Susan Weiner Nutrition

Football fans are SERIOUS about their teams.  High school students paint their faces with school colors and gleefully participate in pep rallies before football games.  Ask an Ohio State or University of Michigan  fan about their “friendly” rivalry, and be prepared for a heated debate!  Whether you are a Buckeye or Wolverine at heart, football fans agree to begin the day by tailgating.  Even the most studious student will cheer wildly for his or her college team on football Saturday.  And Sunday of course is synonymous with football all across America.

Enjoying the time before kickoff can be fun and even healthy.  The key is all in the planning. Chances are you didn’t just decide to drive down to the stadium and hope to grab a parking spot and some tickets with friends… you planned and coordinated the entire day!  Eating on game day should also be planned, nutritious and of course delicious.

Fellow football fans, here is my advice for healthy tailgating:

- Plan Your Menu

Yes, I realize tailgating doesn’t include cloth napkins and caviar.  Football fare should be fun and healthy.  Bring some cut up vegetables and salsa as an easy appetizer.  Grill some chicken cutlets or chicken/shrimp kabobs with sliced mushrooms and onions. Bring along hummus and sliced carrots and red peppers.  If you like chips, try the baked variety or some air popped pop corn.  The lower calorie fare will help keep you “lighter” on your feet so you can jump up and cheer for your team.  Loading up on chips and dip or burgers with cheese on buns will bloat your stomach and make that stadium seat seem just a big more snug.

- Keep cold foods cold, and hot foods hot

Make sure you have an insulated cooler (packed with ice packs) to keep meats and other perishables 40 degrees or lower.  DO NOT keep cooked meats/fish or produce with uncooked foods.  Please don’t assume because the weather is cool, that your food will stay cool for hours before the game.

If you are outside for longer than 2 hours and your perishable food is not refrigerated, I suggest throwing it out.  This goes back to planning. Of course we don’t want to waste food, so try to only bring food that you know you will eat in a timely manor.  By preparing and cooking the correct amount of food, you will obviously eat less and waste less food.

- Drink More Water And Less Alcohol

The tendency to drink alcohol (mostly beer) before a game is enticing for many reasons. One big motivator is the $8- $12 cost of a single beer in some stadiums. Please remember that alcohol is dehydrating and very high in calories.  Drinking alcohol reduces our inhibitions, so we tend to eat more! Please consider drinking more water and less alcohol. Yes, I’m suggesting less alcohol before, during and after the game. Start by having one less beer and one more bottle of water.

- Throw The Football And Keep Moving

Instead of sitting in the lawn chair and munching for hours before the game, throw the football around a bit with your buddies.  This will help you to burn a few more calories and stay active. Please be respectful of your neighboring tailgators (or invite them to join in).

Football is fantastic fun. Tailgating can be a wonderful way to start off a full day of football while maintaining your healthy lifestyle.  Overeating and overindulging do not need to go hand and hand with cheering your team to victory.  Please keep me posted on your favorite football fare. Whether your colors are Green or Blue, I hope your team makes the playoffs.

Childhood obesity is a complex problem which affects millions of youngsters in the United States. In our efforts to improve the health and well-being of our nation’s children, we MUST remember that a child is not a small adult. A child is a growing and developing human being with nutritional needs which are quite different than full grown adults. Although many children (obviously) eat more calories than they require, we should never use the word “diet” as a restrictive term when discussing their nutritional care plan. If a child goes on a diet, they will go off a diet. If a child’s food is severely restricted, they will eventually binge.

It’s vitally important to teach children that food is part of everyday life. Parents and caregivers should always provide a supportive environment of healthy meals and relaxed meal times, while including children in food shopping and meal preparation! Cutting up veggies and preparing tasty dinners should be enjoyable. Far too many kids are over scheduled, and wind up eating their meals on the way to tutoring sessions or music lessons. Think about eating food quickly, without enjoyment. Think about the last time you ate on the run. Did you chew your food properly? Did you actually taste the food? How do we expect children to achieve and maintain a normal weight if meals become an imposition rather than an essential part of the growth process?  Unless we slow down a bit and teach kids to eat well, be physically active and get enough sleep, the obesity problem will continue to escalate.

Out of control portions, poor nutrient dense  food choice and inactivity are the  major issues for many children who struggle with weight.  It’s not as easy as having an “app” on a smart phone which records bites of food or displays calories for fast food burgers. Although those devices can increase awareness, they don’t necessarily change behavior.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently described the “huge” portion offerings in many of the “family friendly” eating establishments.  So, if your family eats out or take in food several times per week, you are probably offering your child at least double the calories they should be eating. When you prepare food at home, you are in control of your food choices and portions. Yes, it is more time consuming. But in the end, it will be worth the effort.

When a youngster prefers to “text” a friend or “communicate” via a social media platform rather than play a game of tag or shoot hoops with friends, they are clearly not expending the calories required to maintain an acceptable weight.  Children do not necessarily enjoy “adult” types of exercise (such as the treadmill). So be creative. Try family bike rides or walks after school before homework begins. Find out what your child likes to do, and become an active participant.

There is no easy solution to the childhood obesity problem. Michele Obama’s “Get Moving” campaign and her interest in changing  the school lunch menu is a terrific platform, but it won’t make a dent in the childhood obesity problem  unless parents, educators and health professionals  make some significant supportive changes. We have to think differently about food and physical activity. Next time your child does well on a report card, please don’t celebrate with an ice cream sundae.  Take a walk on the boardwalk instead, and talk about his/her accomplishments. Remember food should be enjoyed, but it’s not a reward or a punishment. Food should be respected and not feared. Wouldn’t  it be awesome if those ideas could be learned in childhood so we would not have to relearn how to eat as adults?