Healthy Habits That Will Protect Your Children from Cold and Flu Viruses

Wow. It sure has been a while since I've made a new post here on my blog, but today's post is of the utmost importance for families with small children! I have put alot of research, as well as hands on pratice with my 5 y/o daughter Emma, into this post. I hope it is helpful to you!

How soon should your kids learn how to avoid cold and flu viruses? The sooner the better.

With Cold and Flu season among us, and especially with the H1N1 Flu affecting many communities here in the US, many parents have concerns about their children and how they can keep them healthy and avoid getting sick.

As soon as your babies get older -- and grow out of that maddening I-must-put-everything-in-my-mouth phase -- you can start teaching them habits that will protect them from germs like cold and flu viruses. How soon? The sooner the better.

"Good hygiene habits are much easier to introduce when your kids are young," says Laura A. Jana, MD, a pediatrician in Omaha, Neb. and co-author of Heading Home with Your Newborn and Food Fights. "Bad habits are hard to break."

Adopting healthy habits for kids can have concrete benefits. Dodging just one or two of those day care cold viruses could save you a lot of misery. And healthy habits can help protect your child from swine flu this fall and winter. Even if the benefits aren't immediate, teaching healthy habits will pay off.

"If they start learning proper hygiene when they're young, they may not get sick as much when they're older," says Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, a pediatrician and author of Mommy Calls:Dr. Tanya Answers Parents' Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers.

So what sort of healthy habits for kids are realistic? Can a preschooler really learn ways to get protection from cold and flu viruses? Here's what the experts have to say.

Getting in a Routine:

When teaching healthy habits, focus on what's important. You probably don't need to lecture toddlers on the germ theory of disease. Concepts like contagion are probably too hard to grasp for little kids.


You really can't teach a preschooler to stay away from a friend who's coughing,
so instead of explaining, the key is to practice and ritualize some good behaviors. If you make them systematic, the odds are much better that you kids will stick with them -- and stay a little healthier as a result.

If you make good habits part of a routine, it all becomes much easier,and your kids will do them without thinking.

Healthy Habits for Kids: Hand Washing
When it comes to healthy habits for kids, hand washing is the most important one. To make it work, it's got to be built into their daily routines.

Parents should make hand washing a ritual, like brushing their teeth. You don't have to do it so obsessively that their hands get chapped. But you should always have your kids wash their hands:


When they arrive at day care or preschool
Before they eat
After changes or after using the potty or toilet
After a play date
As soon as they come in the house -- whether it's from school or from playing in the yard
The key is consistency. Get them to do it every time. If you do, your kids might start hand washing automatically. They might even start reminding you if you forget.

It's also important to do hand washing well. Always use warm water and soap. The CDC recommends that people wash their hands for the amount of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice -- about 15 to 20 seconds.

If soap and water aren't available, an alcohol-based gel will work too. Just make sure that your kids really scrub their hands for about 20 seconds. They're done when the gel has completely evaporated.

Of course, some kids will resist hand washing. What can you do? Here are a few tips.

Make them do dishes. Lots of toddlers and preschool age kids love playing in the sink. So instead of getting into a struggle about hand washing, just stand them on a chair by the sink, give them the soap and a dish to wash. If they keep at it for a few minutes, they'll probably get their hands pretty clean.
Choose the right soap. A bar of white soap can seem pretty dull. But if you can find a soap that catches their attention -- with a fruity smell, or maybe a cartoon character on the bottle -- you might have better luck with hand washing. To add to the mystique, you could make the soap especially for your child's use. Keep it on a high shelf and take it down only when she needs it.


Other Tips:

Hand washing is the most important, but there other healthy habits for kids that can reduce the spread of germs.

Cough into the arm. Many of us were told as kids to cover our mouths with our hands when we coughed or sneezed. The problem with that old advice is that it results in a handful of germs -- which are then spread on everything a kid touches.

Experts now recommend that kids -- and adults -- cough and sneeze into the crook of their arms. That way, the germs are less likely to wind up coating every surface in the room. Emma likes to call it "Doing the Elephant".


Use tissues. It won't always work, but you can try. Some preschool kids are capable of blowing their noses. Whether the tissue ends up in the trash can or on the floor is another story, of course.


Teach by example. As any parent knows, trying to get a toddler to do something can be maddening. Asking, or demanding, or begging your kid to adopt healthy habits might seem hopeless.

And lastly, every child should be on a nutritional supplement that contains the proper amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they need to grow up healthy and strong.

But one good strategy to instill healthy habits in kids is to get your kids to mimic you. Model good behavior. Make a show of hand washing when you get home from work -- and do it for the full 20 seconds. Always cough and sneeze into your own arm. Your kids will probably notice, and over time it could really have the desired effect.

And if you're really conscientious about modeling healthy habits, you could get an added bonus: you might get sick less too.

I will be adding new posts more often, so keep an eye out....

Thanks for Viewing, Wishing You a Happy and Healthy Lifestyle!

Avoid Temptations...

To avoid the temptation of high sugar, high
fat food; don't bring them into your house.
Keep plenty of healthy, easy to fix options
like fresh fruits and veggies washed and ready
to eat.

Getting Fit. . . One Step at a Time

A study in the Journal of Gerontology
Medical Sciences found that people who
do aerobic exercise at least 3 hours per
week have a better memory, are better at
switching between mental tasks, and can
screen out distractions better than those
who don't exercise.

Awesome Blueberry Muffins w/ Walnuts

This is probably one of my favorite muffins that I have put together. Not only are they low in calories and fat, but they are so moist and delicious! Try em out and let me know what you think! These awesome muffins have only 143 calories. If you are not a walnut fan, omit the walnuts and lower the calorie count to 112 calories!

Awesome Blueberry Muffins w/ Walnuts

Servings: 12

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 Cup Plain Nonfat Yogurt
2 Large Egg Whites
1 Large Egg
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 TBS Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup WHole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled-Oats
1 TBS Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 Cup dried blueberries, unsweetened
1/2 Cup Chooped Walnuts
1 1/2 Cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place muffine liners in muffin pan and spray with non stick spray.

Mix applesauce and the next 5 ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.

Mix whole wheat flour thru walnuts together until well combined. Add fresh blueberries so that they are coated with dry ingredients. This will assure the blueberries are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Add dry mixture to the wet mixture, and mix gently, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Let sit for 10 minutes. Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 min until tops are dry and golden brown. Turn the muffins onto a wire rack to cool. Let me knwo what you think Your gonna love em!

With Walnuts
Per Serving (ea muffin) 143 Cal., 4 g Fat, 2g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 18 mg chol, 443 mg sod, 23g Carb, 3g fib, 5 g Prot. 37 mg calc.

Without Walnuts
Per Serving (ea muffin) 112 Cal., 1g Fat, trace sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 18 mg chol, 443 mg sod, 22 Carb, 2g fib, 4g Prot. 34 mg calc.

Health Tip of the Day

It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. If you want to lose a pound per week, reduce your calorie intake by 250 calories and incorporate daily physical activity that will burn 250 calories.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken, Black Bean Corn & Rice Salad, Grilled Yellow & Green Globe Squash w/ Summer Onions

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken

20 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (4 5oz Pieces)
1/4 cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1/4 Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
3 TBS Olive Oil

Pound chicken breasts to about a 1/4 inch.(I like to do this in a gallon size zip-lock baggie)Combine lime juice, through garlic salt in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil until blended. Add chicken and marinade for 45 min to an hour in refrigerator. Meanwhile, heat grill to high. Grill about 3-4 min per side, until chicken is cooked through.(until chiken reaches 175 degrees and juices run clear when pierced)
Per Serving (5 oz pc) 221 Cal., 12 g Fat, 2g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 66 mg chol, 864 mg sod, 2g Carb, trace fib, 26 g Prot. 22 mg calc.

Rice, Black Bean and Corn Salad
Makes 4 Servings
1 Cup cold cooked brown rice
1/2 Cup cooked corn kernels
1/2 Green bell pepper, seeded and chopped ( I used red , orange or yellow)
1 Celery Stalk, chopped
1/3 Cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 Red onion
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
1/2 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
2 Tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon salt.

1. In a large bowl, combine the rice, corn, bell pepper, celery, beans, onion, cilantro and jalapeno.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lime juice oil and salt. Pour over rice mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate covered, until the flavors are blended, at least 1 hour. The longer it marinates the better the flavors will be.

Per Serving: (1 cup) 119 Cal., 4 g Fat, 1g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg chol, 197 mg sod, 19g Carb, 3 g fib, 3 g Prot. 21 mg calc.

Grilled Yellow & Green Globe Squash w/ Summer Onions

2 Yellow Globe Squash sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 Zucchini Globes sliced into 1/4 inch slices
4 Summer Onions (can substitute with large scallions)cut off about 1/2 inch off the tops and a 1/4 in of the bottom, root area
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS Sweet Soy (Kecap Manis or Indonesian Sweet Soy, which can found larger supermarkets or specialty food stores)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine Sweet soy and olive oil in large bowl. Add salt & Pepper. Toss vegetables until well coated. Grill squash & zucchini about 2 min per side until cooked through. Grill summer onions about 1 min per side, carefule not to burn the tops.

Per Serving: (1 cup) 121 Cal., 7 g Fat, 1g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg chol, 362 mg sod, 7g Carb, 3 g fib, 2 g Prot. 40 mg calc.

Why Nutritional Supplements, and What Products Should You Trust Your Health Too?

Why Nutritional Supplements?

Medical research has shown an indisputable link between good nutrition and long term health. Optimal nutrition includes vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other compounds that we consume in small amounts, as well as the fats, proteins and carbohydrates that make up the bulk of our foods.


We all know that a complete well-balanced diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are a solid foundation for good nutrition and optimal health. However, too few of us consistantly consume such a healthy well-balanced diet. This can lead to chronic deficiencies for one or more essential vitamins, placing ou good health at risk.

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After viewing this video, and you now see why USANA Nutritional Supplements are the only product you should be taking, please feel free to contact me to get yourself on the road to Optimal Health.

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