I have a confession. I have been obsessed with sugar and I have been eating WAY too much of it since becoming a mom. Yes, I am blaming my over consumption on my child, because I use to have more time to sleep better, eat better and exercise more prior to my child entering our family. Since his arrival, I sleep WAY less than I would like, I have WAY less free time do anything and then I have been eating more sugar, because I am starving and it sounds good.

It has gotten so bad that my husband even noticed. He made a comment to me about eating most of a cake that I made and a blueberry buckle coffee cake. So it is time to break this cycle of too much sugar. My husband, Chas, is going to do this with me and we are working to eliminate unnecessary sugar sources in our diets. We are cutting out soda (don't need it and really should be drinking more water instead, even though it was diet), no more candy or other sweet treats (except for special occasions) and less sugary breakfast cereals. I am going to try to get up earlier again, go to bed earlier and then make breakfast in the morning (toast with an egg). I tend to eat better throughout the rest of the day if I have some protein in the morning. Breakfast cereal just doesn't stick with me that long.

It is tough to break a habit. Eating too much sugar is a habit that I have fallen into over the last 4 months and it is something that I need to work to change. I really would like to lose the last 5lbs of baby weight and get my abs back. I need to focus on building back up my abdominal strength so that those muscles can help support my back and in my activities of daily living. Being able to make some small changes and break some of these bad habits will be helpful in living that "health lifestyle."

I wanted to share this with you to help hold me accountable. I believe that sharing the good things in life and the struggles are important. We all struggle with things and have bad habits that we want to change. What is holding you back? What is keeping you in those bad habits? Once you have taken a moment to pin that down, then you can start creating a plan to make some healthier changes. Well so far I have made it all morning without needless sugar snacking ... I will keep you posted on how things are going!

I know that I kind of missed the mark with this post. It is a little late, because August was Kids Eat Right Month and I know it is now the beginning of September, but I am think this is such a great topic that we should continue to talk about it into September.

As many of you know, I am a pediatric dietitian and I feel passionately about good nutrition for our kids. This week I am was asked to put together a display booth as a Elementary/Jr High Wellness Night at a private school. I also have the chance to be on Indy Style again talking about school lunches (tune in tomorrow at 9am on WISH TV). I thought this would be a great topic for the blog this week and really focus in on recommendations for school-aged children.

There was also a great news article that was released at the end of August from the American Heart Association talking about children and sugar consumption. This statement came from research put out in the publication Circulation, looking at how sugar affect children's overall health. The recommendations are that children/teens (ages 2-18 years old) should not be consuming more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day. Added sugars are classified as table sugar, fructose, honey found in processed/prepared foods or beverages, sugar that is added to foods at the table or eaten separately. It has been determined that children eating more than this per day (> 6 tsp added sugar) are often consuming more unhealthy food items.

Now you have to be wondering what in the world can you do to cut back on your child's sweet treats? Well thankful there is a great handout from the USDA on this exact topic.

In addition to just sugar intake, overall diet is important as well for children to grow/develop to their full potential. As a parent/caregiver, the responsibility falls to you to help make sure that your child is getting the proper nutrition that they need. You should be aiming for a well-rounded, balanced plate at every meal. I know that feel intimidating, specially if you have a picky child. But keep offering healthy options and encourage your child to take at least 2 bites of each food item offered at that meal.

Your child's plate will be smaller compared with yours, but it should still contain all of the above mentioned food groups (Fruits, Vegetables, Protein, Grains and Dairy) with each meal. Now I know it can be challenging to fit in vegetables with your breakfast, so if that doesn't happen every morning, make sure to offer another vegetable at lunch/dinner and move a fruit to a snack in the afternoon.

Tips for a Healthy School Lunch

Incorporate fruits and vegetables in a fun way. Variety your produce options in the lunch bag. Use different dips throughout the week with the veggies (hummus, ranch, sunbutter) or with the fruit (like yogurt). Cut up the fruit/vegetables so that your child is more likely to eat them.
Make the bread on their sandwich whole grain. This could be sliced bread, crackers, pita or a wrap. You can have a variety of types of sandwiches (lunch meat, PB&J, chicken salad).
Have a snack for them in their bag for later in day – for the ride home on the bus or in between school and a sports practice. Make this something easy to carry that doesn’t need an ice pack – granola bar, crackers, dried fruit, or nuts.

If you have more questions or want more information about planning healthy, meals for your family, feel free to get in touch with me! Have a great Monday and hope your Labor Day weekend has been amazing!