In our fitness-conscious and competitive world, there are multitudes of self-styled nutrition “experts” who have plenty of advice to offer, many with a product to sell. For parents of athletes, the choices can be overwhelming as they seek to provide that competitive edge to their children through proper nutrition. If you’re packing for long days on soccer sidelines, wrestling mats, baseball fields, swimming pools, tracks or any number of strenuous sports activities for your children, knowing how to provide the right fuel throughout the day can be confusing!

According to nutrition experts, except for energy (calories) and water, nutritional needs are basically the same for people who exercise for fun and health, for athletes, and for those who are less active. Using MyPyramid as a guide to eating well for fitness and health can help parents provide their young athletes with good nutrition for training and competition. And, while well-nourished athletes don’t require supplements of protein, amino acids, vitamins, or ergogenic aides such as chromium or creatineas many marketers might have you believe, there are certain nutritional steps your young athlete can take to maximize his or her performance.

For starters, a high-carbohydrate diet provides energy for training and competition. By eating a high-carbohydrate diet each day, your child will have a ready supply of glucose when it’s needed. Likewise, make certain your athlete is well hydrated by consuming cool water before, during and after exercise. Dehydration decreases performance and can cause serious harm to the body. During intense exercise lasting longer than an hour, commercial sports drinks are even better than water as they replace the sodium and electrolytes lost during exercise. And, while these tips will help children during their sports activities, the same rules hold true for the adult athletes in your family!

Listening, learning and living together, it’s the science of life. “Family Album” is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website at familyalbumradio.org.

Podcast: Food and fitness
Written by Linda Bobroff and Donna Davis
Reviewed by Suzanna Smith

Source

Bobroff, Linda B., “Food and Fitness: Myths and Truths” (2006) EDIS document FCS8100, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Retrieved September 26, 2006 online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

Whether school is in full swing or you’re dealing with summer schedules, you may be asking yourself, “Where does the time go?” I was stunned the first time I realized my kids were feeling this way, too!

Children often feel the push to become involved in as many different activities as possible. And, parents, who tend to have their own wide variety of interests, don’t always see or set the limits that their children need. As a parent, it’s important to monitor your child for signs of activity “burn out” and to step in when you know your kids are being overloaded.

If you’ve got a “stressed out” kid, here are some simple strategies to help improve the situation. First, set priorities. Help your children pick activities that are most important to them, make sure they can handle these, along with other responsibilities, and then help them manage their time wisely. Second, check on their homework load. Making schoolwork the first priority shows your children how important an education really is. Third, be sure to schedule downtime. Time to “rest and relax” is just as important as the activities themselves. And finally, be a role model. Parents with too many activities in their own lives will likely find that “over-scheduling” is happening in the lives of their children, too.

Out-of-school activities aren’t bad for children. In fact, research shows extracurricular activities have been linked to higher grades regardless of the type of activity. The important thing for parents to remember is to help their children find a balance in their lives.

Listening, learning and living together, it’s the science of life. “Family Album” is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website at familyalbumradio.org.

Take the Family Album Radio Survey

Podcast: Finding the Balance
Written by Minal Patel and Christa Guerrero
Reviewed by Donna Davis and Suzanna Smith

Sources

Cosden, M., Morrison, G., Gutierrez, L., & Brown, M. (2004). The effects of homework programs and after-school activities on school success. Theory into Practice, 43, 220-226.

The Nemours media room, the latest news. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2006, from Are Today's Kids Too Busy? Web site: http://www.nemours.org/internet?url=no/releases/2006/060628

Podcast: Raw milk? A friend or a foe to your health?
Written by: Amy Simonne
Reviewed by Donna Davis and Suzanna Smith

Recently when my son came home from his regular exercise session, he told me that his trainer recommended he drink “raw milk” for additional health benefits. I’d never heard of raw milk, and it didn’t sound very appetizing – Not to mention, I was curious about its safety.

As it turns out, there are definitely risks involved. According to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration Department of Health and Human Services (US-FDA-DHHS), raw milk is inherently dangerous and may contain a long list of disease causing bacteria. Additionally, some of these bacteria can be deadly, especially for those who are very young, very old or those who have medical conditions limiting the body’s ability to fight infectious diseases.

Currently, 99% of fresh milk consumed in the US is pasteurized, the process created to prevent foodborne illnesses in raw milk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), since 1998, more than 39 foodborne illness outbreaks, including an estimated 831 individual cases of illness, were reported due to consumption of raw or un-pasteurized milk or cheese made from raw milk. The outbreaks have occurred in 22 states.

Despite the well-known association of raw milk and disease-causing organisms, including Salmonella and E-coli, some consumers continue to believe that raw milk is of better quality or has greater health benefit than pasteurized milk. However, before exposing yourself or your family members to potential contamination from raw milk, understand the risks involved.

Listening, learning and living together, it’s the science of life. “Family Album” is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website at familyalbumradio.org. Take the Family Album Radio Survey

Sources

On The Safety of Raw Milk (with a word about pasteurization)

Why is Raw Milk Dangerous?

FDA Warns Consumers to Avoid Drinking Raw Milk

The epidemiology of raw milk-associated foodborne disease outbreaks reported in the United States, 1973 through 1992

Most of the time when we think about cohabiting couples, we imagine younger adults who living together before they get married or instead of marrying. But, according to the 2000 Census, there are more than a million individuals over the age of 50 who are cohabiting and this number is increasing, as baby boomers reach their 50s and 60s.

A recent study conducted by researchers from Bowling Green University used data from the 2000 U.S. Census data and the 1998 Health and Retirement Study to find out more about older cohabiting adults. In contrast with young cohabitors, who tend to live together before they marry, about 90% of older cohabitors were previously married.

In addition, this research compared older cohabitors with individuals who were remarried, divorced and never married. Older cohabitors, especially women, appeared to be more disadvantaged in some ways. They had lower incomes and were less likely to own their own homes when compared to remarried persons. Additionally, cohabiting women’s income was only about two-thirds the income of remarried women and cohabiting women were three times less likely to have health insurance. Cohabitors were more likely than remarrieds to use alcohol. And, they scored lower on social relationships, such as having friends living nearby.

There are still many unknowns about older cohabitors as this is a relatively new phenomenon affecting large numbers of people. However, researchers are already exploring the strengths and weaknesses of these new “families” and how men and women choose to share their later years

Listening, learning and living together, it’s the science of life. “Family Album” is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website at familyalbumradio.org.

Podcast: Cohabitation among Older Adults
Written by: Suzanna Smith