grains and whole grains for an individual based on age, sex, weight, height and activity level.

In July I had my second child, a baby girl.  I choose to breastfeed my daughter just as I had my son.  My son nursed well so when my daughter started becoming very fussy (to put it lightly) while feeding I knew it was not normal.   At two weeks old she began screaming (not crying) consistently.  She was showing symptoms of “silent acid reflux”, severe stomach pain, painful gas and foul smelling stools (this is not normal in breastfed babies).   We took her to her pediatrician asking, “What is wrong with my baby?”  Luckily he didn’t write her off as having colic.  After examining her she was diagnosed with having a Milk, Soy, Protein Intolerance (MSPI).  The proteins were being absorbed by my body and passing into my breast milk that my daughter was ingesting.  Symptoms of MSPI vary but often include at least several of the following:  inconsolable crying, acid reflux, vomiting, blood in the stool, painful gas, foul smelling stool, stomach pain, skin rashes, rhinitis, etc. 

During the visit with the doctor, he recommended I start the MSPI diet that eliminates all milk and soy proteins from my diet.  Please note that MSPI is not the same as lactose intolerance or a milk allergy.  As a dietitian I was aware of milk and soy proteins but hardly an expert on which foods I should be eliminating from my diet.  I really had to study labels and felt as though I didn’t know what I was doing.  After a month of following this diet we saw very little improvement in our baby’s symptoms.  We eventually met with a pediatrician that specializes in food intolerances in infants and because my baby was not improving she suspected an additional protein intolerance that would not be easily identified.  So for another week I tried a very simplified diet.  Needless to say I was very hungry and everyone in our house was suffering.

At this point we decided it was in the best interest of my baby and me to switch to formula.  We saw an immediate and drastic improvement in the health of our baby when we started feeding her Neocate formula; she tolerated this for about a month when we eventually needed to switch to Similac Alimentum Ready to Feed.  For MSPI babies, Similac Alimentum powder is not tolerated well while the Ready to Feed version is usually tolerated. 

As a dietitian I am 100% convinced of the benefits of breast milk and it was very hard for me to no longer breastfeed. But for us it was the right decision.  Many moms with MSPI babies are able to successfully breastfeed their babies during the entire first year.  I’m posting this blog so that it may help other parents and increase awareness.   The research and resource for MSPI are very limited.  So please share any resources you are aware of and post your story to help other parents.  If you suspect your baby may have MSPI please contact me, I’d love to help and provide a link to great doctors in Nebraska.

Here are some useful resources.

http://www.mspiguide.org/

http://www.completechildrenshealth.com/news/articles/what-is-mspi

Click here to open a Milk and Soy Free Foods List.  Thank you to Nikki Ford, a HyVee Dietitian for developing this handout.

After the holidays it was brought to my attention that the home microwave was acting funny. Not ha-ha funny — but it was not working like it should. Now that does not surprise me, the microwave was a wedding gift. And my husband and I are fast approaching 25 years.

So now the shopping begins, my husband is really into looking at the Internet, reading articles — you know research. I on the other hand need to go and physically look at what is out there. My oh my. What a variety of makes, models, wattages and features. After spending much time shopping (which by the way is not my thing) I decided I needed to sit down and ask myself some questions.

Now that my questions are asked I can go shopping and eliminate the models that don’t meet my requirements. And my husband can research fewer models, now that I have it narrowed down.

Don’t ask which one I choose — because until this wedding gift actually gives out I am more than happy to see it hang out and provide me with a bit more time. Call me a sentimental fool!!!

It’s the first part of January, 2010, and there is 26-plus inches of snow on the ground here.  The wind chill is 20⁰ below zero.   Do you feel like exercising?  Most people would hole up on the couch with a blanket and a bag of munchies and call it a day!  Sometimes that’s alright.  What about those resolutions to exercise more?  Maybe you exercise three or more times per week now, but the treadmill is starting to look like the dreadmill!  I know that we use ours three times per week, and it’s starting to get OLD!  What you need are some alternatives to your normal exercise routine (or a new exercise start). 

The secret to exercise is making it fun.  If you are starting a new exercise program, you may need to do it for a few weeks before it becomes “fun” and not a “must.”  If you are already exercising, try something new.  Doing different types of exercise throughout the week will help stimulate different muscle groups and your mind.  It also makes you feel better.  

So—here are a few secrets that I have discovered for exercising in the winter when you live in Siberia! (Really, I live in Nebraska—but it feels like Siberia.)

• Scooping is great exercise!  And it keeps you from swearing after you have scooped snow for the hundredth time!  It also burns mega calories—just do it wisely, and don’t overdo it.
• Kids love to sled in the winter.  You have snow—so go sledding with your kids.  Its great exercise walking up the hill over and over again—and your kids will love that you’ve tapped into your inner child again.
• Rent/purchase new exercise videos.  My secret is to purchase them at the local thrift store.  I’ve fallen in love with Billy Blanks and even Richard Simmons!  Denise Austin is fun, and even some of those Pilates videos make me sweat!  The nice thing is that they are usually around $1, and if I don’t like them—they go in the garage sale pile.  The dollar store sometimes carries some wild videos too!
• Exercise with your kids.  Nothing stimulates you to work harder than seeing your five-year-old doing kick-boxing better than you.   Turn up the tunes and dance with them, or your spouse.  It usually ends in a big bout of laughter—but its still exercise.
•  When all else fails—clean your house.  Housework can be aerobic.  Stretching to clean cobwebs, vacuuming, going up and down stairs to do laundry, mopping—all ways to exercise, and you get a clean house in the end. 
• So—no more excuses—get moving.  Place it on your calendar three times or more per week, and enjoy.  Your body will thank you for it.  I know mine appreciates it!  For those of you keeping track—my weight loss progress continues—I’m down 31# so far.  The holidays were tough—but I’m back in the groove again.  If I can get healthier—so can you!  Like the commercial-just DO IT!  Stay warm.