PARENTS AND OBESITY

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

“If kids grow kale, they eat kale.  If they grow tomatoes, they eat tomatoes.”  

                   --- Ron Finley

When was the last time you showed a child how to plant and grow a tomato? Kids come up to me all the time to thank me for the tomato or pepper plant they received at a Growing Healthy Kids program and learned how to take care of.  “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.  If you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”  That’s what I’m talking about.  If you believe that food is the problem and food is the solution, watch this video featuring Ron Finley. Thanks to Adina Lehrman and Lucie Burke!!

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  The focus of Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. is to raise awareness about how to reverse, halt, and prevent childhood obesity.  One way we do this is by educating parents.  Send us your idea about how we can educate parents about preventing childhood obesity and growing healthy kids and you could be one of three national "best idea" winners selected to receive a copy of NOURISH AND FLOURISH, the first book from the Growing Healthy Kids’ movement to reverse childhood obesity.   

  

Send an email to growinghealthykidsnow@gmail.com by September 26th.  Include your (1) idea about how to educate parents (2) name (3) email address and (4) mail address.  If your idea is selected as one of our three national winners, we’ll email you by September 30 to let you know that a copy of NOURISH AND FLOURISH is on its way to you.  HELP US HELP AMERICA’S CHILDREN get to -- and stay at -- a healthy weight by reducing, halting, and preventing childhood obesity.  Become part of the solution! 

This week, I ran into a friend of the Growing Healthy Kids movement to reverse childhood obesity, Adina Lehrman.  Adina recently planted a permaculture garden in front of the new organic juice bar (LOV Juice in Vero Beach, Florida).  When I met Adina several years ago, I asked her to speak with a group of kids I was working with for an entire school year at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian River County.  I will never forget the talk and demonstration she gave about “bunny balls” (one of the most organic methods of fertilization around).   To check out her website, click here.  You can also connect with Adina on Facebook. Here are a couple of pictures of the LOV Juice garden planted by Adina and her business partner, Lucie Burke.

Adina enjoying a conversation in the shade of the edible garden in front of LOV Juice.

Good news from Tallahassee, Florida.  I spoke with The Man in Overalls AKA Nathan Ballantine with the Tallahassee Food Network.  Nathan is working with kids and adults to grow a network of community gardens, increase access to locally grown, healthy foods, and build a bridge so that poverty is not a barrier to having access to fresh vegetables.  Next month I will be making a road trip to visit the community gardens in Tallahassee and surrounding areas to bring ideas back to our bioregion in the Research Coast of Florida.  To learn more about The Man in Overalls and the Tallahassee Food Network, click here.

Send us your best ideas for teaching parents and let’s move on raising awareness about how to halt, reverse, and prevent childhood obesity. 

NEW! Lunchboxes for your Growing Healthy Kids!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

WHAT IS KILLING OUR KIDS?

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

"We can make a commitment to promote vegetables and fruits and whole grains on every part of every menu.  We can make portion sizes smaller and emphasize quality over quantity.  And we can help create a culture – imagine this – where our kids ask for healthy options instead of resisting them."

                                                                           

                              --Michelle Obama, First Lady

Jason told me that he is having problems with his eyes and his feet.  I asked him, “When was the last time you were screened for diabetes?” and he replied that it was more than 7 years ago.  Then he talked about his kids.  He said his son was “almost as big as I am.”  Then, his voice dropped and he added that his 15 year old daughter is also almost as big as he is.  He asked me how to help them.  I said, “Lead by example and help yourself first.  Act as if you are at a healthy weight yourself.  Let them know that you are changing what you eat and are going to eat 2 more cups of in season and locally grown vegetables this week.  Start changing one thing each week to get on the path to better health and a healthier life.” 

Can you guess what this is?

How do parents help their kids who are obese?  Health starts at home, in the discussions we have at the dinner table, in our attitude towards exercise and fitness.  Health starts in the kitchen, in the foods we prepare for and with our families. 

Childhood obesity is a problem because:

• Kids who are obese are more likely to be bullied
• Kids who are obese are more likely to be obese as adults
• Being obese increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, joint problems, high blood pressure and certain cancers
• Kids who are obese are more likely to suffer from poor self-image throughout their entire lives
• Kids diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can be expected to have a shorter lifespan of about 17 years than kids without diabetes

How do I help my kids get back to a healthier weight?

• Commit to making one change a week in your eating or fitness habits. 
• Write down your own health goal.  Be specific.  Use S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-specific).

How do I know if I am at a healthy weight or not? 

Start by looking at yourself in the mirror.  Do you like how your body looks?  How do your clothes fit?  Are they tight?  Do you have to buy new clothes every few months because you need a bigger size?

For most of us, we know if we need to lose some weight and some inches.  A good reference point is to determine your Body Mass Index (BMI).  For adults it is simply based on the relationship between our height and our weight.  BMI for kids (ages 2-19) is based on their height, weight, plus their age and their gender (male or female).  The BMI is not a perfect tool but it is a useful tool.  Find out your BMI number by clicking here.  

Click here for some great, kid-friendly foods and ideas that kids of all ages will love!

Let’s do something meaningful about our children’s health by showing them that we can about our own health.  Children need good role models and it is up to each of us to be that role model.  The consequences of ignoring obesity in America's children are too high and too extreme to ignore.   Act as if…..

A picture from my 4th of July vacation on St. Simons Island, Georgia last weekend!

The Growing Healthy Kids movement is about inspiring, educating, and improving the health literacy of Americans so we can reverse, halt, and prevent childhood obesity and obesity-related diseases in children.  Together, we can improve the health – and lives – of America’s children, one child at a time.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.