Archive for the ‘Teen Nutrition’ Category

TEENS & SNACKS: BEING THERE

Posted on: May 1st, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

Teens and snacks

The teen years can be frought with angst, questions of self doubt and teetering back and forth on the see-saw of adolescence into adulthood. Part of making home a sanctuary and a place where teens feel they can be themselves is simply just being there.

Part of being there for teens includes maintaining the parent’s responsibilities of feeding. The responsibility of providing foods and supporting timely eating is still part of the parent’s job and can support teens both mentally and physically. Teens may not let you know that your being there is important to them and providing regularly timed snacks may not be on the top of their minds. Helping young adults to fuel every three to four hours can be made easier by helping them to make snacks portable or by having some of these snack foods easily available at home for them to grab. Here are some quick foods to have be there for your teens!

PROTEIN/DAIRY FRUIT/VEGGIE GRAIN
1/2C cottage cheese 1 pear 2 slices cinnamon toast
1 oz cheddar cheese 1 apple 7 wheat crackers
1C skim milk 1c blueberries 1C Cereal (5gm fiber)
1 oz almonds ¼ c died cranberries 1C whole wheat pretzels
2 oz turkey 1C lettuce /tomato 2 slices whole wheat bread
1 oz hummus 1C baby carrots 1 med whole wheat Pita
2 oz lean roast beef 1/2C sliced red peppers 1 whole wheat roll
1 C skim milk 1 med banana 2 Graham Crackers
1 oz cheese stick 18 grapes 3c air popped popcorn
1C Soy milk 1C strawberries 6 Nilla Wafers

BODY IMAGE CAMPAIGNS Helping our teen girls like themselves.

Posted on: April 14th, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

I am revamping my talk called Body Image and You! which I have been giving to Middle Schools,High Schools and summer camps since 2002. This talk originally started as poster boards depicting magazine images and beauty myths, then evolved to a Power Point and now simply discussion with the magic of (so easily accessible!) online show and tell. The goal of Body Image and You! is to promote positive body image in students and to also question the media and social stereotypes of beauty.

In my search for updating my information here are some Body Image Links I would like to share.

Love Your Body: (loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org)
This website has a eye opening section on offensive Body Image ads. There is commentary under each of the negative ads explaining why they are offensive to women. I love that these negative ads are balanced with a page of positive ones. What a great way to discuss the Media in relation to women’s perception of themselves especially with highschool, middle schoolers and parents! http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/offensiveads.html

http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/positiveads.html

This site also has a really good down loadable slide or PDF of
“The ABCs and Ds of Commercial Images of Women”.

Campaign for Real Beauty (www.campaign for realbeauty.com)
In 2004 Dove launched it’s Campaign “Real Beauty”- I remember it well as I was looking for good content for my talks at that time and was very excited to find it. This campaign features real women, not models, advertising Dove’s firming cream. The advertisements focus on promoting real, natural beauty, in an effort to offset the unrealistically thin and unhealthy archetypal images associated with modelling. Now 7 years later the website has expanded to include a The Dove Self Esteem Toolkit for parents and students full of Conversation Starters, Impactful Activitie and In Depth Guides and Tools. I am so impressed I am listing the Body Image Guides here! THEY ARE EXCELLENT!
Activity Guides for Moms of Girls ages 8-11 years (36 pages)
Activity Guides for Girls ages 11-16 years (28 pages)
Youth Leaders Guide for Girls ages 10-14 (58 pages).

http://content.dove.us/selfesteemweekend/pdfs/DSEF%20Activity%20Guide%20for%20Mothers.pdf

Body Bliss Central (www.bodyblisscentral.com)
Contains Body a blog written by an English women “Sandy”. She asks how do we change the women hating culture of body image? From media, advertising even politics and education!
One of my favorite posts for a shot of reality is on how “Attitude is Everything!”: http://bodyblisscentral.com/your-attitude-your-body-image.

More to Me (www.moretome.org)
Take action with this online forum to share your experiences in areas of life, from childbirth to mental illness to immigration.Included is an online petition, which you can sign electronically and use your voice to convince law makers that state and federal funding is needed for these issues.

http://www.uhs.uga.edu/everybody/index.html

Finally a few VIDEOS!

Kid’s Afterschool Snacks can follow the NEW 2010 Dietary Guidelines!

Posted on: February 7th, 2011 by Emma Fogt 2 Comments

Healthy After School Snacks

Last week, The 2010 Dietary Guidelines were launched  by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services to prevent diet related disease and obesity as well as increase activity among the American population . Unlike previous Dietary Guidelines, these new guidelines are focused on research – lots of research!

The statistics now show that over 33 % of children and now 66% of adults are overweight or obese. As a result, the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans focus on balancing calories with physical activity, and encourages Americans to consume more vegetables, fruits, whole grains (fiber) , fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood, and eat less salt, saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and refined grains (white flour, white rice).

Five Healthy after school  snacks for kids:

THINK :         1. GRAIN       2. FRUIT /VEG     3. PROT/DAIRY

  • 1/4C Salsa, 1 serving Baked Tortilla Chips & 1C OJ with calcium
  • 1C Cereal (containing 4gm or more of fiber) , 1 C skim milk and 1C whole strawberries
  • 2 slices whole grain bread, 1 Tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 large sliced banana
  • 1 C low fat yogurt, 1/4C low fat granola, 1C blueberries
  • 1C  reduced sodium soup, 7 reduced reduced fat /reduced sodium Triscuits , 1C skim milk
  • 2 corn tortilla’s, 1/4 C refried beans, low fat mexican mix cheese- heated in oven or microwave, 1C water
  • 1C carrots/celery, 1/4C hummus, 1/2C no salt pretzels, 1c skim milk
  • 1 whole wheat tortilla, 1/2C baby spinach, 2-3 slices tomato , 2 oz lean Dietz & Watson Lite Gourmet Breast of Turkey, 1 tsp Dietz & Watson Honey Mustard. 1C OJ with calcium
  • 1 C chili, 1 slice whole wheat toast, 1 C skim milk

MAXIMUM FUEL=MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE for ROWERS (PART 2 of 2)

Posted on: November 22nd, 2009 by Emma Fogt No Comments

carbohydratesComplex carbohydrates are the best form of fuel for athletes and are also referred to as starch. They have calories and nutrients examples include as bread, cereal, muffins, pancakes, rolls, tortillas, bagels, rice, crackers and pasta. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, peas and corn contain complex carbohydrates.

Beans (kidney beans, chick peas, lentils, edamame, refried beans, baked beans and hummus) are an amazing source of complex carbohydrate and also contain fiber and protein. Other foods containing protein and carbohydrates are milk, cheese, cottage cheese, frozen yogurt and yogurt.

Simple carbohydrates are easily digested and can spike blood sugars. Examples are candy, cookies, sugar and soda. A 12 oz can of coke and a pack of 2 oz Skittles contains about 80gm of pure sugar that’s equivalent to eating 20 tsp of white sugar. Problems arise due to rapid absorption and blood sugar is high and then a sudden drop in blood sugar as a rush of insulin tries to get it all into the cells for energy.

Fruit is also a simple carbohydrate- but a whole apple for example contains fiber and other nutrients so it is not as rapidly absorbed as say apple juice. Try a large apple, some popcorn and a mini bagel with 1 Tbsp light cream cheese. (have regular cream cheese for weight gain).

A list of easily digested complex carbohydrates are included below.
www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/Easy_Energy.htm by Clara Silverstein Runners World.
This article has a nice charts on energizing foods containing carbohydrate levels from 30-60 grams.

Food Carbs (g)/cals
8 ounces Gatorade 14/50
1 packet GU gel 25/100
1 PowerBar 45/240
4 Fig Newtons 44/220
5 saltines 10/65
4 graham crackers 20/120
1 small plain bagel 30/157
2 tablespoons honey 34/128
1 ounce jelly beans 26/105
1 ounce dried fruit 17/65
3 hard candies 18/72
1 orange, sliced 15/62
1 ounce Gummi Bears 30/120

MAXIMUM FUEL=MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE for ROWERS (PART I of 2)

Posted on: November 22nd, 2009 by Emma Fogt No Comments

john kelly rowerGetting enough fuel for sport ensures maximum performance.

From Boathouse Row to the bronze sculpture of the 1920 Skulling Olympian John Kelly overlooking the Schuylkill River. From Philadelphia’s multiple Regatta’s to the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Think Philadelphia and think rowing. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in crew and sports performance.

Why is fuel important for crew?
Crew is a sport which is one of the top energy burning sports and requires stringent training, discipline and athletic ability. Crew uses both aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways and as a result becomes even more challenging when it comes to getting the right fuel.

Without adequate intake the body will experience early fatigue and breakdown of muscle mass. Water is also lost when tissue is broken down leading to higher risk of dehydration and under performance.

What is the primary fuel for crew?
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel used in most sports especially for sports such as crew.

For crew: 60% of the diet should be made up of carbohydrates which are stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle.

Carbohydrates are found in grains, breads, popcorn, crackers, cereals, pasta, fruits- (dried, fresh, canned), fruit juices (for weight gain), starchy veggies such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, peas and corn.

Foods which contain primarily carbohydrates but also have some protein are legumes (chili, soy, any kind of bean or legume) and dairy (cheeses, milk, yogurt) foods.

Foods which do not contain any carbohydrates are in the meat, fish and poultry group.

PIC Boat House Row

NUTRITION and MIGRAINES

Posted on: September 28th, 2009 by Emma Fogt No Comments

Just reading that the vice president’s wife Jill Biden has suffered from migraines for years brings to light that 12% of the adult population in the U.S. suffers from migraines. More women than men experience migraines especially when going through hormonal changes, have lack of food or sleep, are fatigued or stressed.

Low levels of estrogen and or serotonin can contribute to migraines as well as foods and food additives.
Nutrition and food can play a role in triggering migraines. There may be a category of food which contains an allergen, a biogenic amine or substance that triggers a migraine. Here are a few:

Allergens:
Some common food allergies may cause migraines: Eggs, milk, wheat, legumes,pork.

Phenylethylalanine, Tyramine and Histamine:
Some foods containing biogenic amines can cause migraines. Examples are foods containing phenylethylalanine such as aged cheese, red wine and chocolate. Tyramine which may also trigger migraines is in agesd cheese, processed or fermented sausages, sour cream, red wine, pickled herring, smoked fish, sauerkraut, vinegar, avocado and chicken liver. Histamine, another biogenic amine is found in shellfish, fermented cheeses, fermented soy products, soy sauce, wine and beer, tomato, spinach, egg white, strawberries, chocolate and sauerkraut.

Nitrites:
Nitrites are found in most salami, bologna, ham, bacon, pepperoni, some lunch meats and some wieners , smoked fish and aged cheeses and can trigger migraines.

Methylxanthines:
Found in coffee, tea and cola drinks can trigger migraines.

Other possible migraine triggers:
monosodium glutamate (MSG) or the artificial sweetener aspartame.

What to do:
1. Record what you have eaten over 24 hours when you experience a migraine- see if one of these foods or food groups explains the onset.
2. Get fish oil for EPA and DHA: Recommended daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids (healthy adults) : http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fish-oil/NS_patient-fishoil/DSECTION=dosing.
3. Drink 6-8 cups water/day
4. Eat regular meals to fuel.

Blast off with Calcium!

Posted on: February 19th, 2009 by Emma Fogt 2 Comments

QUICK TIP FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 19TH

Children ages 9-18 years need to get 1,300 mg of calcium per day for their growing bones. Click here to see the calcium needs of children ages 1-18 years.

For a calcium-packed breakfast or snack, combine the following ingredients into a blender:

1 cup frozen berries (strawberries or blueberries, raspberries or mixed berries)
½ of a 6-inch banana
½ cup fruit flavored kefir or low fat yogurt
½ cup calcium-fortified vanilla soy milk or skim milk
½ scoop of whey or soy-based protein powder (optional – 7 g protein)

Blend on high in a blender until smooth.

Contains:
250 kcals/serving
414 mg calcium (1/3 of daily intake of 1200 mg/day)
17 g protein