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Free
Cooking with Kids Handout
Click
here to download a free parent handout. The sheet provides pointers
on how to make cooking with kids a real adventure!
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Note:
The Basics is a new section of the newsletter
that highlights an important nutrient, its functions and sources.
The
Basics: Iron
A nutritional
disease in need of a publicist, iron-deficiency anemia is second
only to obesity as the most common nutrition disorder found in U.S.
children.
It is estimated
that 4% of 6-11 year-old children suffer from iron deficiency anemia..
The incidence is highest in teen girls, with approximately 9% of
12-15 year-olds and 16% of 16-19 year-olds presenting with iron
deficiency anemia. Without enough iron reaching the brain, mental
and behavior effects are often seen in these children and teens.
Apathy, clumsiness, irritability, learning disorders, low energy
level and poor school achievement may result when the body is not
"pumped up" with iron.
Iron is crucial
because it carries oxygen throughout the body. Best known for its
role in blood, iron is part of the hemoglobin which makes up red
blood cells. When iron is compromised, red blood cells lose their
capacity to deliver oxygen to all body cells.
A simple blood
test that measures the amount of hemoglobin in the blood can detect
iron-deficiency anemia. (There are also additional tests that can
detect iron depletion in the early stages, e.g. measurement of serum
ferritin levels).
The
following four groups are at particular risk for iron-deficiency
anemia:
- Children
from six months to four years of age are at risk because of rapid
growth and sometimes limited food choices.
- Adolescents
during their growth spurt may have difficulty keeping up with their
body's high iron needs.
- Women in
their childbearing years require more iron due to monthly iron losses
caused by menstruation. Women typically do not consume the RDA for
iron.
- Pregnant
women have an especially high requirement for iron because of increased
blood volume, the demands of the baby, and blood losses during childbirth.
The
best food sources of iron are lean meat, fish and poultry. They contain
a form of iron known as heme iron, which is easily absorbed by the
body. Non-heme sources of iron are found in soybeans, lima beans,
almonds, peanut butter, dried apricots, raisins, spinach, potato,
peas, winter squash and fortified cereals. Vitamin C enhances the
absorption of non-heme iron. To get the most iron from plant-based
foods, include a vitamin C source such as citrus, broccoli, kiwi,
strawberries, peppers or potatoes with meals.
Babies older than six months should receive an iron-fortified baby
cereal. Baby cereals are formulated with a type of iron that infants
can easily absorb. After age one, children should be eating a variety
of iron-rich foods.
Iron
overload is a condition caused by over-supplementation (and rarely,
as the result of an inherited disease). In most cases, men should
avoid supplements which contain iron. Keep all vitamin/mineral supplements
out of the reach of children in order to prevent iron (and other nutrient)
toxicity.
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Nutrition
and Our Culture:
Part of the Problem OR Part of the Solution?
P.O.P.
(Part of the Problem):
Diet
soft drinks with vitamins (?!)
Sorry,
nice try. But you can't make junk food healthy just by dumping in
a few added vitamins and minerals. I won't even mention the company's
name here because rumor has it, other soft drink companies are on
the same track. The diet soft drink in question is hoping to appeal
to health-conscious consumers and presumably, health-conscious moms
who may feel better about allowing their children to drink soft drinks.
The latest
product offers 15% of the daily value for niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin
B12 and 10% of the daily value for zinc and magnesium. These
nutrients are not difficult to get if you stick with whole foods
including whole grains for your B vitamins; meat, fish and beans for
zinc; and beans and nuts for magnesium. Plus, when you eat actual
whole foods, the entire choir of nutrients, fiber and other health-promoting
natural compounds show up to sing!
Diet soft drinks
replace more healthful beverages such as water and 1% or fat-free
milk. The beverages also often contain caffeine and artificial ingredients.
Not a healthy beverage, even with the added goods.
P.O.S.
(Part of the Solution):
Project
E.A.T.
Solid
nutrition education has its basis in science and research, a point
that is often overlooked. In order to develop effective programs and
materials, it is essential to understand the myriad of factors that
influence health behavior among young people.
Project
E.A.T. (Eating Among Teens) based at the Division of Epidemiology
at the University of Minnesota has contributed enormously to the body
of behavioral research regarding food choices and health behaviors
among adolescents.
I highly recommend
a visit to their website, where you can find out more about their
research and read abstracts
on many topics. You may never view family meals quite the same again!
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- Many of you have
been calling and emailing regarding the new Leader/Activity Guide. The
replacement for the guide is titled Nutrition Fun with Brocc and
Roll and it will be rolling off the presses in June. The 64-page
guide, packed with copy-ready nutrition activity pages, will be available
for pre-order in May.
- Did you know
that nearly 14,000 elementary teachers in the Los Angeles Unified
School District have a copy of How
to Teach Nutrition to Kids? They are not alone, either. Thousands
of schools throughout the country use this book as a resource for nutrition
education in the classroom. 24 Carrot Press offers generous quantity
discounts on the book. For orders exceeding 500 copies, please call
us at 503-524-9318.
- Fruit stickers
are back in stock. You can order them by visiting the sticker
page.
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News
in Brief
Simple Question
convinces kids to eat more fruit
"Would you like fruit or juice with your lunch?" A recent
study showed that when school-aged children were asked this question,
90% took the fruit serving and 80% of them actually consumed it! In
the control school, only 60% of the students chose a fruit serving.
As a result, nearly 70% of the children in the intervention school consumed
a fruit serving at lunch, while fewer than 40% did so in the control
school. Access the study at http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/4/1/6/abstract/
"More
Matters" replaces "5 a day"
You are probably aware that the 2005 Dietary
Guidelines and MyPyramid
recommend that Americans eat way more than 5 daily servings of
fruits and vegetables. The Produce for Better Health has revamped their
5-a-day message with the launch of the Fruits & Veggies—More
Matters™ initiative. Find out more by visiting http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/
Research on
portion size and mealtime calories
A new study finds that regardless of age, children respond to larger
portion sizes by eating more at mealtimes. Children ranging in age between
2 and 9 years were either given an age-appropriate entrée at
the dinner meal, a portion-size twice as large as the age-appropriate
portion or the opportunity to serve themselves. See the March 2007 issue
of the journal Obesity
for details.
Recommended:
Team Nutrition E-Newsletter
A great resource for schools is the the Team Nutrition E-Newsletter.
Team Nutrition resources developed by USDA and/or by State agencies
and ideas for promoting healthy eating and physical activity are included
in the newsletter. FMI, click here.
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The
information contained in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute
for medical and/or nutrition advice. See your physician and/or registered
dietitian for individual health and/or dietary concerns.
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©2007
by Connie Evers, All Rights Reserved. There is a modest reprint fee
for reproducing the material in this newsletter in either print or electronic
publications. Please send an email to reprint@nutritionforkids.com
for details and rates.
The
FEEDING KIDS NEWSLETTER is published quarterly (January, April, August,
and November) by 24
CARROT PRESS . To subscribe, click
here.
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