In this weeks blog we would like to quote some great references from: Better Health Channel about Healthy School Lunches; https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/healthy-eating-school-lunches
“School is a time when children start to make independent choices about their lifestyles. School aged children learn quickly and are influenced by friends and popular trends. This is an important time to talk about and encourage healthy food habits.
Involving children in planning and preparing their own lunchboxes gives them the opportunity to learn about healthy eating, and also gives them a chance to make autonomous decisions about what they will be eating during the day.
Involve your Children in Healthy Choices
Tips to help get your kids involved include:
Talk to your children about what they would like to have in their lunchbox. Discuss healthier food and drink choices and decide what will be in the lunchbox together.
Write a shopping list together. Take your children shopping with you and let them choose foods and drinks from the shopping list.
Encourage your children help prepare their lunchboxes. Older children may be able to prepare most of their lunch themselves, and younger children can help with making sandwiches or cutting up soft fruit. It is a good idea to prepare lunchboxes the evening before to allow children to participate.
What to Put in Healthier School Lunches
The six key parts to a healthy lunchbox include:
Fruit – best choices include fresh or tinned fruit. Dried fruit is sticky and high in sugar, so have it occasionally.
Vegetables – try fresh crunchy vegetable sticks with dip or a small container with mixed vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, and cucumber.
Milk, yogurt or cheese – you can use reduced-fat options for children over the age of 2 years. For children who cannot tolerate milk products, offer appropriate daily alternatives like calcium fortified soy or rice drink or soy yogurt.
Meat or meat alternative foods – try lean meat (like chicken strips), a hard-boiled egg or peanut butter. If your school has a nut-free policy, peanut butter and other nuts should not be included in your child’s lunchbox.
Grain or cereal foods – like a bread roll, flat bread, fruit bread or some crackers (wholegrain or whole meal options).
Drinks – tap water is best
Tips for Healthy Lunchboxes
Cut up large pieces of fruit and put them in a container – this makes it easier to eat, especially if your child has wobbly teeth or if they have less time to eat than they are used to. Send a damp face washer to help with extra juicy fruit.
Consider giving half a sandwich or roll for morning recess, as this is an easy way to get a healthy fill.
In the hot weather, send frozen milk, yogurt or water, or even frozen orange segments. This makes a great refreshing snack and helps to keep the lunch box cool.
Go for color and crunch in the lunch box by offering a variety of colorful vegetables and fruit.”
In conclusion, the choices we make for our children’s lunchboxes can have a significant impact on their overall health and well-being. By prioritizing fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, we set them up for success both in and out of the classroom. Remember to involve your children in the decision-making process, as this not only educates them about healthy eating but also empowers them to make smart food choices on their own.
As parents, guardians, or caregivers, our role in shaping their dietary habits is instrumental.. So, as you pack those lunchboxes, think about the nutritious and delicious options that can fuel your child’s day and set them on a path to a lifetime of healthy eating.
Here’s to happy and healthy lunchtimes for our little ones!
Resources:
Better Health Channel. (n.d.). Healthy Eating – School Lunches. Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/healthy-eating-school-lunches
National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Dietary Guidelines, Australian Government.
Looking for a kid-friendly, nutritious snack that’s perfect for when you’re on the move? Give these Peanut Butter Cereal Bars a try! Whole grain oats, peanut butter, and dried fruit make a crispy, chewy treat.
Ingredients
½ cup honey (see Notes)
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups rice cereal
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
In a saucepan, bring honey to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and stir in peanut butter.
Add cereal, oats and raisins; mix well. Remove from heat.
Lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking pan. Press mixture into pan. When cool, cut into 16 bars.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
Try this recipe with 4 cups of unsweetened cereal flakes instead of the rice cereal and oats.
Honey is not recommended for children under 1 year old.
To avoid peanuts or peanut butter, try sunflower seeds or sunflower seed butter.
Photo and recipe credit: https://foodhero.org/recipes/peanut-butter-cereal-bars
Parents and teachers prepare for children born during the COVID-19 pandemic head to preschool this fall.
In early spring 2020, when the COVID pandemic began to take hold, everyone’s daily routines changed. For many new parents, this meant an unexpected and sudden loss of much-needed support systems. Holly Rondeau is the mom of a toddler born in early February 2020, making her son a pandemic baby. “We had maybe a week or two, and then boom! (The) world closed down, my mom had to leave early because the airports were closing, and then we couldn’t see anybody for like a year.” Children born in 2020 experienced isolation during an essential phase of early childhood development. This fall, these pandemic babies head to preschool.
According to the Oregon Health Authority, there were 39,820 births in 2020. This fall, an estimated 10,000 of those children will enter preschool. This number of children is an increase of about 2,000 children from the prior year due to the inception of the state-funded Preschool Promise program which provides free or low-cost preschool for eligible 3- and 4-year-olds. Studies show early childhood education programs, like preschool, are critical for children in many areas, including academic achievement and future health.
With preschools preparing to take in these pandemic babies for the first time, there is some apprehension for the parents. Children, especially young children, learn through play, activities, and interacting with other children their own age. The forced isolation brought on by the pandemic led to many children spending their formative years without some of these vital interactions. The isolation children and families experienced during the pandemic varied based on factors like family size and location. How this isolation affected young children’s social skills is likely just as varied. Add in the dynamic of masking for a year or more, and small children were challenged even further by not getting social cues learned from reading facial expressions.
Research studies on how infants and young children fared during the pandemic are assessing for changes in early development. Unfortunately, they are finding them. A study published in Japan this month looked at the effects of screen time on infants and young children. The impact of screen time is significant because many parents turned to increased screen use during the pandemic. The Japanese study found the more screen time an infant had at age 1, the greater the risk of delays in communication and problem-solving of toddlers at ages 2 and 4. A second study looked at changes in early childhood development that pandemic babies experienced. The study found a decline in these children’s communication and personal- social skills. Parents like Rondeau hope preschool will help provide some of these lost abilities.
Keri Archer is a kindergarten teacher at Nehalem Elementary. She taught before, during, and after the pandemic, giving her an excellent perspective on how little ones do when attending school for the first time. From her perspective, Archer says the children starting school at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year were the most impacted by the pandemic. She notes kindergarteners that year had not attended preschool because of the pandemic closures and the first graders spent most of their kindergarten year attempting virtual learning. Archer found a lot of gaps in the children’s education, and the children lacked an understanding of how to behave or act in a school setting. “Preschool and kindergarten are the years we are as human beings learning how to relate to each other,” says Archer. “Typically, that’s the first group settings that a lot of kids are in…they have to learn how to get along with each other, and take turns, and play.” But there is hope, as Archer saw last year as a more typical school year, and she expects the same this year. Rondeau is ready for this with her son. “I’m excited for him to start preschool and kind of, like, see this next phase of his development.”
Studies of the effects of isolation on babies who grew into toddlers during the pandemic will likely be under scrutiny for years. Because of the isolation, many young children have not had the traditional opportunities to socialize with other children their age. Archer wants to reassure parents with young children attending school for the first time. “The encouragement of a parent goes a long way to help them be successful in school. Because it is always going to be scary.” The advice Archer would give parents going into the new school year is the same as she would have given to parents before the pandemic. “I think the more confident that parents can be about how fun it’s going to be, and how great it’s going to be, and that encouragement, and just feeling confident that educators are well versed in what they do and are going to handle it well so they can feel that confidence too.”
AUTHOR: Leanna Coy, FNP-C, Family Nurse Practitioner and Health Content Writer
Resources: Takahashi I, Obara T, Ishikuro M, et al. Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Communication and Problem-Solving Developmental Delay at 2 and 4 Years. JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 21, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3057
Almeida, L., Rego, J. F., Girardi Teixeira, A. C., & Moreira, M. R. (2022). Social isolation and its impact on child and adolescent development: A systematic review. Revista Paulista de Pediatria, 40. https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/2022/40/2020385
2 cups whole kernel corn (fresh, frozen or canned and drained)
2 cups lima beans (fresh, frozen or canned and drained)
2 cups cut okra (fresh or frozen)
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed or diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
In a large saucepan on medium heat, sauté onion in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low and slowly cook until the veggies are tender, the liquids reduce and the flavors are blended, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
The amounts of each vegetable are provided as a guide and do not have to be exact. Create your own combination according to your taste and what’s available!
Try adding other vegetables such as black eyed peas, chopped bell pepper, hot pepper or zucchini.
Try adding other seasonings such as garlic powder, thyme, basil or hot sauce.
If using fresh corn, slice 2 cups kernels from 2 to 4 ears, uncooked or cooked.
If using fresh tomatoes, use 4 large to 6 medium (3 cups chopped, peel first if desired).
Each year, lives are lost due to suicide. Suicide is an intentional self-inflected death. This cause of death is complex and is typically a result of many factors in a person’s life. These factors are often referred to as risk factors. A risk factor is a condition, characteristic, or attribute that can increase the risk of a negative outcome. Examples of suicide risk factors include: a previous suicide attempt, access to lethal means, social isolation, lack of access of care, problem gambling, substance use disorder, loss of a loved one (especially by suicide), and a stigma of discussing mental health. If you would like to learn more about risk factors, I recommend the CDC’s Risk and Protective Factors, this resource can be accessed on the CDC’s website(www.cdc.gov).
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States and in Oregon. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the year 2021, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. The CDC’s data shows that in the year 2021 there were 48,183 suicide deaths in the United States. For more information about national suicide statistics visit www.cdc.gov. According to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), in the year 2021, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in Oregon. OHA’s Center for Health Statistics data shows that 893 Oregonians died by suicide in the year 2021. For more information the state level suicide statistics visit www.oregon.gov.
The good news is that this cause of death is preventable. One way to prevent suicide is to increase protective factors. Protective factors are a characteristic, attribute, or condition that can decrease a negative health outcome. Protective factors include: a connection with others, access to mental health care, access to basic needs, reduced access to lethal means, coping strategies, and problem-solving skills. For more information about protective factors, I recommend the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) Risk factors, Protective Factors, and Warning Signs, this resource can be accessed on the AFSP website (www.afsp.org).
If you would like to learn more about suicide prevention, I recommend attending a Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper training. This training is an evidence-based suicide prevention training that has been used worldwide. In this training participants learn about suicide, suicide warning signs, conversations tips, and the three steps of QPR. After the completion of the training participants will receive a certificate, QPR Institute booklet, and other relevant prevention information.
Since the year 2020, the Tillamook Family Counseling Center (TFCC) has offered the QPR Gatekeeper training to community members every other month (or as requested). From September 2020-August 2023, TFCC prevention staff has offered 32 QPR Gatekeeper trainings (29 in English and 3 in Spanish) and have trained close to 300 community members. This past year, TFCC has begun to offer QPR Gatekeeper trainings in the Spanish language. If you would like to learn more about this new offering, please contact Angelicao@tfcc.org. TFCC will present a virtual English QPR Gatekeeper training on September 11th from 10-11:30AM. If you would like to register for this training email me at Janeanek@tfcc.org.
If you are having thoughts about suicide, you are not alone, help is available. For local crisis support call the Tillamook County 24/7 crisis support at (503)842-8201. For national support call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800)273- 8255.
If you should have questions about this blog. Please feel free to contact Janeane at Janeanek@tfcc.org.
AUTHOR: Janeane Krongos, Tillamook Family Counseling Center, CPS
For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
