By: Andrea Metcalf
Almost
20% of children have high cholesterol. It may be logical to believe
that this disease only affects overweight children, but genetics plays an important role
as well and even skinny kids can have high cholesterol. Fourteen year old Jason Myers is conscious of what he eats.
He was diagnosed with high cholesterol, like his brother and father, when
he was only two years old. When talking with him about his condition, he
says "It just means I have to be more aware of what I eat."
Here
are some healthy breakfast and lunch ideas from Jason - "Dinner", he says, "is up to mom!"
 |
Jason preparing an egg white omlette
|
Breakfast
-
Healthy Egg White Omelette
Ingredients:
1/2
cup Egg Beaters, 1 cup raw spinach, 1/4 cup feta cheese, light cooking spray
Directions:
Spray
the pan and lightly saute the spinach until it's shiny
Add
the Egg Beaters ( whip in blender first to make them fluffy) and roll them to
edge of pan
Cook
until they lightly bubble then flip them over
Add
feta cheese to one side of the eggs and fold in half
Slide
onto plate
4 oz
lean turkey lunchmeat, 2 large green leaf lettuce leaves, 1/4 sliced into
strips red pepper, 2 oz light Cabot cheese, 1/4
cup of sprouts, Lemon slice and bottle of water
Directions:
Start
with large lettuce leaves and evenly place, turkey, pepper, cheese and sprouts
into each of them
Roll
and wrap and place in lunchbox
bring
a lemon slice for your water
"Anyone
over twelve can make these items and eat healthier", says Jason. He just
may be the next Top Chef!
Andrea Metcalf, a fitness and lifestyle expert, has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America Health and Chicago's NBC 5 . She is a nationally
recognized Speaker, author of the best selling book,
Naked Fitness, Good Day Show radio personality, and producer and host of, Put Your Money Where Your
Mouth Is, a reality weight loss show that airs in Chicago on NBC Nonstop. She can be found giving fitness tips, inspirational thoughts and information on living a healthier,
happier life at:
www.andreametcalf.com.
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http://www.laptoplunches.com/rss/42/bento-lunchbox-refried-rollups.htmlIngredients:
According
to Dr. Oz’s site (http://www.doctoroz.com/), the University of Nevada School of medicine explains “There may be many reasons you may feel tired after eating
lunch. One common reason is that after a meal your blood sugar quickly rises as
food is digested.” Basically you eat and your body’s reaction is to jump onto
this blood sugar roller coaster. Heading
up the coaster it tells your muscles and fat cells to soak up that extra sugar. You've seen kids (and adults) on a sugar high – lots of energy, quick talking
and quick moving. But what goes up must
come down. So when the coaster is
heading down, the sugar is gone, the ride is over and you’re energy is over
too. We all know this phase as the sugar
crash. “Meals with a large amount of
simple carbohydrates (sugars and starches) tend to cause this blood sugar rise
and fall to a greater extent than meals heavier in proteins or complex
carbohydrates.”
A
is for ‘a little of this, a little of that.’ Kids are notorious finger food
eaters. Instead of sending a big thermos of something, consider tiny portions
that make it easier to pick up and eat. A little (immunity boosting) yogurt,
some (slow-burning source of energy) granola, rolled-up
lean turkey (for the protein) and some carrot sticks (for the vision helper
Vitamin A) make for a simple, fun and healthy lunch. 
B is for Berries: Joy Bauer, a registered dietician suggests memory
and brain healthy food choices like blueberries. Blueberries (or really any
berries will do) have been shown to reverse memory decline. Not just help with
your memory, but also actually reverse any damage. Impressive stuff for a tiny
berry, no? Dark, leafy greens like spinach; Swiss chad and kale have a ton of
folic acid in them that help with your brain health and memory. Fatty fish like
salmon or the plant based alternative, ground flax seed; both offer tons of Omega
3, which boosts your brain. Doubtful your kid will love some salmon at noon,
but flax seed is easy to hide. Just sprinkle some on just about anything from a
sandwich to a soup to a salad.
C is for colorful: Kids love color, so why not make their lunch
a colorful surprise? Red peppers (more Vitamin C than an orange), green apple
slices (packed with rich phyto-nutrients,
yellow chicken soup (protein and renowned healing powers) and some brown rice (all
that great fiber) make for a fun, festive and healthy lunch.
