Jerry the Blogger

We all have those favorite recipes that we know are "bad" for us.

I happen to love a chili cheese dip that contains more fat in one serving than I "should" have in a whole day. And then there's my mom's famous pumpkin bars. Oh, and my wife's grandma's goetta, which is a regional German breakfast food that you have to taste to appreciate.

So if you're making an effort to eat more nutritiously, do you give up these beloved recipes? Start Making Choices says you don't have to sacrifice love for health. You can have both!

One of the coolest parts of the program is the monthly Recipe Makeover. More than once, I've checked out the latest madeover recipe and discovered a new tasty, better-for-you way to enjoy "bad-for-you" foods. Take for example this Baked Doughnuts recipe, which trims out 75% of the original doughnut's fat. By using a few substitute ingredients and different way of cooking (baking instead of frying), you can enjoy a doughnut that's actually somewhat good for you. How's that for a makeover?

Other recipes they've transformed include trail mix, potato salad and the all-American burger. It's amazing what a little healthy ingenuity can do in the kitchen! If you have a favorite recipe that could use a little work, submit it for an upcoming Recipe Makeover. Then check your monthly newsletter to see if you got your nutritious wish.

The expiration date on 30 million of our kids' school lunches is near -- at the end of this month, in fact. The Child Nutrition Act of 2004 expires on Sept. 30, five years after it went into effect.

This legislation governs how the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program, operates in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.

Now it's time to update the program, including making more healthy, fresh foods available to school children and getting rid of more of the junk food that's all too readily available. The reauthorization should also help make healthier breakfast available to 10 million children who rely on schools for their daily morning meal (through the National School Breakfast Program).

A recent Washington Post editorial urged lawmakers to get behind the act and provide the funding necessary to give kids what they need to succeed. I'm all for making sure every student can have healthy meals to feed their bodies, so schools have a better shot at feeding their minds. Let's hope Congress strengthens the Child Nutrition Act soon and cooks up something healthier for America's youth.

Sometimes when eating the right foods just seems way too complicated or difficult, take a good look at how kids eat. You might just learn a simpler, more nutritious way of consuming food.

I realized this after observing my 3-year-old daughter's eating patterns and choices for a while. When she transitioned into all solid "grownup" foods, I would get rather anxious about how she ate. She never seemed to eat enough -- or at least, what looked like "enough" to me. She picked little bites here and there, and at any given meal she left a good deal of food on her plate. (Perhaps this was a sign we had oversized portions?)

She also showed a strong preference for whole foods, such as grapes, bell peppers, chicken or yogurt. Fancy sauces, dressings and spices turned her off -- she is a girl of simple taste. When we tried to give her too many flavors or choices in one meal, she was overwhelmed and just refused to eat.

Not surprisingly, she does have a sweet tooth, as many kids do. Cake, candy, cookies, ice cream -- she loves all of the goodies most commonly served at birthday parties. But the difference between her and me is she can enjoy just a few bites of a sweet treat and be quite
satisfied. She doesn't need a second helping of cake or all the cookies left in the jar.

The best lesson I've learned from my daughter's eating habits is only eating when you feel hungry. Sure, it can be frustrating to watch her turn her nose up at a nice lunch I've prepared, only to hear her say she's hungry an hour later and wonder what there is to eat. I often find myself tempted to chow down merely because it's "time to eat," even if I really don't feel hungry at the time. What if I waited until I felt hungry to eat, and only ate just enough to feel full enough to keep playing? I have a feeling I'd have a lot less trouble maintaining a healthy weight.

Meanwhile, my daughter isn't skinny or starving, though she seemingly eats like a bird. Her weight is just average for her age group. And the pediatrician says she's healthy as can be. So I guess eating like a kid (or my kid, anyway) can have its health benefits.