Dad Blogs - Useful Parenting Tips for Dads » Food

Warning Labels on Choking Foods?

Paul Banas — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:27:07 +0000

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s leading pediatricians’ group, is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to require warning labels on foods that are known choking hazards, and to evaluate and monitor food for safety. The Academy says that food should be subject to monitoring in the same way as toys.

End the guilt! Reasons I like boxed cereals.

Paul Banas — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:21:15 +0000

While some have quibbled with these studies and whether they adequately controlled for other factors, it would seem that the science would only back up what is obvious: You need to have food in your belly to perform best at whatever it is you're doing. While it would be great if kids could get a full hot breakfast including all the food groups, that's not very realistic given the rush in the morning to get everyone combed, brushed and out the door. ... Again, since the daily suggested amount of fruits and vegetables for kids and adults is 3 cups, serving some fruit and some orange juice at breakfast is already a great start to the day. ... Most mornings, when I get down to breakfast before my over-loving wife can serve the kids cinnamon toast or a white flour bagel, I give them a choice of cereal topped with fruit and a glass of orange juice. ... Look at cereal boxes, trying to increase the amount of fiber (both soluble and insoluble) while avoiding added sugars and corn syrup and you should be able to serve a fast and healthy breakfast to your active family, or maybe even get them to serve it themselves.

7 Ideas for healthy snacking for kids based on Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Paul Banas — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:52:08 +0000

The best parent is fighting a continuous battle to teach good eating habits at least while the kids are at home, not too raise scrawny lactose-free vegans who can't eat anything and look like it, but to raise kids who develop a taste for things that are good for them, rather than those that just fill them up fast. ... Although the most wholesome eating pattern consists of three leisurely meals a day, and preferably a light meal at night, if you must have snacks, stick to fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and nuts, which are naturally loaded with healthful nutrients.

...Cream cheese , while still 50 calories for a tablespoon is still a kid-friendly lower-fat though it has a bit more fat than regular old cheddar cheese at about 35 calories for a tablespoon. ... While nuts are a calorie-high snacking food for adults, they are great for nutrition and some nutritionists suggest eating 10-20 almonds every day (around 100 calories). ... Each olive is five to six calories so should be part of a mix of other healthy snacks, especially since the sodium content is high at about 60 mg. per medium size olive .

On my desk this week: Second Chance by Kip Moore

Paul Banas — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:30:44 +0000

Second Chance – Kip Moore tells a true story that is one part a compelling story of a family’s never-wavering support of a sick child and one part warning on the dangers of food-borne E. coli bacteria. Large parts of the book are about spirituality and may provide comfort for those in similar situations. Share on Facebook

News flash: American kids eating better; my kids still the same

Paul Banas — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:49:29 +0000

That finding, reported by The Journal of the American Medical Association, has been greeted with guarded optimism, and it remains unclear whether efforts to limit junk food and increase physical activity in schools have had a meaningful effect on the way children eat.

...We weren't really worrying about milk, since they eat a lot of cheese and often have cereal, but I think I was also laboring under the weight of my own delusions that kids still get milk in school like they used. Sure, they kept those little 4 oz cartons of milk on the radiator and they were often disgustingly lukewarm by the time we got to them, but at least we were being forced to drink milk two to three times a day.

Pick your kids’ friends based on what they eat says new study

Paul Banas — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:38:46 +0000

A new study published online in Social Science and Medicine says that parents' eating habits actually have little to do with what kids eat. The national study, which looked at a representative sample of 2291 parents and 2692 children found little similarity between kids' and parents' diets, with just a slight edge moms versus dads. ... The study did not try to analyze why parents' and kids' diets don't resemble each other more, but suggests that parents aren't doing as good a job as they should to not only show good eating examples, but get kids to actually follow them.

My daughter’s top ten list

Paul Banas — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:16:30 +0000

I'm disappointed that Root beer and Orangina are way up there, but they have slightly more natural ingredients than corn syrup-rich Coke or caffeine-rich Mountain Dew. On the other hand, I'm over-joyed that scotch, vodka, and Budweiser are no where to be found. ... Every once in a while, she asks to smell a glass of wine, but that's as far as her curiosity goes.