Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids! and Rice & Beans

President Obama with the help of powerhouse Michelle Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act!!

Signing of the act

It took a while, but what a concept! If we are compassionate enough to feed children who may not have any other reliable source of food, shouldn't that compassion extend into feeding them healthy, nourishing food?

Speaking of healthy nourishing food, I made a really great dish the other day that I would love to share. Unfortunately like many of my recipes, there are no measurements.

Rice and Beans ramped up.

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are golden and transparent.

Add chopped jalapenos and cumin seeds, and saute for one more minute.

Add 1 can black beans and salt to taste. Allow to cook.

Add cooked brown rice (about same quantity as the black beans) and mix with the ingredients well.

Add frozen corn, chopped tomatoes (enough to make it a little saucy). Could also add bell peppers.

Add chili powder to taste, salt to taste, ground cumin to taste. Add a fresh squeeze of lime or lemon.

Top with a little cheese, a dollop-ette of sour cream, avocados, cilantro, salsa or any combo of those.

Serve with warmed corn tortillas (I heated these on my cast iron skillet with just a little oil and then rolled them up to serve).

Change is possible - just need motivation

Watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution today and I am hopeful that our school lunch program has potential for change and that children can actually learn to choose healthier foods...if we choose to teach them and follow up those lessons with good options.

There's a whole lot of people talking about childhood obesity and the malnourished state of our nation - we certainly get the calories, but not the nutrients we need to be at our optimal wellness. So how d o we all start talking to one another and DOING something? Does it take one person? Does it take a driving force from within the community? Does it take an outsider coming in to make change? Bottom up? Top down? Answer: All of the above. My least favorite answer on standardized tests but the truth.

Let's Move - Michelle Obama has the motivation. But not every mother and father does. I have a teenage patient who is morbidly obese. His mother cares but feels limited. He cares but is unmotivated. His father...well, I am still wondering if he cares in the first place. If we can't even convince people that this is important, then we've missed the point. I am still learning how to motivate kids who cannot wrap their heads around ideas of diabetes, heart disease, early stroke and heart attacks. Talking about beind overweight is shocking for some, embarassing, linked so much more to emotion than talking about a viral infection, and can potentially take a toll on a child's self esteem. For a parent, providing nutrition is a fundamental function, a basic need that should theoretically be easy. But it's not. They are countered by child directed advertising, product placements, fast food restaurants on every corner, and cartoon characters grinning on sugary snacks and foods...too bad they don't show those grins with cavities, fillings and crowns. So if your child doesn't eat properly, this gets linked to so much guilt. But, its a harder job than imagined and society does not make it any easier.

How do we change this? So much to do. But I'm motivated and so are many other parents, pediatricians, schools, policy makers, and children. It's time.