Nutrition labels are everywhere, but that makes them easy to overlook. Learn how to read them — and teach kids to do the same — then use the information when you select foods to eat. That way, you take better control of your health.

Look at this sample label from a package of crackers:
To help kids learn more about reading nutrition labels, visit the the Medical City Children’s Hospital health library.

Tasty, healthy,
and fun to make

It can be hard to find snacks kids can make that are healthy and taste good, too. That’s why we asked the culinary students at the Frisco ISD CTE Center to help us out. This recipe, from Jordan Molder and Ally Bernd, was one that fifth graders at Shawnee Trail Elementary School identified as a winner.

Fruit Shish-K-Bobs

Ingredients:

• 1/3 small banana
• 3 grapes
• 3 strawberries
• 2 tsp Nutella

Take the banana and cut it into small pieces. Take the strawberries and cut off the green leaves at the top, then gather your fruit and stick it onto a small skewer.

Put the Nutella into a zip lock bag. Mash it until it's soft and push it all into one of the corners at the bottom. Use scissors to cut a small piece of the corner so you can squeeze it out, then squeeze the Nutella out onto the skewered fruit.

Nutritional information:
113 calories, 1 gm protein, 20 gm carbohydrates, 4 gm fat (<1gm saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 6 mg sodium, 2 gm dietary fibers

Helping kids avoid kidney disease

What causes kidney disease? According to Dr. Albert Quan, pediatric nephrologist at Medical City Children’s Hospital, the answer is changing.

In the past, Dr. Quan says, “most kidney diseases in children were congenital. However, in the last two-and-a-half years, I have seen more kidney stones in school-age children — the kind we typically associate with adult kidney disease — than in the ten years I was in training.”

Why? “Poor dietary habits. The high-salt, high-protein diets and insufficient physical activity that are increasingly common can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney disease.”

Dr. Quan encourages adults to teach children the importance of making smart choices in what they eat and drink, and of exercise. He also says that if your child experiences pain while urinating, suddenly has high blood pressure, or has swelling of the face, eyes, ankles, or feet, those can be symptoms of kidney disease and you should talk with your pediatrician.

Hey kids! What’s the best part about playing games? Sure, winning can feel great. But Dr. Lisa Genecov, a Medical City Children’s Hospital doctor, says games can also make you smarter. Little kids learn to read and count, older kids learn to solve problems and strategize, and parents can improve their memories! Just be sure not to spend too much time playing games. Dr. Genecov says that playing with other kids and enjoying physical activity are important to your health and development, too.

Ellie is a nurse in our cardiovascular pediatric intensive care unit. She came to Medical City Children’s Hospital because of its commitment to collaboration. She says, “I wanted to provide care in an environment where everyone — families, nurses, doctors, and staff — has a voice and works together for the patients.” You can meet more of our specialists at our website, SpecialistsInChildren.com.