Adults with Kids at Home Eat More Fat

When my children were young, and as a working mom, I often sought the foods that I could put on the table quickly and without hearing the dreaded, “Ewwww… do I have to eat THAT?!” I also loaded my pantry with those easy-to-distribute and “fun” to eat pre-packaged snacks that were easy to throw in a backpack, lunch box, or that my children could grab when they got home from school.

Unfortunately, many of those foods are loaded with fat. Like so many other parents who make these same food choices for their children, that fat also ended up in my diet.

According to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, adults who have young children at home are eating significantly more fat than those who live without children. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that included a national sample of almost 7,000 adults, researchers from the University of Iowa found that adults with children in their home consumed nearly 5 more grams of fat and 1.7 more grams of saturated fat every day – about the same as a slice of pepperoni pizza! Figure that amounts to eating a pizza a week!

They reported that “time pressures and constraints, children’s preferences for high fat, high sugar foods and parents’ perceptions of what children are likely to eat” lead parents to purchase more restaurant, ready-to-eat, or snack foods that are typically higher in fat content. And, when they are available, parents are more likely to eat these foods as well.

The researchers point out that while parents should be guiding what their children eat, instead the kids are influencing their parents’ diets. They recommend that parents seek healthier meal and snack options that will improve the diet of the entire family!

What Every Child Needs for Good Mental Health

To grow healthy and strong, children need good food, plenty of sleep, exercise and fresh air. Children have emotional needs too. To have good health - and to be both healthy and happy, all children require…
LOVE
Every child needs to feel:
• That his parents like him for himself, just the way he is.
• That they like her all the time, and not only when she acts how they think she should act.
• That they always accept him, even though often they may not approve of the things he does.
• That they will let her grow and develop in her own way.

SECURITY
Every child needs to know:
• That his home is a good safe place and he can feel sure about it.
• That her parents will always be on hand, especially in times of crisis when she needs them most.
• That he belongs to a family or group; that there is a place where he fits in.

PROTECTION
Every child needs to feel:
• That his parents will keep him safe from harm.
• That they will help her when she must face strange, unknown and frightening situations.

FAITH
Every child needs to have:
• A set of moral standards to live by.
• A belief in the human values - kindness, courage, honesty, generosity and justice.

INDEPENDENCE
Every child needs to know:
• That her parents want her to grow up and that they encourage her to try new things.
• That they have confidence in him and in his ability to do things for himself and by himself.

GUIDANCE
Every child needs to have:
• Grown-ups around him who show him by example how to get along with others.
• Friendly help in learning how to behave toward persons and things.

CONTROL
Every child needs to know
• That here are limits to what she is permitted to do and that her parents will hold her to those limits.
• That though it is all right to feel jealous or angry, he will not be allowed to hurt himself or others when he has these feelings.

Children whose basic needs are satisfied have a better chance to grow up in good mental health and to become mentally healthy adults – people who are good parents, good mates, good workers, good neighbors, and good citizens.

Baby's Intellectual Development

A few years back, thanks to the advent of computer animation, filmmakers found audiences were entertained by the notion of understanding what babies might actually be communicating in the “Look Who’s Talking” movie series. Were it so easy. While babies appear to have “dialogue” with one another and can get quite a conversation rolling with baby babble, experts say that babies are still working on “mamma,” “dada,” and “no” until they’re between 8 and 15 months old.


Still, at around nine months, babies are steadily increasing their ability to communicate. At this point they can probably respond to a few words such as their “name,” “bottle,” “no,” or “ball.” That babble they offer in return is their way of developing their first words so it’s important to play dialogue games with babies. As far as they know, they ARE talking with you. Talking back to them will encourage babies to develop their vocabulary.

Babies will begin to explore their environments at this stage as well. They are curious and will spend a lot of time investigating things. They now understand cause and effect and the concept of object permanence. Before now, if a baby cannot see an object, the object does not seem to exist for him or her. This is the time to start playing peek-a-boo, to bring out the pop-up toys and to read books with big pictures. These activities will further stimulate their intellectual development.

Healthy Snacking for Children

Every kid loves a good snack. Unfortunately, many parents think that all snacking is bad and leads to weight gain. Although this might be the case with snacking on cookies, chips, and candy all day, healthy snacking is an important component of a child's nutrition. Childhood is a time of rapid growth, and meeting the nutritional needs associated with normal development is critical to a child's well-being. Since children have much smaller stomachs than adults, healthy snacking helps to provide nutrients between meals in order to help them meet their daily nutritional needs. The key is learning how to make healthy snack choices and avoid consuming too many snacks that are high in added sugars and low in nutrients.


Healthy snack choices can provide children with some of the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and calories they need for growth, energy, and overall good health. In fact, healthy snacks can satisfy nutrient gaps and provide up to one quarter of a child's daily energy needs. Healthy snacking satisfies hunger between meals, improves concentration, and prevents overeating at mealtime.

Try to keep snack portions small and less than 250 calories. Small portions are especially important for those occasional snacks that contain lots of added sugars and are low in nutritional value.

Serve regular meals and snacks every three to four hours. Allowing adequate time between meals and snacks will ensure that children are not too full to eat their meals. Structured meals and snacks also will keep kids from eating out of boredom. Avoid using food as a reward or as way to calm an upset child to prevent emotional eating later on.

Buying snacks from a vending machine or grabbing a bag of chips or cookies is usually an unhealthy temptation for families on the go. Be prepared by having healthy snacks on hand to make it easier for your child to make smart snack choices.

Impact of Divorce on Teens

With more than one million divorces in the U.S. annually, many teens are experiencing dramatic changes in their lives.


University of Florida researchers say that some teenaged children react to their parents' divorce in unhealthy ways. They may act out or rebel, feel angry or hurt, refuse to accept the divorce, and might become highly critical of others.

Dr. Millie Ferrer with University of Florida IFAS Extension recommends telling your teen about the divorce as soon as the decision is made. Let them know what changes may be occurring in the future, such as moving to a new house or school. Although changes will most likely happen, UF experts recommend that you try to follow your normal family routines as much as possible to help your teen cope.

If possible, both parents should participate in this conversation, so sit down ahead of time and discuss what you are going to calmly tell your teen. Do not go into the details of your marital problems, but have a brief explanation ready for them when they ask. Encourage your teen to ask questions about the divorce and share their feelings with you.

Most importantly, tell your teen that they are in no way responsible for the divorce and should not blame themselves. Honest and open communication will help your family cope with changes in the family structure.

Immigrant Family Strengths

According to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau, about one in five children was an immigrant or had at least one immigrant parent. While these newcomer children and their families face numerous challenges, they also have many strengths. In fact, in some ways, children of immigrant parents are better off than U.S.-born children.


In some ways, immigrant children tend to be healthier than U.S.-born children. Babies born to immigrant mothers are less likely to be born with a low birth-weight and less likely to die in the first year of life than babies born to native.

Immigrant children are also more likely to live with two parents, and they are twice as likely to live with other relatives. Living with two parents or an extended family group can also provide a child with needed income, housing, and other support.

Finally, immigrant children have high educational goals. They tend to spend more time doing homework and do better in school, at least through middle school. They are also less likely to be involved in substance abuse, early sexual intercourse, delinquency, and violence .

Researchers caution that some immigrant families face more hardships than others. Children and families from parts of Latin America, Indochina, and the non-English speaking Caribbean often face tremendous difficulties. Poverty, language barriers, parents' lower educational levels, refugee status, and discrimination put children at risk. However, researchers suggest that policies and programs that assist these children can help them reach their potential as productive adults and nurturing parents.

Caregiving and Legal Issues

When care for an elderly or sick relative begins, discussions on financial and legal topics can be uncomfortable for both the caregiver and their relative. As hard as this may be, UF researchers say talking about legal matters is important.


As a caregiver, you should know the location of your relative's important legal documents. This includes their birth certificate, Social Security card, insurance papers and property deeds. Are these kept at home or in a bank box? Where would your relative prefer them to be kept? If something should happen to your relative, will you have access to these items?

If your relative has a Will, or other such documentation, find out where they keep it and who helped them to create it. You might want to meet with a lawyer to review what the Will says and to make sure it is up to date. If your relative does not have a Will, ask if they would like to create one and help them find a professional who can help them do so.

Also discuss with your relative who will have power of attorney to make legal and medical decisions if something were to happen to them. If they have made this decision, speak with their lawyer to review the paperwork.

Asking your relative these simple questions now can prevent potentially catastrophic problems down the road. There are too many sad stories of families caught off-guard and dealing with picking up the pieces at an already difficult time.