Maryann Jacobsen's Blog, page 6

Helping Your Child Overcome Anxiety with Dawn Huebner [Podcast]

A child’s worry can take over a household. It can make parents more anxious, certain topics or activities off-limits, and everyone waiting like a shoe is about to drop. Something as safe as going to a party, completing a project, or sleeping can invoke fear. And the more you try to convince a child that everything will be fine, the worse the fear seems to get.

Over the last two decades anxiety in children has been on the rise. According to the CDC, 7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximate...

The Super Crew’s Breakfast Cookbook for Kids Review (and Pancake Recipe)

Are you in a breakfast rut? Got young kids in a breakfast rut?

Friend and colleague Melissa Halas founding editor of Super Kids Nutrition has the perfect solution for you. 

It’s The Super Crew’s Breakfast Cookbook for Kids. It features 50 Tasty Recipes and 100 Fun Nutrition Activities for kids. It includes the Super Crew characters, a widely-popular group of kids who get their powers from colorful plant-based foods.

The recipes are simple, nutritious and easy to make. The activities are fun and...

Trying to Lose Weight at Midlife? Don’t. Do THIS Instead.

When I worked as an outpatient dietitian, I remember many women saying how at 40, it was like a flip switched and they started gaining weight. Being in my twenties at the time, I had a hard time relating.

There’s no doubt that weight gain is a common complaint at midlife. A study published in Preventative Medicine found that among midlife women (40-59), nearly 40% of those with a BMI less than 25, desired to lose weight. And for those with a BMI over 25, 90% wanted to shed pounds.

But here’s th...

The Menstrual Cycle and Health with Dr. Jerilynn Prior [Podcast]

When a woman considers her health, she doesn’t automatically think about her menstrual cycle. Yet a woman’s menstrual cycle can tell a great deal about her health, well being, and what stage of reproduction she in. Understanding one’s menstrual cycle helps during puberty, the reproductive years, and perimenopause.

As I experienced cycle changes in my forties, I looked around and found the work by Jerilynn Prior. Jerilynn C. Prior BA, MD, FRCPC (former ABIM, ABEM) is a Professor of Endocrinolog...

Family Style Meals: What They Are, How they Help, and 6 Examples

I wish that when I was pregnant someone would have told me the truth about parenting. At the time, I was consumed with baby gear and planning my ideal birth (laughable!). Yet soon I would discover the truth: nothing took up my time and energy more than feeding my family.

This doesn’t change as they get older. Getting meals on the table is the one constant of family life. And I have found that family-style meals have been key to my survival as the lead food parent in the household.

It’s strange...

PREP: The Essential College Cookbook (and a Recipe for Loaded Nachos)

Every year a new round of adolescents go off to college. Although many of them have been working hard to get into college. The question is: can they prepare balanced meals?

Even if a parent has worked hard to teach cooking skills, it’s simply different when no parent is there. Cooking a meal here and there is not the same as getting the food, prepping the food, and then cooking the food. So what’s a parent to do?

Dietitian Katie Morford came up with a solution by writing PREP: The Essential Col...

6 Things A Girl Who Grew Up Heavy Wants Parents to Know

This is a guest post from Kara Richards

I grew up fat. Because of this, my mom signed me up for exercise camp every Tuesday night and I had to log how much time I spent watching TV every week. I also learned things like how to make spaghetti squash.

I hit 100 pounds when I was in second grade. I hit 200 pounds in sixth grade. In middle school, I would only eat snacks for lunch because something in my pubescent brain told me that it would be healthier than eating a sandwich. My own personal hell...

My Body’s Superpower is Here

This is the second to last post in my Puberty and Growth Series

After two years of researching, interviewing and writing, I’m happy to announce that My Body’s Superpower is finally here and available in print or eBook. Just a quick note. On Amazon, the print version is in black and white and the hardcover is in color.

This summer I’ll also be releasing a journal to go along with the book so girls can practice their superpowers. So stay tuned on that.

Now more about the book…

Simple can be better

T...

13 Things Girls with a Healthy Body Image Don’t Do (And How Parents Help Them)

Girls and body image. Most parents acknowledge its importance but what can they do? First, is understanding just how vital a healthy body image is for girls’ healthy development.

For instance, a positive body image has been linked to stronger emotional health with decreased risk for depression and other mental health issues and increases the likelihood of nutritious eating, exercise, self-regulation of eating and weight, sunscreen use and lowers the chance of dieting, developing eating disorde...

The Best (Two) Homemade Salsa Recipes

I don’t consider myself a food snob. But I’m definitely a salsa snob. I don’t like most store-bought salsas, and I’ve been making my own for years now.

I think the reason why is that I add salsa to many foods — burritos, eggs, taco meat, beans, tacos, nachos — and the list goes on. It also helps that my favorite food is Mexican. And we can’t forget dipping. Salsa adds flavor to so many foods but if it doesn’t taste right, it’s not the same.

There are two types of salsa I make. One is more of a...