Taming the Fast Food Habit

When we first developed Montana's Fit Kids = Happy Kids poster with the Six Steps to Healthy Weight for Kids handout, step #3 read:
Save fast food for a once or twice a week treat.

As time went on, we realized that the words really didn't convey our intent - to reduce the number of times that families ate fast food. With help from our colleagues at the Washington State Dairy Council, the wording was changed to:
Eat most meals at home and eat fewer fast food meals.

A recently released study confirms that this advice is right on target for healthy families. Earlier this month, USDA's Economic Research Service published How Food Away From Home Affects Children’s Diet Quality. The topline results of this data analysis were straightforward and consistent:

• Food obtained from fast food outlets, restaurants, and other commercial sources is associated with increased caloric intake and lower diet quality, especially among children ages 13-18.

• About 35 percent of the caloric increase - and 20 percent of the decline in diet quality scores - is attributable to sweetened beverages.

• Consumption of all food from school does not appear to have negative effects on the diets of younger children (ages 6-13). However, among children ages 13-18, all food from school has effects similar to those of food away from home (since many do not choose a reimbursable meal).

Stay tuned this week for simple tips to make fast food meals as nutrient-rich and family-focused as possible!

Creating calm, positive family mealtimes

Before we move onto fast food issues, I wanted to share one more post about eating together.

The key to calm, positive mealtimes is a healthy feeding relationship – with a division of responsibilities between adults and children. According to registered dietitian (RD) and child feeding expert Ellyn Satter:

• Adults are responsible for what foods and beverages are served. They are also responsible for where the meal is served – and for making mealtimes pleasant.

• Children are responsible for deciding whether to eat and how much to eat. As they get older, they can learn age-appropriate table manners and mealtime behaviors.

Here are five strategies to having meals without squeals – and for avoiding unpleasant food fights with children. If you need more details about developing a successful feeding relationship with your children, check out books by Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, LCSW: Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming and Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family.

Make regularly scheduled meals a family priority.

Young children need the reassurance of structured meal and snack times. Eating on the run may seem OK for adults, but it doesn’t work well for children. Whether you are eating at home or “on the road,” take the time to sit down and eat with your child.

Avoid pressuring or forcing children to eat.

Most adults have good intentions when they try to force children to eat “healthy” foods or to try new items. The problem with pressure is that it doesn’t work. Kids like foods less if they are forced to eat them – or if they are given bribes or rewards.

Model the habits you want children to develop.

Young children do not automatically know how to eat like “big people.” They learn how to eat and how to behave at the table by watching you. You are your children’s most important role model for developing lifelong, healthy eating habits.

Enjoy the foods you want your children to enjoy.

Children learn to eat new foods by watching other people eat and enjoy them. If you want a child to eat green veggies, serve them regularly in a variety of appealing ways. Eat your green veggies. Talk about how they good they taste and how they make you strong.

Have realistic expectations for mealtime behavior.

It takes time for kids to master new skills, like table manners. Adults need to lay out clear expectations for mealtime behaviors and to reinforce appropriate behavior. Kids need to know, ahead of time, that they will have to leave the table if they continue misbehaving.

Wrapping up the flavors of fall

Last Saturday I went to the last farmer's market of 2010 in downtown Billings. The growing season is short in Montana - and I am always envious of folks who still have months of fresh local produce ahead of them.

From my article recently published in Magic City magazine, here's a bit more about autumn and a recipe. For the complete story and a delicious Basil Vinaigrette, read Golden Fall Flavors: A Winning Combination

Autumn is perhaps my favorite time of year in Montana. From the bright yellow leaves of the aspen on my beloved Beartooth hillsides to the proverbial cornucopia of fall produce at farmer’s market, everything seems to be bathed in a golden glow. Here's a wonderful way to enjoy the nutrient-richness of winter squash or root vegetables (roasted sweet potatoes would be perfect).

Butternut Squash Tacos

This recipe reflects my usual approach to cooking: Check out numerous recipes online and in books; take bits and pieces from several; and mix it all up with what ‘must-go’ in the fridge.

The foundation for this version of a traditional taco served in southern Mexico and parts of Central America is butternut squash. Serve the roasted squash with as many of the following items as you wish – allowing everyone to create their own tacos. Note: If some of your diners don’t want to go completely vegetarian, include your favorite fajita meat (chicken, beef, or pork) or crumbled ground beef.

· Warm corn (or flour) tortillas, excellent with our own local Trevino’s Chipotle-Flavored tortillas

· Black beans, whole or mashed with garlic and jalapeños to taste

· Guacamole or simply diced avocadoes

· Chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce

· Cheese – queso blanco (feta is a nice substitute) or a finely shredded cheddar

· Fresh pico de gallo or your usual prepared salsa

Roasted Butternut Squash

· 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ inch cubes (substitute any winter squash with firm flesh, including pumpkin)

· ½ cup chopped sweet onion (½ inch pieces)

· 1 large sweet red pepper or 2 Anaheim chile peppers, chopped in ½ inch pieces

· 2 tablespoons olive oil


· 1½ teaspoons cumin


· 1½ teaspoons coriander


· 2 teaspoons chili powder
(more or less to taste)

· ½ teaspoon salt
(optional)

· 1 fresh lime, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss vegetables with olive oil. Add cumin, coriander, chili powder, and salt (if desired). Continue tossing until all veggies are well coated with oil and spices. Transfer to a heavy baking pan.

Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the squash and onions begin to brown. Rotate the pan and stir halfway through cooking.

Squeeze fresh lime juice onto roasted vegetables and serve with other taco fillings.

Roasted Roots for Family Mealtimes

Some amazingly delicious things happen when you roast some very inexpensive (and under-appreciated) fall vegetables. They get sweeter, more tender on the inside, and a little crisper on the outside.

Roasting vegetables is simple, simple, simple! All you have to do is scrub the veggies and then toss them in a little olive oil. Beyond that, you can tailor the flavors of your roasted roots to your family's taste buds ~ with minced garlic, rosemary leaves, chopped fresh parsley, freshly ground pepper, or the zest of some chili powder. (I always add a little lemon juice to my roasting beets.)

Them cook the veggies in a hot over for 45-60 minutes. For a page of deliciously simple instructions, download the October Healthy Families Newsletter from Eat Right Montana.

While your roots are roasting, you can make the rest of your dinner, like baking chicken breasts or cooking a small beef roast at the same time.

What to roast? Here are five of my favorite fall roots ... and coming up next: Turning Your Roasted Roots into TACOS!

Aside from carrots (one of the most popular veggies in the US), most other root vegetables don’t get the nutritional respect they deserve. These often forgotten residents of the produce department are packed with important nutrients, tasty in a variety of dishes, low in cost, and able to be stored for long periods of time.

1. Carrots

While most of us are very familiar with the bright orange version of this “rabbit food,” carrots also come in purple, white, red, and yellow. They are delicious and crunchy when eaten raw - whole or grated into salads. Carrots are great in soups and they can also add nutrition, color, and sweetness to desserts, like muffins, bread, and cakes.

2. Beets

Beets also come in multiple colors - purple, gold, and white. Small beets are usually sweeter and more tender, with greens that are perfect for adding to salads (raw), stir-fries, and soups. Beet roots can be stored the fridge for up to 3 weeks, then steamed in the microwave, roasted in oven, or grilled outdoors (in thick slices or on a kabob stick).

3. Sweet potatoes

Talk about nutritious, delicious, and versatile, sweet potatoes (sometimes labeled as yams) are a best buy in any produce department. Substitute these nutrient-rich veggies for their pale white cousins in almost any dish (peeling them first): baked, mashed, roasted, boiled and chopped for salad, or sliced, oiled, and baked for oven fries.

4. Turnips and rutabagas

While these roots come from the same family, rutabagas are usually larger and sweeter. Turnip shapes vary from round to cylindrical and come in colors from rose to black, as well as white. Both can be cooked like potatoes (baked, boiled, roasted, and mashed). They can be grated like cabbage into slaw and stir-fried with more colorful veggies.

5. Kohlrabi

One of the lesser known root veggies, kohlrabi tastes like a delicious, crunchy cross between a cucumber and mild broccoli (it’s from the same family as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower). Look for purple or green kohlrabi bulbs. Both have white inner flesh, which can be eaten raw (like jicama) or cooked. Leaves can be used like beet greens.