Nutrition News by Charlyn Fargo

Concerned about your child's weight? A new book from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers help.

First of all, know that it's a growing problem. The weight of American children has skyrocketed. On average, children today weigh about 10 pounds more than they did 30 years ago, and one in every three children is overweight or obese.

The book strives to help children achieve and maintain a healthy weight and to help parents address the nutritional health of their children. is more important than ever, and a new book from Eat Right Press, the publishing arm of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association), strives to help parents better address the nutritional health of their children.

"Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight for Kids and Teens," published by Eat Right Press, offers practical strategies for managing weight; learning to make good, appealing food choices; staying active; and building better long-term habits for a healthy life.

"Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight" is designed not to be read cover-to-cover but is a customizable book, allowing readers to choose chapters that are most appropriate for their families' needs. Chapters include: Eat With a Plan; Turn Off the Tube and Move; Pop the Soda Habit; Practice Portion Control; Fill Up on Fruits and Veggies; Slow Down the Fast Food; Sound the Alarm; and Come Together.

The book also offers sample menus to help plan meals and snacks and more than 40 kid-tested recipes.

"Co-author Mary Catherine Mullen and I collectively have seven kids between 12 and 23," author Jodie Shield said. "We are right there with parents. We know firsthand how challenging it can be to get kids to eat more vegetables, spend more time being active, replace wasted calories with healthy, nutritious foods, and even get the whole family to sit down and eat together on a regular basis.

"Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight for Kids and Teens" is available for $21.95 (paperback) on the Academy's website at EatRight.org/Shop and will be available at bookstores and online retailers in February.

Q AND A

Q: Is green tea really that much healthier than regular black tea? I want the health benefits, but I prefer the flavor of black tea.

A: You may get health benefits from both. More laboratory studies have investigated the compounds, especially EGCG, in green tea. However, although green and black teas contain a different balance of phytochemicals, according to USDA analysis, green tea is only slightly higher in antioxidants than black tea.

In laboratory studies, green tea and its EGCG can decrease growth of cancer cells and stimulate their self-destruction.

Human studies are less clear about cancer protection. For decreasing risk of heart disease, human studies so far do show more benefit from green tea than from black tea.

One problem is that many of the green tea studies are conducted in Asia, where more people drink green tea frequently. So the benefits seen may somehow include the effect of lifelong green tea consumption (as opposed to the effects of starting to drink it in middle-age or later) and may also reflect other aspects of an Asian diet that researchers may not have been able to adjust for in analyzing the data.

Green tea is a great beverage choice health-wise, but since the evidence is still somewhat unclear about its benefits or how much we need to drink to attain them, if you really prefer black tea, enjoy it and know that you are getting antioxidant compounds there, too.

Information courtesy the American Institute for Cancer Research.

RECIPE

The new Mayo Clinic Cookbook offers a wide range of recipes for better health. One of my favorites is this Jamaican barbecued pork tenderloin.

Jamaican Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

— 2 teaspoons firmly packed brown sugar
— 1 teaspoon ground allspice
— 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
— 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
— 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
— 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
— 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
— 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
— 3/4 teaspoon salt
— 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
— 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, trimmed of visible fat
— 2 teaspoons white vinegar
— 1 1/2 teaspoons dark honey
— 1 teaspoon tomato paste

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Rub the spice mixture over the pork and let stand 15 minutes. In another small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, tomato paste and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill or broiler to medium-high heat, or 400 degrees. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Place the pork on the grill rack or broiler pan. Grill or broil at medium-high heat, turning several times, until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Remove to a cooler part of the grill or reduce the heat and continue cooking for 14 to 16 minutes. Baste with the glaze and continue cooking until the pork is slightly pink inside and a thermometer reads 160 degrees. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

To serve, slice the pork tenderloin crosswise into 16 pieces and arrange on a warmed serving platter. Serves four.

Per serving: 180 calories, 24 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 508 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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