Today we were at the local shopping centre and there have been some major renovations that have occured. We were checking out all the new stores, then noticed a new donut store that had opened. The reason why we stopped to take a closer look was because within the shop fitting was a bunch of different signs representing fruits. As we stood there we thought why is there signage about Fruit and fat content in a donut store. Then we looked closer and there stood a sign saying “How does your snack rate?”. Then under the heading was a bunch of snack foods such as chocolates, muffins, crossiant, cookies and a donut (which were all rated in grams per serving). But what caught our attention was that they had listed the snack foods from very high in fat to low in fat. So chocolate and cookies rated the highest fat content in snack foods and then donut was rated as a the lowest fat content in snack food – weighing in at 12grams of fat per donut. Yep that is right 12g per fat per donut! However this rating of donut is only for the plain donut not the chocolate coated or glazed donut. It seemed a shame that a real piece of fruit wasn’t compared on the “How does your snack rate” rating table! Now we know there are alot of snacks such as a piece of fruit which are definately a more healthier option then 12g per fat per donut. And then you need to ask the question how long will this snack actually keep you full before eating another snack and how come they didn’t show how much sugar content was in each donut? You only need to look at the donut to see the glazing on the top to take a guess at how much sugar is there. Check out the picture of Richard holding the donuts to see!
It’s interesting because just down the corridor from this donut shop is a fruit shop. Now we ask what is the healthier snack, a 12g fat plain donut or an apple?
So the tip here is – don’t be tricked by the way food can be presented as low in fat! Always be aware and ask yourself is there a more healthier option?

Next time you pack your child’s lunchbox, take a look inside. How many different options of foods have you given your little one and what is the ratio of healthy food to junk food?

“Researchers recently found 72 per cent of students had no vegetables or salad in their lunchbox, 24 per cent had less than one serve of fruit and only 34 per cent had one or more pieces of fruit packed in their schoolbag.” That is saying that – ALMOST three-quarters of children do not have any salad or vegetables in their school lunchbox and almost half have too much junk food.

Check out the article with all the info http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23047685-2702,00.html

With this latest study I thought it was important to help parents out with some lunchbox tips. So, when your kids go back to school this year what is going to be in their lunchbox?

Here are 4 tips to a healthy lunchbox for 2008:

1. Make it fun – place pieces of fruit such as strawberries in clear zip up bags and write a note or joke to your child on the front. This will make them excited about opening their lunchbox to see what note is left each day. Cut sandwiches in different shapes (quarters, circles, smily faces).

2. Make it colourful – ensure there are plenty of fruit and vegetables in their lunchbox so it is colourful and healthy: – such as a sandwich, with fruit salad, vege sticks (carrot, celery), piece of fruit/apple, juice, water.

3. Keep it healthy – cut up pieces of fruit for your child so it is easy for them to eat. Such as watermelon (cut into cubes), apples (quarters), kiwi friut (circles), orange (quarters or peel the skin in a circle motion forming a long snake like ring that sits on the orange until your child is ready to eat it. Then they pull off the skin to eat the orange and the skin is in a snake ring – makes it fun for kids!)

4. Leave the junk out! – if you do not put junk food into your child’s lunchbox high chances are they won’t eat it! So ditch the junk and replace it with healthy foods such as fruit, vege sticks, yoghurt, cheese or healthy museli bars.

Tonight we went to the book launch for a new book called “Star Foods”, written by Dr Joanna McMillian Price (picture above on left, middle Joey Marc, right Richard Marc) and Judy Davie. Star Foods discusses the best vegetables and fruits, proteins and carbohydrates needed for a daily diet to benefit overall health and wellbeing. It also explains fats, drinks and even the better treats to look out for! And contains more than 70 healthy and delicious recipes.

The authors have a great way of discribing foods such as ‘Ranking The Players’, where the foods are ranked in performance levels according to nutritional value. A great alternative way to look at the foods we should eat more often to achieve and maintain good health. Dr Joanna McMillian Price co-author of Star Foods has a PhD in nutritional science and is also featured as a speaker in our 7 CD audio program “Secrets of a healthy family” due for release shortly.

To find out more information about Star Foods visit Dr Joanna McMillian Price website http://www.joannamcmillanprice.com/star-foods/

Yours in health and wellness,

Richard & Joey Marc

Welcome to the first Friday Q & A Day! As promised we would dedicate a blog on Friday to answering questions “Parents want to know about childhood or family health and wellbeing”.

Thanks to all the parents who have submitted their questions. We have a bunch of emails that have come through with loads of questions and we hope to answer as many as possible through the following Fridays until the end of May.

Q: “What should I be putting in my kid’s lunchbox every day as a snack? At the moment I give them a piece of fruit, chips or a chocolate bar. I would like some more ideas of how I can get more healthier foods into their lunchbox and slowly get rid of the chocolates and chips. It is just really hard because that is what the kids want chips and chocolates. Thanks.” Janice, Wollongong Hi Janice,

Thank you for your question. It is important to place a variety of fruits and vegetables in the lunchbox on a daily basis. First of all it is great that you are placing a piece of fruit into their lunchbox. Here are some ideas of how you can include more fruits and vegetables in your kids lunchbox:

- Make it fun for the kids & easy to grab! Cut the fruit up into different shapes such as cubes, triangles or use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Just by cutting the fruit into pieces makes it easy for the kids to grab and eat, whilst also making it fun. - Dunk & Dip! Cut up some cucumber, carrots or celery into small sticks and include cherry tomato. Then place all the vegetables into a container. In the middle of the container add a dip such as hommos or cheese. Make it fun for the kids and so they can dunk their food into the dip.

- More than just cheese and crackers – When packing cheese and crackers as a snack option, opt for a cheese that you can cut yourself instead of pre-packaged. This way it gives you the freedom to choose a healthy cheese option and also to include add ons. Use a container from home and cut up some cheese and include cherry tomatoes, cucumber (cut into circles) and include crackers. That way the kids are getting more then just cheese and crackers. In regards to chips and chocolates, it is important to identify the difference between a treat and a habit. For example a chocolate bar that is included in the lunchbox on a daily basis equals 5 chocolates a week and that is not including any extra chocolate snacks after school or on the weekends. So if it is daily it is a habit. So it may take some adjusting at first but we would recommend chocolates or chips to be as an occasional treat in the lunchbox. Look for healthier snack options to include instead, such as fruit, yogurt with fresh strawberries, cheese and vegetables with crackers, homemade muffins, biscuits with vegemite and cheese, dunk and dip!

**Place your comments below to share with us some healthy lunchbox ideas you place in your kids lunchbox!**

Q: “My kids don’t eat enough vegetables. I have a 6 year old and 3 year old, how can I possibly get them to eat more vegetables? I try to get them to eat vegetables at dinner but it always seems a struggle.” Anne, St KildaGreat question Anne. It is really important to ensure we encourage our kids to eat more vegetables and for them to know that vegetables as part of their daily diet and this is normal. We can do this by including vegetables in the diet on a daily basis through all meals. Here are some ideas of how kids can eat more vegetables throughout the day and in general.

Firstly add some vegetables at lunch or as a snack:

- Mix it in a wrap! Make a wrap (or a sandwich), add your child’s favourite filler such as chicken or ham and mix some vegetables into it such as avocado as a spread instead of butter, grated carrot, lettuce, tomato, cucumber. Cut the wrap into small pieces which are easy to grab. - Make some muffins and add real fruit or vegetable ingredients such as grated carrot, mashed banana with sultanas, apple, apricot, pumpkin.

Add more veges at dinner:

Vegetable Soup Make a pot of vegetable soup (there is a recipe in a previous blog) and place the soup through the blender. That way the vegetables are mixed in the blender and when the soup is served the vegetables are definately there but not necessarily seen.

Pasta is another great meal where you can cut vegetables into small pieces and add it in the pasta sauce such as broccoli, carrot, celery, eggplant.

Make the vegetables fun on the dinner plate. Make a smily face with the vegetables such as the eyes are potato, nose is zucchini, mouth is corn and hair are peas!

Add a side salad Make a side salad a common side dish at dinner. So it is something that children are use to.

Cook the vegetables a different way Try cooking vegetables in a variety of different ways such as grilled or steamed adding different flavourings or toppings.

Grow your own – If you have a backyard, start a little vege garden. This is fun for the kids and interactive. They will learn about where vegetables come from and how they grow. Plus, they will also get to eat their vegetables once they are grown!

**We would love to hear some of the ideas and ways you encourage your kids to eat more vegetables. Share with us your ideas in the comments below**

We hope you enjoyed the first edition of Friday Q & A Day. If you have a question about family fitness, health or wellness to include in Friday Q & A Day! then email us at: richardjoey@pleasemumdontsupersizeme.com

Have a wonderful weekend!

Richard & Joey Marc