Not all video games are made equal; be sure to choose ones that inspire physical activity.

While our focus is on nutrition this month, parents who want total health and fitness for their tweens must also consider how their children are expending their energy. Know that when it comes to video games, not all of them are equal.

Children love playing video games, and playing active versions of these games may help stop children from becoming obese, University of Hong Kong researchers report.

In fact, children playing active video games have higher heart rates and burn four times as many calories a minute than children playing passive video games, according to this new study.

“Technological change in our homes, schools and workplaces has meant the amount of walking we do has declined significantly, and in its place, disproportionately greater amounts of time are spent seated,” said lead researcher Alison M. McManus, from the university’s Institute of Human Performance. “With childhood obesity posing the largest international health riddle, converting seated activities into active ones is an important goal.”

Parents need to be creative in their endeavors to get children active, McManus said. Children play video games, because it is fun, exciting and challenging, but it is largely conducted seated, she added.

“The children in this study had a lot of fun playing media games and burnt up calories, showing that making video game media active can certainly help in our efforts to get children active,” McManus said. “The challenge is for industry to continue developing new and exciting games that integrate physical activity into the virtual game environment.”

The report was published in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

McManus and her colleague, Robin R. Mellecker, measured heart rate and number of calories burned in 18 children aged 6 to 12, who played an active video game, a passive video game, and an action/running game. Over 25 minutes, the children alternated between the three games with a five-minute rest in between each game, the researchers noted.

McManus and Mellecker found that compared with resting children, 39 percent more calories per minute were burnt playing the video passive game, 98 percent more calories per minute were burnt playing the active bowling game, and 451 percent more calories per minute were burnt playing the action/ running game. Moreover, the researchers found that heart rates were significantly higher during the active game and the action game compared with playing the seated video game.

Playing active video games resulted in meaningful amounts of energy being expended in comparison to the normal seated game environment, McManus said.

“In the J-Mat game — Jackie Chan Action Run — the children raised their heart rate to 160 beats per minute, expending more than 5 kilocalories of energy per minute compared with only 1.3 kilocalories when seated,” McManus said. “When using the XaviX Bowling game, which essentially is a standing game with light intensity movement, children expended 0.6 kilocalories per minute more than seated computer game play.”

For more tips, visit OHealthy’s article on “Active Video Games Help Kids Exercise.”

We all know how life can get out of hand.  I’m guilty of not cooking and just calling the pizza man and having dinner in a box.  It’s especially difficult when balancing work, kids, and a “normal” life.  It seems like there’s no possible way that one could juggle all of this.  One helpful thing that I do is cook several entrees at a time.  For example, on a Sunday, I’ll make some stroganoff, meatballs, and some chicken dumplings.  This way, later in the week when things get hectic, all I have to do is throw together some side dishes and I’m done. 

The Internet is also a great resource.  Food Network’s website has a plethora of quick, easy, and healthy recipes that can fit any family’s tastes.  I also adore my “Mom’s Make it Quick” cookbook.  The thing I love most about the recipes in there is that they include a shopping list so you don’t have to skim through the recipe and worry about what you’ll need. 

Here are some of my favorite “quick” recipes:

Beef Stroganoff:  Brown 1 brick of lean ground beef with 2 onions.  Drain off the fat.  Add the meat to a few cans of pre-made beef gravy (so that it’s as meaty as you’d like).  Add low fat sour cream and mustard to taste (you want a bit of creaminess balanced by a bit of tang, just flavor until it’s fitting to your personal taste).  Leave on low while you’re boiling your egg noodles.  You’re done!

Meatballs:  Use lean ground beef, onions, Italian bread crumbs, egg, and minced garlic.  Mix like you would a meat loaf.  Don’t roll the meat balls too much or they’ll fall apart.  Coat a frying pan with a bit of olive oil and some minced garlic.  Cook through.  I like to make a big batch so that one night we can have spaghetti and another night meatball subs. 

Do you have any favorite “quick” recipes?  Please share with us!

Body image is a big issue for tweens. As we discuss healthy nutrition for adolescents this month, it’s important to keep in mind what’s healthy and what is not. OHealthy offers an interesting article on the prevalence of tweens who have a distorted body image.

According to “Eating Disorders: More Thin Kids Say “I’m Fat,” Americans often look in the mirror and think, “I’m fat.” But a growing number are children, usually pre-adolescent and adolescent girls, who aren’t overweight but believe they are.

“I think what goes on at home and what comes out of the media are both involved,” says California pediatrician Loraine Stern, M.D. She has seen girls as young as 6 worry about their weight.

Magazines and TV shows that worshiping ultra-thin models and pop stars fuel the trend, she says. They lead kids to think such unrealistic goals are the norm. Parents who obsess over their own eating or exercise habits can make things worse.

 ”Two messages need to be transmitted,” says Dr. Stern, co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ “A Guide to Your Child’s Nutrition.” “One is that people come in all different shapes and sizes. The other is that we need to focus on children’s strength and self-esteem and sense of accomplishment, not just on their bodies.”

 In a recent study of Girl Scouts in fifth and sixth grades, about 30 percent said they were doing something to lose weight. Most took moderate steps: They ate more fruits and vegetables or less high-fat foods. But a few took laxatives or diet pills, say University of Minnesota researchers. At that age (10, on average) any dieting can affect growth and raise risks of fatigue, irritability, low self-esteem, depression and eating disorders. Yet one-third of the dieting girls said they weren’t overweight.

Today, of course, more youths are actually overweight than in the past. Those cases need “a multi-pronged approach involving food, exercise, education and a decrease in television,” Dr. Stern says. “And the whole family needs to be in on it.”

What if your child’s fear of being fat seems groundless — or if you’re not sure? You should seek advice from your pediatrician or another health professional who knows children and eating disorders. Some children benefit from early medical, nutrition and psychological counseling.

What challenges or successes do you have when dealing with your tweens?Please share in the comments below.

Adding colorful fruit to your tweens' menu is one way to get them to get the healthy balance they need.

This month we’re focusing on how to encourage and inspire your tweens to eat a more healthy diet. But the question begs to be answered: What does healthy eating look like for tweens?

OHealthy’s article on adolescent nutrition offers some clues.

Eating healthy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is something that should be taught at a young age. The following are some general guidelines for helping your adolescent eat healthy. It is important to discuss your adolescent’s diet with his/her physician prior to making any dietary changes or placing your adolescent on a diet. Discuss the following healthy eating recommendations with your adolescent to ensure he/she is following a healthy eating plan:

• Eat three meals a day, with healthy snacks.
• Increase fiber in the diet and decrease the use of salt.
• Drink water. Try to avoid drinks and juices that are high in sugar.
• For growing children and adolescents, it is generally recommended to watch total fat consumption in the diet, rather than counting calories.
• Eat balanced meals.
• When cooking for your adolescent, try to bake or broil instead of fry.
• Make sure your adolescent watches (and decreases, if necessary) his/her sugar intake.
• Eat fruit or vegetables for a snack.
• For children over 5 years of age, use low-fat dairy products.
• Decrease the use of butter and heavy gravies.
• Eat more chicken and fish.

For more tips, visit OHealthy’s article on “Nutrition: Adolescent” for valuable tips on the food pyramid and more.

What’s your greatest challenge in helping your tween eat a healthy, balanced diet? Share in the comments below.

Making sure your plate has plenty of veggies is one easy way to get healthier in 2010!

Happy New Year’s Day everyone! A new beginning is the perfect time to tackle all those important things you may have been putting off during the rest of the year.

The No. 1 resolution on many Americans’ list is losing weight and getting healthier. All month long we’ll be talking about the importance of nutrition. OHealthy offers a great article to help get us started on the basics of healthy nutrition.

Healthy eating habits are especially important during childhood. Children learning and growing at a rapid rate use up lots of energy, and their bodies need healthy foods to provide that energy.

Most parents are concerned about how they can get their children to eat nutritious foods. Mealtime can become stressful for the whole family when children won’t eat what parents think they should.

Children learn food preferences from parents, siblings, family members and friends. Set a good example by the foods that you, as parents, eat. Show your children how to try new foods by expanding your own choices, and offer a variety of foods.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers the following suggestions to help your child develop and maintain good eating habits and to prevent chaotic mealtimes in your home:

• Offer your child a wide variety of foods. Include grains, different vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat or beans.
• Snacks should be healthy: fresh fruit, dried fruit, vegetable sticks (carrots, celery, peppers), low-fat yogurt, air-popped popcorn.
• Let your child decide whether and how much to eat of new foods. Keep serving new foods even if your child doesn’t eat them at first.
• Limit the amount of sugar in your child’s diet. Choose cereals with low or no added sugar. Serve water or low-fat milk instead of sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavored drinks. If your child demands sweetened cereal, sweeten with no-calorie artificial sweeteners such as Equal or Splenda. Diet sodas may be offered in limited amounts, but they should not replace the recommended minimum of three eight-ounce glasses of milk daily.
• Choose and prepare foods with less salt. Keep the saltshaker off the table. Have fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks instead of salty snack foods.
• Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children may be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.

Visit OHealthy to read the complete article, “Kids’ Healthy Eating Not Just About Food” for even more tips.