So if our kids are getting a healthier six to eight school hours, then the problem must be what happens either before school-breakfast at home, after school and the weekends. How many extra calories are the kids consuming from breakfast until they go to sleep at night? And how many calories are they burning off? Are we as parents now again the responsible party? Can we as parents make good dietary choices for our children? Can we as parents design their preschool, afterschool and weekend time to include enough exercise time? Well my friends, the answer to all of these questions is –Yes, yes and yes! It is not only our responsibility and obligation, but it is our mandated debt to our children and our children’s children.

What can we do? Well, we can make sure our kids start the day off with a healthy breakfast-whether served in school or at home. Eggs, whole grain breakfast cereal, low fat dairy, fruit, zero percent fat Greek yogurt are just some of the possibilities. Recipe.com has over 1215 delicious and easy recipes listed under “healthy breakfast” which are worth checking out. In fact they have an entire section on “Healthy Cooking” which is terrific-and you can also find great healthy afterschool and weekend snack and meal recipes. How about going out to eat? According to most research, we always eat more than we should when we go out to eat. So be careful with ordering. Sharing is a good way to cut portion sizes. Take the bread basket off the table and replace it with a vegetable basket. That will eliminate many extra carb and fat calories. Kids love the crunchy fresh veggies, especially with an olive oil base dipping sauce. Order salads without salad dressing-and order several different salad dressings for the table for the kids to try. Look for the more natural, non preservative laden dressings. Never pour dressings on the salads-always have your kids dip into the individual dressings-allowing them to have less dressing (less fat, sugar and salt) and just the taste. No double dipping so get individual portions. Watch out for pasta dishes. Order whole grains when available-but remember pasta, whether whole grain or refined, is a carbohydrate-so watch those portion sizes. Be careful with added cheese and meat toppings.  Besides pasta, make sure a protein dish is ordered-preferably lean meat, chicken or a fish dish. Breading adds more extra carb calories. And never order sugar drinks. Water is a wonderful thirst (and taste) quencher. If ordering dessert-split one portion among all takers. At fast food restaurants, remove half of the bun (roll, bread, wrap, etc.) on all sandwiches. Take advantage of the lettuce, tomatoes and peppers when available. As for the fries, a delicate subject when it comes to the potato-order them without the added salt and certainly divide them up. Remember portion size!!!!

Well that’s just some suggestions. On the weekends, add plenty of physical activity and movement. With a rain or snow issue-cut back on the calories and go with indoor fitness. Now there will be those moments-you know like the birthday parties. Cake and ice cream-added to the dietary schedule. We have to deal with those occasions. It would be great if your kids only ate a few bites but that’s not going to happen most of the time. Modify and adapt-be careful with the usual carbohydrates and sugars on the birthdays or holidays. And add extra exercise to burn off those added calories.

You see my friend’s, there is NO easy answer to nutrition and fitness. But it is easy to remember that calories consumed and calories burned off are the basis for weight management. If we can keep this simple equation in our thoughts, we will be more successful in managing our children’s fitness and nutrition. Stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way.

Please check out the following sites:

1. www.recipe.com
2. www.letsmove.gov
3. www.fitness.gov

I remember reading stories about subliminal advertising in the movie theaters. Subliminal means anything that is below an individual’s ability to consciously perceive-you could not see it with your eyes, but your brain would see it and it would make you hungry. I am not certain of the validity but I grew up believing this. It seems that some theater owners would put pictures of pop corn, candy and drinks in between the clips of the movie so that as you watched, you would become hungry and thirsty. True or some made up story? Either way I used to get very hungry going to the movies. Much less now. And with the prices of theater goodies approaching a mortgage payment, that’s a good thing! But today’s TV advertising is not below the radar of our perception-Its in our faces!

Now as usual, some research info-startling statistics from Norman Herr, Ph.D., Professor of Science Education at the California State University, Northridge, TV-Free America and A.C. Nielsen Co.:

1. Number of 30-second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
2. Number of TV commercials seen by the average person by age 65: 2 million
3. Rank of food products/fast-food restaurants among TV advertisements to kids: 1
4. Total spending by 100 leading TV advertisers in 1993: $15 billion
5. Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
6. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.

Getting back to my original problem, the late night munchies. So I sit and watch those commercials: insurance promoting geckos, anti-depression drugs, bank ads giving ice cream to kids, and food. And more food. What can we do? Well, I guess switching to a Pay for TV station which eliminates advertising is one thought. Turning off the television and reading or exercising is another. Even exercise during the commercial breaks. But if you exercised earlier in the day and did your reading-what else can you do? Buy the DVD’s of each series-hey that’s interesting-but a costly option. How about-just eat healthy snacks-that’s a no brainer! Stock up on fruits, nuts, and veggies and get rid of the high caloric, highly sweetened stuff hiding in your cabinets. Come on, you know, the chips, the doodles, the candy, the ice cream-it’s all there. Now I know you are all saying, “but Graehm, nuts and celery sticks ain’t gonna cut it.” So my response is, we all need to learn how to eat and snack healthy! Overeating anything, even healthy items will load on the calories just like eating a bag of chips or a carton of ice cream. So not only should the snacking be healthy, convincing our brains that we are just not that hungry is another issue. It’s a behavioral problem. Mind over matter. And this is where the “matter” in the form of food TV commercials have their influence. Would we watch as much television without the food commercials? Yes! So maybe we, and I am speaking for all of those that are highly influenced by the eating and drinking that is displayed on the commercials, need to walk out of the room when the ad starts and return when the episode restarts. Maybe the future of television will be such that we can have a button on the remote, to accept or reject the type of advertising we are willing to watch. Wait a minute-the future is here-it’s-TIVO!!! Fast forward thru the commercials. So what are you waiting for?

Here is a brief list of what you should have in your food locker for those snacking urges:

1. Walnuts (if no nut allergies)
2. Unsalted Cashews (if no nut allergies)
3. Unsalted and roasted Sunflower Seeds (if no nut allergies)
4. Unsalted and roasted Pumpkin Seeds (if no nut allergies)
5. Unsalted Pistachios (if no nut allergies)
6. Dried fruits (Cherries, cranberries, raisons, blueberries, pineapple, apple)
7. Greek yogurt-Zero (0%) percent fat
8. Fresh fruits and berries
9. 100 Calorie frozen natural ingredient popsicles
10. Peanut butter (or any type of nut butter)-prefer natural or without preservatives and NO TRANS FAT
11. 100 calorie natural snacks-no preservatives
12. Thin sliced chicken or deli meats-prefer no preservatives and low sodium
13. Thin sliced cheeses- prefer low fat varieties
14. Farmers cheese

Bottom line-load up on the healthy snacks. Get rid of the salty, artificially sweetened, and high caloric foods. Moderation is the key, and you have to have a supply of these healthy ingredients to match.

My friends you need to be strong. You can be stronger than the commercials. You can conquer those urges. Stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way.

Please check out the following link: http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html

So I begin my new season with another issue that has caught many by surprise as we all go back to school-there is a new push to eliminate “unstructured” playtime-also called recess and morph it into structured time-like physical exercise (PE).  The reason-from the “more exercise time will help stop childhood obesity” side-is just that. These advocates feel that our children need to burn off more calories in a structured exercise program to balance the calories/food being consumed. There is a good point there-balance. Remember as I have said in many articles, the calories-as food that are consumed must be balanced by the calories burned-as exercise. When there is an imbalance-such as more food consumed and less exercise, the result is a weight gain. Of course, to show you the other side-when the pendulum swings the other way, more exercise and less food, the result is weight loss. But we all should understand what “structured” means. Most sources will say that the word “structured” in this context means having a clearly defined arrangement or organization; composed of parts or elements. So when you think of “structured” activities, you may think of those that have some set of rules or goals. Organized sports like football, baseball, tennis and karate may be some examples. Other’s like “Mother May I,” and “Tag,” also represent activities that have a structure. Chess, Tic Tac Toe and assembling a puzzle are also non exercise/fitness structured activities. Okay-so that’s structured-what’s “unstructured”? Well, think of any activity without organization, without a definite set of rules. Ahhhhh-that sounds like creative time. Yep-you are correct. Unstructured time also called recess or play time is meant to stimulate a child-to allow him or her to think of things to do like creating artwork or playing with dolls (or miniature army men). Unstructured time is designed to push the creative aspects of a child. It may include a fitness related activity as well-but it also includes a cerebral (right brain, left brain stuff) component.

So here is the dilemma. Physical activity is very important for everyone. Our children need fitness related activities not only to balance the calories consumed but also to help them develop their muscles and coordination. But should we on the other hand limit the creative energies of our children by eliminating recess? Or can we and should we have both! Having come from a generation that had recess, I remember many times making up games (many of them have come to the computer market-Wii, PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.). I remember most of the boys running around the playground. I also remember kids that didn’t run around-and sat and talked or did some form of art or played games. But they had a choice. Maybe the answer is to “structure”  the days school schedule so that both creative and fitness activities are  planned. Maybe we can make the day a bit longer and eliminate most of the homework-hey that’s a novel idea! I think that there is too much classroom work sent home anyway! Let’s not make walking to the cafeteria, bathroom or class room the only daily fitness activity a child has. And let’s not eliminate art, dance and music from our children’s learning platform either. Our children need these knowledge forms to stimulate their young minds.

Let’s face it, there is plenty of time in the school day to give the child a well rounded education-both intellectual and physical. It’s a matter of organization and how you can structure it!

My friend’s, stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way!

So my friends, what’s next? I decided to stretch the limits of my imagination with the following clothing suggestions-ones that I will imagine will show up one of these days:

1. Exercise clothing that will exercise the body without my moving from my office chair. I love to exercise but many friends would rather have the easy way out-a pill or clothes that do it for you. Just think-you could be watching your favorite “NCIS” episode, shopping in the mall, relaxing in your favorite chair and your body is going through a work out! How cool is that!
2. Disposable medical clothing-put it on and it will track your blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature. That’s getting close to the “Tri-corder” that Dr. McCoy used on Star Trek!
3. Disposable diapers that track temperature and can give an analysis of the urine and BM for babies and a vitamin and nutrient analysis.
4. A nutritional analysis shirt that tells you exactly how much of every nutrient you should consume that day and alert you by glowing or some wild color if you don’t meet all of the standard daily requirements. Also it will glow if you eat more of one nutritional component, like carbohydrates, fat or even ice cream. Can you imagine!

There are so many more smart clothing ideas out there. Fabrics with sensors and computer chips are just the beginning. It seems that we are on the frontier of fashion technology. As we all scramble to find ways to eat healthier and exercise more, and a way to fight the epidemic of obesity (childhood and adult), the clothing industry has decided to become our partners in this quest. Now apart from making a fashion statement by what you wear, you will be able to get in touch with your inner self as well! Just make sure that you want other people to see your inner self before wearing these smart clothes in public!

My friends, stay fit and healthy, The New Nerdel Way!

It has been reported that kids see almost 40,000 ads a year-maybe more with radio. Are you surprised to hear that the more time a child spends in front of the television set-the higher his or her risk of becoming obese is? You shouldn’t be. That’s data from 1985-over 25 years ago (W. Dietz and S. Gortmaker). Multiple studies (NHANES, CDC, Framingham, etc.) since then have confirmed that the highest BMI’s, the most body fat and the least amount of playtime (exercise time) were recorded in kids that watched over two hours of television a day.

Zooming back from 1985 to today! A recent study published in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics has demonstrated that when kindergarten children were given a multi media experience: Popeye cartoons, tasting parties and cooking classes, their vegetable consumption increased.

Let’s put this all together: kids watch lot’s of television. Despite all of the warnings and advice from noted organizations, it doesn’t appear that TV time will stop. In addition, they sit, working on their computers for school and entertainment. And with our techno oriented culture, the computer time will increase instead of decrease. We know, by documented scientific research, that kids are highly influenced by what they see, hear and read. And we know, also by scientific evidence, that with positive influences, they can increase their consumption of healthy foods, like vegetables. So what are we waiting for? We need more positive role models, that bring a positive message about the benefits of eating healthy and exercising. We can target kids at an early, impressionable age. Let’s find characters (like Nerdel) that bring this positive message directly to the kids. Let’s get celebrities (both sports, TV and Movie), that kids already see and know to become part of this push for a healthier lifestyle. 

Now wait a minute-I know all of you anti-TV critics will send me letters saying I am too soft on “TV Time,” so I want to explain my position. Yes, I feel that kids in general spend way too much time sitting in front of the small screen. Their time is not properly balanced by exercise/fitness time. This unequal balance of energy taken in (in the form of calories consumed) compared to that being burned off, leads to the weight gain. If kids spent as much time exercising as they do watching TV, we would not have this obesity epidemic. Yes, there needs to be family time and family dinners without the distraction of television. But I do believe that TV is here to stay-and kids, like adults derive much enjoyment, entertainment and education from this incredible modality. Modify the amount of time its being used- maybe an alternative. Use the modality for nutritional and fitness education for our children-this is a no brainer. 

Let’s face facts-Most of us love television. We are the small screen generation. And our kids love it too! Let’s get  the right programming, the right role models and the right messages. It’s our job as parents to supply the right foods at home and balance the sitting and moving. It’s up to the schools to balance the nutritional meals and snacks with fitness time.

My friends, this is not brain surgery, it’s a dose of reality! Do we need a “Nutrition” and “Fitness” chip in our TV’s? Maybe! 

Stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way!

The following sources were used in preparation of this article-please check them out!:

1. Effects of Fast Food Branding on Young Children’s Taste Preferences, Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH; Dina L. Borzekowski, EdD, Donna M. Matheson, PhD,  Helena C. Kraemer, PhD, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 2007; 161 (8): 792-797.               
2. Chutima Sirikulchayanonta, Kingkarn Iedsee, Poonsook Shuaytong, Suwat Srisorrachatr. Using food experience, multimedia and role models for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in Bangkok kindergarten children. Nutrition & Dietetics, 2010; 67 (2): 97 DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2010.01426.x
3. Do We Fatten Our Children at the Television Set? Obesity and Television Viewing in Children and Adolescents: William H. Dietz Jr, MD, PhD, Steven L. Gortmaker, PhD, PEDIATRICS Vol. 75 No. 5 May 1985, pp. 807-812
4. ISSUE BRIEF, The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity, February 2004: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/The-Role-Of-Media-in-Childhood-Obesity.pdf

1. The exercise recommendations (Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans) for children-adolescents-ages 6-17: 60 minutes of physical activity each day. That includes the following-

1. Aerobic Activity: Most of the activity should be aerobic- brisk walking, or vigorous-intensity activity, such as running. Be sure to include vigorous-intensity aerobic activity on at least 3 days per week.
2. Muscle Strengthening: like gymnastics or pushups-3 days a week. Younger children usually strengthen their muscles when they do gymnastics, play on a jungle gym or climb trees.
3. Bone Strengthening: jumping rope, running-3 days per week

1. The exercise recommendations (Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans) for children-adults-ages 18-64: 150 minutes each week of aerobic and muscle strengthening fitness activity. That includes the following plan:

1. 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobics (brisk walk) each week and 2 or more days of muscle strengthening OR
2. 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running) each week and 2 days of muscle strengthening OR
3. A mixture of moderate and vigorous physical activity and muscle strengthening

Remember my article “Take Ten”? Well, exercise can be broken up in to ten minute periods-as long as it is moderate to vigorous when you do it! And 150 minutes is just a minimum recommendation. For even better benefit, 300 minutes per week will give you better weight control and fitness levels. And what is 300 minutes anyway-that’s less than 45 minutes a day, 7 days a week. You could do 15 minutes three times a day! Walking, running, jogging, aerobics, dance, karate, ballet, yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba, water aerobics, singles or doubles tennis, work on a farm-digging and shoveling, push a lawn mower-PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS NOT A ONE SUIT FITS ALL. You need to find the fitness activity that you like-group or individual, indoors or outdoors-it doesn’t matter. It’s just important to do it!

My friend’s, take a walk, get some exercise and get moving! Stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way!

Can we come to a happy medium? Cut down on your portion sizes! That’s right, eat half of that juicy hamburger. Eat only one slice of pizza. Eat just a few French fries. Have only a couple of sips of that frosty milk shake. Don’t eat more! Self discipline 101. What are the benefits of portion control? Well of course, control of body weight. Cutting down on the amount of food you are eating will help you lose and maintain body weight. Body fat both external (visible) and internal will decrease. Cholesterol levels will drop. Blood sugar levels will drop. And your clothes will fit! You will feel better mentally and physically. Just reduce the amount you are eating!!! Can you do that? Just start by cutting down on the amounts you are eating? Don’t eat late at night. Stop eating several hours before you go to bed. Make the first move-cut down on your portion sizes-it’s the first step to your adventure into a healthy lifestyle.

I hope everyone is following my Six Steps To A Healthy Lifestyle and feeling great! This summer is hot, so don’t forget to hydrate as often as possible. Make sure you and your children are wearing sun protective clothing, sun glasses and using sunscreen. Make sure you are eating lots of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables. And watch those portions!

My friend’s, stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way!

The following sites were used in preparation of this article: please check them out!

a. SALK Institute for Biological Studies: Climbing the ladder to longevity: critical enzyme pair identified http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=363

b. Circulation: Cardioprotective Effects of Short-Term Caloric Restriction Are Mediated by Adiponectin via Activation of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/116/24/2809:

C. T-cells are a type of white blood cell (WBC) that are part of the immune system and their job is to protect the body from infection. Read more about T-cells at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003516.htm

 In the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent estimates, there are over 36 million people over the age of 65 and about 200,000 people over the age of 100. And according to the United Nations, by 2013, there will be over 3 million people in the world over the age of 100. So our population is growing and living longer. How are they living longer? Well you could say that one of the reasons is the advancements in medical care and treatment. Certainly in developed nations, that may account for part of the answer. Remember hearing how influenza ravaged the population many years ago? Now we have “flu” vaccinations. In fact we have vaccinations for many serious illnesses that previously eliminated parts of the world’s population.  Advancements in the treatment of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and AIDS have helped prolong life as well.

What else can we attribute the longer life span to-especially in non-developed parts of the world? We have scientific evidence that exercise helps and something that we have known for a while, eating less. It’s true, eating less, the process of taking in less calories as energy, can help you live longer*. That seems like a very basic concept, especially in a world over run by epidemics of starvation and obesity, but it has lots of science to back it up. Of course it goes against the age-old reminders of parents (my parents included) to “eat everything on your plate because there are millions of starving kids in China.” I never knew why parents picked China-now with an expanding population over two billion.

So what does it mean to eat less? The recommended daily calorie intake for a man is about 2500 calories; for a woman it is 2000 calories; for a toddler- 1300 calories and for children ages 7-10 about 1800 calories. Okay, how does that translate into our daily consumption program? Over the past twenty years, our daily consumption of calories has grown and our exercise/ physical fitness time and amount has dropped. As a direct result, those extra calories have hung around and increased the weights and waist sizes (BMI’s) of our adult and child population. Despite the multitude of diets (i.e. low fat, low carb, high protein, etc.), it has been extremely difficult for people to lose the weight once it has been gained and we have been unable to stop the epidemic of obesity. 

What can we do: maybe the following Six Steps For A Healthy Lifestyle :

1. Cut your portion sizes-this is a no brainer-start by cutting down your meal sizes by 10 percent right now. This is evidenced based! Less calorie intakes translates into less obesity, less medical problems and longer life.
2. Cut out processed foods and added sugars. Start by decreasing the white products (white bread, white rice, etc.) which offer no nutritional benefit other than calories. Substitute whole grains whenever possible. Limit and or cut out the sugary drinks (sodas, coffee products with sweeteners and fat, energy drinks with hidden sugars and caffeine). 
3. Increase plant foods in your diet-many studies have shown that a higher consumption of fruits and veggies (loaded with nutrients and antioxidants) is associated with the development of less chronic diseases. Eat lots of colorful salads using limited amounts of high fat salad dressing.
4. Eat low fat, high quality proteins-more fish and plant foods which provide the healthy omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids and nutrients.
5. Eat more mono and poly unsaturated fats-olive oils, nuts (for those non allergic), avocados, salmon, beans, poultry, flax and less saturated fats. Limit your red meat consumption. Use low (or zero ) fat dairy products.
6. Exercise at least ten minutes each and every day-and more if you can. (read “Take Ten” in Nerdel Blog). Ten minutes is a start and much better than nothing. As we grow older, our metabolism slows. It takes more and more exercise just to maintain our weights as we age. Another reason to have a decreased body weight.

My friends, eat less, exercise and live longer. Stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way!

 *The following sources were used in preparation of this article. Please check them out!

1. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) (2010, July 25). Light and moderate physical activity reduces the risk of early death, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/07/100723112713.htm
2. Calorie Restriction Society International:  http://www.crsociety.org/
3. Caloric restriction and aging as viewed from Biosphere 2 : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7613481
4. Lynn F. Cherkas, PhD; Janice L. Hunkin, BSc; Bernet S. Kato, PhD; J. Brent Richards, MD; Jeffrey P. Gardner, PhD; Gabriela L. Surdulescu, MSc; Masayuki Kimura, MD, PhD; Xiaobin Lu, MD; Tim D. Spector, MD, FRCP; Abraham Aviv, MD. The Association Between Physical Activity in Leisure Time and Leukocyte Telomere Length. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(2):154-158.
5. U.S. Bureau of Census: www.census.gov
6. Graehm Gray: The New Dietary Guidelines For Americans, Part One and Part Two

So let’s talk about some of the side effects of caffeine:
A. Nervousness-make you jittery, even dizzy
B. Insomnia-can’t sleep or can’t sleep well-don’t use at night
C. Reduces coordination
D. May increase alertness*
E. Physical dependence-May develop after three to four cups per day-remember the headache I mentioned-well this is a symptom of withdrawal. Other symptoms may be muscle pain and fatigue.
F. Increases heart rate-can be a cause of palpitations 
G. May improve breathing*-is related to a family of breathing medicines
H. Acts as a diuretic (increases urination)-which could lead to dehydration
I. May act as an appetite suppressant-could be a good thing?
J. Lasts six hours in the body

Is caffeine the most popular drug in the world today? It certainly may be! Hundreds of millions of people all over the world consume caffeine, daily, in one form or another. Is it good for our kids? In small amounts, not on a regular basis, it may not be bad. In constant and large quantities the answer is no. Of course check with your doctor or health professional first before allowing your kids to have it in any form! We don’t want our kids using drugs and certainly don’t want them addicted to anything, even caffeine. Like anything, the use of caffeine has to be monitored. Shouldn’t we let these new entrants into the coffee market know what they are getting by showing them the amount of fat and sugar in each drink they order? Of course we should. Will that info help change their decision-maybe! Maybe they are unaware of the actual contents-and simply focus on the taste? Maybe they don’t particularly care? Maybe it’s peer pressure. We should make them aware of what they are consuming. Give them the information and education. Maybe each Barista should discuss the implications of the drink with each individual. That one on one interaction could make a difference. Then they can make an informed choice.

I remember taking a Driver’s Education class in school. We watched endless movies of what could happen by speeding, drinking alcohol or doing drugs and even being a passenger in a car with a driver under the influence. It was in your face reality. It worked on some of us. Maybe we need to use this shock like education with food. Let’s bring back a retooled-“Food, Fitness and You” class and show kids what obesity is, what coronary artery disease is and what diabetes is-what it looks like, what it feels like, what the consequences of having it are. Kids are into reality shows. So let’s bring it to them. It will stick to some, and it’s certainly worth the effort to get a portion of our young adults on the nutrition/fitness education bandwagon. 
Remember always check with your health care professional before using any type of drug or medicine even if it is over-the-counter.
My friend’s stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way.

The following sites were used in preparation of this article: please check them out!
1. Center For Science In The Public Interest: www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm
2. AOL Health: www.aolhealth.com/2010/07/19/kids-and-coffee-a-growing-and-unhealthy-trend/
3. Neuroscience for Kids: www.faculty.washington.edu/chudler/caff.html
4. Starbucks nutritional information: www.starbucks.com/menu/nutrition
5. McDonalds-McCafe nutritional information: www.nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/McCafeMenu.pdf
 

What will this legislation do? Here are the highlights:

Improve Access to School Meal Programs

1. Increase the number of eligible children enrolled in the school lunch programs by using Medicaid/SCHIP data to directly certify children who meet income requirements without requiring individual applications and requiring states to establish and execute a plan to increase rates of direct certification.
2. Provide enhanced universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by eliminating paper applications and using census data to determine school wide income eligibility.
3. Increase children’s access to healthy school breakfasts by providing competitive grants to school districts to start up or improve their program.

Improve Access to Out of School Meal Programs

1. Ensure fewer children go hungry year round by providing meals for over 225,000 children through seamless meal service for children in school based and community based summer and after-school programs, and in low income rural areas.
2. Improve access for children in home-based child care by reducing administrative costs for sponsors of child care meal programs.

Help Schools and Child Care Improve the Quality of Meals

1. Assist schools in meeting meal requirements proposed by the Institute of Medicine by increasing the reimbursement rate for lunch by 6 cents per meal — the first real increase in over 30 years.
2. Enhance funding for nutrition education in schools to support healthy eating and school wellness.
3. Promote stronger collaboration and sharing of nutrition education between child care programs and WIC programs.

Encourage Public/Partnerships in Communities

1. Connect more children to healthy produce from local farms by helping communities establish local farm to school networks, establish school gardens and use more local foods in school cafeterias.
2. Leverage public and private partnerships to help reduce childhood hunger and promote community-wide strategies to improve child nutrition and wellness.

Improve Food Safety Requirements for School Meals Programs

1. Ensure school meals are safe for all students by extending food safety requirements to all areas in which school food is stored, prepared, and served.
2. Support improved communication to speed notification of recalled school foods consistent with GAO recommendations.
3. Ensures all foodservice employees have access to food safety training to prevent and identify food borne illness such as through web-based training.

Streamline Program Administration and Support Program Integrity

1. Increase efficiency, improve program administration, support services and program access and modernize the WIC program by extending period of certification for children, increasing support for breastfeeding, and transitioning from paper food vouchers to an electronic benefit program.
2. Strengthen School Meal program integrity and remove program silos in after school meal programs by simplifying program rules and affording schools greater flexibility for addressing program costs.

Commenting on this important piece of legislation- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack:

“ This legislation contains provisions that will help our kids learn about nutrition in the early stages of their lives so they can form healthy eating habits that will accompany them into adulthood. It will also help put in place the resources necessary to reach our goal of eliminating childhood obesity and bringing healthy meals to those that need them the most. By improving meal quality, solidifying nutrition standards for school meals and granting food to children in need – even in the summer months, our legislators are working towards a guaranteed healthy environment for schools.”

This legislation will help set American children on a path of healthy eating and healthy living at a time when approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children are overweight or obese. Today, over 32 million children rely on federal child nutrition programs.

In a statement from Congressman George Miller (D-CA), the Honorable Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee:

“The First Lady has made ending childhood obesity and improving children’s health her toppriority. Her “Let’s Move” campaign relies on the actions Congress will take to substantially improve our school meals programs First, in a country as great as ours, no child should go hungry. Federal child nutrition programs can and should play a vital role in giving our children access to the nutritious foods they need year round to thrive in the classroom and in life.Second, the cost of childhood obesity to the health of our children and our economy is staggering. If we don’t take action now, the future of our country is at stake. Third, the risks associated with food recalls and contaminated foods are very real and deserve immediate attention. The legislation will accomplish this task by starting first with our youngest children – including infants and toddlers who participate in the WIC program and in child care settings – by instilling healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime. And because hunger and children’s nutritional needs don’t take a vacation, our bill will create year-round meal service for schools to provide meals to children during the school year when school is not in session, like on the weekends, holidays and during the summer. Our schools need to implement improved nutritional standards that follow the recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA)-this means serving whole grains, vegetables, fat free and reduced fat dairy products. The case for this legislation is absolutely clear. We will fulfill our promise to our children in a fiscally responsible way.”

My friends, isn’t it time to eliminate food insecurity for our most precious resource- our children? Isn’t it time to provide nutritious foods in our school systems?  Shouldn’t our food supply be safe? To deal with the epidemics of hunger and obesity, which on the surface seem like opposites, but are actually more closely dependent, we need a partnership between our government, Corporate America and the people. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization is a great step forward. But its only one step.

Stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way.