BACK TO SCHOOL NUTRITION FOR ALL AGES

Valerie H. Miles, M.D.

Kroupa Call, Sat. 9/18/10

I. Introduction
a. State of America’s health
i. Top in health care spending, but #37 in health, #1 in obesity,
#5 in circulatory disease deaths compared to the rest of the
world
ii. Our Children aren’t healthy either – while 2/3 adults are
overweight or obese, 1/3 children in the US are.
1. Dr. David Katz, Yale Univ. public health expert says,
“Today’s kids may be the first generation whose life
expectancy is projected to be less than their parents.”
b. So what do we do to reverse this alarming trend?
i. Learn (like you are doing this morning), change (one baby step
at a time) and TEACH (others to do the same)
ii. Personal connection
1. Mission to change the face of health care for children in
this country
2. Best way to do that is to help people learn how to eat
healthy and help them take action
c. Staying Healthy Year Round
i. Is All about Eating Healthy Year Round

II. Practical Tools for All Ages for figuring out HOW to eat healthy
a. Traffic Light Eating
i. Green Light Foods
1. “Grow” foods, eat anytime, unlimited
ii. Yellow Light Foods
1. “Caution” foods, occasional treats
iii. Red Light Foods
1. “Stop!” make a healthier choice
iv. Dr. William Sears – The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood

b. Nutrition Detective label reading

i. Don’t be fooled by the BIG letters on the front, look at the little
ones on the back of the package
ii. The FIRST ingredient is always the biggest
iii. Avoid foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup and Hydrogenated
Oil
iv. Avoid foods with a LONG ingredient list
v. Fiber is your friend. Avoid ‘whole grain imposters’

c. www.SparkPeople.com
i. Nutrition, fitness & lifestyle site – completely free
ii. Tracks calories, macro and micronutrients
iii. Chat groups for support, even SparkTeens.com
III. How to give your BRAIN a great start to the day
a. Eat a healthy breakfast
i. Better concentration -> Better grades, more productive at work
ii. More likely to lose weight
iii. Components of a healthy breakfast
1. Whole grain carbs =fiber
2. Protein
3. Healthy fat
4. Low sugar, no artificial ingredients
iv. Healthy Breakfast Cereal – beware the claims on the front of the
box!
1. Whole grain Carbs (less than 5 grams of sugar per
serving)
2. Fiber (at least 5 g/serving)
3. Protein (at least 3 g per serving)
v. Quick ideas
1. Make extra waffles/pancakes on the weekend & freeze
a. Pop in toaster – PB&J sandwich
2. Boil eggs in advance
a. Eat whole for the protein or make healthy egg salad
3. Breakfast tortilla
a. Egg salad from above
b. Turkey cheese tortilla rollup & go
4. Oatmeal!
5. Smoothie
a. Best of all
i. Choc complete, natural PB, frozen banana
slices

IV. What to keep stocked at home for quick and easy meals and snacks
a. Pantry
i. Oatmeal, Whole grain pasta, brown rice, cereals & crackers
ii. Legumes – black beans, kidney beans, garbanzos
iii. Tomatoes - low sodium, diced
iv. Pita chips (naked), healthy tortilla chips
v. Healthy soups
vi. Nuts & seeds
b. Fridge
i. PRODUCE
1. Shop when you have time off & cut up right away
2. Use green bags to preserve longer
ii. If you do dairy, make it skim milk, low fat cheeses, yogurt &
cottage cheese
iii. Soy, Almond, Rice milk
iv. Hummus, healthy dips
v. Natural peanut butter and fruit spreads
vi. Healthy salad dressings – for dips and salads
c. Eating healthy on a budget and lots of great ideas for home
 i. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

V. How to navigate the school cafeteria and work lunches

a. School Lunch
i. Cafeteria line
1. Get the menu, help child choose in advance
2. Use teachable moments; kids are sponges, use it to your
advantage
3. If you’re unhappy, Get Involved
a. www.HealthySchoolLunches.org
b. PTA Health committee
c. School Lunch coordinator
d. Community organizations
ii. Brown Bagging it
1. #1 Let them help pack it – give healthy choices
a. From that, create a “menu” list of items they like
2. Don’t forget leftovers (stainless steel thermos, hot water,
then fill)
3. Make it easy – lunch “hour” is ~20 minutes – peel
oranges, cut vegs
4. Allow occasional treats
b. Work Lunch
i. Brown Bag it
1. Pick a variety of foods – F/v & whole grains are the
foundation, but remember the protein
2. Get creative! The same old sandwich = predictable &
boring
a. Make your own ‘Lunchable”
b. Use whole wheat English muffins, tortillas, bagels
c. Use hummus inside a tortilla full of veggies
d. PB&J wrap – go wild!
3. Convert dinner into lunch
4. Water is the best beverage
ii. Going out/Ordering in
1. Online menus often show calories, if not use
SparkPeople.com
2. Avoid fried, limit pasta & creamy sauces, get dressing on
the side.

VI. Simple ways to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet
a. #1 Have them around
i. Buy produce 1-2 x a week
ii. Use the green bags to keep them fresh
iii. Have a centrally located fruit bowl
iv. Keep chopped carrots, celery, grapes, dried fruit, etc available
b. Add a whole food concentrate supplement to your healthy diet
i. In spite of all our good efforts, we simply don’t get enough f/v
ii. I could spend several hours reviewing the research on Juice Plus,
but in summary:
1. Nutrients get into the bloodstream
 2. Positively affect the immune system, the cardiovascular
system, skin, gums/teeth,
3. Reduces oxidative stress, protects DNA, decreases
markers of systemic inflammation
4. NEWEST study just released shows decreased number
and length of colds in the winter when taking JP+ vs.
placebo

VII. Closing
a. I hope I’ve given you lots of practical tools and healthy ideas to make
your family’s nutrition better and better
b. I challenge you today to go to the pantry and the fridge with your
family and be a nutrition detective, getting rid of the foods that don’t
meet your new standards
c. Then sit down and make a list with the kids of each person’s Lunchbox
Menu favorites
d. AND THEN, make a grocery list & take your family shopping 

Happy Healthy Eating!