Five healthy and affordable family eating tips

With a new year often comes a new resolution to eat better and make healthier choices. But as the economy continues to struggle, many parents are left wondering how to provide healthy food options while shopping on a budget. Although nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are often more costly than less healthful options, there are ways families can pull the purse strings tighter without compromising on nutrition.

 

“Even though many families will be shopping on a budget in the new year, nutrition doesn’t necessarily have to come in second place to price,” said Robert Murray, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Parents need to look at what they’re paying for and determine if there are less costly ways to achieve the same nutritional benefits.”

According to Dr. Murray, also a faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, there are five food fads to be aware of in 2009 so that parents can make smart food – and money – choices.

The fresh versus frozen debate
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, don’t assume fresh is best. Buying food in bulk, either frozen or canned, can save a lot of money. In recent years, preservation and freezing methods have dramatically improved, thus preserving the nutritional quality of the frozen fruits and vegetables. Regardless of how they are consumed – frozen or otherwise – fruits and vegetables provide many nutritional benefits.

Dr. Murray suggests taking advantage of grocery store sales and stocking up on frozen goods. Parents can also consider freezing their own fruits and vegetables when they are in-season and plentiful.

What’s “organic” worth?
When a food item is certified organic, it refers to the methods used to grow or produce the food. Contrary to the beliefs of many, organic foods offer no additional nutritional benefit compared to their non-organic counterparts, but do cost more.

“Concerns about hormones, antibiotics or pesticides have driven many to choose organic foods,” explained Dr. Murray. “But don’t be fooled into thinking that because something is labeled organic that it is any healthier.”

Designer fruits and vegetables
In recent years, exotic and often heavily-marketed fruits, like pomegranate and açai berries, have become increasingly popular. While these fruits are rich in antioxidants and vitamins, they also come with a hefty price tag.

“These fruits do have many health benefits, but many of the same benefits can be found in other more common fruits for a much cheaper price,” said Dr. Murray.

Instead of paying high prices for these fad foods, Dr. Murray recommends other dark, ruby-skinned fruits like blueberries, plums or blackberries that are easier on the wallet.

Fortified beverages
Be careful of drinks that are fortified with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Not only do they cost more, they often have more calories than you think. Some pack as many calories as a regular soda, and from a nutrition standpoint, it makes more sense to eat foods that are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals.

Sports drinks, rich in electrolytes, may be a good choice for serious athletes who participate in intense physical activity for extended periods of time, but for most children and adults, these drinks are also unnecessary.

Paying for prepackaged
Prepackaged, grab-and-go options offer convenience and portion control but can cost more. For some busy families, the time saved by purchasing these items, especially prepackaged fruits and vegetables, may be worth the additional expense. This is particularly true if the convenience of these items encourages families to make more nutritious choices.

For families looking for a cheaper option, Dr. Murray suggests purchasing bulk items and individually packaging them at home for an easy, on-the-go grab. Plan snacks ahead of time and be sure to combine food groups to maximize nutritional value. For example, combine whole grain crackers and low-fat cheese in plastic storage bags; or peel and cut carrots into snack-sized pieces and place in containers with a couple tablespoons of peanut butter. Be sure to pay attention to portion size in order to avoid serving up too much of a good thing.

Youth Sports Not Just Girls Fun

Jackson NJ Online – Early on as the parent of  girl who was very interested in sports, I realized there were mild differences in people’s opinions on girls sports vs. boys sports.    In general, boy sports were always given more social importance, baseball, football and hockey while the traditional girl sports were back seat novelties to the general community, softball, gymnastics, cheer.  Even when you look at youth and scholastic soccer, the boys teams are given prominence, usually.  

I sometimes remember back in high school, when the Toms River North Girls field hockey team won the state championship, the headline in the Ocean County Observer for the day highlighted the Toms River South vs. Toms River North regular season football game and the girls championship was given a sidebar mention.  For me, it was alright at the time.   I was a boy.  I played football.  Football was more important than field hockey at any cost.

Today, I received a study and excerpt from a book at GoKidsNJ that discussed this phenomena and social misunderstanding in a study presented by sports sociologist Michael Messner, a professor of sociology and gender studies at USC.

In his book he writes:

As a shared belief system, soft essentialism embraces participation by girls in team sports, Messner said, but it also justifies pushing girls toward softball even though they are legally entitled to play baseball – and often creates an inhospitable environment for female coaches in both baseball and soccer.

source: http://www.gokidsnj.com/youth-sports-gender-lines-still-clearly-drawn-what-to-do-in-nj/2009/05/

Early this spring, my daughter, a Yankees baseball fan asked about playing baseball.  So naturally, I investigated the girls softball options within Jackson, thinking it would be better for her to play with the girls than to be one of a couple, if not, the only girl on a little league baseball team.

I was ready to sign her up for the municipal softball program until I found out that low registrations will probably turn it into an instructional league when I thought to check the Jackson Little League.   I remember a couple girls playing when I played in the Toms River Little League and wanted to see if it was still allowed.   Again, I’m told my mindset was normal and it is clearly dissected in Mr. Messner’s new  book.

Eventually, the choice was clear, she was to play baseball, the game she enjoys watching and getting excited over on television and not softball, a baseball substitute crafted for girls only.   She deserved it.  She cheers for Jackson Pop Warner, is enrolled in a U.S. figure skating program, plays all-girl soccer and gymanastics, clearly fulfilling her young female sports obligations.   Why not deviate from social expectations just a little?

Messner writes: However, individuals’ often unexamined beliefs about gender function to create a very skewed gender division in youth sports. And these continued divisions in youth sports reinforce an “unfinished feminist revolution” in families and workplaces, Messner argued.

The Jackson Little League so far has been great for her as she learns to play with the boys and be one of the boys, if only for just a few weeks out of the year.   There are about 10 or so girls playing t-ball in the Jackson Little League and it’s always exciting for her when she plays “the other girls” and as a parent, you can see that special unspoken bond these girls have on the field.

At games, some parents don’t even realize girls are allowed in little league.  At one game, I remember some guy at the game exclaiming  “wow, they let girls play too? I didn’t know that”, obviously shocked to see the long hair from under the helmet.   After she hit the ball pretty hard, his opinion was changed as he yelled “We got our new cleanup hitter!”. 

So the reason I bring this article and study to Jackson is that if you are the parent of a young girl who enjoys watching the Yankees, Mets or Phillies with you, why not give her the chance to play the game and consider little league baseball before you throw her into a softball recreation league?

If this topic is of interest to you, you can also read more of Mr. Messner’s expanded findings at  http://www.momsteam.com/team-parents/the-secrets-of-successful-women-coaches or check out his new book on the subject: It’s All for the Kids: Gender, Families, and Youth Sports.

For more stories like this and news from Ocean County, visit Jackson NJ Online

Youth sports gender lines still clearly drawn

Kids’ organized sports allow even liberal communities to have it both ways – embracing aspects of gender progress while clutching comfortable stereotypes – sports sociologist Michael Messner finds in his new book.

“It’s All for the Kids: Gender, Families and Youth Sports,” published by the University of California Press, documents persistent gender divisions in the Little League and American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) teams of South Pasadena, Calif., a progressive and affluent suburb of Los Angeles.

The plainest segregation occurs in coaching, said Messner, whose experiences as a parent of soccer and baseball-playing boys provided the impetus for the book.

Messner’s oldest son had a female soccer coach in his first year of AYSO league play. That turned out to be an anomaly.

“I started noticing as the years were going by that there weren’t any more women coaches,” Messner said. “The women coaches coached almost exclusively the very youngest kids (of either gender).”

On the other hand, the crucial “team parent” in soccer – the team’s chief operating officer – was better known as “team mom.”

These phenomena intrigued Messner, particularly when compared to the inroads made by girls into organized sports over the past 30 years.

“How is it in this day and age that we have division of labor between women and men set up so clearly?” he asked.

In his book, Messner attributes the gender segregation to what he calls “soft essentialism”: an often unspoken belief that girls and boys deserve equal opportunities but are naturally different.

Messner believes most differences actually result from years of socialization. His observations of coaches show how youth sport amplifies these differences and makes them appear to be natural.

As a shared belief system, soft essentialism embraces participation by girls in team sports, Messner said, but it also justifies pushing girls toward softball even though they are legally entitled to play baseball – and often creates an inhospitable environment for female coaches in both baseball and soccer.

In the book, Messner describes a progression of coaching styles for different ages of youngsters: from the “Teddy Bear,” to the “Crossing Guard,” to the “Drill Sargeant,” to the “CEO.”

The styles evolve toward what he called a “narrowing conception of masculinity.”

He added that coaches of young children rely mainly on “kid knowledge,” while coaches of older children need to develop specialized “sport knowledge.”

Messner found that an over-emphasis on “sport knowledge” imposes a heavy and narrow gender bias, driving away not only women but many male “Teddy Bear” coaches.

“There’s something about sports, that because it has directly to do with the body, and with physicality, historically there have been these masculine meanings attached to it,” Messner said.

In particular, he added, “There’s really this sense … that men own baseball.”

“A lot of the women I talked to really wanted to (coach),” he said. “I think they’re being informally discouraged from doing that.”

Messner predicted women will make inroads into coaching, and he cited data showing a slow increase in the percentage of female AYSO coaches.

“There’s no overt discrimination against women,” he added. “There’s no bad guy in this story.”

However, individuals’ often unexamined beliefs about gender function to create a very skewed gender division in youth sports. And these continued divisions in youth sports reinforce an “unfinished feminist revolution” in families and workplaces, Messner argued.

A professor of sociology and gender studies in the USC College, Messner studies masculinity and sports.

His previous book, “Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports” (Minnesota Press, 2002), discussed gender inequities, men’s violence, financial interests and the cultural imagery of televised sports.

In both books, he argues that gender equity in sports is healthy for boys as well as girls, as it prepares boys for a world where they will need to work respectfully with female colleagues and bosses.

(Messner expands on his findings at http://www.momsteam.com/team-parents/the-secrets-of-successful-women-coaches)