Helping Kids Eat Better

It's no surprise kids love fruit, but last week, when we spoke to a few hundred 7th graders and their parents from Acton, MA, we discovered that a staggering number don't come anywhere close to the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. The teens we talked to are no different from other kids across the country -- they're on the go, busy with homework and sports, and more likely to grab a bagel or a brownie than an apple.

To show them how easy it can be to incorporate fruit into their diets, we held a smoothie blend-off at our workshop. Two kid "chefs," each with an assistant, were given various ingredients to choose from including 100% orange, apple, mango, and strawberry/kiwi juices, frozen strawberries, blueberries, and mango, lowfat vanilla and strawberry yogurt and ripe bananas. They then all created their own signature smoothie which was judged by three of their peers. All the smoothies were delicious, proving you don't need to be a Food Network celebrity chef to whip up your own healthy recipes. Click here to watch a video of Janice and her daughter Leah making our Moms' Mango Smoothie. If you have a favorite smoothie recipe you'd like to share, please post it to our blog by clicking on the comments button below.

100% Fruit Juice: AOK for Kids

Contrary to what many moms and even pediatricians may think, drinking 100% fruit juice doesn't make kids overweight or obese. In fact, new research shows that juice drinkers eat a pretty healthy diet -- consuming less fat, saturated fat, and added sugars and more nutrients like vitamin C, folate, and potassium. The study, which analyzed the diets of 3,618 children between the ages of 2 to 11, found that drinking 100% juice can actually reduce the risk of weight gain among kids.

A few tips for Moms:
* Choose 100% fruit juice or 100% fruit & veggie juice (check out new Juicy Juice Harvest Surprise -- Orange Mango, Tropical, & Grape -- made with a kid-friendly blend of fruits and vegetables including apples, pears, carrots and sweet potatoes).
* Stick to the American Academy of Pediatrics 100% juice guideline of no more than 4 - 6 ounces for 1 to 6 year olds and 8 - 12 ounces for older kids.
* Blend 100% juice into thirst-quenching smoothies for extra nutrition.

Tropical Strawberry Smoothie
Makes 3 Servings


2 cups Tropical Juicy Juice Harvest Surpise
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 ripe banana
3 straws

Place the juice, strawberries, frozen yogurt, and banana in a blender. Process until smooth.
Pour evenly into three individual glasses and serve with a straw.

Fruits & Veggies: Bring ‘Em On!

Last week, we spoke to a packed crowd of 200-plus Boston-area seventh graders and their parents. When we asked the students what they ate for breakfast, many said, “nothing!” Others told us they grabbed a bagel with cream cheese or a Pop Tart as they dashed out the door. The more we talked about their typical choices for meals and snacks, the more we all realized that nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables were missing.

Just days after our lecture, the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled a new public health initiative, “Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters™”, the next generation of their “5 A Day for Better Health” program. In fact, Janice was a speaker at the Boston launch of this program. Given the fact that a staggering 90 percent of both adults and children don’t consume the recommended daily number of fruits and vegetables, the campaign is timely to be sure.

Okay, so how many fruits and vegetables should everyone eat each day? In a word, MORE! For our 13-year old students, the suggested amount is about 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables (to learn more go to http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/). That goal may seem daunting given the fact that families are so busy these days, but the suggestions below may convince you that it’s really quite doable.

4 large strawberries = 1/2 cup
1/4 cup raisins = 1/2 cup (1/4 cup dried fruit = ½ cup fresh)
1 small banana = 1/2 cup
4 ounces 100% juice = 1/2 cup
Green beans = 1/2 cup
Baked potato = 1 cup
Green salad = 1/2 cup (1 cup leafy greens = 1/2 cup of vegetable)
Carrots with dip = 1/2 cup

On a final note, students at our lecture prepared and tasted one of our favorite new recipes: Mom’s Mango Smoothie. Delicious with breakfast or as an after-school snack, each serving
provides about a cup of fruit!

Mom’s Mango Smoothie
Makes 4 Servings

2 cups frozen mango (one 10-ounce package)
1- 1/2 cups mango juice, mango juice blend, or orange juice
1 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt

Place the mango, mango juice/nectar, and yogurt in a blender. Process until smooth.
Pour into four individual glasses and serve with a straw.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 150 calories, 1g fat (0.5g saturated), 45mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 3g protein, 35% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 10% calcium

Easy Ways to Add Fruits & Vegetables to the Family Diet: Watch Our Video Tip! Click here