In the eighties, the importance of fiber garnered a lot of public attention in BC. Bran appeared in cereals, muffins, and cookies, and whole wheat bread sales skyrocketed. You don’t hear much about fiber these days, but wise Delta parents still serve high-fiber meals and snacks daily.

We all know that fiber is important for healthy bowel function, but this is not its only benefit. Vancouver people who eat a high-fiber diet keep their cholesterol numbers in check. Numerous studies have shown a relationship between fiber intake and LDL levels.

Delta children fed diets rich in fiber are more likely to maintain a healthy weight. Fiber-filled meals have lower calorie-volume ratios. Fiber is also important for blood sugar, as it can slow the rate of blood sugar absorption.

Do your Vancouver children get enough fiber? School lunches rarely feature whole wheat breads and most kid-friendly snacks have too little fiber and too many empty calories.

Though it takes a little extra effort to locate fiber rich foods in many Vancouver grocery stores, everyone in the family will benefit from increasing their fiber intake.

Xocai has several high fiber products that kids love. The Xocai X Protein Meal Shake has 8 grams of fiber per serving. Xocai Activ provides 28% of the daily recommended value for dietary fiber. Xocai healthy snacks and beverages are a great way to help your kids stay healthy.

Children’s Health Advocate Phil Hoskins
604.943.8598 phil@philhoskins.com
Activ, the healthy chocolate beverage
Peanut Butter Cups

Welcome to the Healthy Richmond Children blog. This site is for Richmond parents who are concerned about the health of BC children. Today’s article looks at fitness video games.

If your child would rather exercise their thumb on a gaming console than shoot some hoops or kick a soccer ball, they might enjoy Wii, Playstation, and Xbox games that require them to move their body to play the game. If players enjoy the game, they will probably not mind (or notice) sweating a little bit.

Of course, you will need the necessary accessories to play these fitness games. Your nearest Richmond Target, Wal-Mart or Best Buy probably has everything you need for your gaming system.

I perused the internet to see which games came up on game review sites. The following are bestsellers:

EA Sports Active
Punch-Out!
Dance Dance Revolution
Gold’s Gym Cardio and Dance Workout
Kinect Sports Review
Nickelodeon Fit
Wii Fit

By providing a variety of exercise choices for our Richmond children, we can encourage them to get some exercise every day. (You may also enjoy playing them with your child, but be prepared to lose.)

For info on a children’s health product, call me at 604.943.8598. Thanks for visiting!

Delta parents know that reading with children is essential to their academic success and development, but not all storybook sessions are as productive as others in building literacy skills. Langley, Surrey, and Richmond parents don’t need to worry, because a few simple guidelines can help your kids get the most from story time.

Instead of zooming through one picture book after another, take time to pause and allow your child to process the story.

Ask questions like, ‘What do you think will happen next?’ or ‘How did that make [the main character] feel?’ Enjoy the artwork and see what your child can infer from the pictures.

Beginning readers can point to each word as you read together. This will help them recognize that letters make up words and words make up sentences and they will get used to punctuation conventions.

Vancouver parents may have to work to curb their boredom since kids love repetition and may ask for the same book over and over again. This is normal and healthy for younger kids, but if you have any concerns about their development, you should consult your Delta pediatrician.

As kids get older you can ask more probing questions such as, ‘What was the most interesting part of the book?’ or ‘What is the setting of the story?’ There are also great opportunities for discussions about problems and solutions as well as themes and morals in almost all stories.

I’m Phil Hoskins and children’s health and development is very important to me. I am the owner of a Delta home business that sells Peanut Butter Cups. If you are interested in learning more, visit my website at http://philhoskins.com/more-about-xocai or give me a call at 604.943.8598.

Delta parents want to make sure that their kids spend time doing things that will help them be healthy and successful. Because of this, juggling the family schedule and prioritizing activities are a major part of parenting in the Richmond, Surrey, and Langley areas.

With all this competition for your child’s time, you may be surprised to learn of the advantages Delta kids receive when families make time to eat dinner together.

Studies have shown that kids who have frequent family dinners benefit in the following ways:

Improved grades
Eating healthier meals
Less likely to try cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana
Increase in family communication
Less likely to become overweight or obese

If you want to help establish a more regular dinner time for your family, here are some tips for Vancouver families. Start by setting a small goal, like sitting down for dinner twice a week, and then add days on after that. Next, involve the kids by letting them help plan and prepare the meals and set the table. Lastly, always make mealtime a technology-free zone: no TV or phones allowed!

And remember, even if you’re in a rush and have to pick up dinner at a local Richmond, Surrey, or Langley restaurant, take the time to sit down together to eat. Your family will still enjoy many of these benefits.

My name is Phil Hoskins and I want to help Delta families to raise healthy, happy kids. I am the owner of a Vancouver area home business that sells Peanut Butter Cups. If you are interested in learning more, visit my web site at http://philhoskins.com/more-about-xocai or give me a call at 604.943.8598.

The following online article was used as source material for this blog:
Lerche Davis, Jeanie, “Family Dinners Are Important”, WebMD, http://children.webmd.com/guide/family-dinners-are-important, accessed on Oct. 22, 2011

Hello Vancouver! Welcome to today’s children’s health and nutrition blog. Today, we are discussing seasonal allergies. Many Vancouver parents wonder if their child’s sneezing and runny nose are temporary symptoms of a cold or seasonal allergies. Generally, colds also come with aches and a low fever and last only a week, while allergies can persist for an entire season. Vancouver doctors are seeing new cases of seasonal allergies among people of all ages, especially adults. Is this an unintended result of more aggressive germ-fighting in childhood?

‘Researchers speculate that thanks to antibacterial soaps, hand sanitizers and other powerful germ-killing products, kids today are less likely to be exposed to the bacteria and viruses that help the immune system shift into gear and prevent them from developing allergies and asthma as they grow up.’¹

Regardless of the possibility that allergies may persist into adulthood, there are several steps Vancouver parents can take to help their child get through the allergy prone months with minimal discomfort:

Replace your filters (AC and furnace) at least every two or three months, and look for MERV ratings of 11 or 12 for maximum efficiency filters. Though it may be difficult during the hot Vancouver months, remember to keep your windows closed at home and in the car. Check pollen levels online and try to have your child wait until evening to go outdoors when pollen counts are lower.

Have your child shower before going to bed to wash allergen out of his or her hair and skin so it won’t transfer to bedding and increase irritation during the night. You can also use plastic or allergen-proof covers for your child’s mattress, box springs, and pillows for extra protection.

Your Vancouver doctor can test your child to determine the specific allergens and prescribe safe and effective medications.

For more information on children’s health and Peanut Butter Cups nutritional products contact:

Phil Hoskins
http://philhoskins.com/more-about-xocai
604.943.8598
phil@philhoskins.com

¹Beth Howard, “Breathe Easy: How to Prevent and Treat Fall Allergies,” Family Circle, October 17, 2011, http://www.familycircle.com/health/concerns/allergies-asthma/fall-allergies/?page=4, accessed on November 9, 2011

Attention Delta teens: The Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) helps prevent adolescent obesity, according to a recent study.¹

The study was published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. The DASH diet includes low-fat dairy, chicken, lean, beef, chicken, nuts, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and legumes.

Surprisingly, study participants who followed DASH actually ate, on average, 250 more calories than those who ate a typical Delta teen diet: high-fat meats, cheeses, highly processed foods, and fast food meals.

Delta parents who emphasize a ‘calorie deficit’ plan for teen weight loss may want to consider focusing more on the quality of the foods eaten.

I am a small business owner and teen health advocate in Delta. The products I sell promote health for people of all ages. For information on my health and wellness products, contact me today. Thanks for visiting my Delta children’s health blog.

Phil Hoskins
Delta, BC V4M 1Z9
604.943.8598   phil@philhoskins.com

¹Holly Lebowitz Rossi, ‘New Findings on Preventing Teen Obesity,’ Parents, June 7, 2011, http://www.parents.com/blogs/parents-news-now/2011/06/07/child-health/new-findings-on-preventing-teen-obesity/, June 24, 2011.

When I was growing up in Langley, my friends and I never ran out of things to do, and most of our activities provided at least a little bit of exercise. I have fond memories of playing kick-the-can on warm summer nights and swimming at the old Langley community pool.

Unfortunately, many of today’s Langley kids spend hours daily in sedentary activities. Exercise benefits our physical, mental, and emotional health. Perhaps you might enjoy participating in some of these with your son or daughter.

Fun exercise suggestions:

• Fly a kite (It’s even more fun if you sing the song from Mary Poppins while you are doing it.)
• Wheels: bike, skateboard, longboard, inline skates, rip stick, scooter (don’t forget a helmet!)
• Rake the yard
• Hula hoop (The Langley Wal-Mart carried them last time I checked.)
• Martial arts
• Juggling
• Hacky sack
• Badminton
• Weight lifting
• Hopscotch
• Jump-roping
• Tug-of-war

I am concerned about the state of children’s health in BC and like to share information about health issues in my blog. If you are looking for a low-fat, high antioxidant chocolate product that tastes like a diet-buster, call me today. I sell Activ, the healthy chocolate beverage and Peanut Butter Cups, two tasty treats that help my kids stay healthy.

Phil Hoskins
604.943.8598     phil@philhoskins.com
Peanut Butter Cups