​While parents usually decide what kids eat, it’s no secret that kids will eat (especially snacks) what’s available. Therefore, the key to healthy families is surrounding everyone with healthier options. Getting the family on board with healthy life choices will also help individuals when it comes to losing weight.

​Do:

• Do eat healthy foods and choose smaller portions. Children often copy their caregivers over time.
• Do provide an array of healthy foods in the home and include them in every meal.
• Do view healthy eating as a normal part of family life.
• Do prepare meals together and make it a time to enjoy each other and eat well.
• Do ask your children what they would like to eat and offer them choices if you can. Ask them what fruits or vegetables they would like to eat at a meal or snack.
• Do remain positive, even if your children do not want to eat healthy right away. In the long run, it will help them to want to try new healthy foods.

Don’t:

• Don’t punish children or put them down if they refuse to eat healthy foods. Be open to hearing their feelings.
• Don’t keep a lot of junk food in the home.
• Don’t use food as a reward for being good, and do not restrict food as a way to punish them.
• Don’t give too much praise, even when children do choose healthy foods. The habit of trying new foods is more likely to stick if they feel like it is their choice. For them, it should feel good to have the choice to taste new foods.
• Don’t force it when children do not like a certain food. Instead, try something new and healthy next time.
• Don’t take it personally when children refuse to eat what you have prepared.

Tips are from the American Medical Association.

Last February, we posted an article that highlighted research on the correlation between eating late and your blood sugar. The study concluded that ultimately, when food is consumed late at night, when our glucose tolerance is lowest, the body is more likely to store those calories as fat rather than burn it as energy. Repeatedly eating late will ultimately lead to weight gain.

​Another new study, led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, has shown that regularly eating late in the day can have negative health consequences. Not only can eating late promote weight gain but it also has an unfavorable impact on energy metabolism and hormonal markers that are linked to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

You’ve heard it before, “Late dinners are bad for your health,” but do you actually know why? Recent research has strengthened the link between blood sugar and your internal clock, helping to explain why late dinners are potentially detrimental to your overall health.
A few definitions to consider first:

• Glucose Tolerance: The ability to regulate blood-sugar levels 

• Diabetes: A metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevation levels of glucose in the blood
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In a study led by researchers from Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), 14 healthy individuals were closely monitored with the ultimate goal of explaining why glucose tolerance is lower at dinner than at breakfast. Researchers measured the independent influences that behavioral factors (mealtimes, sleep), the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) and misalignment between these two components had on a person’s ability to control blood-sugar levels. To put things in real-world perspective, the team reported its findings with implications for shift workers and for the general public.

By now, you’ve certainly heard of the Mediterranean diet – a pattern of eating that mostly emphasizes fish, nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables and olive oil. Over the last few years, the evidence of its [the Mediterranean diet] benefits has been piling up. In 2013, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the diet can help protect against heart disease and a study published earlier this year revealed that the diet can help fight against memory loss.
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Breast cancer is in fact the leading cause of female cancer burden and its incidence has increased by more than 20% worldwide since 2008. In a limited yet promising study, researchers at the University of Navarra in Spain have found a strong reduction in the risk of breast cancer as a result of adhering to the Mediterranean diet.

These days, when we hear the word “diet” we cringe.  We all hate the idea of denying ourselves the satisfaction of a bagel with cream cheese on a Monday morning or those slices of turkey bacon on a Sunday morning.  However, a recent study reveals that all sensible diets do actually show results and that people should pursue the one that is easiest for them.
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The study by Dr. Bradley Johnston pooled nearly 7,300 individuals, specifically overweight to obese adults.  During the trials, Dr. Johnston randomized the adults and gave them each a specific diet to follow for a three-month period or longer.  The analysis showed that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets revealed weight loss.

Multiple studies have been conducted and are on going regarding the value and limitations of these specific diets.  This research has shown that for a diet to succeed it must match the individual’s goals and personal challenges. But above all else, consistency is key.
The good news is, there isn’t one specific miracle diet.  However, your diet does depend entirely upon you and the effort you put in to guaranteeing a healthier and happier life style.
To read more about this study, visit Boston.Com.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article stating that people who consume less than 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day are at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke within the period of low sodium intake. The claim is based on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study tracked 100,000 people, from 17 different countries, over an average period of three years. And while participants who consumed less than 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day were at higher risk for disease, so were participants who consumed more than 6,000 milligrams. Suzanne Oparil, professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is an expert on high blood pressure and claims this new study “adds a pretty big weight on the side that low salt intake is associated with harm.”

While this study is bringing new material to the table, The American Heart Association is not convinced of the new findings due to how the study was conducted and continues to recommend people reduce their sodium intake.
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To read more about the study, visit The Wall Street Journal.

A portion can be relatively small though according to registered dietician Andy Bellatti. “A mere half cup of cooked leafy greens counts as a serving, as do roughly a dozen baby carrots or six asparagus spears,” he tells the LA Times.
Eating out and not taking the time to prepare meals are two of the biggest reasons that only about a quarter of American adults have three or more servings of vegetables a day. Jennie Cook, an LA Caterer, recommends stocking your kitchen with fresh produce and making it a priority. She encourages adults to have three servings of vegetables and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner and two servings with breakfast.


Read the full study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.