Healthy and hydrated! Must have recipes for summer

The summer of 2012 is sneaking up on my household quickly. With the first official summer break since I was in school, ahem over 15 years ago, I am looking forward to the freedom from packing lunches and shuffling schedules. I have had many parents ask me about what children should drink and eat in the summer when they may get away from their school day routines. There are three tips that I suggest keeping your kids hydrated, healthy and strong in the summer.

Staying hydrated is most important in soaring temperatures. Most kids need 6-8 cups of fluid per day. If they are active more than 45 minutes then a drink other than water is a good way to replenish some of the electrolytes and other losses. Most parents are confused when they look at the packaged drinks aisle. A question that comes to mind is whether to include Sports drinks or energy drinks in their child’s diet. Most children do not need to be stimulated by caffeine and other chemicals that you find in energy drinks nor the high amounts of sugar and chemicals you may find in sports drinks. There are four alternatives to sports drinks that I recommend. The first drink is Coconut water (who knew that this nature given fruit could provide such an amazing way to replenish electrolytes!). The second recommendation is to  make your own sports drink with 50% juice and 50% water with a pinch of salt (really that is all that is needed 1/16 of a teaspoon to replenish the amount of salt a child would normally lose during exertion). For older kids consider 2 pinches of salt. Thirdly, thinly slice up 1 medium cucumber and add it to iced water. One last idea is a spruced up citrus drink: ½ cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 4 cups of water.

How about a healthy snack? Keeping fruits and vegetables stocked in the refrigerator is a great alternative to packaged snacks that are high in sugar and salt. A quick and fun recipe that I like to provide my kids in the heat is a fruit sorbet. It sounds fancy but secretly it is so easy which I love.  There are two ways to make the fruit sorbet and I have included both ideas below.

Take 1 pound of frozen fruit, ½-3/4 cup water, 1/8 teaspoon xanthum gum and 1 tablespoon of honey. Blend up all of you ingredients in a food processor or if you have a really good blender. The xanthum gum is a thickener that although it is a little bit pricey ($10 for a bag which I found at Whole Foods) it is versatile and lasts awhile.

Another option to xanthum gum is to mix the one pound of frozen fruit with ½ cup plain yogurt (which would add protein), only 1-2 tablespoons water or lemon juice, and honey to sweeten.

Depending on the fruit you may need to add more sweeteners. Peaches seemed to be the sweetest and some of the berries were pretty tart. Adding a ripe banana will also help to thicken up the sorbet without the xanthum gum.

Last but not least….Keep moving! Some activities like swimming, basketball, indoor ice skating, bowling and other indoor games are a good way to keep the activity going in the hot days of summer.  Don’t forget about staying hydrated and eating healthy to keep that energy level up. Have a great start to the summer!

To reach a nutrition expert: Brandi@abcdeatright.com

To learn about new products for parents and schools: www.OnANutritionMission.com

Join the conversation and learn new tips about eating healthy and staying active: www.abcdeatright.blogspot.com

Keep Calm And...

Day 8 of Health Activists Writers Challenge

is to create a Keep Calm poster.

So much fun! Take a look.

http://bit.ly/IqCenZ

Cooking with kids- Health and safety in the kitchen

This week I teach a class for parents and kids concerning cooking with kids. I love to bring my kids into the kitchen with me so they can try new things and have new experiences. I often find myself getting frustrated with the mess and their whimsical ways in the kitchen. So lately I have been thinking about how I can make it more fun in the kitchen.

I decided that I would divide my kids up (Jackson- age 5) and Olivia (age 2) into stations. After granting each one a special name as Sir and Madame Sous Chef I send them on their way of small, defined tasks. I also decided that I needed to have them help lead the way a little bit more. By asking them what was the next ingredient or by allowing them to make the next step they seemed more excited about cooking and the end product.

While doing research about cooking with kids I ran across a fun article written in the Vancouver Sun  that listed the top 10 kids cookbooks. I really liked the list and wanted to share the article with you. Click here to see the article. I think my favorite cookbook that was listed was Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes by Felicity Dahl! I will have to invest in this one soon.

For other fun and interesting activities visit: Nourish Interactive. This educational and fun website is a great place to go when you need more nutrition education that is fun for kids.

If you are in South Florida this Friday make sure and stop by the School House Museum for the Munch and Move series on Cooking with Kids. We are going to read a book about cooking in the kitchen, sort through healthy and not so healthy food choices, make our own pizza dough and chef hats and then of course make a healthy snack (this week it is a fruit pizza) !

Visit our website for more fun activities: www.ABCDEatRight.com

Healthy kids cooking in the kitch

How can cooking in the kitchen help kids become healthy? Most parents shutter at the idea of having the little one in tow as they hectically prepare for a meal. The kitchen can be a dangerous place for kids but as long as safety is the first rule at hand, everyone can have fun and learn at the same time.

We have general rules in our kitchen which were set up for safety. For instance the knives are stored in the cabinet and not in a drawer or on the counter top, they must stand at least 2 feet back when I open the oven door and they have to have their listening ears on at all times when they are helping us.

The joys of listening to our daughter laugh when she helps daddy crack eggs for breakfast or when our son counts off vegetables outweighs the massive mess!

Today I look forward to the kids helping me make a special Tres Leches birthday cake for my husband. I know they will have fun making the cake and learning about how to be safe in the kitchen as well as all the valuable measuring, reading, counting and comparing lessons they will learn are priceless!

What will you cook with your kids today?

We are halfway through March this week and we are celebrating with a visual snack attack of rainbows for your child's plate. If you do not have our newsletter make sure and sign up at www.ABCDEatRight.com

And we are looking to go over 1500 likes on our Facebook page! Click here to help us out!  

The state of our school breakfast and healthy kids

This morning I had the pleasure of visiting my son's elementary school during breakfast time. I went in having only a description of what to expect from the guidance counselor. It was hectic but well organized. The cafeteria workers were efficient and friendly and very helpful. Today the children had the choice of scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, strawberry muffin, applesauce or banana, and juice or milk. Breakfast is free for all of the kids. From observing the kids most chose the eggs and ate at least 75% of their meals. The children were very receptive when I walked around to discuss the importance of  breakfast. They told me what their favorite breakfast food was and I pointed out how it benefit them during the day. They were very polite and interested. This elementary school serves on average of 300 children every morning. In a school that has 900 students I thought this was pretty good.

As a nation the US serves 7 million school breakfast every day compared to 27 million school lunches. About 72,000 schools nationwide offer free breakfast at school.

There are a multitude of reasons as to why more children do not participate in school breakfast. The important thing to take away during this National Nutrition Month is that kids should be getting some sort of meal in the morning to keep them fueled up until lunch time.A meal that consists of whole grains (whole wheat toast, oatmeal or cereal), a protein source (such as milk or eggs), and a fruit source (100% juice or banana)

 Studies have shown that kids that eat breakfast perform better in school, have less behaviour problems and have more energy for physical activity.

I encourage all parents to consider their morning routine. And to remember that not only is breakfast the most important meal of the day but it is also a great place for a child to fuel up on whole grains, calcium, vitamin D and potassium, that they may miss out on throughout the day.

Do  you need a Registered Dietitian ? Contact us at www.ABCDEatRight.com

or sign up for our weekly e-newletter!

Healthy kids Challenge- Forget about New Year Resolutions!

Did you make any healthy kid or healthy family resolutions this year? How are those resolutions working out? Well it a new month so maybe it is time to refocus a little bit. Let's call it Nutrition resolutions and focus on our wellness and activity. Each day of March is a new day to try a new food, learn a new health tip, walk a little further and maybe even explore a new place.

Here is a list of 7 suggested changes for this upcoming first week of March. Use it as a sort of checklist and try each one out. Think fun...think healthy family...think focus :) . It's a new month and remember, anything can change and happen for the better health of your family.


Monday: Eat Breakfast! It is National Breakfast week and breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Tuesday: Stretch for 5 minutes before you leave the house. Take this break to reflect on the important events of the week. 
Wednesday:  Try a beet today. Seriously, did you know that beets have incredible anti-inflammatory benefits for the body? Boil them, bake them or roast them. Top with a small amount of olive oil and sea salt. You can also mash them in to potatoes and make pink potatoes! The kids will love it.
Thursday: Do 10 jumping jacks and 10 push ups before you shower. Just a little reminder about how you can squeeze a quick workout in a small amount of time. My son Jackson loves to do jumping jacks so involve the kids they will think it is fun.
Friday: Go for a family walk to wind down from the week. When you return make sure and drink water to stay hydrated.
Saturday: When you grocery shop let your child pick out a new food. Preferably a new fruit or vegetable to try.
Sunday: Enjoy a family dinner! Have the kids help prepare the food, wash the vegetables or set the table. You can even include some of those new foods they picked out yesterday at the grocery store. If you need new recipe ideas and more planning strategies order our Take Out Recipes- Healthy Kids Edition to get you on the right track! Click here to check it out.


This week we launch a new series of snacks through kids eyes! We wanted to visually express nutrition this month and show schools and parents easy and healthy snack ideas. If you do not have our newsletter visit our website: www.ABCDEatRight.com .

Eating disorders and nutrition for kids

Nutrition for kids is a huge topic. It carries us from breastfeeding babies to childhood obesity, food allergies, chronic diseases, failure to thrive and eating disorders. The week of February 26- March 3 is recognized as National Eating Disorder week in our country. It is a time to bring recognition to a disease that is prevalent in our thriving country.

The statistics for children aged 8-15 years old is relatively low- approximately 0.1% of children are considered to have an eating disorder. Females are more likely to have an eating disorder but there are many males that also fight the disorder.

An eating disorder is defined by extreme change in eating habits. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorders.

The good news is that eating disorders are treatable with the help of psychotherapy, nutrition counseling and medical care and monitoring.

If you think a child might have an eating disorder it is important to seek professional advice and intervention. Discuss the situation with your pediatrician who can then refer you to the proper channels of mental health and nutritional counseling.

Don't forget to sign up for our free weekly newsletter at www.ABCDEatRight.com .We will continue the ABC's of Nutrition series until March where we will have visual surprises for you in our kid, parent and teacher friendly newsletter!