Back to School Questions you wanted to know about:
Q: My kids play on sports teams and parents are expected to provide snacks and drinks at games. What can I provide that is easy, nutritious and low cost?
A: An excellent choice is freshly popped popcorn served in brown paper lunch bags. Kids can’t resist it. To really score points with the team, don’t worry about making it air popped or salt free: even popped in vegetable oil and salted, homemade is far better, and cheaper, than the fattier popcorn from the grocery store.
An easy sports drink that also replenishes crucial nutrients: mix equal parts orange juice, cranberry juice and club soda.
Q: As a mother of three children, I find the hour after school the most difficult time because the kids arrive home famished two or three hours before dinner. Any suggestions for nutritious snacks I can have ready?
A: The trick here is to provide foods that have the nutrients kids need, yet are low in fat and high in carbohydrates so they will be hungry again by dinner- time. The best choices: whole grain muffins, soft pretzels with brown mustard, salsa with baked tortilla chips, sliced sweet red peppers with a creamy dip, freshly popped popcorn, hummus in pita bread, low-fat plain yogurt (Nancy’s brand is best) with fresh fruit, dried fruit, sliced fresh fruit, cereal with rice, soy or skim milk.
Q: My 14-year old son is lean (6 foot 2 inches, 148 pounds) and very active; he plays basketball 2-3 hours a day. His diet consists mainly of dairy products and peanut butter. Is the exercise offsetting the effects of his fat intake?
A: It sounds like your son is getting too much saturated fat and too narrow a variety of foods for good health. His weight is low for his height, so he may not be getting enough calories or nutrients in his diet either. One thing this diet will promote is acne. He is probably increasing his long-term risk of heart disease as well. Schedule a visit to come in and discuss establishing a more healthful eating pattern.
Q: I’ve heard conflicting advice about multivitamins. In general, do children need them?
A: Despite parents best efforts, most children and adolescents don’t eat a balanced diet all of the time. A daily multivitamin/mineral supplement may be valuable insurance. Research is telling us that micronutrients such as Vitamin C, E, folic acid, calcium and other minerals help protect against chronic diseases later in life. Be sure to keep supplements out of reach of young hands. The iron in multivitamins is toxic if ingested in large amounts and may even be lethal. The office now has a new supplement to boost immunity in children. It is made of flashed dried vegetables and made into a good tasting gummy bear. Ask about it next time you’re in the office.
Recipe: Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Onions & Sage
Kid version included: Double the recipe for a family of 4
1 pound butternut or acorn squash, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces, ¼ inch thick (1 ½ cups)
Position rack in lower third of oven. Preheat to 450 degrees. Vegetable Stand-ins:
If your child refuses all vegetables, have no fear, try offering these comparable fruit substitutes:
Won’t eat
Missing out on
Offer instead
Broccoli vitamin C folic acid oranges Carrots carotenoids and cantaloupe trace minerals mango, apricots Green beans potassium, magnesium raisins Spinach carotenoids folic acid dried apricots Tomatoes carotenoids (lycopene) strawberries Vitamin C potassium salsa
Medical Headlines:
Dietary carotenoids and vitamins A, C, and E and risk of breast cancer:
In one of the largest studies concerning diet and breast cancer risk, 83,235 women were studied. The association of fruit and vegetable intake and specifically carotenoids, vitamins A, C and E and breast cancer risk over 20 years were followed. Results: Premenopausal women who consumed five or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables significantly lowered their risk of breast cancer. If there was a family history of breast cancer the association was even stronger. Zhang, Hunter, Forman, et al. J Natl Cancer Inst 1999;91:547-556
Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment reduces the severity of rosacea:
A higher prevalence of H.pylori infection in rosacea patients than in healthy controls has been reported. In the H. pylori positive patients who underwent eradication for other reasons, the severity of rosacea at the end of treatment was significantly reduced. Utas, Ozbakit, Turasan J Am Acad Dermatol 1999; 40:433-435
Melatonin in epilepsy:
A single evening dose of 5-10 mg melatonin, the pineal gland hormone, can exert a positive effect on the frequency of epileptic attacks in children with sleep disturbances of various etiologies. Sleep behavior can be normalized and epilepsy favorably influenced. Fautek, Schmidt, et al, Biol signals Recept 1999;8:105-110
Cook the kids squash separately (put 1 cup squash cubes in a glass dish, sprinkle with 1 tbs. Water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes.) Place the pasta, and other ingredients in separate bowls so the kids can pick their own ingredients and build their own meal.
For the rest of the family: In a baking dish, toss the squash, onions, sage, oil, salt and pepper. Spread out in an even layer and roast for 15-20 min, stirring once, or until vegetables are beginning to brown. Toward the end of cooking, stir in the Canadian bacon. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Add the roasted vegetables, tomatoes and olives; toss to combine. Serve with a little Parmesan cheese.
One of the best healthy cooking systems I have seen will send a cook to your house to prepare a delicious dinner, for free! It’s a great deal. Anyone with chronic health problems should check this out. The system is oil-less, waterless, and very fast. To arrange for your dinner call Steve Mathey at (503) 688-9146.
Dr. Jennifer Reid
27530 SE Division Drive, Gresham, OR 97030 Telephone: (503)492-9427
