Salisbury Pediatrics Newsletter

From time to time I like to post the weekly newsletter I receive from our Pediatrician....

Health and Wellness Newsletter Hippocrates Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.    Our Offices     IN THIS ISSUE School Food Greens Recipe of Week   QUICK LINKS Dr. Weil Newsletter Archive Environmental Working Group Touchstone Pediatrics   QUICK LINKS 2 Wild Turkey Farms Anti Inflammatory Diet Safe Cleaning NIH Child Health   QUICK LINKS 3 Pesticide Guide Safe NC Fish Wisconsin IM Health Hygiene Hypothesis   JOIN OUR LIST   FREE THOUGHTS   Will springs from the two elements of moral sense and self-interest.   Abraham Lincoln    PRIMETIME For all teenagers and college students interested in a new medical experience, pay attention. Salisbury Pediatrics has opened a new wing dedicated to you. In Primetime we are only focused on your needs as an emerging adult.  From the music when you enter, to the autonomy of your visit, we are sure that you will love a new way to see your doctor. Primetime   Quality Products A solid foray into the sugar mess.   Please email me your favorite products.  I would like to share quality products with our readers. Think - car seats, toys, anything that a mother would love!     FEEDBACK Please reply with feedback or questions here.  I will try to answer as many questions via the newsletter as possible.  As always be well and love your children!     The Forum   Simply Good   Dr. Magryta Go to www.salisburypediatrics.com,  if you would like to learn about Integrative Medicine or our practice   Issue: #43 October 14, 2013     Appleton Central Alternative Charter High School Volume 3, Letter 43   October 14, 2013   The Appleton Central Alternative Charter High School Nutrition and Wellness Program experiment.    After having a discussion with a local head of a private school, I thought that I would discuss school food and an experiment that took place in Appleton,Wisconsin.    The W.K. Kellog Foundation funded an experiment in this charter school with the goal of assessing student behavior after changing the nutrition policy of the school and the food that was consumed.    From the study paper:    Appleton Central Alternative Charter High School (ACA) opened its doors in February of 1996 to give individualized attention to students struggling in the conventional school settings. Despite this close attention, students' behavioral problems continued to be extremely problematic. In an attempt to improve student behavior and academic performance, ACA began offering physical education opportunities in the fall of 1997. At that time, ACA also teamed up with a local business, Natural Ovens Bakery, to offer the students a free, nutritious breakfast. The following year (the 1998-99 school year) Natural Ovens sponsored the installation of a full kitchen and dining service (offering both breakfast and lunch). Although originally committing to sponsor and co-manage ACA's dining service for three years, Natural Ovens extended their funding and management to five years. During this time ACA and Natural Ovens developed a nutrition and wellness program.    Results: Students did not balk at the dramatic changes in the food that was served. Students health complaints and disruptive behavior decreased substantially.    "According to Principal LuAnn Coenen, negative behaviors such as vandalism, drug and weapons violations, dropout and expulsion rates, and suicide attempts are virtually nonexistent."   Every year during the first five years of the Nutrition and Wellness Program, from the 1998-'99 school year to the 2002-'03, ACA arranged a Junk Food Day. Instead of serving bagels and energy drinks, students and staff drank sugar sweetened soda and Kool-Aid and ate chips, brownies, cookies, Pop Tarts and candy bars. Staff said during the few experimental Junk Food Days they have hosted, students are "wired" and are unable to focus.    Through out the day they complain of stomachaches, headaches, and feeling tired. Dean of Students Greg Bretthauer said that attendance is low following Junk Food Day. After a day of sugar highs and lows, both students and staff have stated that they never want to do it again....     I encourage you to read this paper and draw your own conclusions. After years of studying nutrition and metabolics, I find it easy to believe the conclusions as they are drawn. In a whole child approach to wellness, one does not solely focus on the food or the exercise regimen. We need a comprehensive shift in wellness for our youth.    Every child deserves to eat whole foods that are nutritious and support the child's brain and immune system, thereby allowing them to stay in school in an alert, disease free and focused manner.   Daily exercise is critical to stamina, sleep and mood. Calming music, colors and lights can only augment a child's mood in the school. The research regarding this is strong.    You can make a difference in your child's school by presenting this type of data with an open mind to those in control of your child's environment. Always come with a desire to educate and not the rigid dogma of a zealot. If you disagree with a school's wellness philosophy, then be a part of the change that will make it better. Always compromise and move forward as a team. Baby steps often become leaps as the data unfolds and the results speak loudly.      School food is important,    Dr. M     Upcoming Lectures   10/24/13 - Thursday   How Do Foods, Stress and Chemicals Affect Your Health?   Dr. Chris Magryta of Salisbury Pediatrics will speak at the Center for the Environment on "Your Gut and the Environment" at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 24. Read More ...       Greens   Greens:   Most children do not eat enough vegetables and they especially avoid greens. What are greens?    They are the leaves of vegetables like beets or turnips or they are green plants that grow wild or are cultivated. They share many characteristics with each other including that they are:   1) low in fat  2) high in protein for weight 3) high in fiber (good for stool function and colonic health) 4) high in calcium (good for bone health) 5) high in magnesium (most important for bone health) 6) high in vitamin K (important for clotting function) 7) high in non heme iron (important for sleep) 8) high in folic acid and many B vitamins (cellular function and DNA reading capacity) 9) high in lutein (important for your skin and eyes) 10) high in beta carotene (important for your eyes) 11) high in nitrate (good for cardiac blood pressure) 12) high in potassium (many functions)   Pound for pound, they are the most nutrient dense foods around. They are easy to grow in any home box garden.    I highly encourage you to add these foods to your children's diet. Just adding greens weekly could change your child's health for the better more than any other single change.   Go Green!   Dr. M               Recipe of the Week   Greens:   Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds collard greens and kale, well washed, stems removed, and sliced into 3-inch strips 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 8 cloves garlic, sliced paper-thin 1 pound baby spinach 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 slice of prosciutto - diced Black pepper to taste Directions: 1.      Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop greens into water and blanch for 4 minutes. Immediately plunge blanched greens into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Drain, squeeze dry, and set aside. 2.      Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic is golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove garlic from skillet; set aside. 3.      Raise heat to high. Add greens and prosciutto and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add spinach; season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook until spinach wilts, stirring frequently (about a minute). Return garlic to pan and stir. The greens can be served immediately or at room temperature. For your kids,   Dr. M Adapted from this recipe.     Newsletter Photos   If you have any pictures of your family that you wish to share for the header of this newsletter -   please send them to:   Newsletter@salisburypediatrics.com         The newsletter archive can be found in the links section.  New readers can now go back in time to learn about the future!   Copyright © 2010-2013 Christopher J. Magryta, MD. Readers, please note: The information provided in this newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for advice and treatment provided by your physician or other healthcare professional and is not to be used to diagnose or treat a health issue.       Chris Magryta Salisbury Pediatric Associates Touchstone Pediatrics