Thinking of Ohio’s Most Vulnerable

As many of us take time off to celebrate with our family and friends, it is natural to also think about and want to give to those that are less fortunate than us.  Especially in hard times like this, my mind often travels to the children who are hurting around the state, around the nation.  Annie E. Casey, a research non-profit committed to helping vulnerable children and families puts out a yearly evaluation about how the kids are doing in our state and nation.  Here are a few facts about Ohio:

Children in Poverty: 18%

Number of Children in Poverty: 2,751,874

Children abused or neglected: 10.1%

This year, as you gather around a table, tree or menorah  with dishes full of food and more presents that you probably don’t “need”, I hope you take some time to think about some of these 18%.  There are many things that you can do: give your time, give your money or give your resources.  MSNBC has a great story on selecting how to give to a charity.

If you choose not to give, you can also take time to cherish and be thankful for the things that you have- your health, your family, your partner, your job, or maybe your pet.

Happy Holidays and may we all learn to value all that we have.

Daily Updates on Money

Barbara O’Neill, personal finance expert from Rutgers University offers a daily update on money topics via her Twitter account.

Check it out:  http://twitter.com/moneytalk1

Drinking fat

Next time you swig down that soda or kool-aid think about this…

Maintain–Don’t Gain During the Holiday Season

During the holiday season – from Thanksgiving through the first of the year – you may have many temptations to overeat.  For your health and the health of your family, try to maintain your weight.  Here are some tips:

• Have plenty of fresh cut-up vegetables with low-fat dips on hand.  They are high in fiber and vitamins.  The veggies will also help satisfy your hunger so you do not fill up with high fat and high sugar foods.
• Do not deny yourself of the foods you like.  Just take smaller portions.
• Make your sweet treats with some substitutions to make them lower in fat and sugar.  The following is an example you may want to try:

Pumpkin Brownies

1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or cooked

1 cup brown sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 egg white

½ cup walnuts, finely chopped

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat over to 375 degrees F.  Coat a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients and beat well.  Pour into pan.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Cool and cut into squares.  Makes 24 brownies.

100 calories, 4.5 g Fat, 15 g Carbohydrate, 2 g Protein, 1g Fiber, 80 mg Sodium  Recipe Source:  Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina

Author:  Linnette Mizer Goard, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

Favorite Things…..

The holidays are quickly approaching and I hope that you are looking forward to making memories with family and friends. The season is so much more than just giving and receiving gifts. It’s a time to savor family traditions that can be built upon for the weeks leading up to your family gatherings.

There are really three different kinds of traditions that most families observe. As we talk about them, think about what your family’s rituals are.

First is the family patterns: the little things like what you do when the alarm goes off in the morning. Do you get a shower first, or do you need to hit the snooze 3 times and get a cup of coffee before you wake anyone else? What happens to your morning routine, if the power goes out and the alarm doesn’t go off? How does that affect your day if you don’t have your morning “time”? Think about how your routine changes when the kids are home from school as the holidays approach, what do you look forward to?

Another pattern, may be mealtime, or bedtime or something that you do as part of your family’s daily routine. All families have to get up, but your family may do it differently, by rubbing a child’s back, or singing a song, or just turning on the light. It’s the little things, as children will remember the special stories or songs you may share during the holidays.

The second are your family traditions. These are things created by individual families to fit their life style. All families have them, how they celebrate them is different. Where do you always go on vacation? What do you look forward to on winter break? This could also be like a family game night or visiting relatives on Sunday afternoon. Does your family have family meetings to discuss things? That’s another example.

The third type is that of your celebration traditions, these are the times you celebrate with family members like holidays, birthdays, anniversaries. At our home the birthday person always gets a birthday balloon tied to their chair to begin the day. They get to choose their favorite foods for the meal and decide what the dessert will be. Where do you always go for Thanksgiving, Christmas or your Holiday of Faith? Who always brings your favorite food? Those could be part of your family’s traditions.

Traditions give families a sense of identity, a belonging. All of us need to feel that we are not just a cluster of people living in a house, but a family that is unique, we have personality and a heritage to carry on. It’s the little things we do that make families unique, that’s what traditions and rituals are, some are very simple and some are more elaborate or complex, they in a sense weave the fabric of daily life.

A tradition is not something you are going to find written down. It’s carried on by generations by word of mouth or by example without written instruction. During the holidays this year, ask some of your family members about your traditions: When did they start? Who started it? Why do you still do it? What would you like to let go of or start new?

Listen to your children, reinforce the things they remember throughout the weeks to come and enjoy the season, not just the day.

Author:  Melinda Hill, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences

Sugar and hyperactivity

Give a child a giant pixie stick and what happens?  Many people would say, watch out!  Refined (processed/added) sugars may have some effect on children’s activity, according to the National Institutes of Health. Refined sugars enter the bloodstream quickly, so they produce rapid fluctuations in blood glucose levels.  This might trigger adrenaline and make a child more active.  And falling adrenaline levels may bring on a period of decreased activity and/or a desire for more sugar to kick the level back up to high.

However, research is inconclusive as to whether or not sugar is linked to hyperactivity.  Some child may be genetically predisposed to hyperactivity after doses of sugar, while others may not respond in the same way.  Scientists also reason that if a special diet of foods with less sugar works for a child, it may be because that family has begun to interact with each other differently when they are following the special diet.  These behavioral changes, not the diet itself, may improve the child’s own behavior and activity level.

For every child, there are many reasons to eat whole grains and less sugar.  Sugar remains a key cause in tooth decay.  High-sugar foods tend to have fewer vitamins and minerals, and may replace more nutritious foods.  Also, high-sugar foods have many unnecessary calories that can lead to obesity.  Adding fiber to your child’s diet may help to keep adrenaline levels more constant.  Check out previous posts on identifying added sugars and improving fiber intake for ideas.

Cheers, Julie

Who pays attention to nutrition labels?

College students — according to a study by Ohio State University Extension’s Dr. Gail Kaye.  The findings published this month in the American Journal of Public Health suggest posting labels at the point of food selection change behavior.  The average energy (calorie) content of entrees purchased by patrons dropped immediately when nutrition labels were made available and increased gradually when nutrition information was removed.  And the food service operators didn’t mind because the number of entrees sold and the revenue remained the same.  A win-win situation! 

How about you? Would calorie information posted for the food choices at your favorite lunch or dinner location change your choice?

Cheers, Julie

Fruits and Vegetables Can Help Reduce Childhood Obesity

A new report the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation shows that Ohio ranks #15 in rates of Childhood Obesity. That means 33.3% of our children are obese.  How can we help change this statistic?

One way is to increase the number of fruits and vegetables served to our children each day.  Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients like fiber, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C and low in fat, sugar, and calories.

Making fresh fruits and vegetables available daily is important.  Also, when making foods for family get-togethers replace at least one of the high calorie dishes with a lower calorie alternative.

Visit Ohioline to find ways to modify a recipe.

Author:  Linnette Mizer Goard, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension.

Coming Home at the End of the Day

How do you feel when you walk through the door at the end of the day?  Some days are better than others I’d venture to say, but those moments of re-connecting at the end of the day are so important to how the rest of the evening goes.  When you pick up your child at the end of the day, notice your child first and then talk to the provider about how the day has gone. This is a good way to show your child you are glad to see him and behavior problems may be avoided.

If the rest of your family is home when you arrive see if any of the following suggestions might make your evening go smoother:

Commuting Time. The time it takes to get from work to home can be very helpful in making the transition. Some people use this time to finish thinking about what’s been happening at work and to shift gears and make plans for responsibilities at home. When they get home, they are mentally organized to get started. Others use commuting time to listen to music or read a book. Commuting time can be an hour in traffic or a 10-minute walk to work. This time can be devoted to a pleasant activity without feeling guilty about home or work demands.

Helping Each Other.  Good communication is important between family members about what needs to be done and who needs to do it. An open discussion will help each member understand the other person’s roles and feelings. Having these posted so that everyone knows what chores need to be done, before TV or extracurricular activities, is good.  Children can also be given tasks that will help the family accomplish what needs to be done in a relatively short time. We’ve talked before about how children have roles, then they learn not only responsibility, but they feel important as a part of the family.  When this is consistently followed, it becomes a simple routine that could make evenings more pleasant.

Changing Clothes.  The simple action of changing clothes can make the transition from work to home easier. A different set of clothes can make you feel like you’re finally home since work and home often require different roles and behaviors. Being dressed for the job at hand makes the transition complete. Sometimes, you may need a few minutes to unwind.  Maybe have a soda or read the paper before tackling dinner.  It’s ok, just build it into your routine and let others know you need a break before you start again.

A Quick Snack. A nutritious snack will help relieve family members’ hunger. With a little planning, this snack could be the first course of your dinner — salad, soup, crackers and cheese. This snack will give you extra time to prepare a family meal.

Posted Meal Plan If you plan main meals ahead of time, then whoever gets home first can go ahead and get things started.  It also will save time as you won’t be wondering what to fix for dinner and save you money as the items have already been purchased because it was on the list. It’s also helpful to have an emergency meal, one that anyone can fix for those nights that don’t go as you have planned, and yes, we all have them.  Put this meal on a shelf and teach family member’s where it is and how to assemble it for a quick nutritious meal before continuing on with the evening plans.

Balancing work and family life is not easy and there’s always room for improvement.  Share with your co-workers what works for you and gather ideas for how they do it.  Start with small changes to make a big difference in how you use your family time.

Melinda Hill, Extension Educator Family and Consumer Sciences

Money Management “Tip Jar”

Tips for saving money are posted on an easy-to-use web site featuring ideas by members of the web community.  The topics are Finance, Eco, Health, Tech, Shopping, Kids & Family, Car & Transit, Food, Vacation, At Home, At Work, and Miscellaneous.  Read the set of popular tips that flash on the screen or click on a topic link and view the tips by topic.  Posts come from across the globe.  Viewers may also sign up to vote for their favorite tips and add their ideas to the list.

The link is:

http://moderator.appspot.com/#16/e=3cfc

What are your tips for blog viewers that can save them money in the months ahead?  Add a comment to suggest ideas.