Teaching gardens get boost in Houston and Baytown

March 22, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Yesterday two local schools celebrated spring by breaking out the soil and seedlings in their teaching gardens. The school gardens, Crespo Elementary in Houston ISD and James Bowie Elementary in Goose Creek CISD (Baytown), are sponsored by the local chapter of the American Heart Association (AHA). The association sponsors teaching gardens across the country to teach children about healthy habits.

Hundreds of students gathered to load soil into wheelbarrows and plant vegetable seedlings, said the AHA.

Crespo Elementary is sponsored in part by a $250,000 grant from the MetLife Foundation, and James Bowie Elementary is sponsored locally by San Jacinto Methodist Hospital. With the addition of these two new gardens, the American Heart Association will now have three in the Houston area, with many more planned in the coming years.

Why sponsor a teaching garden?

Studies show that healthy behavior positively impacts learning. The goal of the program is to improve children’s health.

  •  Nearly 1 in 3 American children is overweight or obese.
  • American eating habits are leading to modern day “malnutrition,” with diets full of junk foods.
  • French fries are the most common source of vegetables consumed by children and make up one-fourth of their vegetable intake. Juice, which may lack important fiber found in whole fruits, accounts for 40 percent of children’s daily fruit intake.

The American Heart Association Teaching Gardens, founded by Kelly Meyer, is an innovative national, school-based program to re-establish what it means to be healthy. Aimed at elementary school students, the Teaching Garden program provides hands-on learning experiences rooted in offering nutritional choices. For more information about the Teaching Gardens program and how you can participate, visit www.heart.org/teachinggardens.

Thanks to Cypress Times for the heads-up about this story!
Filed Under: exercise, heart disease, Methodist Hospital, nutrition

Where to find breastfeeding classes in Houston

February 17, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Breastfeeding ranks as one of the many things a new mother needs to learn how to do immediately after her baby is born. And, while breastfeeding is completely natural, it does require some skill and experience to know what works best for your particular situation.

That’s where breastfeeding classes come in. Whether you are staying at home, going back to work or expressing your breast milk while your preemie is in the hospital, Houston’s many breastfeeding experts can help with information about pumps, bras, storage, feeding techniques or how to minimize sore nipples.

The following is a list of places that offer breastfeeding classes or in-person consultation in and around the Houston area:

Costs for these classes varies tremendously, so be sure to check your options thoroughly!

More breastfeeding support for Houston moms

If you don’t need a full breastfeeding class, you may find get quick answers and support from these area programs:

Finally, the Texas Breastfeeding Support Hotline at (800) 514-Mom (6667) answers questions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. After regular hours, you can leave a message and your call will be returned within 24 hours.

Tell us: Did we miss any places that offer breastfeeding classes in Houston? Comment and let us know!

Thanks to Sheneq at Premier Baby Planning for her suggestions to these lists!

Filed Under: babies, Memorial Hermann, Methodist Hospital, nutrition, resources, St. Luke's, Texas Children's

Hispanic moms, babies may need more vitamin D

February 15, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Latinas of Houston – you may need more whole milk and sunshine if you are pregnant!

Doctors from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital recently tested a group of Hispanic babies and found that their vitamin D levels were lower than Caucasian babies. The study measured vitamin D levels in the umbilical cord blood of Houston-area infants and followed up again three months after birth.

The breastfed infants still had lower levels of vitamin D, leading investigators to recommend that Houston-area Hispanic women talk to their doctors about vitamin D supplements – both during pregnancy and for their babies after birth. Formula-fed babies generally get balanced nutrition from their formula. From the study:

Although none of the infants involved in the study showed any symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, it has been shown in other studies to be associated with low levels of calcium, which can lead to significant health problems related to the heart and brain.

Filed Under: babies, BCM, nutrition, Texas Children's

Today’s news: Cough into your elbow and watch your waist

December 19, 2011 by · 1 Comment

It’s been an interesting morning for reading about children’s health news. (Click on the link in each story to get more information.)

Ride Metro, get TB?
First, Metro and the Methodist Hospital Research Institute released the news that tuberculosis seems to spread on certain Metro routes.

“A decade-long study found passengers on certain Metro bus routes were more likely to have tuberculosis, raising the question of whether they contracted the disease on the bus.  

“We see a higher prevalence of clustering with bus riders,” said Edward Graviss, an epidemiologist who collected the data. “It’s not direct evidence that transmission occurred on the bus per se, but from a biological standpoint, it makes sense.” 

Graviss, director of the molecular tuberculosis laboratory at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, said he believes the study is the first published to find public transportation as a possible risk factor for tuberculosis.”

If your child rides a Metro bus to and from school, remind them to always cough into their elbow. Sounds like you might also want to suggest they change seats if someone close by is coughing without covering their cough.

Next up: Watch their waists

Local doctors at Baylor College of Medicine and Children’s Nutrition Research Center have found that “waist circumference and physical activity, in addition to body mass index (BMI), play an important role in cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors in children.” Their paper does not include specific information on what a healthy waist size range would be for children, but it does support the need to develop these ranges and growth charts for physicians and parents.

Dr. Jason Mendoza, lead author of the study, says that waist circumference, which is a measure of abdominal fat, was more strongly related to risk factors than BMI, which is a measure of overall body fat based on height and weight.

Finally: Help for collicky babies
If you’ve got a baby between 3 weeks and 3 months old, a couple of new studies at UT Health Sciences Center at Houston may be able to help. Dr. J. Marc Rhoads and Dr. Christopher Greeley are studying two potential new treatments for colic. Colic is defined as inconsolable crying for more than three hours a day for more than three days a week for more than three weeks. It is associated with parental depression.

For information on either trial, call 713-500-5669. To make an appointment at the Colic Clinic, located in the University of Texas Professional Building, 6410 Fannin, call 832-525-2617.

Filed Under: BCM, diabetes, Methodist Hospital, nutrition, UTHSC, What we're reading now

Family Night at Houston Food Bank

November 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Teach your children about other children who are needy. Join the Houston Food Bank’s Family Night,  Friday, Nov. 4, 6-9 p.m. Activities include games and a movie for children 4 and up, and for older children and adults, food sorting and packing.

Here’s a bit about what child hunger looks like in Houston and Harris County:
  • 3,600 children are hungry on any given day
  • Of the 137,000 different people who receive Houston Food Bank food assistance each week, 47% are children
  • In Harris County more than half of children (under 18 years) are eligible for the Free-and-Reduced Breakfast/ Lunch Program
The food bank is located at 535 Portwall Street Houston, TX 77029, located on I-10 East inside Loop 610 East. To register, contact Perry McAfee at pmcafee@houstonfoodbank.org or call 713-547-8649.
Filed Under: events, nutrition

Candy "Buy Back" Benefits Blue Star Mothers

October 31, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Here’s some interesting news for readers. Several Houston dentists are buying back Halloween candy to support our troops.

Dentist and Blue Star Mother Susan Lunson, D.D.S., calls her effort  Operation Sweet Tooth. Dr. Lunson will buy Halloween candy from local children and then send it through Blue Star Moms and Operation Gratitude to troops serving across the world.

Dr. Lunson says that not only will the candy buy-back benefit children by improving their oral health, it also is an opportunity for the children to participate in a good cause. Children may “sell” their unopened candy for $1 a pound, receive freebies like toothbrushes, and make cards, draw pictures and write letters to military personnel. The event will be held Nov. 1 from 3 – 6 p.m. at Dr. Lunson’s office at 80 Wilson Rd., Suite C.

I checked the national web site, Operation Halloween Candy Buy Back, and found several other dentists in the Houston area, including:

Children must be 2-12 years old and accompanied by an adult. Limit 5 pounds per child. If you don’t see your dentist on the list above, try the national web site’s zip code finder.

Thanks to Houston on the Cheap for sharing information about the national program!

Filed Under: events, halloween, nutrition, teeth

UTHealth to lead new effort to slim down obese kids

October 3, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 17 percent of the country’s 12.5 million children and teens are obese and those rates are even higher among children in minority and low-income communities. Obese children are more likely to have asthma, depression, diabetes and other serious and costly health problems.

So, the CDC launched a new $25 million research project aimed at combating childhood obesity among low-income families. Thanks to several Houston groups, our area will receive approximately $10 million to participate in the project.

The project guarantees approximately $6.2 million over four years to the University of Texas Health Center at Houston, the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, San Diego State University and the Massachusetts State Department of Public Health. In addition, the University of Houston will serve as an evaluation center and will receive about $4.2 million.

Nancy Butte, Ph.D., principal investigator of the Houston project site and professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), said, “This demonstration grant is the first of its kind, and if successful, this Pediatric Obesity Care Model could become a new component of integrated medicine and community health practice.”

Two communities in Houston and Austin will receive the CATCH diet, physical activity and obesity prevention programs for preschool, elementary and middle school.  Within those communities, at-risk children and their families, screened and supervised by a pediatrician, will receive the MEND weight management program delivered at their local YMCA. Community health workers trained by the Texas Department of State Health Services will link physician offices and MEND program managers. Families will also participate in other community-level programs that support healthy eating and activity.

Filed Under: BCM, diabetes, nutrition, Texas Children's, UTHSC

Support No Kid Hungry in Houston thru Sept. 24

September 20, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Houstonians can do one of the things they do best – eat out – and help hungry children in our community, now through this Saturday, Sept. 24.

Share Our Strength is an organization that provides millions of meals to needy children, and is hosting the annual event, “Dine Out For No Kid Hungry.” It’s a national effort to end childhood hunger by 2015. Thousands of restaurants throughout the country will donate a percentage of their sales this week. 

The Houston Food Bank says Texas is one of the hungriest states in the country, and children who go hungry predictably come from low income households. In poor households, children are less likely to go hungry than their parents because they would do anything to keep their kids from suffering.

Through its a “No Kid Hungry” campaign, Share Our Strength gives more children a healthy start by supporting effective school breakfast programs. It also teaches families how to cook healthy and affordable meals.

Participating restaurants include: Boston Market, Brick House Tavern, Buffalo Wild Wings, Corner Bakery Café, Daily Grill, Dave & Buster’s, Denny’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, Kona Gill, La Madeleine, Raising Cane’s and Malone’s Deli and Catering.

More information can be found at www.DineOutForNoKidHungry.org.

Filed Under: events, nutrition

Raise money to fight food allergies

September 9, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Tomorrow is the 6th Annual Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network Walk, an event that raises money for food allergy research, education, advocacy and awareness. The local group is close to reaching their goal of $170,000 so walk the 2.5 miles and help them reach their goal.

When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 8 a.m. registration. Walk begins at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston, 1100 Bagby

Learn more at the Food Allergy Walk web site. Restrictions: No pets, glass bottles, bikes, roller skates, or skate boards. Baby strollers and wagons are welcomed.


Filed Under: events, nutrition

Marathon Kids gets children in shape 1/4 mile at a time

September 6, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Want to get everyone in your family — kids, parents and all — in shape? Marathon Kids may be the program for you.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, Marathon Kids launches its Houston program. Marathon Kids gives families and kids grade K-5 a framework to run or walk 26.2 miles in ¼- ½ mile increments over 6 months, plus eat 5 fruits and vegetables per day. They call it an incremental marathon.
The Oct. 15th event begins at 10 a.m. sharp and will be over by 11:15 a.m. at the University of Houston Tellez Track Stadium. That day, children, teachers and families will run or walk a ceremonial first lap on the track at Tellez Stadium. When they cross the finish line, they are awarded their Houston Marathon Kids Reward Water Bottle and bicycle/bumper sticker. All Houston Marathon Kids rewards must be earned.

While running/walking 26.2 miles over 6 months, families are also challenged to eat 5 fruits and veggies a day, and track their progress using their Houston Marathon Kids Running and Food Log. They will have a Final Mile Medal Celebration in the spring to reward them for completing the 26.2 miles. In late spring, the children are also awarded their Marathon Kids Finisher Shirts at school assemblies.

Marathon Kids® celebrates its 16th anniversary this year, and has grown into a nationally acclaimed program in 8 U.S. cities: Austin, Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Rio Grande Valley, Baltimore, Chicago and Los Angeles. There are 250,000 children registered nationwide this school year. Houston has 37,000 registered K-5 children, so far.

Marathon Kids’ target is those most vulnerable to type 2 diabetes and sedentary lifestyles. The program is free thanks to sponsorship from H-E-B. If your school isn’t participating or you homeschool, your child can still participate if you register them as an individual.

The six month program is evidence-based. See more on the two-year University of Texas School of Public Health study of Marathon Kids.

Volunteers can sign up at the Marathon Kids volunteer page or learn more on the organization web site.

Filed Under: diabetes, events, exercise, nutrition
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