Sesame Street

I recently visited the set of Sesame Street and met cookie monster! Enjoy this video with your children and then learn more about healthy eating at chrissare4kids.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

So most of you have made your New Year’s resolution to lose weight and become more fit. Now what? Where to start? You can make your lifestyle change easy by eating more super foods! What are the super foods? They are foods with more nutrients. To show you how easy it is to include them, check out my children’s and family site chrissare4kids.com. You and your family will learn together just how important super foods can be for weight management and and how much healthier you will feel.

Some favorite super foods
Turkey
Spinach
Wild salmon
Tomatoes
Blueberries
Kiwi
Pumpkin
Broccoli
Beans
Oatmeal
Oranges

TO YOUR OPTIMUM HEALTH IN 2010 AND MANY YEARS TO COME!

OATMEAL & SUPERFOODS

Even during the hectic holiday season, you need to make time for your health. Start each day with a healthy breakfast, and eat highly nutritious superfoods every day.

SENSATIONAL BREAKFAST
Here’s a fabulous breakfast that will keep you satisfied until lunch.
Prepare one serving of McCann’s Steel-Cut Irish Oatmeal as the package indicates, adding:
A dash of cinnamon (This helps keep your blood glucose levels even throughout the day, and is great for diabetics)
1 tablespoon of wheat germ (full of antioxidants and Vitamin E)
Top with:
A handful of walnuts (full of Omega 3s)
¼ cup of blueberries (a superfood highest in antioxidants and provides fiber and vitamins)

This is naturally sweet, but you can sweeten with sugar substitute if you wish. You just need a small serving to derive the benefits of all the nutrients.

TOP SUPERFOODS TO EAT DAILY
SPINACH—The dark leafy green has an exceptional nutrient profile, including Vitamin C, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, magnesium and zinc. It has three key carotenoids—beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.

BLUEBERRIES—This tiny treat scores at the top of the antioxidant chart. Its powerful antioxidants help prevent cell damage, and thus help protect against heart disease, cancer and possibly mental decline. Blueberries also have fiber, Vitamins C and E and potassium.

SALMON—Wild salmon is a top source of Omega 3 fatty acids and protein. It also has B vitamins, potassium and selenium.

KIWI--This superfood can help prevent heart disease and protect your eyesight. With Vitamins C and E, it helps keep your immune system strong, which is vital with so many viruses going around. It also provides potassium, magnesium and lutein.

To get through the holidays, I remember these simple lifestyle changes to keep me healthy and satisfied. For more practical advice geared to the holidays, see “Lose Weight and Improve Your Mood” and “De-Stressing Tips,” both in my Family Nutrition section.

One more motivator: Have your lab work done in 30 days or so and see if your cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels have changed for the better. It’s a great incentive to get you through the holidays!

Be well. Happy, healthy holidays to you and your families!

BEACH BODY COUNTDOWN: PROTEIN POWER

Here's the key to weight-loss success: Eat some protein at every meal. This helps tide you over until your next meal if you get hungry. You don't need a steak or something heavy at every feeding. A small piece of turkey or chicken breast, an egg or some cottage cheese is fine.

Nuts are another snack that increases satiety. Just a handful between meals will decrease your appetite.

Eating protein throughout the day, such as a tablespoon of almond or peanut butter, some yogurt or soynuts, all keep your blood sugar levels stabilized.

Remember to eat your carbs when you are most active (carbs are fuel for your body) and to eat three well- balanced meals each day.

PARENTS MAKE SURE YOUR CHILDREN GET YOUR OMEGA 3S BY EATING THE FOLLOWING FOODS DAILY

Omega 3s, a special kind of polyunsaturated fat, is important for children as well as for adults. Since they are found only in a limited number of foods, especially cold-water fish, parents need to make a special effort to ensure their children get this crucial nutrient.

Researchers continue to find that two Omega 3s, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA), may have major health benefits for children. For example, one recent study found that eating foods rich in DHA fatty acids may help protect high-risk children from developing type 1 diabetes. Other studies suggest that DHA and AHA, when added to infant formula, aid the development of the brain and improve eyesight.

Babies get omega 3s naturally from breast milk, which is the recommended nutrition for infants. But when babies need to be fed formula, look for a major brand that includes these omega 3s.

For toddlers, fish is by far the richest natural source of omega-3 fatty acids, but with all the worries about mercury contamination, children are eating less fish than ever. Help your child learn to enjoy seafood such as salmon, shrimp, canned light (not white) tuna and pollock, which all contain omega 3s and have the lowest levels of mercury.

For babies, you can puree a mild fish with a higher omega-3 variety like salmon, mixing it with steamed veggies and grated cheese. For toddlers and preschoolers, try salmon kabobs and tiny salmon patties. Also look for foods fortified with DHA; the version added to food is made from algae or purified fish oil.

One fish to stay away from is tilapia. It is high in mega 6, a fatty acid we generally get too much of and which can have unhealthy effects in disproportionate amounts.

REV UP YOUR ENERGY, BODY AND BRAIN WITH POTATOES!

The potato is a great fitness food for kids and adults, providing long-lasting energy, vitamins, minerals and fiber. The potato has some iron and its high Vitamin C content promotes iron absorption. It is also high in vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and it contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. Potatoes also provide antioxidants, which may play a part in preventing diseases related to aging.

Sweet potatoes, which botanically aren't related to white potatoes, also have a lot of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. I bake sweet potatoes ahead of time and have one for preworkout fuel or a snack during the day. They are easy to carry in a food container or to keep handy in the refrigerator for times when the kids need refueling.

Potatoes not only help control blood sugar, but improve mood by boosting levels of serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter that aids mood and behavior. A hearty potato can also help fill you up, providing appetite control for later in the day.

You can bake, boil, steam or microwave potatoes, cut them into bite-size pieces and then add some herbs and little olive or canola oil for a tasty side dish or snack. Use fresh potatoes. Instant mashed potatoes don’t provide the same long-lasting energy.

EAT CHOCOLATE!

Surprise—chocolate can be good for you. But it needs to be a certain kind of chocolate – dark chocolate (not milk chocolate) that is non-alkalized or only lightly alkalized (dutch or dutched chocolate). Cocoa beans, from which chocolate and cocoa are made, are loaded with flavanols, powerful antioxidants that protect the body from dangerous molecules and thus aid in cardiovascular health. A recent study put dark chocolate at the top of the list for antioxidant power. Milk chocolate isn’t on the list because milk mitigates the effectiveness of the polyphenols.

Savor some dark chocolate every day. You can have about 100 calories of chocolate daily if you are active. Choose carefully, selecting darker chocolate with at least 40 percent cocoa bean or cacao content, notes the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Keep your portion small, since dark chocolate is still candy, with sugar, fats and calories. To enjoy the flavor fully, let the dark chocolate melt in your mouth at first, and then chew it slowly.

For a double treat, try dark-chocolate covered strawberries. Make your chocolate go farther by dipping only the bottom half of the strawberry in the melted chocolate. You get the nutrition benefits of dark chocolate as well as the antioxidant power of strawberries, which are also on the top antioxidants list.

For great health, eat a variety of foods, focusing on the superfoods that provide multiple nutrition benefits. Dark chocolate and strawberries are both on the list.