Fitness and Nutrition
How to Reduce Processed Meat In Kids’ Diets
Like many parents, when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that processed meats increase the risk of some types of cancer, I wondered what lunchbox options were left. Because I have one child who does not like peanut butter and › Continue Reading
Healthier Holiday Recipe: Meatballs
Eating healthier this holiday season has been made a little easier by our HealthWorks! dietitians. We created better-for-you versions of our favorite dishes. Try them out and let us know how they taste! Recipe: Cranberry Meatballs Makes 60 servings (1 meatball) Make an › Continue Reading
Healthier Holiday Recipe: Mini Cheesecakes
Eating healthier this holiday season has been made a little easier by our HealthWorks! dietitians. We created better-for-you versions of our favorite dishes. Try them out and let us know how they taste! Recipe: Mini Cheesecakes Makes 12 servings Here’s a low › Continue Reading
Healthier Holiday Recipe: Brownies
Eating healthier this holiday season has been made a little easier by our HealthWorks! dietitians. We created better-for-you versions of our favorite dishes. Try them out and let us know how they taste! Recipe: Brownies Makes 16 servings These brownies have more › Continue Reading
When Brayden was born, doctors told his parents he may never walk because of his cerebral palsy, but this weekend his family will be watching as he runs his first 5K race with five of his newest friends. Toeing the › Continue Reading
Common Football Injury: Shoulder Separation
Someone once told me if you love something, you should keep it close to you. This is what running does for me. Since middle school, running has been one of my biggest passions. I loved being able to go out › Continue Reading
Does McDonald’s Have the Right Idea?
McDonald’s may have had the right idea in incentivizing children with toys to make certain food choices. Our team wondered if we could use a similar tactic but motivate kids to make healthy choices instead. Could we help them to › Continue Reading
One in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese. According to the American Heart Association, this puts them at a higher risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. The Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that › Continue Reading
Know Your Child’s Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Today is the American Diabetes Association’s Alert Day. It’s their official call for Americans to receive an assessment to see if they’re at-risk for developing type 2 diabetes. While the initiative is mostly directed toward adults, it’s an important message › Continue Reading
Lunch Time Challenges for the School Age Child
When my oldest son started kindergarten two years ago I thought of all the fun and cute lunches I could pack for him. I have always been drawn to Pinterest boards of beautiful lunches that included sandwiches shaped like stars › Continue Reading
What is Orthorexia? Orthorexia is an unhealthy obsession with maintaining a perfect diet, rather than a healthy weight and lifestyle. Some parents might find this counterintuitive, so allow me to explain. Children and teens who show signs of this eating › Continue Reading
Here’s a great breakfast recipe that is perfect for company but easy enough to fix for the family anytime. Prepare everything the day before so that all you have to do is pop it in the oven in the › Continue Reading
Make this easy meatball recipe to go with whole wheat pasta and a canned or jarred low-sugar marinara sauce. Some popular sauces with less than six grams of sugar are Hunt’s No-Added-Sugar Italian Style Sauce, Meijer’s Marinara Sauce and Ragu’s › Continue Reading
Healthier Kid-Friendly Recipe: Pizza and Sauce
Delivered or frozen pizzas make a quick meal but they can be loaded with extra calories and unhealthy ingredients. Try making your own pizza – it’s fun and comes together faster than you’d think. To avoid topping disputes, have the › Continue Reading
Mac and cheese can be a main or side dish. The difference is the portion size – 1 cup is a main course and ½ cup is a side dish (served with lean protein, like beans, poultry, fish, etc). The › Continue Reading
Healthier Kid-Friendly Recipe: Burrito Bowl
Making a burrito bowl can be a quick, easy and healthy meal! And best of all, you can make it just the way you like it – with extra heat or mild enough for the whole family. Makes 8 servings › Continue Reading
Youth Fitness 101: A Kid-Focused Workout Video
When I first enrolled my nephew, Bruce, into the HealthWorks! program, my expectations were that it would help him learn healthy eating habits and how to become more physically fit. Because five of his close relatives have or have had › Continue Reading
Vegetable Spotlight: Summer Squash
Summer squash are a subset of squashes that are harvested when immature, while the rind is still tender and edible. Nearly all summer squash are varieties of Cucurbita pepo, though not all Cucurbita pepo are considered summer squashes. The subset › Continue Reading
Handy Portion Control for Kids’ Meals
One of the most frequent questions I get asked in clinic is “how much food should my child eat at each meal?” Portion control is a great topic to talk to your pediatrician about, and establishing healthy portion sizes early › Continue Reading
KIND Program: Starting With Better Questions
“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” –Thomas Berger A little more than three years ago, we started asking better questions in the Pediatric Primary Care Center (PPCC) to screen our infant patients and › Continue Reading
