Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Health & Wellness Newsletter

From time to time I will post the weekly newsletter we receive from our Pediatrician.  This newsletter is about talking to your children about eating & possible lunch & snack ideas for your child (or yourself).
Issue: #8
February 9, 2015
 
A Family Pet, Olaf
 
Volume 5, Letter 8
 
February 9, 2015
 
How to talk to your child about eating? This is a common question that I field at the office regarding modern day eating and how to overcome outside negative pressures on our children. 
 
The average child in school sits next to your kid and is eating lunchables, doritos and some other processed snack food while washing it down with sunny D. There are even stories of kids having chips, candy and fruit punch for a meal. WOW! It is clear to me that this child's parent either has little knowledge of healthy eating or has abdicated the authority to parent. Unfortunately, the latter is often the case. 
 
What is happening in the world today? I have been teaching my kids that McDonald's has just changed CEO's and is in trouble because Americans are finally waking up to the merits of healthy food over fast and processed varieties. Restaurant chains like Chipotle are driving the market now because they are meeting the new American desire of rapid but real whole food that tastes good. I find that teaching my kids what is happening is a route to their understanding of our family choices.
 
My wife and I spend time educating our children on how food effects them and why their choices are important. They then have to decide whether to listen and learn or balk and fight. We are blessed with two different children. One eats anything and follows an anti inflammatory style diet while our other would prefer to eat anything made from flour or sugar. Obviously, the parenting challenges are hard in one case and easy in the other. 
 
What we have learned over the past eleven years is this:
 
1) Education is key. They learn despite what you think at times. They have a natural desire to emulate a parent. They are very intuitive when you let them. I have noted many times that my children are making choices based on prior teachings. Even my starch craver has shown balance in his life with food. They are starting to listen to their bodies. We have noted many recent experiences where one of our children has felt off after a meal only to recognize a pattern and make changes. 
 
2) Let them know that another child's lunch can be unhealthy and it is not their place to comment on it. They are to be empowered with knowledge. They are not to parent other kids. It is the adult's job to elevate their children to a higher place whether that is spiritually, nutritionally or physically. 
 
3) Lead by example. If you eat garbage, you can not expect your child to eat healthy. By eating well, they can also be an example for their friends while not negatively commenting on their food. These are powerful self solidifying traits of personality. 
 
4) Engage your child in the shopping and cooking experience. This will allow them to feel like a part of the decision making process. Empowering. 
 
5) Let them see the truth behind food. Show them documentaries on food when they are 9+ years old. Food Inc., Supersize Me, etc...
 
6) Be an old school parent. You make the food that you want them to eat. They eat or go hungry. This is a key to success. It is their choice how to proceed. I have had many a parent tell me that they cannot do this. I counter that food is one of 4 keys to long life and health and not up for debate. As a parent it is your job to parent for health not just a soccer scholarship or academics. Convenience is not parenting. Would you allow your child to verbally mistreat you because you just do not want to parent today? I think not. 
 
7) Read and learn more about food and parenting around it. It is easier to teach a child why through science than the dogma of "because I said so". Kids are very keen to a lack of knowledge. 
 
8) Order off of the adult menu for all. Kid's menus are all garbage, period. My kids eat salad. When we eat out, people actually come up and ask me how we achieved this? Simple answer - it is expected. 
 
9) Make healthy food tasty. This goes along with #7. Try new recipes and test them on your kids all the time. Find go to healthy players that they will enjoy. For example, we made cauliflower sautéed in olive oil, garlic and anchovies for a dinner party once. One guest child lapped it up thinking that it was shrimp because of the flavor and appearance. He had never liked cauliflower before. He now has a new food item in his arsenal of nutrition. 
 
10) Do not buy anything that you do not wish to fight over if they choose to eat it. Save these types of experiences for special occasions like parties or holidays. This also helps support the 90/10 rule where 10% of your diet being imperfect is likely of no consequence to health if 90% is rock solid. (this does not count allergies and sensitivities)
 
 
 
Dr. M
 
 
 
 
Lunch at School
 
What to send to school if your child's school lunch program serves only standard American junk? 
 
For the past decade, my wife and I have been actively working with local schools to beneficially alter their food services. We have routinely been shocked by the offerings and the average parents benign neglect of nutrition for their children. From Frito pie to mystery meat on a stick, the servings would likely be rejected by most animals as inedible. As time has passed, an awakening to health through food is occurring all around. Where we used to beg to speak to a school has now turned into being asked to speak and consult. This change is heartening.
 
What are some good food lunch choices for kids these days. 
 
In our home we have a standard list of Mrs. Magryta approved lunch options that my kids can choose from. They range from soups to sandwiches and cut veges.
 
Our kids often take the following:
 
Lunch:
 
Salmon with mayonnaise and crackers (staple once a week)
Chili
Soup - lentil, chicken noodle, minestrone, split pea
Pesto pasta, quinoa or brown rice
Sliced meat - salami, chicken, steak - great cold
Chicken salad sandwich
Meat roll ups - sliced meat and lettuce rolled in a tortilla
Hummus and veges
Trader Joe's chicken nuggets
Peanut or sun butter sandwich
Beans sautéed in oil and spices, usually garbanzo
Leftovers that they liked the night before - spaghetti with meatballs, etc...
 
Snacks:
 
Apple sauce 
Fruit in water or cut up or frozen
Cut up veges, especially red peppers and carrots (a family favorite)
Seaweed snacks
Various organic chips - non GMO potato, corn, rice
Popcorn
Low added sugar bars
Dark chocolate
Nuts or sunflower seeds 
All forms of cut veges and fruit
 
If you have no intolerances to dairy, add greek yogurt, kefir and high quality cheeses to the snack list.
 
Keeping it whole food based and tasteful is the key. 
 
We avoid the processed packaged foods (other than chips) entirely.
 
Dr. M
 
Cooking Class
Save the date!

March 19th at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College.

Time: 6:30PM.

We will be hosting a cooking demonstration. Dr. Chris Nagy and I will answer all types of questions about food, mood, the gut and human health while we cook.

We plan to make bone broth, ghee, teach pickling and maybe even kombucha. The primary goal of this lecture is to discuss gut healing foods and how to make them.

See you there!

Dr.M 
 
Recipe of the Week
 
Here is another perspective on snacks from some of my teachers.

 
Healthy Snacks and Desserts from the Institute for Functional Medicine:
 
Please don't assume that everything you see in the health food store is nutritious. You must read labels to avoid unnecessary additives and sweeteners that are not healthy.  The following snacks should be used wisely. Please be careful if your child has food allergies -- and be careful of the type of sweetener used.
 
If a sweetener is one of the first items on a list of ingredients, it is one of the predominant ingredients.  Please avoid buying these items -- they are too sweet.  Below you will find some healthy snack alternatives.
 
  • §    whole fruit, raw veggies, fresh organic juices
  • §    cookies, fruit juice-sweetened, or rice syrup- or barley malt-sweetened  
  • §    rice cakes with almond or cashew butter and/or apple butter
  • §    apple or pear slices with nut butter
  • §    celery sticks stuffed with nut butter or soy cream cheese
  • §    sesame rye Ryvita® crackers with small amount all-fruit jams
  • §    whole grain muffins made with nuts, fruit (wheat-free and dairy-free mixes are available for purchase in the health food store)
  • §    raw, unsalted nuts or seeds
  • §    popcorn, plain or with a little sea salt (be careful of unhealthy saturated fats in some popcorn -- choose NON-hydrogenated canola, olive, soy, safflower)
  • §    baked corn puffs or potato chips, or Terra chips ™
  • §    dry cereal, such as Nutty Rice®, Oatios®, granolas
  • §    whole grain frozen waffles (Van's®) with small amount all-fruit jam or apple butter
  • §    Rice Dream® - an ice cream substitute made from rice
  • §    unsweetened sorbets (e.g., Cascadian Farm®) -- these are usually made from fruit juice and water and are quite delicious. Be careful not to overdo it!
 
 
 
 
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:
 
 
 
 
 
The newsletter archive can be found in the links section.  New readers can now go back in time to learn about the future!
 
Copyright © 2010-2015 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

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