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Volume 9 – Number 29 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
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FILMMAKER SEAN ROBERTS:
SHUTTING DOWN
THE BULLY
A new film covers a tough topic that often leaves victims and families in disarray
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ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Make Your Kid’s Lunch Healthy Just as your family is getting out of summer mode, for many, September marks back-to-school time By Roniece Weaver
W
e encourage parents to become familiar with the school meal programs which require serving more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and gradually reducing sodium over 10 years. Studies have shown that students who eat school meals are more likely to consume milk, fruits, and vegetables during the meal times. School meal participants have better intake of some key nutrients (e.g., calcium, fiber) than non-participants. But if your student brings lunch from home, parents can be mindful of packing a healthy lunchbox. Between teacher “meet and greets,” school supply shopping, and getting back on a routine sleep schedule, lunchbox packing tends to be last on the list. But, what your child eats for lunch matters more than you might realize.
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Don’t Pack the Salt A recent CDC report found that about 90 percent of U.S. school-aged children consume too much sodium each day. To put that into perspective, if there are 20 kids in your child’s class, 18 of them will be eating too much sodium each day. Which group does your child fall into?
The report also found that one in nine children ages 8-17 has a blood pressure that measures too high, putting them at risk for heart disease. A healthy, low sodium diet can have an important effect on a child’s blood pressure and heart health now and later in life.
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SOURCES OF SODIUM IN CHILDREN’S DIETS
About 43% of sodium eaten by children comes from just 10 common food types! • Pizza • Bread/rolls • Cold cuts/cured meats • Savory snacks • Sandwiches • Cheese • Chicken patties/nuggets, etc. • Pasta mixed dishes • Mexican mixed dishes • Soups Source: What we eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2009-2010
One way to reduce the amount of sodium in your child’s lunchbox is to stick to lower-sodium options, such as cold cuts (marked low sodium), dinner leftovers such as grilled chicken or lean meat, and fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks. Identify the top sources of sodium in your child’s lunchbox. How to Beat the Surprising Sodium Sources You may be surprised to find out what the top sources of sodium are in children’s diets (see chart). If you can’t eliminate these items from your child’s school lunches, at least try to choose lower sodium options. Here are some tips to help tackle high sodium in your child’s lunchbox: • Identify the foods contributing the most sodium to your child’s lunchbox and find lower sodium options. Just like the lower-sodium cold cuts that are now offered at most delis, many snacks and prepared soups are also cutting the sodium. To find lower sodium packaged food options, read the nutrition labels and compare the sodium amount in similar products, then choose the option with the lowest amount of sodium. For example, some varieties of bread can vary from 80 to 230 mg of
sodium per slice. That can make a big difference in lunch-time sandwiches. Your kids may not even realize the difference! • For a healthy snack, pack fresh fruits and vegetables with lunch every day, like a small bag of baby carrots, snow peas, or grape tomatoes. • Encourage your child to get involved. Let them help pack their lunch, and talk about ways to make their favorite items healthy or lower sodium. Let them put their snack packs together or pick what they want for lunch the next day based on what healthy, low-sodium leftovers you have in the fridge. Take these tips beyond your child’s school lunchboxes and apply to planning and preparing food for other school activities, such as parties, sporting events, and extracurricular activities. Pack-and-Go Snack and Lunch Recipes Need inspiration for easy pack-and-go snack and lunch recipes that are lower in sodium? Check out recipes on the What’s Cooking site: www.whatscooking.fns.usda. gov for USDA / Food and Nutrition Team. By packing a lower sodium school lunch for your children and creating an environment with lower sodium food options at home, your children can develop healthy, low sodium eating habits that will last
throughout their lives and help improve their heart health. Back-to-School List Get involved in “extracurricular activities” for your family to have a healthy school year. • Kickball, swimming, tennis, soccer and much more. Just move!! • Join the conversation! Form text messages with other parents to share meal plans for your kid’s lunch. • Ever wonder what your child eats when they purchase lunch at school? Visit your children’s school and have lunch with them this National Take Your Parents to School Lunch Day. • Put healthy surprises in your kid’s lunch box that are heart healthy such as baked chips, fruit kabobs, low-sodium pretzels. Hope you had a great summer break. Plan ahead and let’s start the Fall on the right steps to Health! Pack the following recipe below in your child’s lunch box for a healthy treat that taste good and is healthy.
Roniece Weaver, MS, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian.
Yogurt Bars ¾ cup all purpose flour ¾ cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1 (6 ounce) package mixed dried fruit, coarsely chopped cup chopped walnuts (optional) 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt or 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt 1 large egg ¼ cup apple juice concentrate 2 tablespoons oil nonstick cooking spray
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Add dried fruits and walnuts. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, egg, apple juice concentrate, and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients until blended. Coat a 9 X 13 inch pan with vegetable spray, spread batter in pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes before slicing. Slice into 8 servings. Freeze in individual portions if desired.
ONYX MAGAZINE 23
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ENTERTAINS, INSPIRES AND INFORMS
TRAVEL
GET AWAY TO THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
Courtesy of turksandcaicostourism.com
T
he Turks and Caicos is a tropical Atlantic archipelago that’s located 575 miles southeast of Miami. The country is a British Overseas Territory with a population of about 30,000 spread over nine inhabited islands. There are about 100 named islands and cays in the Turks and Caicos. As the country’s name suggests, there are two island groups: the Turks Islands of Grand Turk and Salt Cay to the east, and the larger Caicos Islands group of Providenciales, North Caicos Middle Caicos, East Caicos, South Caicos and West Caicos to the west. The 20-mile wide and 5,000 foot deep Columbus Passage divides the groups. The majority of the population of Turks and Caicos resides on the island of Providenciales. Grand Turk supports the second greatest population, as well as the nation’s capital city of Cockburn Town. Unlike many Caribbean countries, the Turks and Caicos has one of the lowest annual rainfall average in the region, and consequently a high percentage of sunny days and great weather. The islands in the Turks and Caicos are
generally quite small, with low-elevation terrain. Drought-resistant tropical dry forest and marine mangrove wetlands make up the majority of vegetation in the country. Getting There The Providenciales International Airport welcomes all scheduled international flights to the Turks and Caicos, with arrivals from over two dozen cities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and the Caribbean. Grand Turk also features an international airport, yet only regularly sees domestic flights. Airports and airstrips can be found on nearly all other inhabited islands. The flight times from many major U.S. east coast cities isn’t great, which is a significant convenience for many travelers. Miami is less than two hours away. Car rentals and taxis are the main forms of transport throughout the country. Road navigation is simple due to our small islands, and a simple map suffices as a guide. Cruise Ships Grand Turk also features the country’s only cruise ship port, which sees about
12 cruise ship arrivals per week. Carnival Cruise Lines runs an expansive cruise center complex that features shops, dining and shore excursions. Grand Turk is a great cruise stop. The island is small, so it’s easy to explore, there are great beaches, as well as several minor yet interesting historical attractions. On the typical Caribbean route, it offers the best beaches and is the best destination for simply exploring by rental car. Grand Turk also offers a limited market for overnight stays, with small hotel and colonial villa rental options to choose from. Tourism Seasons Like many tourism destinations, the Turks and Caicos experiences predictable peaks and falls in visitor arrivals throughout the year. The winter “high season” is the busiest time of the year, and the end of summer and fall months experience the fewest arrivals. The rates and availability for local accommodations and activities reflect the different seasons, and it’s possible to save quite a bit with visits during the low season. Temperatures in the Turks and Caicos range from 75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. ONYX MAGAZINE 37