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Congratulations: Betty (#84) and Dawn (#68)!
Childhood obesity is becoming a national epidemic. Written by Joanna Dolgoff, MD, “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right” is a book designed as a tool for parents’ use to give their children a healthy future. A graduate of Princeton University and NYU Medical School, Dr. Dolgoff specialized in pediatrics. Seeing the explosive number of childhood obesity cases, she began intensive research on the subject of pediatric weight loss. The health risks of obesity in children include: diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease – diseases which previously were limited to adults. Fueled by the passion to help her young patients, Dr. Dolgoff left her pediatric practice to specialize in pediatric weight loss.
“Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right”, which is a product of her research and is her aim at combatting childhood obesity. It is a family nutrition plan based on the colors of the traffic light: Green Light = Go, Yellow Light = Slow and Red Light = Uh Oh! She has color coded thousands of foods along with their appropriate serving sizes using this system. This plan encourages controlled calorie intake, choosing healthier foods while focusing on involving the whole family in healthier eating as well as regular exercise.
Although focusing on childhood obesity, the overall game plan is healthier food choices for healthier bodies. Thinness can not be equated with health. Using this method, proper nutrition for growth, development and maintenance of healthy bodies is not only attainable, but, easy and fun for the whole family.
Dr. Dolgoff states that the key to overcoming the childhood obesity trend is: “Parents! Nobody has more influence over your child’s health choices than you do. You are a role model for your children: there’s no way around it. The best way to help your child lose weight is to emphasize healthy habits at home”
Dr. Dolgoff has done the work for you by categorizing more than 1,000 foods into the following categories:
Green Light = Go Most of these foods contain protein, fiber and other nutrients. They are higher in nutrient value and lower in calories and fat.
Yellow Light = Slow These are foods moderately high in calories and slightly higher in fat than green light foods. They still provide healthy nutrition but should be eaten moderately.
Red Light = Uh-Oh! These are treats that can be eaten twice a week. They are high in calories, fat, sugars and do not contain many nutritional benefits.
Combination Foods These are foods which are a mixture of higher and lower calorie foods. Many fast foods fit into this category.
Free Fuel These foods are unlimited and do not count as traffic lights of any color.
While written for parents concerned about childhood obesity, this book is for all parents. Easy to understand and especially fun for children, the traffic light approach is a practical and nutritious diet plan for any family. The book is full of nutritional information, menu plans, recipes and alternative suggestions to make your families meals healthy ones.
You May Win It!
I am pleased to offer 2 Dimes2Vines readers a copy of “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right”. This giveaway will end on Jan. 13, 2010 at 9pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
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The prize will be shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
I received a copy of the book for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own. A special thanks to the Product Review Place for this opportunity.
People have told us repeatedly that if you do not like the weather here in west Texas, “just wait, it will change”. Well, it is true! On Wednesday, we had 60+ degree weather and the children were wanting to wear shorts. On Thursday, well, see for yourself…
Technology: cell phones vs voice over internet.
Well, I did it! I catapulted us back into the dark ages and it only took one phone call and about 10 minutes!
What did I do? I took my own advice from the Frugal Living Tips post and disconnected our cell phones. I really do not feel as isolated as I thought I might and our children have taken it very well.
After not hearing anything from the couple interested in buying our Alabama house, I took another look at our budget. The couple actually looked at the house three times and cancelled an appointment to make an offer on the house. So, it was very disappointing. But, after all, at least we had some interest and maybe the right buyers are just around the corner:)
Analyzing our expenses, one of the few places left to cut were the cell phones. I found that if we went with high speed wireless internet and a landline, we could cut phone expenses in half! We had been using my cell phone as the modem for internet access and although effective, it was still dial-up and slow.
Further savings were realized by scrapping the landline and going with voice over internet which was 1/3 the price of a landline! I (my husband actually) shopped online to find Phone Power which for our area was by far the least expensive. For less than $10/mth we could get unlimited local, long distance and even 60 minutes of international calling! We got this price by paying for 2 years in advance. So, now we have high speed wireless internet and voice over internet phone service for less than half the price of two cell phones with internet connection. Shop around if you are interested. If you decide on Phone Power, please use our username: usoswalds. With their refer a friend program, we will receive a $10 credit!
Our cell phone contract was up and yesterday was the last day of our billing cycle – So the timing was perfect!
 When we moved from southern Alabama, one thing I was not sad to leave behind were the hurricanes. Witnessing their destructive capabilities and having lived through the howling winds as one made its way over head, I gladly said goodbye to them!
While not to be compared to the life threatening possibilities hurricanes possess, west Texas certainly has wind! Last week we had two days of “strong wind” (50mph) and one day of “lighter winds” (20mph). The pictures show that when the winds blow, our neighbors’ fields are deposited at our doorstep! From milking boots to bicycles, it all gets covered.
Not only that, but it comes in the windows – they do not seal well in our rental house, so we are forever dusting – or should be at least! When our house in Alabama does sell and we build here, we are going to have good windows. I hate dusting:)
Teen Rebellion – normal? Do you expect your child to pilot the space shuttle without training? How about something more realistic. When your child reaches 16 yrs of age, you don’t just hand over the keys to your brand new Lexus, do you? If so, chances are, you’ll have a wrecked Lexus! Nor should you expect them as teenagers to act like anything but children, that is, if you haven’t spent time training and teaching. You reap today from that which you sowed yesterday. Or, like with a retirement fund, you do not reach 65 and it miraculously appears, you have to make investments. What other analogy can I call upon to make this point?
So, with your children you absolutely have to invest in them starting from the earliest years building a relationship of openness, trust, increasing responsibility, accountability and independence. It takes lots of time and real commitment.
With teen rebellion, as with the terrible two’s, you get what you expect. But now, it is not just a 25 lb child that you can discipline, it is a 100+ lb person who might equal or exceed your weight, size and vocabulary. The myth of teen rebellion is propagated by parents who didn’t/don’t take time to train and discipline for various reasons (ie the up-bringing they experienced, ignorance or selfishness). Maybe we could treat the first two a little less severely, but selfishness is really the main culprit and there is no excuse for it. Church activities, work, shopping and time with friends are necessary, but often used to excess, as a cover for just not wanting to be with your family. Other obvious examples of selfishness to the exclusion of family time are hunting, fishing, the gym, mom’s morning out and girls night out. Just about any valid activity can be used as an escape from the responsibilities that we undertook in our marriage vows and parenthood. Here some may claim that they didn’t “want” to be parents, it was “_____’s fault”. This is just another example of selfishness, wanting the the pleasures of life without the concurrent responsibilities.
Children are mirrors of us as parents. I am not just speaking of teen rebellion here, but when our children are having attitude problems, I look at my own attitudes. More times than not, their bad attitudes are a reflection of my own! When my attitudes are straightened out, theirs seem to follow. Our children see how we talk on the phone, the things we look at, the efforts we go to attain a “look” and what we value. Our priorities are demonstrated every day by how we keep our word and what displaces the so-called “important” things of family life.
Teen rebellion is just one example of the fact that children of all ages are crying out for attention, acceptance and praise. This cry unheeded often turns into a display of rebellion just to get some reaction out of their parents. They desire the parent’s time and praise but when they consistently don’t receive any, they will look elsewhere. Initially, this “elsewhere” is usually at an extreme (friends, activities, behavior), as an attempt to grab their parents attention. If ignored and unchecked, the extreme becomes their norm and they learn to substitute it for the lacking parental relationship.
This may seam scary to some of you, to others it is all too true. But it doesn’t have to be. We all can choose to do the right thing even though it cost us (time, money, effort and continued acceptance by our so-called friends). My husband and I are not perfect nor are we blessed with perfect children. We often have called our first son our “test child” because we didn’t have an exact path to follow. There is no exact path, but there is a common goal: to raise up responsible adults. Many have defaulted for a substitute goal (ie to get the child out of the house, to get them an education, to get them married). But the default answer (goal) is usually wrong or, at the least, not the best – because it is easy. Anything of value requires effort and sacrifice to achieve.
So (for those of you still reading) … How do you avoid teen rebellion?
- Have a unified front – parentS. If you are divided – be reconciled (from what is allowable for your child to the entire aspect of your marriage). Your children will see the lack of consistency as lack of authority.
- Start today (with your 2-19 year old) and be consistent.
- Find something to praise. They do have some good qualities. Look for them!
- Don’t ignore their undesirable behavior. Nor let your correction of it be the definition of your interaction.
- Actively pursue communication. Trivial stuff at least. But, this will allow a you an in for the more important matters as they arise.
- Be honest with them. Let them know (confess) that you are not perfect. If they are teenagers, they already know. When you share your own mistakes and what you now know would have been the better choice, you make yourself real. And you give them the possibility of learning from your mistakes rather than having to attend the school of hard knocks.
- You are the #1 influence in your child’s life. Is it the best? It is said that the iniquities of father’s are past on to the 3rd and 4th generation. I believe that these are not sins, but rather the propensity to sin. They are learned by experience, watching and listening.
- Spend time with them – quantity, quality and make use of the teachable moment.
- Parenting is an unbelievable privilege – Be Responsible!
For further reading: Teen Rebellion Part 2 continues with laying the basis to avoid teen rebellion.
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Prime-Time Health is written by Dr. William Sears with his wife Martha Sear, RN as co-author. Dr. Sears, who trained at Harvard Medical School’s Childrens’ Hospital is an associate clinical professor at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. He and his wife have 8 children.
In 1997, at the age of 57, Dr. Sears was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. During his recovery and journey back to health, he began studying testimonies of people who have survived major illnesses and become healthier, as well as, centenarians’ (people who live to be a hundred or more) lives and health habits. From these studies, Prime-Time Health was written. Dr. Sears and his wife have been practicing these suggestions now for many years and the result is the enjoyment of better health.
I found this book to be one of the most practical and well-balanced health books I have read. Dr.Sears focuses on a well-balanced lifestyle involving good nutrition, regular exercise, plenty of satisfying sleep and a healthy mental attitude. Much of the book is devoted to the how’s and why’s of the lifestyle changes which are encouraged.
I was encouraged because we already do many of the recommended nutritional changes. We eat very few processed foods (home grown, homemade foods are less expensive), fried foods or sugar items. He does recommend for those needing a major change in their eating habits a healthy smoothie to be used to sip on, instead of breakfast, lunch, and two snacks. While I am sure the smoothie is nutritious, for our family, this is not a practical suggestion. Meal times are important family time for us. Since I have arthritis and am in the middle of a flair-up, I will try a modified smoothie using our homemade kefir, protein powder, juices, and cinnamon, as a mid-morning snack.
This illustrates a point Dr. Sears makes which I really appreciate: “The program that is for you is the one you will do. It is okay to pick and choose. Do as many steps as you can. Make it fit you.”
Although I will not implement each and every suggestion found in Prime-Time Health, it did encourage me to continue the healthy habits we do have, as well as, add others. Dr. Sears does an excellent job of balancing healthy habits with practical living. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their health or just looking for reinforcement of healthy habits already in place.
You May Purchase It! Prime-Time Health is available at most major bookstores and online at Amazon.com: Prime-Time Health: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Feeling Young and Living Longer
OR
You May Win It! I am pleased to offer two Dimes2Vines readers a copy of Prime-Time Health. This giveaway will end on Feb. 6, 2009 at 9pm CST. The winner will be posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
***Please remember to leave a comment for each of the following entries.
***If you already follow Dimes2Vines via RSS of email, Twitter of Facebook - Leave a comment letting me know as your entry.
To Enter: Leave a comment letting me know what healthy habit you do or would like to implement.
Extra Entries:
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The prize will shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
I received a copy of Prime-Time Health for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own. A special thanks to the Product Review Place for this opportunity.
If you have not already signed up for this great, completely free way to earn some extra “bucks”, what are you waiting for? Haven’t heard of Swagbucks? It is a search engine that pays you to search the web as you normally do . As you search, Swagbucks are randomly awarded and can then be redeemed in the Swagstore for electronics, gift cards, DVD’s, sports memorabilia and much more. My favorite item (which I think has the greatest bang for the buck) is the $5 Amazon Gift Card for only 45 SBs.
What is so great about Friday? Fridays are Mega Swagbucks day. Swagbucks are awarded in the denominational values of 10′s, 20′s, 50′s and even 100′s. It is a great day to really rack up some Swagbucks!
I use it as my everyday search engine. It is so easy. I downloaded the toolbar so it is right there waiting to be used. There are several other ways available to earn Swagbucks. First, you will receive 3 bonus “bucks” for signing up! Another is through codes which can be entered on the Swagbucks homepage and you are then awarded a “buck”. There are also several ways to receive codes. Sign up to receive the newsletter and there is normally a code at the bottom of it. Check the homepage for alerts to Swaghunts where clues are given and you hunt for the codes. Often, I will receive an email from the Swag guy (which is shown on my Swagbucks toolbar) which contains a Swag code.
It really is an easy way to earn some great prizes. And, who doesn’t mind doing that!
I was pleased to be contacted by Shiloah Baker from the Homemaking-Cottage.com. Shiloah has been doing a series on moms with large families and I qualified! Some of the questions asked included info about my husband, why we decided to have a large family, a funny story, homemaking tips, just to name a few. If you are interested in the answers to these and more questions, head on over to Homemaking-Cottage. Thanks Shiloah!
Credit cards – do you use them? Friends are often surprised to find out that I use credit cards. Not only do I use them, but I make money on them! They are just another tool and the key is being responsible. You have to follow the same basic rules – live within your means and don’t lose sight of your goals. You continue to buy your normal items, except now, use credit cards. Like coupons, credit cards are not intrinsically evil. Rather, they are a hook designed by people to take money from your pocket and put it into theirs (actually, that’s what every “for profit” business does). Perks are offered by certain credit card companies knowing that the majority of people will overspend, carry a monthly balance, and thus accrue high interest charges and service fees (your pocket to their pocket). Some will say that we are taking profit from the stores. Yes, the businesses that accept credit cards have to pay 1.5-3.5% of the sale to the credit company (and card processing company) but it is another hook they are using to ease your money into their pocket. When we had a small retail business, we initially accepted most credit cards to help people buy our products (Polish pottery and other imports from Europe), but it was our choice to accept the credit card usage terms or not. (My husband used to joke with customers telling them that their “Sky Miles” went to his account.
I use credit cards for the majority of my purchases and receive at least 1% cash back. That may not seem like much, but over the year, it adds up! Currently, I am using an American Express card which has no annual fee but for the first year gives me:
- 5% back on gas purchases (up to the first $150 purchased per month)
- 5% back on grocery purchases (up to the first $250 per month)
- 5% back on dining out (up to the first $250 per month)
While we seldom eat out and our groceries don’t cost more than $250/mth, I do try to optimize how we spend our money for gas. Our normal monthly gas purchases do not exceed the $150 maximum on the AMEX. But sometimes, like this past December, we went to work on our house in Alabama and visit family in Georgia, and we did use more gas. For those situations, I have a Discover card as back-up which gives 2% back on gas purchases, up to the first $100 per month! After my first year is up, these AMEX perks will cease and I’ll cancel the card and look for the next best deal available. I have been doing this for years and there has always been another deal – I’ve NEVER paid an annual fee for a credit card. 
How, you might ask, do I keep it all straight? I made small adhesive labels for each card stating what the card is used for and the maximum amount. Then, in our van (our family car is a 15 passenger van), I have a index card on which we write all our gas purchases and the corresponding credit card. When the limit on the card is reached, we simply switch to using the back-up for the remainder of the month. I am not an organization fanatic – the index card is often dirty, tattered and coffee stained by month’s end – it would never make it two months!
This may seem like too much trouble, but for 2008 I made over $500 on one card! For other large purchases (i.e. the vines for our vineyard), we use a Visa card through LL Bean. The “bean points” accrued have been used on many LL Bean clearance items, from winter milking coats to summer tank tops. (I accidentally tried to use them at LandsEnd but as nice as the operator was, she couldn’t accept them  . That brings many a laugh in our family.)
Again, the key is discipline in your purchasing, complete bill payment at the time it is due (nothing carried over to the next billing cycle!) and then maximize the offered perk. Take the time to investigate what perks are available to meet your family’s needs.
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