I’m a Food Artist/Closing Message to Viewers from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Here are the lyrics to all the songs that Rachel shared with us this week!

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders.  She is currently employed as an
independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

It’s the vegetable (w)rap from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders. She is currently employed as an independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

At the End of the Rainbow (Inspired by: Today I Ate a Rainbow) from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders.  She is currently employed as an independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

In brief, I am a Music Therapist (MT) – an allied healthcare position for which I have the utmost passion! Being a board-certified MT (MT-BC) allows me to use music to address non-musical goals with a variety of ages, diagnoses, and populations; however, the majority of my professional experience has been working with those who are on the autism spectrum, as well as children with communication disorders.

{{For a more detailed description on what music therapy is and how it can be used with infants all the way up to adults with Alzheimer’s, please visit the American Music Therapy Association website at http://www.musictherapy.org/, or, you can stop by my private practice website at http://musictherapyservices.net/ .}}

As a music therapist, I use a variety of music interventions (instrument playing, songwriting, singing, etc.) to address an array of needs and goals on which the client is working – these can include IEP (Individualized Education Plan) goals in school, communication, cognitive, social/emotional, physical, or other goals, such as ADLs, or Activities of Daily Living.

One of these ADLs may involve encouraging the client to eating a variety of foods, creating snacks or meals independently, or helping them learn the oral-motor control and internal rhythm skills necessary to be able to eat.  Dinnertime can be a stressful, confusing, and overwhelming time for both the parents and the child with special needs.

Here’s where the music therapist can come in (and we can collaborate and co-treat with other therapists, dieticians, and professionals in that child’s life, too!).  I can create songs that are fun, motivating, and address these various areas of need.  These songs can be ones I wrote, or, even better, co-wrote with the child.

In our MT sessions, we can discuss:

1. Trying different foods

2. The physical act of eating (the rhythm of the music is great for helping with the internal rhythm required for the act of chewing)

3.  Appropriate ways to eat (for those who are on the autism spectrum, social “rules” can be quite difficult to grasp)

4. And overall wellness skills (eating healthy foods…A.K.A., eating a rainbow!)

The following videos are just a few of the songs I have chosen to share…but please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have!  I would love to hear from you!

-Rachel

Welcome/Hey, Hey Look What I Ate from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders. She is currently employed as an independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).  You can connect with her on Twitter @rachelseesmith

Putting together healthy well balanced meals and eating as a family is a pretty big challenge for a lot of families these days with our full schedules and busy lives!  It can sometimes feel too hard or overwhelming especially when we strive for perfection.  I think perfection gets in the way of progress…I like to look at healthy eating as a series of baby steps and choices that eventually become habit.

Every family has a different dynamic and different priorities when it comes to striking a healthy food balance.  Some might focus on serving protein others might focus on dairy or getting whole grains into their family meals. In our house our biggest priority is to eat a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables!  A colorful diet is one of the best defenses against chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes so that is why it tops our list of healthy eating priorities.  By being aware of the colors we are eating it helps us be more mindful of our choices for meals and snacks.  For example snack time at our house always means a fruit or a vegetable…that is it!  Having a food rule like that makes it easier to get in our minimum 5 fruits and vegetables a day!  We also do our best to always have a colorful veggie with our lunch and dinners!

As far as getting a balanced meal together and enjoying it as a family we have a few things that we do around here:

1. PLAN: Our family gets together every Sunday and we plan our major meals for the week.  When meal planning we make an effort to include protein, produce and a grain in each meal. We all make suggestions and get to add our favorites then we make our shopping list based on our meal plan. We like to include our daughter in this weekly ritual because we feel it’s important that she learns that healthy eating is a choice and it takes some effort in order to make it easy to eat healthy during the busy week!

2. TEAM: As much as possible all three of us prepare dinners together.  Our daughter sets the table, fills our glasses with water, she is also in charge of washing produce and making salads.  She’s eight years old now and has been helping out since she was a toddler so it’s become a normal part of her day to help out in the kitchen.  By spreading the work load between the three of us making dinners isn’t that big of a task.  It’s also become a nice bit of family time where we’re all busy doing our jobs but also chatting about our day.  Passing on cooking skills is definitely something that lasts a lifetime and the sooner you get your kids into the kitchen the easier it becomes for them!

3. PREP: We like to make some meals a head of time and freeze them for the days when we know our schedule is more hectic and we won’t have time to actually cook!  This really helps us not have to resort to ordering take out or going out to a restaurant so it saves us money and we are in control of the ingredients in the food we eat which is important to us!

4. TALK: Since we are trying to raise our daughter to be mindful of her food choices we have had to learn what healthy eating looks like and how best to pass that on to her.  They say when you teach something it’s one of the best ways to learn and I’ve found that to be true!  Before my daughter came into our lives my husband and I were not healthy eaters at all!  So now we make sure we are always learning ways to improve our diet, finding new recipes etc…so that we can be good role models!  We are always talking about food and what makes something healthy or not.  When we are grocery shopping our daughter is usually quick to point out gimmicks that she says tries to trick people into thinking something is healthy when it actually isn’t! Ah such proud moments in parenting!

5. BALANCE: There are some days when all our best plans go to the wayside and we end up eating out or making something quick but I don’t beat myself up over it because I know that the majority of the time we eat great meals so I know our bodies can handle the occasional not so healthy meal!  The other thing to keep in mind is that life is all about about twists and turns and sometimes we just have to go with it and if that means that we have to grab a quick bite to eat on the way to piano lessons then that’s okay.  If life is getting too hectic with activities then it’s also okay to cut back a bit so that you can have the time to be together as a family and enjoy meals together! We all need to find our own comfort zone when it comes to balance! Just remember that healthy balanced eating does not have to mean perfection!!!  If you look at the food your family eats over the course of a week then it’s easier to see that one meal won’t make or break anything!  So be sure to give yourself a pat on the back if you are able to serve healthy meals most of the time!!

Preparing and eating meals together is something that brings families closer together.  If you make that a top priority for your family you will reap the rewards of that bonding time together.  One day when your children are all grown and living on their own you will have the memories of spending time together in the kitchen and around the table sharing a meal.  Hopefully our children will take those experiences and carry it on with their families!

Happy Healthy Eating,
Kia

Don’t stop here! Other bloggers share their stories and tips on how they juggle the balancing act of getting a well-balanced meal on the table!

10 Commandments for Guilt-Free Feeding – Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD
Beating the Lunch Box Blues – Katie Sullivan Morford, MS, RD
Dinner Time – Michelle Rowe, RN and Health Educator
Eat Better, Eat Together– Jessica Fishman Levinson, MS, RD, CDN
Family Dinners Fuel Healthier Kids – Susan Weiner, RD, MS, CDE, CDN
Families that Cook Together Eat Together – Kia Robertson
Making Time for Family Meals: How I’ve Earned My “RDH” – Trina Robertson, MS, RD
Meal Planning: Taking the Stress Out of the ‘What’s for Dinner’– Laura Everage
Pressed for Time? Moms Know Best: Tips for Getting Food on the Table – FAST! – Samantha Lewandowski, MS, RD, LDN
Roasted Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal – Cheri Liefeld
Sunday Night Family Dinner, In the Dining Room – Jill Castle, MS, RD, LDN
The Balancing Act – Ann Dunaway Teh, MS, RD, LD
The Power of Family Meal Time & How to Squeeze It In! – Bridget Swinney MS, RD, LD
The Truth About Family Dinner – Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD
Toughen up: Give Two Choices for Dinner – Take it or Leave it! – Glenda Gourley

From Oct 7th to Oct 14th share some ideas for candy alternatives that you think would be fun to give or fun for your kiddo to receive this Halloween.  Write your suggestions on the Pork Chop Kids facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pork-Chop-Kids/180661113116   One lucky winner will win a free pair of adorable Pork Chop socks and a Rainbow Kit that will get your kids asking to eat fruits and veggies!

The winner will be announced at random on October 15^th 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ingredients:
• Bunch of kale
• Olive oil
• Sea Salt
• Garlic Powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the kale leaves.
3. Remove the leaves from their stem by holding the base of the stem and with your other hand slightly pinch and rub up the stem. Just like we do in our video
4. Rip the kale into smaller bite size pieces.
5. Place the kale on a baking sheet and pour on the olive oil.
6. Be sure to really massage the oil into all the leaves or have your kids paint it on!
7. Sprinkle with Sea Salt. We also like to add a pinch of garlic powder.
8. Spread the leaves around so that they aren’t touching – you want a single spaced out layer on your baking sheet.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 – 15 mins. Every oven is different so for your first batch keep a close eye on them so they don’t start to burn!
10. After they’ve cooled down you can easily earn your green magnet enjoying by your healthy, crispy, tasty Kale Chips!

Happy Healthy Eating
Kia

I am SO excited about our guest blogger…I met her on twitter and was a silent fan for a while…then I started tweeting to her…leaving comments on her blog…okay I’ll admit it…I’m a Sharon Groupie…actually I think I’m the president of her fan club. We’re working on some sparkly sashes   But in all seriousness, this woman is so inspiring! Go read her blog

People who say if you set a good example your kids will follow suit are liars.  ~Sharon DeVellis

Son No. 1 was a dream baby – he slept through the night at an early age, hardly ever cried and despite being allergic to dairy, wheat, nuts, shellfish and eggs, was easy to feed.  Through the years, this has held true – he’s always willing to try a new food at least once.

Son No. 2 is my 150% child.  He came out screaming and didn’t stop for a year, he needs little to no sleep and feeding him can run the gamut from easy one day to a hellish nightmare the next.  If I had a nickel for every time he said “I don’t like this” before even trying it, my butler would be typing this article.

Both are being raised in the same environment and provided with the same food, yet I have one child who will eat just about anything and one who refuses just about everything. 

While attempting to get Son No. 2 to try new foods will always be somewhat of a hill-climb, I have managed to learn a few tricks to ensure he’s getting the most out of the food he does eat.

You Are In Charge Of The Food You Give Them

I’ve heard from other moms how they pack foods that are less than nutritionally stellar because it’s the only thing their kids will eat.  In the words of Dr. Phil….’The tail’s waggin’ the dog” on that one. Of course they’ll refuse healthy food if they know you’re going to give them chips, juice and fruit roll-ups.  Kudos to those kids for being so smart.

My boys go to a school that has two nutrition breaks as opposed to one lunch hour.  This means I need to pack two mini-meals for each of them.  And yes, it is a pain. But it’s also a great way to ensure they’re getting healthy food….’cause it’s not like they have any other options except to not eat it, right?  And trust me, after a few days of ‘not eating’ their lunches, they’re either (a) so hungry by dinner, they’ll eat just about anything or (b) they’ll realize how crappy they feel at the end of the school day and start eating.

You are in charge of the food, they are in charge of deciding whether or not to eat it. 

Feed Them Real Food:  First off, I’m just gonna put it out there…. Fruit by the foot, rolls, roll-ups, chews, gushers and whatever other names they have for them are not fruit.  

We don’t keep a lot of processed foods in our house.  I’m not going to lie, I do buy some on occasion for times when I’m desperate or running behind schedule and need to throw the kids a snack but for the most part, my kids eat real food.  And yes, they do complain.  It’s all “Mom, I’m the only kid in my class who has to eat cut up fruit in my lunch every day”.

Which is when I roll my eyes and tell them that if that’s the biggest problem they have, then they must have a pretty good life, now go outside and play.

Here are a few guidelines I follow:

If you have to remove it from some sort of cello wrapper it’s not a fruit.

If you can’t pronounce the ingredients listed, you shouldn’t be eating it. 

If it’s covered in chocolate, I don’t care how healthy the marketing on the box makes it look, it’s not.

Make It Easy:  Kids have the focus of gnats on amphetamines so our fridge is loaded with bowls of cut up fruit – pineapple, mangos, strawberries, watermelon – and easy to grab fruit that’s been washed – cherries, grapes, apples, oranges.  The bowls are placed near the front at eye level so when my kids open the fridge to grab a snack, it’s the first thing they see.  Guess what they usually grab? 

This also works on my husband. 

Know Your Kids:  While Son No. 1 will eat just about any vegetable prepared in any way, I know that Son No. 2 only likes a few certain cooked vegetables.  BUT he will eat a whole bunch of different veggies if they’re raw so that’s what he gets with his meals.  Simple, no?

Last But Not Least:  Contrary to my quote, you do need to set a good example for your kids.  If they see you eating crap food, they’re going to grow up thinking that’s okay.  Involve them in the preparation of family meals and teach them how real food is made.  Most importantly, communicate.  Talk to your kids about the foods they eat and how to make good choices.

And never ever let them find your hidden chocolate stash.

You’ll never hear the end of it.

Sharon DeVellis is a mother, wife, writer and editor.  You can read about the deep, dark, grammatically incorrect intimate details of her life at The Inside Scoop ( www.yummymummyclub.ca/the_inside_scoop ) or how she decided to become a speed skater at the age of 41 at Speed Skating Mom ( http://speedskatingmom.com/  ).

It is well known that portions sizes in the United States have increased tremendously throughout the years, but what about increasing portion sizes as a way to promote increased fruit and vegetable intake among children? It may just a work.

A recent study published in the March edition of Obesity examined just that (1). The study took 43 boys and girls ages 5 and 6 and fed them dinner once a week for two weeks. Each dinner consisted of a pasta dish with tomato sauce, milk and varying portion sizes of carrots, broccoli, and unsweetened applesauce. At each meal the size of the pasta dish remained the same, but the portion size of the vegetables and fruit served were doubled between visits. At the meal in which the portion size of the fruit and vegetables was increased, the children consumed 43 percent more of the fruit dish and less of the main entrée. This may be one way to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and decrease their intake of more energy-dense foods.

Kids tend to be picky eaters so when preparing vegetables you need to get creative. In addition, it’s important to continue to expose them to various fruits and vegetables numerous times. The best time to introduce new fruits and vegetables is during meals they enjoy rather than having all new foods that are foreign to them. Consider having colorful salads with a dash their favorite salad dressing or melt some low-fat cheese on top of their broccoli. Incorporate vegetables into the meal itself instead of serving them separately or in the morning give them a yogurt parfait with fresh strawberries.

Starting a garden or getting kids involved with the preparation of their favorite fruits and vegetables also works to boost consumption of these foods. This doesn’t mean you have to smother vegetables in high-fat sauces and dressings or put sugar on fruit, but the more creative and tasty you make it, the more they’ll eat.

1) Kral TV, Kabay AC, Roe LS, Rolls BJ. Effects of doubling the portion size of fruit and vegetable side dishes on children’s intake at a meal. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Mar;18(3):521-7.

Nothing contained in this blog is intended to be instructional for medial diagnosis or treatment. If you have a medical concern or issue, please consult your personal physician immediately.

Dr. Barry Sears is a leading authority on the impact of the diet on hormonal response, genetic expression, and inflammation. He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University. A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Sears has dedicated his research efforts over the past 30 years to the study of lipids. He has published more than 30 scientific articles and holds 13 U.S. patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. He has also written 13 books, including the New York Times #1 best-seller “The Zone”. These books have sold more than 5 million copies in the U.S. and have been translated into 22 different languages.

This made me to wonder…are there a lot of picky eaters in Vegan families (and by picky I mean fruits and vegetables)?  What would happen in that case…when a large portion of the diet consists of fruits and veggies (yay I think that is awesome) and you have a child that is picky?  Picky eating is such a huge challenge for many parents…but I don’t know that I’ve heard from Vegan or Vegetarian families complaining of this.  I mean clearly just because someone is follows a Vegan or Vegetarian diet it doesn’t mean they are going to like every single fruit and vegetable…but I’m thinking that in general there would be less challenges with the little ones.  So who better to ask than the amazing Ruby Roth!  She is a mom, vegan, teacher and the author and illustrator (she is seriously talented…her book is incredible) of the children’s book That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals.  Ruby was kind enough to share her thoughts!

“As far as picky eaters go,  it seems like parents who raise their children vegetarian or vegan from birth actually have an easier time than omnivorous families do incorporating greens and vegetables into their family’s daily diet. Our little one, born and raised vegan and mostly raw, was sucking on sprigs of chives when she was two! Chives are the kind of thing that most parents think a kid would pick off their food, but my experience is that what a kid likes to eat depends on what has been normalized in the household. If it’s junk food, kids will crave junk food. If it’s superfoods, they’ll crave superfoods. In this way, the veg kids we know take much more “exotic” lunchboxes to school than their omnivorous friends do. With seaweeds, greens and aminos with nutritional yeast, tomatoes, goji berries, coconut meat, apples and almond butter, etc., their lunches span a pretty broad spectrum over the standard American food pyramid.

If you are a family who is transitioning to a vegan diet, it might be a little more challenging, but only for a time. I have two pieces of advice: One, during this time it’s most important to add new foods to the repertoire versus just subtracting. Be creative with mixing in a bit of new with the familiar–and then more and more at a time. Try goji berries along with raisins. Make a raw cacao smoothie (most kids love a chocolate “milk”shake—and you can eventually add greens without them noticing!). If you have a baby and are breastfeeding, blend a bit of coconut or avocado to breastmilk to start normalizing the taste. If your kid loves dairy yogurt, try a non-dairy yogurt,  then eventually top it with blueberries. Add guacamole along with the chips until they’re ready to top their salads with it instead. As you add, a picky eater’s tastes will change and you’ll eventually be sharing food you’d never have expected them to eat. My second piece of advice, involve your kids in the kitchen or the garden. It is very hard to resist trying something you’ve made or grown yourself. A mint leaf right off the plant, kid’s love that! A kale chip right out of the dehydrator or the oven, so fun!  Transitioning takes patience, so go slowly. But eventually, if you’re pantry is filled with veg foods, then that’s what will be eaten!”

I totally agree with Ruby that it’s up to us parents to set the tone and decide what the “normal” is for our households.  If we want our kids to eat fruits and vegetables we need to encourage this by being good role models and eating them ourselves, we need to ensure we stock our kitchens full of colourful produce, and we need to get our kids involved and connected with their food.  That might be going grocery shopping together, getting them to help wash and prepare their fruits and veggies, growing a garden if you have the space or even just a small planter of herbs…and we need to remember that when it comes to kids we need to keep it fun as much as possible!  Having fun is what they’re all about!!!  Ruby is right that if you are working on getting your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables it’s really important to be patient and take little baby steps.  A healthy eater is created one little bite at a time!

Big thanks to Ruby Roth for sharing her insight!  You can find her at http://wedonteatanimals.com/

Happy Healthy Eating
Kia