Parent Responsibility!!

America’s childhood obesity epidemic is not just the children’s fault; their parents are equally accountable. A study done on how parents are key players in the prevention and treatment of weight-related problems found that mothers who were dissatisfied with their own bodies will in turn, have daughters’ who will think similarly about themselves (Golan & Crow, 2004). Parents who are very strict, or very lenient about body image in their homes, will most likely have children who suffer from either anorexia/bulimia or childhood obesity. A study done by the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota found how remarks on body image in the home from parents can impact their children. A father being interviewed about his daughter said, “I tell her to quit wearing such tight fitting clothes. I guess if you could rephrase that I’d really be trying to tell her to lose some weight so those clothes don’t fit you so tight (Neumark-Sztainer, 2005).” Children will listen and observe to so much from their parents’ examples. It is so important that parents define and model body image in a positive way to their children. If parents do so, children will be more satisfied and comfortable with their own bodies, and therefore, will be preventing serious weight problems waiting to happen in the future.


Not only does the parents’ idea of body image strongly correlate with childhood obesity, but the lifestyle they live is very much reflected in their own kids’ behavior. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education found that parents can serve as the first model of eating to their children. They found that parents who tend to eat too much, or too fast even if they are full will display a negative example for their children (Golan, Moria, Weizman, & Abraham, 2001). The study suggested that parents need to present a healthy eating style in the home, and to model healthy selection of foods as well as creating opportunities for regular physical activity for them and their children. In order for there to be any improvement in childhood obesity, parents need to focus less on weight and more on behaviors and overall health. Being a positive role model that encourages theses healthy behaviors to children is the first place for parents to start (Neumark-Sztainer, 2005). It is essential for parents to be aware the even though they are setting a perfect example of overall health, it is possible for their children to still develop weight-related problems because of the prevalence of so many other influential factors (Neumark-Sztainer, 2005). Advertisements of junk and fast food on televisions, in magazines, and on billboards are always going to do a good job at enticing the children of America. Along with food advertisements, sedentary activities such as computer and video games are destroying children’s participation in indoor and outdoor physical activity. A parent cannot give up on their children, no matter how strong the influence of negative factors is. A model presented in the Journal of Nutrition Education emphasizes the importance of parenthood presence. The model emphasizes that, “the parent is active, being there, taking responsibility, and serving both as a source of authority and a role model for the obese child (Golan, Moria, Weizman, & Abraham, 2001).”

Recipe of the Week: Jamaican Chicken Stew

What a wonderful dish to have on a crisp fall evening with your family! Enjoy :)

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine (I substitute grape juice)
2 tablespoons capers (optional)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

While rice cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Combine chicken and the next 5 ingredients (chicken through black pepper) in a bowl. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in wine, capers, beans, and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Serve over rice.

Source: Cooking Light

What You Should Know About Calcium

If you have forgotten your parents' admonition to "drink your milk," you only have to walk through a supermarket and see all the calcium-fortified juices, cereals, and other products to realize that calcium is something that does the body good.
However, if you are using calcium fortified products, thinking you are taking good care of your bones, think again. Next time you buy some calcium-fortified orange juice, check out the amount of calcium in one eight-ounce serving. There is a very small percentage of the daily amount of calcium needed in each serving. Calcium-fortified juices and other products are not intended to be a major source of calcium. "Calcium-fortified" is, in fact, a marketing scheme. The public knows that calcium is essential. "Calcium-fortified" on a label is a marketing strategy to get people to buy more of a particular product. Don't be taken in by advertising and labeling. Make sure to get an adequate daily intake of calcium through natural sources to prevent bone loss and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Source: "Your Personal Guide to Wellness" by Jamie McManus, M.D. with Dorothy Casper and Vicki Spackman

Nutrition Myths Brown Bag

Have you ever heard that you should not to eat past 7 p.m. or else you will gain weight? Has anyone ever told you that eating "carbs" will make you fat or that you should eat coconut oil everyday if you want to lose weight?

We hear things all the time about what to eat, what times to eat and what not to eat. How do we know which of these things is actually true and helpful in our lives and which ones are just to sell a product or diet plan? Come listen to Dr. Susan Fullmer, PhD, RD, CD, dispel common myths that we hear about nutrition. Dr. Fullmer has been a registered dietician for over 20 years.

When: Thursday October 14 @ noon
Where: Health and Justice Building in room 2500

Attendance is worth 15 health education points and as always there will be door prizes. Hope to see you there!!!

Surprising News About Fat

Few public health messages are as powerful and as persistent as this one: Fat is bad. We spend billions of dollars a year on low-fat cookies, fake-fat chips, pills that block the absorption of fat from the digestive system, and all manner of fat- busting diets and cookbooks.
But we aren't any healthier for all of this effort. In fact, we're worse off for it. Americans are overweight, diabetes and other chronic diseases are on the rise.
The truth is that some fats are good for you, and it is important to include these good fats in your diet. There are four types of dietary fat: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and trans. The two types of fat that are good for you are the monounsaturated and polynsaturated, while saturated fats should be eaten in moderation and trans fats should hardly be incorporated into your diet at all.
Eating unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats, carbohydrates, and trans fats can give you many health benefits including:
1. Lowering the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol, without also lowering levels of HDL (good) cholesterol;
2. Preventing the increase in triglycerides, another form of fat circulating in the bloodstream that has been linked with heart disease, that occurs with high-carbohydrate diets;
3. Reducing the development of erratic heartbeats, a main cause of sudden cardiac death; and
4. Reducing the tendency for blood-flow -blocking clots to form in arteries

How do we get this good fat? The main sources are from olives and olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil; cashews, almonds, peanuts, and most other nuts; peanut butter; avocados; corn, soybean, safflower, and cottonseed oils; and fish.
So here is my challenge to you: Replace saturated and trans fats with mono and polyunsaturated fats in your diet one time a day-and hopefully your body will start to reap the benefits in no time!

Source: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter C. Willett, M.D.

Jared, the Subway Guy!

You've all heard of Jared, the Subway guy. He was 425 pounds by the time he reached his freshman year in college. He was miserable. He would eat an average of 10,000 calories a day which is about 8,000 more than recommended. Every night around midnight, Jared would order a Meat Lover's Pizza from Pizza Hut and a big gulp of soda and finish off both with no crumbs or slurps left. You can only imagine what he ate for a regular meal, not just a midnight snack! Finally, following many humiliating and eye-opening experiences, Jared knew it was time to do something.
After a lot of discouragement trying fad diet and fat diet, he decided to buckle down and adapt a healthy lifestyle- not a temporary diet. He cut down his caloric intake to about 1,8000 calories a day which consisted of a cup of coffee for breakfast, a 6-inch turkey sub from Subway with a bag of baked potato chips and a diet soda for lunch, and a 6-inch veggie delight sub from Subway with the same side dishes, chips and diet soda. After 11 months of this, he lost 254 pounds.
Jared eventually started walking to class instead of taking the bus. He would hike up the 11 flights of stairs to his first class on campus, instead of taking the elevator. After the 11 flights, he looked like he had just jumped into a swimming pool he was so drenched in sweat. He also started playing tennis and finally got into the dating scene.
This is not a weight loss or Subway diet blog post. This is a post about how making healthy decisions everyday will not only be good for our health, but will help us feel better as a whole. Jared did not go to the gym and excessively exercise two times a day, but incorporated physical activity throughout his day. He did not wash a head of cabbage before leaving in the morning and nibble at it whenever he felt hungry, but ate normal healthy foods that gave him all the nutrients he needed. Jared's whole life changed for the better and he did it by making one healthy choice at a time!
If you'd like to read the book, it is called "Jared, the Subway Guy. Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around" by Jared Fogle with Anthony Bruno.

First Annual Family 5K

On August 14, 2010 the Healthy Lifestyles program hosted its first annual family 5K run/walk. It turned out to be a fun event that included beautiful weather, face painting, free t-shirts, refreshments, prizes and a motivating strawberry on wheels. Yes that’s right, a rollerblading strawberry to make the morning complete. It was a fun way to get families and friends to enjoy being active together.
The Healthy Lifestyles program encourages each Utah County employee and their families to get up and get moving. Be active with your family and friends. You don’t have to be a top athlete to be active. Teach your kids that it simply feels good to move. Life can get in the way, but it doesn't have to. Make getting more physical activity a family project. If you missed out this time, we hope to see you next year.Everyone lined up waiting to start. Congratulations!!!
1st Place—Jeff Bruin
2nd Place—Melissa Bates
3rd Place— Matthew Christensen
Wes Balmforth: First Place participant under 12.Face PaintingSome of the prizes

Sign up for the Healthy Lifestyles 5k Run/Walk!!! It's not too late!

Hey everybody!! Looking for something fun to do with your family this August that is FREE? Why not participate in the Healthy Lifestyles 5k run/walk. Come and join all of us on Saturday, August 14th @ 8:00am on the Utah County Courthouse Lawn. You and your immediate family will be able to enjoy the fresh morning weather together and have a great time!! So hurry and sign up now, it is not too late!! You will not regret it!

Recipe of the Week: Herbed Greek Chicken Salad

Well, is anybody in the mood for a yummy-light-easy-summer salad? Does such a dish even exist? You bet it does! The last thing a cook wants to do is be in a hot kitchen on a 95 degree summer day slaving in front of the stove for hours. This delightful salad will be sure to satisfy your pallet guilt free! Serve it as a side or main dish - whichever you prefer! Feel free to substitute the veggies with something you have in your fridge, or something that just sounds better to you. Have it for lunch, dinner, or a snack and please, enjoy every bite :)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 2 teaspoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup peeled chopped English cucumber
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 6 pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Combine oregano, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and spice mixture; sauté until chicken is done. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon juice; stir. Remove from pan.

Combine remaining 2 teaspoons juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, tahini, and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. Combine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. Place 2 1/2 cups of lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons yogurt mixture.

Recipe Source: Cooking Light

Healthy Lifestyles 5k Run/Walk!!!!

  

     Come and join us on Saturday, August 14, 2010 @ 8:00am on the Utah County Courthouse Lawn :) Walkers, Joggers, Runners, etc.. in your intermediate family are welcome, especially YOU!!  Hurry and register at this website...the first 100 get a free T-shirt!  Why should you do the 5k?  Why not!!!!
     We hear it all the time… “You need to be more physically active. It’s good for your health”. Well, it’s true, but after a long day of work and you finally get home to spend time with family and friends, sometimes the last thing you want to do is leave them to go exercise. Well…what if you take them with you? How great would it be if you said “C’mon everyone, let’s go to the park and play frisbee”? Be active with your family and friends. Teach your kids that it feels good to move. Life does get in the way, but it doesn't have to. Make getting more physical activity and physical fitness a family project.
     This 5K was meant to bring families and friends together. It’s to remind us that physical activity can be fun. Be creative for this event and make it a group effort. Come dressed in matching t‐shirts if you’d like or sing a song during the route. The Healthy Lifestyles program encourages each Utah County employee to get up and get moving. If you have always wanted to get in better shape this is a great time to start. If you are already living an active lifestyle this is a good opportunity to get your family involved too.
     This is a fun and stress free event to celebrate the good feeling of being physically active. All fitness levels are welcome whether you are a couch potato or a marathon runner. Come and enjoy!!!