In Fall 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the My Pyramid for Preschoolers Website just for Preschoolers, children aged 2-5. The site encourages parents and caregivers to
Use MyPyramid to help your preschooler eat well, be active, and be healthy.
Customized MyPyramid for Your Preschooler
Visitors to the My Pyramid for Preschoolers Web site can “get a customized MyPyramid Plan for your preschooler” by entering the child’s first name, age, gender, and typical amount of daily activity. The site then generates a plan tailored to that child.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently revised recommendations for Vitamin D based in new information indicating that children need twice as much Vitamin D as originally thought.
In the new clinical report, “Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents,” published in the November issue of Pediatrics, it is recommended that all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life. The previous recommendation, issued in 2003, called for 200 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life.
The New Recommendations include:
Breastfed and partially breastfed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life.
All non-breastfed infants, as well as older children, who are consuming less than one quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk, should receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day.
Adolescents who do not obtain 400 IU of vitamin D per day through foods should receive a supplement containing that amount.
Children with increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications, may need higher doses of vitamin D.
Preventing Rickets and Osteomalacia
Sufficient amounts of Vitamin D helps prevent rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, a disease characterized by a failure of bone tissue to properly mineralize, resulting in soft bones and skeletal deformities. Rickets continues to be reported in the United States in infants and adolescents. The greatest risk for rickets is in exclusively breastfed infants, particularly among African American infants, who are not supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D a day.
In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, resulting in weak muscles and bones.
Vitamin D from the Sun
For many people, eating vitamin D-fortified foods and being exposed to sunlight are needed to maintaining a healthy vitamin D status.
Given enough sun exposure the body is able to make Vitamin D. However, the AAP advises keeping infants out of direct sunlight and having them wear protective clothing and sunscreen to protect against skin cancer.
This extensive use of sunscreens and placement of children in daycare programs, where they often have less outdoor activity and sun exposure has also contributed to less Vitamin D.
The general recommendations for sun exposure are three 15 minute intervals a week. It is difficult to determine a safe amount of sunlight exposure to synthesize vitamin D in a given individual.
Good Food Sources for Vitamin D
Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. The fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Vitamin D is also being added to Orange Juice.
Vitamin D Fortified Milk – Four cups daily to meet the requirement.
Cereals (fortified)
Oily fish – tuna, mackerel and sardines
Beef Liver
Cheese
Egg Yolks
Sources:
American Medical Association. October 14, 2008. New guidelines suggest children should get twice the daily dosage of vitamin D previously recommended. AMA Morning Rounds.
This week’s release of the report by Consumer Reports may have parents wondering what cereals they should be feeding their child/children. One way is to see what cereals are recommended by the WIC program.
WIC is a federally-funded health and nutrition program for women, infants, and children. WIC helps families by providing checks for buying healthy supplemental foods from WIC-authorized vendors, nutrition education, and help finding healthcare and other community services.
What makes a cereal a WIC Approved Cereal?
WIC-approved cereals are ones that are low in sugar and have a lot of nutrients, vitamins and minerals in them. Two of the vitamins included in many of the cereals:
Iron
Folic Acid
List of WIC Approved Cereals in California for Children
All of these cereal are low in sugar and high in nutrients like iron and folic acid. Any cereal specified on the food instrument Box or bags – 12 oz. package or larger except for brand Instant Oatmeal which may be an 11.8 or 12 oz. box General Mills
Cheerios (plain)
Kix (plain)
Kellogg’s
Corn Flakes (plain)
Frosted or Unfrosted Mini- Wheats (Big Bite or Bite Size)
B&G Foods
Cream of Wheat (1 minute, 2-1/2 Minute, 10 minute)
Post
Honey Bunches of Oats (Honey Roast)
Quaker
Life (plain)
Crunchy Corn Bran Store Brands (See list of authorized labels)
Crisp(y) Rice
Instant Oatmeal (Regular unflavored, in 11.8 oz or 12 oz. box of individual serving packets)
Cereals that Can not be Bought on WIC Programs
Brands or labels not specifically listed on WIC Authorized Food List and California Shopping Guide WIC Authorized Foods
Individual serving packets, except for store brand Instant Oatmeal – Packages smaller than 12 oz., except for store brand Instant Oatmeal
Honey (except for Honey Bunches of Oats, Honey Roast), frosted, cinnamon, or fruit flavored
Cereals with chocolate, fruit, nuts, marshmallows, or yogurt clusters/pieces
I like the Queen Latifah ads because the focus isn’t so much on the numbers as it is losing weight to get to a healthy weight.
I’ve lost 20 pounds and my cholesterol is down 20 points.
I joined Jenny Craig to learn hot to make healthier choices and I’ve never felt better.
According to Jenny Craig’s vice president of marketing Scott Parker “Queen Latifah joins forces with Jenny Craig to communicate the importance of how small lifestyle changes, in the areas of diet and exercise, can have positive effects on overall health.” These are the messages that need to be getting across to people.
In a separate section of the Jenny Craig site, Queen Latifah, her friends and family talk about what is working for them on their journey to an “ideal size.”
Tyra addresses rather effectively the unflattering bathing suit photos that were plastered across every tabloid and gossip website in 2007, claiming that she had gained 40 lbs.
In calculating Tyra’s BMI, at 5′10″ and 161 lbs, she ends up right in the healthy range with a BMI of 23.1
You can read an interview with her at People Magazine online.
Calculating BMI (Body Mass Index)
BMI Formula BMI = [ Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ] x 703
BMI = ( kg/m² ) (weight in pounds * 703 )
height in inches²
Metric BMI Formula
BMI = [ Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters ) x ( Height in Meters ) ]
BMI = ( kg/m² ) weight in kilograms
height in meters²
Results from a study released this week by Consumer Reports found that only four of the 27 cereals tested rank as “very good.” Those that were judged to be “very good” are Cheerios, Kix, Life and Honey Nut Cheerios.
The majority of the cereals (23 of the top 27 cereals marketed to children) reviewed were classified as “good” or “fair.”
Rice Krispies only ended up with a “fair” rating. Although low in sugar it is also low in fiber. Cocoa Puffs and Frosted Flakes ended up in the “good” category because they had some fiber (1 gm) and were a good source of iron. Fruit Loops ended up with a “fair” rating, with a low fiber amount and 12 grams of sugar.
Two childrens’ cereals Honey Smacks (15 gms) and Golden Crisp (14 gms) classified as “fair” are more than 50 percent sugar by weight; this is as much sugar per serving as a glazed donut from Dunkin’ Donuts. This amount of sugar is less than the amount of sugar in a serving of yogurt.
The Classifications
Very Good – Relatively low in sugars, with some fiber; high in iron and a good source of calcium.
Good – Room for improvement in sugars and/or figer; high in or a good source of iron.
Fair – Eat only occasionally; most have a lot of sugar and too little figer; most are high in or a good source of iron, but not calcium.
The Good Cereals
Cheerios topped the list with only 1 gram of sugar and 3 grams of fiber per serving.
Cheerios
Kix
Honey Nut Cheerios
Life (Quaker Oats)
These four cereals earned points for relatively lower sugar and higher dietary fiber, the two categories weighed as most important.
Cereal Not Just for Children Anymore
While sugary cereals are heavily marketed to children ($229 million advertising dollars per year) an estimated 58 percent of children’s cereals are consumed by those over 18 a strong indication that childrens cereals are not just for children anymore.
Watch Serving Sizes
Another issue when eating cereals is to watch the serving size. Most children and many adults serve themselves 50 to 65 percent more than the serving size on the package or have a second serving which ultimately increases the number of calories eaten.
One student several years ago in my nutrition course admitted to eating a very large bowl of cereal, one that would hold three to four servings.
Paid subscribers can view the entire list of cereals reviewed at the Consumer Reports Website or for free at My Fox Twin Cities.
On September 29, 2008 the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine released results from a study that had been conducted finding that “Dietary Supplements Glucosamine and/or Chondroitin Fare No Better than Placebo in Slowing Structural Damage of Knee Osteoarthritis.”
I thought that these findings are pretty interesting and timely considering that just last week my husband had been in to see the doctor, who recommended that he take Glucosamine for an old knee injury.
I had been advising him not to waste money on buying the supplements until we looked at what the research had to say about using the supplements.
In this new study rsearchers from the Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) team reported that the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, together or alone, appeared to fare no better than placebo in slowing loss of cartilage in osteoarthritis of the knee. Nine GAIT centers recruited patients for the study. Their results were published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
The study which was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health confirms other findings showing the supplements have few or no effects.
My husband’s injury has been primary a ligament injury/ligament strain, rather than a joint problem, so wouldn’t have been a candidate for using the supplements to start with.
According to The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, eight foods account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. The eight foods most likely to cause a food allergic reaction:
Milk
Egg
Peanut
Tree nuts (walnut, cashew, etc.)
Fish
Shellfish
Soy
Wheat
In adults, the foods that most often trigger allergic reactions include
* Fish and shellfish, such as shrimp, lobster and crab
* Peanuts
* Tree nuts, such as walnuts
* Eggs
Problem foods for children are eggs, milk (especially in infants and young children) and peanuts.
Food Allergy
Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body’s immune system. Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death. Tree nuts and peanuts are the leading causes of deadly allergic reactions called anaphylaxis.
Food Intolerance
Sometimes a reaction to food is not an allergy. It is often a reaction called food intolerance. Food intolerances are may look and feel a bit like a mild food allergy, but these symptoms are not caused by the immune system.
Visitors to the My Pyramid for Preschoolers Web site can “get a customized MyPyramid Plan for your preschooler” by entering the child’s first name, age, gender, and typical amount of daily activity. The site then generates a plan tailored to that child.You can raise a healthy eater by setting a good example and practicing positive habits.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently revised recommendations for Vitamin D based in new information indicating that children need twice as much Vitamin D as originally thought.
For many people, eating vitamin D-fortified foods and being exposed to sunlight are needed to maintaining a healthy vitamin D status.
Results from a study released this week by Consumer Reports found that only four of the 27 cereals tested rank as “very good.” Those that were judged to be “very good” are Cheerios, Kix, Life and Honey Nut Cheerios.
On September 29, 2008 the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine released results from 
