Wordsmithery. Cooking With Kids: It s About So Much More Than Food

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Brian Lloyd
5 years ago
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1 Cooking With Kids: It s About So Much More Than Food Families who spend time together planning, shopping, and preparing their food are making two very good choices they are passing on the skill of food preparation (including math, nutrition information and following directions), and they are forming a closer bond through time spent together in conversation and learning. Children are even more likely to eat what they ve cooked or grown, so they become less picky eaters with a diversity of tastes. According to Dr. Lachin Hajhosseini, MD, a family practitioner with ThedaCare Physicians- Appleton North inside Encircle Health, Three good things happen when families eat together at the table. Better quality food is prepared, families are together and talking away from screens, and bodies are nourished. This all happens with the simple decision to make and eat food together. There are many benefits to cooking and eating together as a family beyond the obvious. The American Heart Association reports that overweight children and teens get better control of their weight when there is structured time for family meals, and fewer meals are eaten outside the home, said Dr. Hajhosseini. Children learn that food has the ability to improve one s health, sidestepping the idea that somehow food is an enemy, which may lead to the development of eating disorders. Young people who consciously think about food choices as opportunities to heal or energize their bodies gain control over what and how it is eaten, she said. Furthermore, research shows that young people who eat together as a family are less likely to use drugs. Young children often show a natural interest in measuring and mixing. This is a great time for parents to capture their attention and help build for them a strong foundation of healthy cooking and eating. Dr. Hajhosseini suggests a couple of ways to involve family members in food preparation. Most of these tips apply to children about six years or older, but kids as young as two can pitch in, too, by safely stirring ingredients or washing vegetables. Choose a region, country or culture and learn about where it is on the map and what foods are grown and eaten there. Choose a specific recipe to try. Go to the farmer s market or grocery store to buy ingredients. Talk about how or why you choose certain ingredients (like how to choose the freshest vegetables). If you want to integrate math, set a budget and bring a calculator or pad and pencil to keep track of expenses. Teach your children, if they are young readers, how to read nutrition labels, especially fat, sodium, fiber and protein amounts. Talk about which ingredients are good for you, and which ones need to be eaten only in moderation. When you return home, take out all of the ingredients and measure them. Measuring cups teach fractions. Baking times require the ability to read a clock. All these steps are valuable life skills. Review the recipe together and emphasizes the proper order of the steps.

2 Teach the importance of cleaning between steps of a recipe and washing hands between handling different ingredients. Wear the uniform. A kid-sized apron is a lot of fun to wear and makes splotches on clothing less likely. Remember to tie back long hair, too. Be patient and flexible. There may be spills or unusual recipe results, but these are all steps in the learning process. Be encouraging, even if it s as simple as adding a topping to a pizza. You could even name the dish after the child who helped make it, Dr. Hajhosseini said. Kids can pitch in when they need food for a school group or large family celebration, and this builds a sense of responsibility and belonging. The simple act of making food is very powerful. We all need to eat every day, so start getting teaching your children when they are young, she said. Need help to find a doctor who can help you prepare a recipe for your overall wellness? Lachin Hajhosseini, MD, a family practitioner at ThedaCare Physicians-North Appleton inside Encircle Health, is accepting new patients. {Call to Action} Change Your Behavior & Avoid Getting Sick at Work The funny thing about viruses, said Dr. Adam Olson, MD, a family physician at ThedaCare Physicians-Darboy, is that they can t survive and reproduce on their own. They need a host, like a warm human, to do their damage. It s amazing how they can take down an otherwise healthy person by hijacking his or her own cells and causing havoc. On the other hand, bacteria do survive independently and can also invade the human body and cause illness. Germs is a generic term to describe both of these infectious agents. The secret to avoiding the spread of sickness at work is best understood at the microscopic level. Germs are lurking everywhere. A recent study by environmental microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba from the University of Arizona found: A person s desktop is one of the germiest places in the office with 21,000 germs per square inch. (By comparison, office toilet seats have 49 germs per square inch.) Most women s handbags have fecal material on the bottom. Office telephones had more than 25,000 germs per square inch. Look out for germ clusters on break room faucet handles; microwave door handles; keyboards; refrigerator door handles; bubbler buttons; and vending machine buttons. How are viruses spread? They can float through the air or set up shop through the direct transfer of body fluids from one person to another, including sweat, nasal mucus, blood, and even semen and vaginal secretions. People who touch a surface on which body fluids have dried can catch certain types of viruses and bacteria that way. Your computer mouse is especially dirty because you touch it so often. It makes total sense to wipe it down with an anti-viral or antibacterial cleaner every couple of days, said Dr. Olson.

3 What can you do to protect yourself from these invisible invaders? Focus on changing your habits, not just your environment, said Dr. Olson. You ll have much more control over your exposure to germs if you are thoughtful about your own behavior. Without going overboard and wrapping yourself in a Tyvek suit, he suggests taking these simple steps to dramatically decrease your exposure to workplace germs: Cover your mouth or nose when you sneeze or cough. The simple act of coughing or sneezing can leave behind millions of germs that can live on a surface for up to three days, said Dr. Olson. Avoid contact with bodily fluids of others. Think about your pretty face, but don t keep touching it. Stop yourself when you realize what you re doing. Office workers touch their hands to their faces an average of 18 times an hour, or once every three and a half minutes. Bacteria and viruses couldn t ask for a better pathway from your keyboard, desktop or phone right to into our respiratory and digestive systems. Dispose of unwanted food at your desk or in your drawers. It s a breeding ground for bacteria. Set up a workplace infection control program like you would a workplace safety program. Employers who focus on employee hand hygiene have been effective at reducing absenteeism on average by 40 percent. Wash (or sanitize) your hands! The correct way to wash your hands is to scrub them in warm soapy water for at least 15 seconds, rinse thoroughly, and dry with a clean towel, said Dr. Olson. Most people don t do it that way three seconds is simply not enough. I recommend that my patients use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, because it s much quicker and more effective than half-hearted handwashing. Get immunized. Immunizations teach your body how to produce the right antibodies as soon as a particular virus starts reproducing. New vaccines must be produced constantly because viruses mutate over time and your body needs new instructions for fighting them. Do you need a doctor who will help you fight the good fight against threats to your health? Dr. Adam Olson, MD, of ThedaCare Physicians-Darboy is accepting new patients. {Call to Action} Regaining Control of the Role of Caffeine When patients talk to Nancy Buchholz, APNP, at ThedaCare Physicians-Black Creek about their problems with insomnia, high blood pressure, or anxiety, she makes it a point to ask them about their use of caffeine. It s a drug, a legal drug, but many people still need help to assess their use and dependence on caffeine. It has far-reaching effects on a person s overall health, said Buchholz. Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system, heart, muscles, and the centers that control blood pressure. About 80 percent of the adult population in the US consumes

4 caffeine, and about 20 percent consume over 350 mg daily, a level sufficient to cause physical dependency. Caffeine can be beneficial when it is used in moderation to treat or improve: Migraine or tension headaches Mental alertness However, caffeine can cause serious health problems when it causes or aggravates: Anxiety disorders Irritable bowel syndrome Diarrhea High blood pressure Heart conditions Glaucoma When caffeine appears to be the culprit, Buchholz often recommends that her patients cut back on their use of caffeine, not eliminate it entirely from their diet. Everything in moderation, she says, noting that coffee drinkers might brew a pot of coffee with half regular coffee and half decaf. Avoid the empty calories and caffeine in soda and opt for chocolate milk instead. The protein in the milk will boost your energy level over the long term, not just a quick jolt and a quicker let-down. And what about those highly caffeinated energy drinks? Don t use them, says Buchholz. She s seen the cycle of dependence on energy drinks quickly spiral out of control, especially for shift workers. The combination of sugar and caffeine causes such a burst of alertness that the withdrawal becomes quite severe. Then the person needs more caffeine and sugar to revive his or her energy level. It s a vicious cycle that is difficult to break. Kids and caffeine don t mix. A child (age 1-5) consuming one can of caffeinated soda receives a caffeine equivalent of 4 cups of coffee for an adult Caffeine is readily absorbed by the body, with blood levels peaking about 30 minutes after ingestion. The clearance rate from the blood varies from several hours in an adult to several days in a newborn. If you decide to cut back or eliminate your use of caffeine, expect a short period of withdrawal (three to five days) which may involve irritability, headaches, sleepiness and constipation. Then opt for some healthier alternatives for boosting your energy: Drink water Picture a wilting flower. Chances are, all you need is water, or rehydration, to regain your alertness and energy.

5 Perk up with protein a handful of nuts or seeds instead of an afternoon coffee break will supply and maintain energy levels Get enough good quality, consistent sleep Exercise to boost your endorphins, your body s natural energy boosters Take a short walk around the plant or office on your break. Schedule exercise throughout the week. Caffeine occurs naturally in plants, in varying amounts. The coffee bean and the tea bush are the most familiar sources. The same amount of coffee or tea, prepared differently, varies widely in caffeine content (Instant coffee has 65 mg versus percolated coffee that has 110 mg/cup.) Brewed coffee, 8 oz mg caffeine Espresso, 1 oz mg Black tea, 8 oz mg Green Tea 8 oz mg Coca-Cola, 12 oz mg Mountain Dew, 12 oz mg 5-Hour Energy Shot, 2 oz mg Excedrin Extra Strength, 1 tablet 65 mg Find a care provider who can help you wake up to the effects of your everyday choices. Nancy Buchholz, APNP, is accepting new patients at ThedaCare Physicians-Black Creek. {Call to Action}

Basic Food Safety. Chopped Orientation

Basic Food Safety. Chopped Orientation Basic Food Safety Chopped Orientation It is important to know basic food safety techniques when preparing food to eat. Food can carry germs that make you sick. Dirty utensils, hands, clothes or work area