Archives for February 2010

The Pew Center on the States has given Maine a grade of "B" for its efforts to provide children with adequate dental care.  The policy advocacy group graded all fifty states on eight policy benchmarks it says have been proven to lead to better dental care for children.

The organization says Maine met five of the eight benchmarks, including access to fluoridated water and dental sealant programs, both of which have been proven to reduce cavaties, Pew says. The state is also doing well is encouraging early preventive care and tracking data on children's dental health.

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We've all heard the warnings: sugar is bad for kids, limit the sweets, buy healthy snacks......But let's face it - kids love sweets. And although I generally buy healthy snacks, I also tend to indulge their sweet tooth from time to time. So now I ask - are all sweets created equal? The answer is NO. Gummy Candies vs Ice Cream

Given a choice between gummy candies (or fruit snacks) and ice cream -the ice cream is the clear winner. Granted, it has bad stuff like fat and sugar but it also has protein from milk and possibly nuts.

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Parents, how healthy is your child? Fact: Today's children may be the first generation to die before their parents due to increased inactivity and poor nutrition.

Healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle should begin at birth. According to the US Today, about 60% of toddlers and preschoolers who are overweight or obese during their preschool years still weigh too much at age 12, setting them on a path toward adult obesity and its attendant health problems.  Does your child go to school where he or she spends all day sitting in class and then comes home and spends four to six hours watching television or playing video games, with the only body part getting any exercise being the fingers that push the remote or press the game controller? Our society has become very sedentary, and television, computer and video games contribute to children's inactive lifestyles. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 32% of all American children carry more pounds then they should. This means that one in three American kids is overweight. These extra pounds lead to conditions such as diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, gall stones, joint breakdown, and hypertension - all of which are usually associated with people in their 40s or higher. Other health problems that your child may have to look forward to is high cholesterol and blood pressure, sleep apnea, border line diabetes, and/or obesity.  Parents: This is your wake-up call! One of the best strategies to combat excess weight in your child is to improve the diet and exercise levels of your entire family, because let's face it, you are steering the wheel towards activity or inactivity. My hope here is to provide you with some ideas to help engage your child and family in exercise and proper nutrition.

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If you have a pool in your home, then it should be a place of enjoyment and relaxation. However, the pool can be a danger zone and can turn an enjoyable moment into a nightmare. Swimming pool safety is important to have a pleasurable time in your pool. It is a responsible step that you make sure your pool is used safely and that there are no hazards that could cause injury or death.

Children age four and under have a higher risk of drowning compared to any other age group. Every year, about 300 children in this age bracket drown in swimming pools at home. Even kids age 14 and under can be victims of unsecured pools at home. In 2002, almost 2,700 kids experienced drowning related incidents. To prevent this incident from happening in your own pool, you need to consider pool safety procedures to ensure that your swimming pool does not present any danger.

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Peer pressure can make even the most veggie-phobic, inactive children adopt a healthier lifestyle, sayorganizers of a Greater Victoria program that enlists kids to motivate other kids."If they see their friends eating more healthily they will try to eat more healthily," said Brenda Bella, teacher and out-of-school care manager at St. Andrew's School, adding, "Students can make each other want to do active things."

Bella was speaking at yesterday's kickoff of the fifth annual Eat Well Get Moving! program. It's an initiative of the Vancouver Island Health Authority, municipal recreation departments and participating schools in response to the growing problem of childhood obesity.

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The trouble with a healthy diet for kids is, unless you are already eating healthy yourself, it's more effort for you to provide. Because the same foods that make up a healthy diet for adults can be for kids, too. A little friend of my daughter recently had a dance recital we attended. I was horrified to see how many overweight kids there were. When I was in school (many years ago!), there were so few children that were overweight. What's happened?

Yes, in no small part, I do believe it's due to a lack of a healthy diet for kids. I know, I know, we all ate a lot of sugar and food coloring, etc, when we were kids. But the planet was a cleaner, healthier place back then. Water, air, pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones/antibiotics in meat, well, it all contributes to a toxic sludge that is over what the body can easily flush out on its own.

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