Much has been written about the health benefits of children eating breakfast. Some of the key benefits of breakfast for school children include:

• Students who eat breakfast are in class more often, have improved behavior and better brain functioning.
• Effective school breakfast programs are associated with higher achievement test scores, better grades, and positive learning environments. Successful school breakfast programs are also associated with lower rates of absenteeism and tardiness, as well as fewer visits to the school nurse.

It is also important to remember that some children need school-sponsored meals in order to avoid hunger. During our long recession, participation in the school meals program has skyrocketed. Fortunately, school breakfast and lunch meals offer reliable and consistent sources of food, assuring that our children get the nutrients they need.

Beyond the obvious benefits of academics and health, school breakfast meals can also provide a positive environment that help to build a sense of community. To learn more about this aspect of school breakfast, I interviewed Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, creator of School Meals That Rock  on Facebook.  Dayle has devoted her career to child nutrition and developing effective healthy school environments. As you’ll see from her responses to my questions below, lately she has been focusing not only on what children eat at school but also on how they are eating.

Can school meals be fashioned into a type of “family meal?”

Eating school breakfast in the classroom can easily be a good model for positive communal mealtimes. Some states mandate school breakfast in high risk areas and four (California, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana) consider the time children are eating in the classroom as instructional time. While children are eating the teacher can:

• Discuss the expectations for the day, i.e. helping the class get organized
• Read or tell a story
• Encourage children to converse in small groups

What do teachers think about breakfast in the classroom?

Teachers with experience in providing breakfast in their classroom recognize the social benefits of this time together. Breakfast time brings a calming atmosphere to the classroom – centering the students’ attention on what is to occur next. Students work as a classroom community to help with set up and clean up which helps to teach responsibility. In many ways this experience parallels what we encourage families to provide during meals at home.

Why should schools strive to support pleasant and positive mealtimes vs. just getting the students fed?

Mealtime should be a time for students to relax, socialize and nourish their bodies and minds. When the eating environment is pleasant, students eat and behave better. More positive environments included trained adults supervising the cafeteria or classroom and schedules that allow adequate time for students to eat.

Since the beginning of human culture, eating together has been important to families and communities – and provides rituals that bind us together. School breakfast in the classroom can also help to fulfill this role. What are your schools doing to create a family-like, positive mealtime eating experience?

Maureen Bligh, RD
Project Manager

Eat Better, Eat Together is a blog series by registered dietitians, educators and parents whose stories and advice help families start or strengthen a commitment to balanced family meals. Take the Eat Better, Eat Together Family Meal Pledge at Facebook.com/DairyCouncilofCalifornia.

I had the good fortune to attend what registered dietitians call FNCE (pronounced “fen see”) in San Diego September 24 through September 27.  The official name is the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo – a national gathering of the members of the American Dietetic Association.

One session was of particular interest to me, The Family Meal: Reclaiming the Dinner Table. I’ve long had a passion for the importance of family meals. I am one of five children and we had a family dinner every night. It was my mother’s dedication to preparing family meals and the interest in food and nutrition sparked by my high school home economics teacher that inspired me to become a registered dietitian! Since the importance of family meals is a core value for me, I was excited to attend a special session on this topic at FNCE.

Here is what I learned in a nutshell:

• Dining as a family can create an environment for parents to lead by example for their children. Children who eat with their families consume more fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products compared to those who eat fewer family meals. I was thrilled to learn that young adults who were raised eating regular family meals consume more vegetables (there is hope yet for my teenagers!)
• Adults also report that eating as a family is a positive portion of their day. Mealtime creates a feeling of togetherness and family cohesion. The concept of family meals does not exclude single-parent homes or couples without children. The routine associated with meals can provide a protective value for some of the risks associated with single-parent homes. For couples, the routine of sitting down together carves out time for each other and creates work schedule boundaries creating a balance between work and personal life.
• There is an association between family meal frequency and lower rates of obesity. However, while the meals are more nutritious (especially when prepared and eaten at home) they are not necessarily lower in calorie. Family meals consumed while distracted (watching television, taking phone calls, reading the mail) may actually increase food consumption.

Two surprising tidbits:

• Low income families more commonly have meals together than higher income families.
• If a family thinks they should eat a high quality diet, then they will regardless of their income level.

My long time value for balanced family meals (balanced meals include foods from each food group) and the need for nutrition education was confirmed. To learn more about family meals and how to make them a more positive and nutritious experience, subscribe to the Dairy Council of California blog, follow @Dairy_Council and #EatBetter2Gether on Twitter for more tips and the latest on healthy family meals.

Maureen Bligh, RD
Project Manager

Eat Better, Eat Together is a blog series by registered dietitians, educators and parents whose stories and advice help families start or strengthen a commitment to balanced family meals. Take the Eat Better, Eat Together Family Meal Pledge at Facebook.com/DairyCouncilofCalifornia.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the California State PTA President-elect Colleen You, mother of two and long- time PTA volunteer. Since the mission of the California State PTA is to positively impact the lives of all children and families, I was curious to learn Colleen’s perspective about family meals. I was pleased to learn that Colleen strongly believes that eating more family meals together has a broad range of benefits for children and their families.

Research has shown that families who eat together tend to eat better, with higher intakes of fruits, vegetables and key nutrients like calcium, fiber and iron. Perhaps lesser known are the benefits that family meals can have on students’ academic achievement. Well-nourished children tend to perform better in school with fewer tardies or absences.

Colleen defines a family meal as an “uninterrupted, dedicated time for household members to gather and eat an enjoyable and healthy meal.” The focus should be on each other with an absence of technology. According to Colleen, the benefits of family meals go way beyond what is eaten.Many activities related to preparing a meal for the family offer excellent opportunities for parents to interact with children. She offered the following specific examples.

• Planning menus for the week gets kids thinking and planning into the future – which is a higher level thinking skill.
• Creating the shopping list and then shopping together allows the parent the opportunity to teach simple math skills and how to shop for value in the grocery store.
• Setting the table gets children thinking about the mechanics of eating a meal; how many forks do I need so everyone has a fork? Do we need spoons with this meal?

Family mealtime can be used as an educational experience both at home and in the classroom. In particular, Colleen remembers helping at school during a lesson where children learning English were taught how to set the table. The lesson included not only vocabulary but also shapes and patterns in the table setup. Additionally, family meals that include foods from all the food groups can reinforce healthy eating concepts taught in the classroom, especially if educators utilize the nutrition education curriculum available from the Dairy Council of California.

The other key benefit of family meals is the “therapeutic benefit,” Colleen said. “The research is clear—teens who have more family meals exhibit less risky behavior such as smoking and drug use.” Even though schedules get very hectic as kids get older, planning to have family meals whenever possible tells  teens they are an important part of the family. And the dialogue at the meal helps kids stay connected with their parents and offers a chance to communicate what the family values.

Colleen acknowledges that family schedules can become very busy; however there are many resources available to help plan simple meals. She suggests using creative planning in order to change an ordinary event into something special; such as planning a picnic to eat together before or after a child’s sporting event. Inviting other families to picnic with you can transform a family event into a community event that can create deeper friendships and lasting memories for families.

Subscribe to the Dairy Council of California blog,  follow @Dairy_Council and #EatBetter2Gether on Twitter for more tips and the latest on healthy family meals.

Maureen Bligh, RD

Project Manager 

This weekend is Fourth of July which means summer is officially here! We hope you have some wonderful plans to enjoy friends and family, be physically active and eat healthy and delicious food.

The Dairy Council of California meal planning website, Meals Matter, offers some terrific suggestions for a healthy and safe summer. Ideas for healthy barbecue and tips to eat well while on vacation can help you as you make your summer plans.

Check out a Fourth of July complete menu plan (complete with recipes and meal nutritional analysis):

• Steak, Veggies and Rice
• Spicy Corn Salad with Chilies and Cilantro
• Summer Strawberry Orange Cups

If you would prefer to hit the grill, here is another terrific recipe:

• Yogurt and Spice Grilled Chicken Skewers

And this roasted beet salad would make a colorful side dish:

• Roasted Beet Salad

All of us at the Dairy Council of California would like to wish you a happy and healthy holiday weekend.

Maureen Bligh, MA, RD

Project Manager

We’re blogging about ‘30 Days of Dairy’ as part of National Dairy Month. This carnival is hosted by National Dairy Council and you can see a list of those participating in the carnival at the bottom of this post or find the full list here.

“Keep Youthful – Drink Milk” was the original National Milk Month campaign, which kicked off in 1937. Entire communities across the country, both rural and urban, have embraced it and celebrated in various ways. Some Dairy Month activities include: dairy food demonstrations, parades with bands and floats, cow visits at zoos, cow milking contests, dairy farm tours, or free milk and ice cream cone offerings at local businesses. In more rural communities, you might see cattle shows and princess contests with coronation ceremonies. Visit a creamery, grocery store or local bank in one of these small towns, and you might see a dairy princess delivering smiles with local dairy samples.

The collaboration between farmers and other community members is the basis of what June Dairy Month is all about – celebrating the wonderful products and contribution of dairy families nationwide.

Just because you don't live in a town that has these traditions, doesn't mean you can't celebrate. As a staff, we celebrated by playing a very creative game of Dairy Jeopardy. I am proud to announce that I was on the winning team, however my individual contribution was lacking -- my mind went blank when under the game pressure!

See if you know the answers to these Dairy Jeopardy questions:

• What are the number of children that get adequate calcium? "Only one out of ten teenage girls and four out of ten teen age boys get adequate calcium."
• What are four commonly eaten choices from the milk and milk products food group? "Milk, cheese, yogurt and milk-based desserts"
• What is an excellent sports recovery beverage? "Chocolate milk"
• What is the amount of global green house gas emissions caused by dairy production? "Global dairy herds account for 4.1 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions"

You can test your dairy knowledge by taking the new Bone Up on Milk, ten-question quiz and see how you do.

Share with us your fun ideas for celebrating National Dairy Month.

Happy Dairy Month!

Maureen Bligh, MA, RD

Project Manager

Here's the latest list of bloggers in the National Dairy Council blog carnival:

- June is Dairy Month FUN!, Two Maids a Milking
- Dairy Farmers Party, Spotted Cow Review
- Food Art: June is Dairy Month,  Food Art
- June is National Dairy Month, Wellness News at Weighing Success
- June is National Dairy Month, Dietitians Online
- MyPlate Week, Day 3: Delicious Dairy, Nutrition Lately
- Introducing... MyPlate!, See What's Happening at Dial Dairy Farm!
- Black and White Days Dairy Show and Childhood Memories, Dairy Farm Family

The San Jose Peninsula District Dietetic Association book club meets every few months to discuss popular books relevant to food and nutrition professionals. The members of the book club are registered dietitians or studying to become a dietitian. In May we met to discuss our latest read, Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.

Here are the big ideas we gleaned from Taubes’ book:
-      He provides an interesting review of the history of the dietary fat recommendations. His take: beginning in the 1950s, a few scientists passionately believed that eating saturated fat caused heart disease. Their fervor biased their ability to objectively review scientific data on the subject (any studies that did not agree with their hypothesis were considered flawed). In this book, Taubes makes a compelling argument that scientists got the fat/heart disease connection completely wrong. Interestingly, the May issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association has a series of articles on the same topic – perhaps fat is not the villain it was once perceived.
-      He also makes the case that carbohydrate is the problem macro-nutrient and the fat recommendations caused consumers to consume more carbohydrate which brought about the obesity crisis. He claims the fewer carbohydrates we consume the leaner we will be.
-      Dietary carbohydrates are likely the cause of coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Key points from our discussion:
-      Population guidelines, that recommend one way of eating for everyone, miss the mark for many people; individualized recommendations are the direction we need to be moving.
-      The National Weight Loss Registry follows people who have successfully lost weight. Most people who have successfully lost weight eat a low-fat diet. Although overloading on carbohydrates is far from recommended, a low-fat eating style has certainly been a successful model for many.
-      Vilifying a single ingredient (either fat or carbohydrate) confuses consumers and fills them with guilt. People eat for many reasons beyond nutrition—taste, cost, convenience, emotion, family traditions to name a few. These are not accounted for in this book. All foods can fit into a healthy diet if consumed in moderation.

We enjoyed this book and it was worth reading. As health professionals, we need to challenge ourselves to look at original research and make sure the conclusions drawn are really reflected in the data. We need to caution ourselves from getting so attached to a nutritional dogma, that we are no longer able to review scientific findings critically.

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager

I am proud to report that the Dairy Council of California has an award winning employee wellness program. The program is spearheaded by our wellness committee and each of our four offices has a wellness committee team leader. This team leader acts as our local cheerleader to promote the wellness activities. The committee generates a monthly newsletter that includes health suggestions, a healthy recipe and a move of the month, which I try to do a few times during the week to move more and sit less while working. Our office recently purchased a new exercise ball and some yoga bands and I used the ball and the bands while I was listening to a webinar. I really appreciate all of the support and encouragement that we get from our wellness team.

The most fun thing we have done recently is the Iron Chef Challenge. The challenge was to prepare a recipe that included yogurt as the 'secret ingredient' and bring in a sample for the office to try. We voted anonymously on which dish was the best and the winner received a gift basket.

We have a small office and it is hard to coordinate a date when everyone is available. In the end, we had four recipes entered and another staff member from the Sacramento office was visiting, so we had a total of four recipes and five testers.

Here is a picture of the entries

and here are the recipes:

Yummy Veggie Dip

Baklava Cake

Yogurt Lemon Dressing

Yogurt Parfait

I am proud to announce that my recipe, Yogurt Lemon Dressing, was the winner! I put the dressing on chopped cabbage for a light and tart coleslaw dressing. It was delicious. Here is a picture of my prize. 

Workplace wellness benefits both the organization and it's employees by promoting heath and well-being within the work environment. Plus it can also be fun! Check our new workplace wellness resources on this website for information and resources on how to implement an employee wellness program at your place of business.

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager

I am sure by this point in the year your students are providing frequent   (if not daily) reminders that school will soon be out for the summer. As you prepare the end-of-the-year packets, consider including these great healthy tools and tips for your parents so your health and nutrition lessons can extend through the summer. 

Healthy meals include one food from each food group. Have your children plan meals over the summer using this simple guideline.

Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. It is a parent's responsibility to have healthy food in the home. Involve your kids in the grocery shopping and they will be more interested in healthy foods. If your child can drive or the store is nearby, sending them to the store with a list to pick up the groceries. This will both teach them responsibility and help the family.

Activity is a goal for the summer! Research shows that turning off the  TV (video games and computer) is enough to get kids to be more active. They will find something to do that interests them and it will likely include physical movement. Have your child complete the online assessment tool: TeenBEAT: Basic Exercise & Activity Tracker.

Love is expressed by cooking traditional foods from your culture. Use the summer to teach your children how to make an old family recipe.

Teach children how to cook. You can teach them how to prepare simple and nutritious meals prepared in the kitchen and/or how to grill outside. Experiment with some new and different recipes in addition to your usual favorites.

Hug your teenagers whenever you get a chance. They really will be leaving home before you know it.

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager

Over the past generation, fracture incidence in children has increased dramatically. A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that boys are 32% more likely, and girls are 56% more likely, to break a bone than their parents were in their youth. Broken bones in childhood are painful, expensive, inconvenient and increase risk for future fracture. Measures that can be taken to prevent fractures are worth pursuing.

In 2008, we developed a continuing education course for health professionals titled, Bone Health for Children and Adolescents: Implications for Client Counseling and we have just completed a 2011 update. This course includes a 30-minute narrated PowerPoint and a 20-page supporting document for additional in-depth reading. It reviews the literature on bone health issues in children and adolescents and is worth 3 continuing education credits. The updated version:

• Incorporates the new Calcium and Vitamin D Institute of Medicine recommendations issued in November 2010
• Incorporates the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• Identifies lifestyle and dietary factors related to suboptimal bone deposition and increased risk of fracture in children and adolescents
• Identifies resources to assess calcium status in children and adolescents
• Summarizes insights from three renowned bone-health experts – two clinicians and one researcher
• Outlines how health professionals can support families to implement lifestyle changes that reduce risk of fractures now and later in life
   

You can access the course online at: http://www.dairycouncilofca.org/HealthProfessionals/BoneHealthCourse/BH_online.aspx

There is no cost to take the course; if you wish to apply for CE units the cost is $36. Taking this course is an inexpensive and effecient way to attain CE credits while learning about an important childhood nutrition topic. If you complete the course, please let us know what you think; we are always looking for suggestions to improve our course offerings.

Maureen Bligh, MA, RD

Project Manager

Last year I shared about the Dairy Council of California Trends tracking process. We had our meeting on February 2 and 3 to reflect back on the past year and to project where the trends are heading and envision where Dairy Council of California fits into these trends. This meeting is especially important since we are currently starting another multi-year strategic plan and this thinking will guide that planning process.

As a reminder, here is how the process works. Staff are assigned scientific journals, industry newsletters or popular press to track. They abstract articles relevant to our current issues list, as noted above. The abstracts are stored on a searchable database that compiles the articles by issue area. We always have a lot to discuss -- our facilitator has her hands full reigning in 10 people who are passionate about nutrition education and health!  We had a lot to discuss at this meeting because since our last meeting in September the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Institute of Medicine Recommended Dietary Allowances for Calcium and Vitamin D were released. Also, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization was passed (a.k.a. The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act) and signed into law on December 13, 2010.

In addition to discussing how these new guidelines and laws impact the Dairy Council, we also discussed the latest nutrition research. Some of the take aways from the meeting:

• Research on the health benefits of milk and dairy foods (particularly fluid milk) is very strong. It is an excellent vehicle for the delivery of nutrients, contains three of the four nutrients of concern listed in the Dietary Guidelines (calcium, vitamin D and potassium) and contains high quality protein. Emerging research suggests that milk and milk products are protective for heart disease and diabetes.
• Health and wellness education is increasingly happening in a wide variety of settings; at the workplace, fitness centers, community centers, etc. The qualifications of health educators vary widely. Also, as a result of consumers wanting to keep their personal health information private, wellness providers will be looking more at general health indicators and maintaining a positive approach to health education.
• There is an increasing focus on childhood as the time to teach healthy behaviors. Research clearly indicates that early choices (prenatal and in infancy) make a big difference in long term health. Preventing childhood obesity and assuring nutrient adequacy is a major push.
• The school environment (kindergarten - high school) is in a state of flux. A lack of funding is a huge issue and school food service directors are trying to figure out how to implement the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. With high profile attention from celebrities like Jamie Oliver, school food service directors are operating in a fish bowl. Striking the right balance between providing nutritious foods kids will eat at the right calorie levels to promote health and well being and stay within budget make the job of a school food service director exceedingly difficult.

Over the next few months we will further review these ideas as we move toward developing our strategic plan. Staying on top of the trends and staying relevant is a challenge for the Dairy Council of California as it is for all organizations. We look forward to making a positive impact on the health and well being of Californians as we move into the future.

Maureen Bligh, MA, RD

Project Manager