Family Food Diaries: The Trifecta of Food Management

This week, I've asked family nurse practitioner Nadine McCall what she thinks are some of the biggest health concerns for kids and how she manages the daily dilemma of what to feed her kids. Nadine knows first-hand about the epidemic of chronic disease among children, but she still has to go home and make dinner every night.  Find out how Nadine handles the trifecta of food planning for her family in this week's series of my Family Food Diaries. For more stories, go to www.traceymillerwellness.com.

Nadine McCall: 
Managing the Food Trifecta

Nadine McCall is a family nurse practitioner at Kittery Family Practice in Kittery, Maine. She is married and has two boys and a girl: Jack (11), Sam (9), and Morgan (7). Nadine is 40 years old and lives in Boxford, Massachusetts.

Nadine sees the effect a poor diet has on children and knows too well the risk factors, such as diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. She believes that one of the biggest culprits is sugar. She knows firsthand how difficult it is to keep kids away from sugar. Jack, for example, has a sweet tooth. Nadine calls him her "sugar addict." He's the one who always wants to order the large ice cream with cherries on top.

A sugar addict in a family that doesn't "do" sugar.

Nadine tells Jack that he was born in the wrong family. "He'll eat kale chips and salad, so he's a good eater," she says, but "he's always wishing for dessert." She balances Jack's sweet palate by encouraging him to eat his veggies first, go for the fruits and veggies, and drink lots of water.

It is predicted by the government that one in three children born after the year 2000 will develop diabetes. As a family nurse practitioner, Nadine spends a lot time explaining to parents and children what prediabetes is in an effort to help prevent full-blown diabetes later in life. Early testing is now available so that children have time to change their diet.

"Twenty years ago, we had to wait until people had sugar in their urine. But now we can look at the lab results and see their blood sugar is high years before diabetes develops," she says. Nadine educates families about lifestyle and eating modifications, and she helps them determine what they can do to avoid this life-altering disease. 

To read the full article and also get a recipe for one of the McCall family favorites: Kale chips, click here.

Check out my web site for more recipes and stories: www.traceymillerwellness.com