Enjoy Dark Chocolate

Welcome to my Honolulu children’s health blog. My fifth grader’s elementary teacher recently sent home a note encouraging good homework habits for all of her Waialua students. The note included this suggestion: ‘Eat a healthy snack before sitting down to study.’

My kids and I sat down to brainstorm some healthy snacks they could eat before beginning their homework each afternoon. After compiling our list we headed to our favorite Honolulu grocery store to stock up on after-school snacks.

Here are my kids top ten healthy homework snacks!

Frozen grapes (or other favorite fruit)
String cheese
Fruit leather
Dried apricots
Nuts
Hummus with veggies
Yogurt
Celery dipped in peanut butter
Fruit smoothies
Popcorn

Honolulu kids can focus better when they have healthy snacks handy. Another important thing to remember is that kids are more likely to eat healthy snacks if they can choose their favorites. I am a local XoBiotic Squares representative and an advocate for children’s health in Hawaii. To learn more about healthy snacking, contact me today at (808) 692-3461 or chocolate@hawaii.com.

Excessive sugar is a serious health threat for Mililani children. Do you know how much sugar your Honolulu son or daughter is really consuming? I am children’s nutrition advocate Dwight Kimbrel.

Here are some popular Honolulu kid’s snacks with more sugar than I realized:

Yogurt covered raisins
Fruit Roll-ups, Gushers, and Fruit By The Foot
Quaker Rice Cakes
Yoplait yogurt
Gogurt
Juice drinks: Capri Sun, Minute Maid
Flavored milk

The next time you and your kids are shopping for snacks at your Mililani grocery store, Honolulu convenience store,  or Wahiawa ball park snack bar, read the labels. Sugar content varies among brands.

Limiting the amount of sugar in your Mililani child’s diet is an important step toward better lifelong eating and oral health. To hear about another great way to improve your child’s nutrition in Hawaii, call me today!

Dwight Kimbrel (808) 692-3461 chocolate@hawaii.com

Mililani parents know that sleep is important for their child’s health. If your Waialua child has a hard time falling asleep, you may want to try a bedtime snack. Well-chosen evening snacks can help ease the transition to sleep.

Eating too much before bedtime is never a good idea for anyone, but a small snack may be just the ticket to dreamland for little ones in Mililani. Foods containing the amino acid tryptophan are a natural sleep aid, especially if they are coupled with carbohydrates, which help make tryptophan more available to the brain.

Bedtime foods you can purchase at your local Waialua grocer include soy milk, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes, such as lentils or chick peas. These foods coupled with a healthy carbohydrate make the perfect bedtime snack. Your Waialua kiddos will be visiting the sandman before you know it.

Try a glass of soy milk with a few whole grain crackers or string cheese and apple slices. Low-fat cottage cheese with pineapple helps my munchkins fall asleep.

I am a local XoBiotic Squares representative and a children’s health advocate. If you live in Honolulu, Mililani, or Wahiawa and would like to learn more about children’s health contact me today!

Dwight Kimbrel
(808) 692-3461
chocolate@hawaii.com
XoBiotic Squares
XoBiotic Squares

There’s a new way for Honolulu kids to learn how to ride a bike. At first glance, balance or no-pedal bikes look just like any other kid’s bike. Look closer, however, and you notice that they are missing something: pedals.

In my Waialua neighborhood cul-de-sac, I have seen toddlers as young as two hop on these bikes, scoot around for a few minutes and in no time at all, they are balancing like a pro. Honolulu balance bike sellers say that when a child is ready for the real thing, no training wheels are required.

If you are interested in getting a no-pedal bike for your child, don’t buy a size up. Both of your child’s feet should be firmly planted on the ground when he or she is sitting on the seat.

I promote children’s health and fitness in Honolulu and sell a nutritional product that many Waialua families enjoy. To learn about the top children’s nutrition pick of the year, call or email me today.

Dwight Kimbrel
Waialua, Hawaii  zip code 96791
(808) 692-3461
chocolate@hawaii.com
http://www.winnercircleteam.com
XoBiotic Squares

Do your children’s Honolulu school teachers reward good behavior with candy or cookies? Don’t you think it’s a little strange to reward Waialua children with something that is bad for them?

Using unhealthy food as a token of merit undermines Honolulu nutrition education and encourages over-consumption of foods high in added sugar and fat. It can also set a precedent for emotional eating, prompting Hawaii kids to eat when they’re not really hungry.

According to a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association, over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool age children and tripled for children aged 6-11 years. In short, about 20 percent of children are obese. Our children here in Mililani, Wahiawa, and Pearl City are no exception.

As a child health advocate based in Waialua, I encourage all Hawaii parents to use non-food alternatives when rewarding good behavior.

I reward my kids with a trip to the Mililani library or more outside play time. Food is used to fuel our bodies, not to reward us for doing things we should be doing anyway.

When my kids have had an active day at their favorite Mililani park we refuel with nuts and blueberries, which are loaded with antioxidants. Another favorite snack we like to eat to recharge is made from the cacao plant and is also packed with antioxidants.

For more information about this delicious Honolulu kid-friendly snack and other children’s favorites, please contact me today. Thanks for visiting my Waialua children’s nutrition blog.

Dwight Dwight Kimbrel
Waialua, Hawaii 96791 (808) 692-3461 chocolate@hawaii.com
XoBiotic Squares
XoBiotic Squares