Happy 2015 from the SMArt Kids Shared Medical Appointment at Burlington! We have had a successful fall with four informative and fun sessions with our SMArt Kids. We have been fortunate to have our nutritionist Linda Germaine-Miller and Chip Wilder from behavioral health present each month to work with our families.
In September, we kicked off the school year with an introductory lesson about our SMArt Kids’ goals, myplate.gov and portion distortion. The myplate.gov has become a fixture at our SMAs and hopefully in your household too. It reminds us to keep portions in check and eat more fruits and vegetables.
In October, we reviewed fiber. Did you know eating fiber helps to regulates blood sugar, slows digestion leading to better nutrient absorption, and even lowers cholesterol levels? You also feel fuller so you may eat less. Kids should aim for 5 grams per day plus their age in years.
In November, we focused on how to make a healthy school lunch. It’s hard to get out of the lunch rut. Linda and the kids made an easy pasta salad that was rich in vegetables and could be a nice alternative to PBJ.
At our most recent SMA in December, we discussed strategies to avoid overeating at the holidays. The SMArt kids made a beautiful “holiday tree” that was both nutritious and delicious. Think about bringing this to your next holiday party. The recipe is below.
SMArt Kids Holiday Tree
Here’s a great recipe to make for your holiday party. You can serve it with a yummy dip and watch the tree disappear!
Ingredients for tree:
Broccoli, about 2 heads
One cucumber (seedless if possible, or substitute a zucchini if you prefer)
20 red cherry tomatoes
20 yellow or orange cherry tomatoes
4 stalks of celery
¼ head of cauliflower
1 small red pepper
Ingredients for dip:
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (2%)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp Dijon mustard
3 scallions
Pinch of salt
Preparation:
Wash all your vegetables. Slice the broccoli and cauliflower into flowerettes (this means you use the tops that look like flowers). Slice the celery into 3-inch stalks. Slice the red pepper into 3-inch slices. Slice the cucumber into 1-inch round circles but do not peel the cucumber. (Be sure a grown up is with you to help you slice up all the vegetables.)
Arrange all of the vegetables on a large platter so that they resemble the shape of a holiday tree as displayed in the photograph.
Mix together all the ingredients for the dip and serve it in a small bowl to accompany your tree.
Chip then led the group in a mindfulness exercise that will definitely help them over the holidays to avoid overeating and eating too fast. They will work on thinking about their food, smelling it, touching it and savoring it.
As a group, we thought of SMArt ways to avoid the holiday weight gain, such as:
- Divert your attention
- Never arrive hungry
- Pace yourself
- Outsmart the buffet; choose only your favorites
- Be picky about desserts (only take small pieces of your favorites)
- Limit tasting when preparing a dish
- Sit far away from food
- Engage in conversation
- Relax/Resist/Remind – be mindful!
- Walk it off
We are looking forward to 2015 with our SMArt Kids. If you have a child, ages 8-12 years old, who could benefit from our SMA, please join us! To sign up or for more information, please contact the Pediatric Department at Burlington at 781-221-2800.