Week 4 in the Series
If you haven’t seen the new show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, then I recommend you go to hulu.com and watch the first 2 episodes soon. He got my full attention when he exclaimed in the first episode that parents should be pissed at the type of food being served to their kids. This guy is getting people talking and I love it!
Coming from a school foodservice background, I have seen the breakfast pizzas, colored milks, and French fries in masses. The amount of processed food served in many of our schools is appalling.
When I have attended past SNA (School Nutrition Association) conferences and school foodservice trade shows I was overwhelmed by the presence of big food industry sponsorship and their overrated food samples. While working with schools at the district and state levels I learned more about why these foods have integrated themselves onto our childrens' plates….and it’s the same plight that we face as parents on a regular basis…it’s cheap and it takes less time to make.
Essentially each school cafeteria is its own little business. Yet they don’t get to make up their own rules (can’t charge more than $2.60 per meal, has to serve specific number and types of food items, and has to meet USDA macronutrient and micronutrient guidelines) and profits are typically shunted from their “business” account to meet the needs of another school district department that is deemed more important. This leads to no extra money to purchase the more expensive but also more nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. It also doesn’t allow for higher labor costs to pay for the foodservice workers to prepare more homemade meals.
The food industry has really found a creative niche with the school foodservice market. To better serve their clients, these companies have engineered these school food products to comply with the USDA requirements and they have also run all the nutritional analysis on their products. They even label the boxes with the number of USDA equivalents required-like 2 breads, 1 vegetable, etc. You can find it right next to the diabetic carbohydrate exchanges on the label. The schools can then use these edible food products with solace in knowing they are in line with the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) requirements for school foods.
The new Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization has just passed the first Senate Committee meeting. In it, they are asking for several changes that will help our school nutrition programs be more viable as a business (like not shunting their few extra dollars to other departments within the school district). It will also reduce some of the red-tape to help schools be able to feed children, regardless of income status. They are also asking that the nutrition standards be re-evaluated and updated on the basis of America’s childhood obesity epidemic. All this is great and will no doubtedly improve the efficiency of school nutrition programs and improve the overall nutrition profile of the foods served, however there was a BIG piece missing within the legislation that I read.
What I did not see in the bill was a specific measure to enforce the availability of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, real meats and whole grains. Yes there was an amendment for schools to make local farm connections and create relationships which will in turn help boost fresh food availability, but unfortunately this is not realistic for every school in our nation. I see this absence in verbiage as an open invitation for the food industry to reformulate or re-size their existing products to comply with the new regulations, which in turn just puts us back into the same boat. Serving our kids processed, edible, food substances.
For more information on the updates to this renewal act click here: Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010
To sign a petition to increase fresh food options in school cafeterias, click here: Hungry for Change
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Model Behavior
Week 3 in the Series
1. Set daily meal and snack times for yourself, not just your family
2. Eat with your kid, not just feed them
3. Acknowledge your own food preferences and attitudes and how that influences your family’s meals
4. Stop talking about how much was or was not eaten at meals-including your own
5. Do not comment about weight (yours, theirs, or anyone else, even if joking or you think your kids aren’t listening)
6. Reward yourself with NON-FOOD rewards like “you time” or a spa treatment instead of food
7. Share what passions you do have about cooking and healthful eating with your family
8. When no longer hungry, stop eating. (This is a shift in focus. We are used to asking ourselves if we are full versus asking ourselves if we are no longer hungry. This will lead to a big difference in calorie intake at the end of the day.)
9. Set boundaries at the table: what you prepared is the meal, do not make special food or become a short order cook when food is refused.
10. Forgive yourself for not being perfect and be okay with trying again and again. Practice makes perfect!
Weekly Challenge: Choose one item on this list to work on in the following week. Have fun!
Top Ten Ways Parents Can Model a Balanced, Healthy Relationship with Food
1. Set daily meal and snack times for yourself, not just your family
2. Eat with your kid, not just feed them
3. Acknowledge your own food preferences and attitudes and how that influences your family’s meals
4. Stop talking about how much was or was not eaten at meals-including your own
5. Do not comment about weight (yours, theirs, or anyone else, even if joking or you think your kids aren’t listening)
6. Reward yourself with NON-FOOD rewards like “you time” or a spa treatment instead of food
7. Share what passions you do have about cooking and healthful eating with your family
8. When no longer hungry, stop eating. (This is a shift in focus. We are used to asking ourselves if we are full versus asking ourselves if we are no longer hungry. This will lead to a big difference in calorie intake at the end of the day.)
9. Set boundaries at the table: what you prepared is the meal, do not make special food or become a short order cook when food is refused.
10. Forgive yourself for not being perfect and be okay with trying again and again. Practice makes perfect!
Weekly Challenge: Choose one item on this list to work on in the following week. Have fun!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Who’s The Boss?
Week 2 in Series Feeding Your Family
In the words of Ellyn Satter, “Children want to eat. They can’t help it. They are in the business of growing up.” What determines if they develop a healthful and balanced relationship with food hinges on how we, as parents, relate to the food we provide.
So even though at some meals it can EASILY feel like your kids are in charge…you are the real GATEKEEPER!
It’s true. You get to decide which foods will come into the house, which foods will be on the table at meals and snacks, and how the food is going to be prepared.
They are in charge to a degree. They get the choice of which foods they want to eat on their plate and whether or not they want to eat it at all.
This division of responsibility (created by Ellyn Satter) is an absolutely proven method for the past 40 years. It is so solid that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association have embraced it with open arms.
What does this mean for you as a loving and caring parent? Essentially, your role is to designate set meal times through-out the day. Provide balance and variety in the food choices offered to your family. Provide a quiet and pleasant atmosphere to enjoy the meal. Then leave the rest up to your kids. End of story.
*no bribing your kids to try, to eat, or to taste anything on their plate
*no discussions about what is left or not left on the plate
*no rewarding children with desserts for skinned knees, eating all of their meal, etc.
*only offering water between set meal and snack times
*No more food battles, power struggles, guessing who is in charge of what
Of course when this new routine is implemented there will be resistance. Just like you might be feeling while reading this: “How is that going to work? I don’t know if I can do this?”
First thing to know, your child will not starve. No matter how picky they are, they will eventually eat. Usually by the next day because like I quoted before: “They can’t help it. They are in the business of growing up.”
1. Your child will trust his/her personal hunger cues
2. Grow predictably
3. Learn to try new foods all on their own, without your coersion
4. Have less risk of developing disordered eating patterns (ie emotional eating, eating disorders, using food as a coping mechanism)
5. Because of the autonomy to take care of such an natural, basic need, they will have increased levels of confidence that you will see transfer to many areas of their lives (such as self-esteem, learning competencies, social awareness).
Step 1 begins with setting the meal times and sticking to them regardless of what your day may look like, what errands needs to be run, what mood you or your family is in. A rule of thumb for meal times is eating breakfast within one hour of waking up, continuing to eat every 3-4 hours until bed-time. (If dinner is a 5 and your bedtime is at 9pm or later-then include a planned and healthful evening snack suck as a piece of fruit and low fat string cheese.)
In the words of Ellyn Satter, “Children want to eat. They can’t help it. They are in the business of growing up.” What determines if they develop a healthful and balanced relationship with food hinges on how we, as parents, relate to the food we provide.
So even though at some meals it can EASILY feel like your kids are in charge…you are the real GATEKEEPER!
It’s true. You get to decide which foods will come into the house, which foods will be on the table at meals and snacks, and how the food is going to be prepared.
They are in charge to a degree. They get the choice of which foods they want to eat on their plate and whether or not they want to eat it at all.
This division of responsibility (created by Ellyn Satter) is an absolutely proven method for the past 40 years. It is so solid that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association have embraced it with open arms.
What does this mean for you as a loving and caring parent? Essentially, your role is to designate set meal times through-out the day. Provide balance and variety in the food choices offered to your family. Provide a quiet and pleasant atmosphere to enjoy the meal. Then leave the rest up to your kids. End of story.
End of story =
*no bribing your kids to try, to eat, or to taste anything on their plate
*no discussions about what is left or not left on the plate
*no rewarding children with desserts for skinned knees, eating all of their meal, etc.
*only offering water between set meal and snack times
*No more food battles, power struggles, guessing who is in charge of what
Of course when this new routine is implemented there will be resistance. Just like you might be feeling while reading this: “How is that going to work? I don’t know if I can do this?”
First thing to know, your child will not starve. No matter how picky they are, they will eventually eat. Usually by the next day because like I quoted before: “They can’t help it. They are in the business of growing up.”
Benefits of a Positive Feeding Relationship:
1. Your child will trust his/her personal hunger cues
2. Grow predictably
3. Learn to try new foods all on their own, without your coersion
4. Have less risk of developing disordered eating patterns (ie emotional eating, eating disorders, using food as a coping mechanism)
5. Because of the autonomy to take care of such an natural, basic need, they will have increased levels of confidence that you will see transfer to many areas of their lives (such as self-esteem, learning competencies, social awareness).
Getting Started
Step 1 begins with setting the meal times and sticking to them regardless of what your day may look like, what errands needs to be run, what mood you or your family is in. A rule of thumb for meal times is eating breakfast within one hour of waking up, continuing to eat every 3-4 hours until bed-time. (If dinner is a 5 and your bedtime is at 9pm or later-then include a planned and healthful evening snack suck as a piece of fruit and low fat string cheese.)
Weekly Challenge: Identify your meal times (including snacks). Write them down. Post them up in a HIGHLY visible place. Aim to meet these meal times at least 3-4 times this week.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Feeding Your Family-New Series
Week1 Setting Expectations
Welcome back to the Creating Peace with Food blog. We are launching a new series this week called Feeding Your Family. Regardless of if you have little kids, big kids, a spouse who still acts like a kid, they are your family and it’s important to know how to feed them right!
We are going to go in-depth on several hot topics such as How to Raise Good Eaters-or Re-Raise Good Eaters at Any Age, Handling Picky Situations, What is Normal?!, Dinner Time Shuffles, and much more!
Our first topic…..Setting Expectations
Expectation 1:
Know Your Responsibility. Parents are responsible for the what, when, and where of feeding. Your child (NO MATTER the AGE) is responsible for the how much and whether of eating. (See Ellyn Satter’s article: Division of Responsibilites. We will discuss this in further detail soon. Until then check out this link.
Expectation 2:
Kids have about a 5-10 minute window where they are willing to sit down and eat a meal. So it’s important that you are able to enjoy these brief moments of stillness by being present with them at the table.
You can make this a reality by: Planning your meals ahead of time and have what you need for that meal available to you or your kids before sitting down (such as napkins, bibs, beverages, etc.). This will limit the number of times you have to leave the table for small trips back to the kitchen.
Expectation 3:
Food preferences vary and if you have toddlers this can vary from breakfast to lunch! It can take 8, 10, 15, or 20+ times of introducing a food before it may even be tasted. Be patient, have no fret, eventually the asparagus will get eaten.
Expectation 4:
Honor Your Mealtimes. Seems easy enough, but so often we feel rushed, anxious, and full of stress we forget to eat, skip it intentionally because of no time, or pass snacks to the kids while in the car. Occasionally yes, life happens. However on a daily basis, the consistent neglect of sitting down to eat a meal together is role modeling to our families that meals are not important, eating and enjoying our food is not important, our bodies and health are not important. This is a classic example of “Do what I say, not as I do.” Reverse this by designating set meal times through-out the day for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, & dinner. You may already be following a similar routine without knowing it!
Expectation 5:
Before you help another, you have to help yourself. Do you have a personal struggle with your relationship to food? Maybe it is skipping meals, avoiding certain foods, emotional eating, or finding time to prepare & plan healthful meals at home. Acknowledge your weaknesses and address them. A registered dietitian can help you overcome these issues so that you can lead your whole family to good health.
Weekly Challenge: Read Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibilities. Consider how you can apply these principles into your daily life. Post your insights, questions, concerns, & successes in the comment section. We love to hear from you!!!
Welcome back to the Creating Peace with Food blog. We are launching a new series this week called Feeding Your Family. Regardless of if you have little kids, big kids, a spouse who still acts like a kid, they are your family and it’s important to know how to feed them right!
We are going to go in-depth on several hot topics such as How to Raise Good Eaters-or Re-Raise Good Eaters at Any Age, Handling Picky Situations, What is Normal?!, Dinner Time Shuffles, and much more!
Our first topic…..Setting Expectations
Expectation 1:
Know Your Responsibility. Parents are responsible for the what, when, and where of feeding. Your child (NO MATTER the AGE) is responsible for the how much and whether of eating. (See Ellyn Satter’s article: Division of Responsibilites. We will discuss this in further detail soon. Until then check out this link.
Expectation 2:
Kids have about a 5-10 minute window where they are willing to sit down and eat a meal. So it’s important that you are able to enjoy these brief moments of stillness by being present with them at the table.
You can make this a reality by: Planning your meals ahead of time and have what you need for that meal available to you or your kids before sitting down (such as napkins, bibs, beverages, etc.). This will limit the number of times you have to leave the table for small trips back to the kitchen.
Expectation 3:
Food preferences vary and if you have toddlers this can vary from breakfast to lunch! It can take 8, 10, 15, or 20+ times of introducing a food before it may even be tasted. Be patient, have no fret, eventually the asparagus will get eaten.
Expectation 4:
Honor Your Mealtimes. Seems easy enough, but so often we feel rushed, anxious, and full of stress we forget to eat, skip it intentionally because of no time, or pass snacks to the kids while in the car. Occasionally yes, life happens. However on a daily basis, the consistent neglect of sitting down to eat a meal together is role modeling to our families that meals are not important, eating and enjoying our food is not important, our bodies and health are not important. This is a classic example of “Do what I say, not as I do.” Reverse this by designating set meal times through-out the day for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, & dinner. You may already be following a similar routine without knowing it!
Expectation 5:
Before you help another, you have to help yourself. Do you have a personal struggle with your relationship to food? Maybe it is skipping meals, avoiding certain foods, emotional eating, or finding time to prepare & plan healthful meals at home. Acknowledge your weaknesses and address them. A registered dietitian can help you overcome these issues so that you can lead your whole family to good health.
Weekly Challenge: Read Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibilities. Consider how you can apply these principles into your daily life. Post your insights, questions, concerns, & successes in the comment section. We love to hear from you!!!
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Only Way Around is Through
Week 4 of Emotional Eating Series
This is the final post in our Emotional Eating series. I hope you have been inspired to walk your own path towards overcoming EE once and for all. The last bit we are going to chat about is echoed in Robert Frost’s quote, “The only way around is through.”
This quote could not be more true when it comes to the task of creating peace with our food. It is so easy to grab our favorite comfort foods in those times of need to help make the bad feelings go away.
Does that really help us in the long run-emotionally or physically? Nope. And as you’ve been following each week you may have already experienced this first hand.
Feeling your emotions and allowing them to be felt is an important step in being able to let them go. Maybe this is why some people are afraid of therapy. I have been told by past clients that they felt the goal of their counselor was to make them cry!
Well, no one is trying to make you cry, not even your therapist. However, having to experience the uncomfortable feeling that comes up when you are internally battling with the question: “I really want to eat that but I’m not physically hungry” is inevitable. This is the “going through” part.
This is also where some of the alternative coping skills we talked about last week can come into play. Have you thought much about those new coping strategies this week? If not, that is okay, now is the time to do it.
Some guidelines for getting through that uncomfortable feeling (all contributed by past clients):
1. It will pass…keep telling yourself this one!
2. Pray about it.
3. Try talking it out with a friend, spouse, or the person who you may be frustrated with (if appropriate.)
4. Be zany-instead of acting out with food, act out by jumping up and down or do some other funky movement that will take you out of your element and force a smile-even if fleeting.
5. Journal about it
6. Check in with yourself: What am I expecting? What do I really need right now?
Do any of these strategies resonate with you? Do you have any ideas that would work better for you than what is listed? Weekly Challenge: Choose one or two to focus on this week as you continue your journey towards creating peace with food. ™
Even though this is the last post for a while focused on emotional eating, you are going to be able to walk away with new insights and determination as you continue to practice these skills. I encourage you to set 1-3 of your own weekly SMART goals, including finding ways to keep your goals in your R.A.S.! Good luck and “see” you next week as we begin a new series on Feeding Your Family.
This is the final post in our Emotional Eating series. I hope you have been inspired to walk your own path towards overcoming EE once and for all. The last bit we are going to chat about is echoed in Robert Frost’s quote, “The only way around is through.”
This quote could not be more true when it comes to the task of creating peace with our food. It is so easy to grab our favorite comfort foods in those times of need to help make the bad feelings go away.
Does that really help us in the long run-emotionally or physically? Nope. And as you’ve been following each week you may have already experienced this first hand.
Feeling your emotions and allowing them to be felt is an important step in being able to let them go. Maybe this is why some people are afraid of therapy. I have been told by past clients that they felt the goal of their counselor was to make them cry!
Well, no one is trying to make you cry, not even your therapist. However, having to experience the uncomfortable feeling that comes up when you are internally battling with the question: “I really want to eat that but I’m not physically hungry” is inevitable. This is the “going through” part.
This is also where some of the alternative coping skills we talked about last week can come into play. Have you thought much about those new coping strategies this week? If not, that is okay, now is the time to do it.
Some guidelines for getting through that uncomfortable feeling (all contributed by past clients):
1. It will pass…keep telling yourself this one!
2. Pray about it.
3. Try talking it out with a friend, spouse, or the person who you may be frustrated with (if appropriate.)
4. Be zany-instead of acting out with food, act out by jumping up and down or do some other funky movement that will take you out of your element and force a smile-even if fleeting.
5. Journal about it
6. Check in with yourself: What am I expecting? What do I really need right now?
Do any of these strategies resonate with you? Do you have any ideas that would work better for you than what is listed? Weekly Challenge: Choose one or two to focus on this week as you continue your journey towards creating peace with food. ™
Even though this is the last post for a while focused on emotional eating, you are going to be able to walk away with new insights and determination as you continue to practice these skills. I encourage you to set 1-3 of your own weekly SMART goals, including finding ways to keep your goals in your R.A.S.! Good luck and “see” you next week as we begin a new series on Feeding Your Family.
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