“With the obesity epidemic looming large, it’s absolutely crucial for parents to instill healthy habits right from the start,” says Dr. Laura Jana, pediatrician and award-winning parenting author. “While this may seem like a tremendous responsibility for those still adjusting to diapers, play dates and the many other demands of new parenthood, it’s not hard to help children grow up healthy by committing to some simple yet important lifestyle changes.”

Jana recommends some tips:

Downsize your Plate, Upsize the Veggies
An easy way to cut down on unhealthy eating is to use a smaller plate. Portion sizes are now two to five times larger than in years past, and studies have shown that the bigger the serving dish, the bigger the serving is likely to be. “The more we heap on our children’s plates, the more likely we are to unintentionally encourage them to overeat. Avoiding large plates can help you avoid serving supersized meals,” Jana says.

What belongs on that healthier-sized plate? The USDA MyPlate program recommends making half your plate fruits and vegetables and the other half protein and grains. Other important recommendations include serving fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk to children older than 2, choosing lower-sodium foods and skipping sugary drinks. This simple, fresh-plated picture-of-nutritional-health program even comes with online tools to create a customized food plan for your little one.

Swap Screen Time for Playtime
Young children thrive and learn best through interacting with others and playing with real objects in their environment. While watching TV may be fun and entertaining, or even appear to be educational, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports it does not support learning for children younger than 2. In fact, evidence suggests that screen time may interfere with young children’s healthy development and encourage sedentary behaviors and poor sleep – both are habits implicated in the obesity epidemic.

Dr. Mary Zurn, vice president of education for Primrose Schools, recommends independent play as an alternative to TV. “The early years are critical to a child’s development, so it’s important to ensure that children have opportunities to explore their surroundings and find out what they can make happen,” Zurn says.

Singing songs, drawing, playing with puzzles and stacking blocks are fun, “unplugged” activities children can do on their own that also support their creative, problem-solving and reasoning skills.

Get Moving
Pediatricians recommend children ages 1 to 3 get 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity every day, while preschoolers need 90 to 120 minutes. Regular exercise helps children grow to a healthy weight, build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints, and strengthen their hearts.

There are many fun ways to add physical activity to your family’s daily routine: turn a casual stroll into a scavenger hunt, play tag, race through the sprinklers or simply get up and dance. “I love getting children to dance because it not only gives them a healthy dose of exercise, it also supports their creative development and self-expression and, as a bonus, enhances positive family time,” says Jana.

Need more motivation to get your family up and moving? You could win as much as $5,000 and a $30,000 donation to your Children’s Miracle Network Hospital by entering the national Family Dance-off. Entering is easy. Film your family’s best dance moves and upload your video to FamilyDanceoff.com between Feb. 25 and March 23. Visit the contest website for full details.

For more parenting tips, visit www.DrZandFriends.com.

The post Conquer Childhood Obesity with Tips for Healthy Family Living first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Cracking the Cholesterol Myth
Enjoying an egg a day as part of a healthy diet balanced with fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, falls well within current cholesterol guidelines. In fact, according to USDA data, one large egg is 14 percent lower in cholesterol than previously recorded, down from 212 mg to 185 mg, and is also 64 percent higher in vitamin D, with 41 IU per large egg. Moreover, one large egg contains six grams of high-quality protein and 13 essential nutrients for 70 calories.

“Research shows that saturated fat may be more likely to raise a person’s blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol,” says Neva Cochran, registered dietitian, nutrition writer and researcher for Woman’s World Magazine. “Eating a balanced breakfast with high-quality protein foods like eggs, along with other nutrient-rich foods like fruit and whole grains, is the best way to start the day. Unlike sugary foods, eggs have no simple sugars and contain no carbs, providing steady and sustained energy.”

Additionally, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognize eggs as a nutrient dense food and state that the consumption of one egg per day is not associated with risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in healthy adults. And, eggs provide high-quality protein that helps build muscles and increases satiety for all-day energy, which can help maintain a healthy weight, an important factor in promoting overall health.

Incredible Egg Benefits
Cochran also points out that at an average of 15 cents a piece, eggs are an affordable, versatile, nutrient powerhouse that contribute to a healthy diet in many ways:

* Breakfast boosters: Research shows that eating high-quality protein foods for breakfast, like eggs, can help increase satiety, maintain long-lasting energy and improve cognitive skills like memory recall time.

* Sunshine supplement: Eggs are one of the few foods that are a naturally good source of vitamin D, meaning that one egg provides at least 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance. Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption, helping to form and maintain strong bones.

* Weight-loss companion: Research shows that eating eggs for breakfast can help overweight dieters lose more weight, lower their body mass index and shrink their waist more than eating a bagel of equal calories for breakfast.

Eggs are Easy
Adding eggs to your breakfast routine can be easy, even on busy weekday mornings. Whether you’re craving scrambled eggs, an omelet or an egg sandwich, microwaves can be an incredible time-saving tool, so you can start every day with a nutritious breakfast. Try this quick and easy recipe next time you’re in a rush:

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burrito
Ingredients:
1 flour tortilla (6-inch)
1 egg
1 tablespoon shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 tablespoon salsa

Directions:
1. Line 2-cup microwave-safe cereal bowl with microwave-safe paper towel. Press tortilla into bowl. Break egg into center of tortilla. Beat egg gently with a fork until blended, being careful not to tear tortilla.
2. Microwave on high 30 seconds; stir. Microwave until egg is almost set, 15 to 30 seconds longer.
3. Remove tortilla with paper towel liner from bowl to flat surface. Top egg with cheese and salsa. Fold bottom of tortilla over egg, then fold in sides.

For more information on the nutrition benefits of eggs or recipe ideas, visit www.eggnutritioncenter.org  or www.IncredibleEgg.org, “Like” the Incredible Edible Egg on Facebook or follow &#64IncredibleEggs on Twitter.

The post Unscrambling the Myths Behind Eggs and Cholesterol first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

For older adults, bright lights, glare while driving at night and even blindness can dramatically affect quality of life, but the treatment isn’t just glasses or a stronger prescription – it’s also nutrition and supplementation.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness for Americans older than 60, according to the American Optometric Association. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 7.3 million people are at substantial risk for vision loss from AMD. Other estimates indicate that as our population continues to rapidly age, as many as one in three could be diagnosed with AMD in the next 20 years.

AMD deteriorates central vision, affecting everything from seeing faces clearly to literally having no central vision at all. Key risk factors for AMD are age, family history, smoking (past or present), low macular pigment, light skin and eyes, obesity and Caucasian women are also at slightly higher risk.

Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD) is a brief, non-intrusive exam performed by many optometrists throughout the country, which measures macular pigment in the back of the eye.

Think of macular pigment as “internal sunglasses” for the back of your eye – they absorb harmful blue light that can adversely affect eye health. Internal sunglasses protect the photoreceptors in the back of the eye – specifically the cones, which are responsible for central vision, color, sharpness and sensitivity to bright light, among others. Two key carotenoids, Zeaxanthin (zee-uh-zan-thin) and Lutein, comprise the internal sunglasses, which can become thin as we age, unable to block or absorb harmful blue light. In order to keep the internal sunglasses thick and dense, it is important to replenish Zeaxanthin, the predominant carotenoid in the area where the concentration of cones is the highest.

Zeaxanthin is very scarce in the average daily diet, and vegetables like kale, corn, collard greens, spinach, and peppers naturally provide nutrients to help maintain macular health, but supplementation is often necessary. For example, one would have to eat approximately 20 ears of corn to get a recommended dosage of 8 to 10 milligrams of natural dietary Zeaxanthin per day.

Supplements like the EyePromise brand of eye vitamins help rebuild macular pigment through unique nutritional formulas that feature the highest levels of all natural Zeaxanthin, derived from paprika. In addition to protection, Zeaxanthin and Lutein can improve visual performance, reduce glare issues and sensitivity to bright light, as well as improve color intensity and contrast sensitivity.

“Too often we concentrate our diets on weight, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure, but ignore one of the most important organs in our bodies – our eyes,” says Dr. Dennis Giehart, founder of Zeavision. “An abundance of science has found low macular pigment puts people at risk for AMD, and increasing Zeaxanthin in the diet can help improve macular pigment for improved visual performance.”

Vision shouldn’t be something you take for granted as you age. Take care of your eyes with proper nutrition and supplementation if necessary, and ask your eye care professional about having your macular pigment measured to maintain your central vision.

The post Good Nutrition Important for Eye Health as you Age first appeared on The How Do Gardener.