Entries by Chet Zelasko

Teaching Kids to Cook

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When it comes to teaching kids to cook, the primary thing to consider is safety. I’m not giving a three-year-old sharp knives nor letting a five-year-old operate a stove. Common sense has to reign supreme. The best approach is to start with basics.

Before we get to that, you have to understand that it’s going to be messy and it’s going to take a lot longer. Those are givens. It may be better to pick one afternoon or evening to dedicate to cooking with your kids, creating soups, casseroles, and crockpot meals for . . .

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When I Was a Kid…

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I began cooking young, probably around 10 or so. My grandmother was a cook; not a chef by today’s standards, but a very, very good cook. She worked as the head cook in the cafeteria of a manufacturing company back in the day when they had such things. She also worked weekends at a private-park kitchen; think of it as a place where companies held summer picnics for their employees. In addition to that, she and my mother also catered weddings.

I had a single mom who worked second shift, and we lived with my grandparents who were . . .

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Kids and Cooking

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Many people are still finishing up their vacations so I thought I’d tackle something a little lighter than a complicated study this week. Sometimes I’m bombarded with so many events and observations, a message theme just appears; recent events are pointing me to kids and cooking.

First, it’s back-to-school time. What seemed to begin the day after school let out—the back-to-school sales—has kept kids in every ad and commercial.

Second, the NBC show Foodfighters featured a 12-year-old girl who was inspired to cook healthier meals when her . . .

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Further Research: Iron and ADHD

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The final study I’ll review this week turned into three. In my original research, a study from 2012 demonstrated a tendency for children with ADHD to have low levels of ferritin (1), a protein that can store iron until it’s needed to make energy as well as other functions. When I came across the study, I checked to see if any further research had been done. Sure enough, two more studies confirmed that some children with ADHD have low ferritin levels (2,3).

The low ferritin was also associated with insomnia and restless-leg syndrome. The association doesn . . .

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Further Research: Exercise and ADHD

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One of the characteristics of children with ADHD is that they seem to have plenty of energy. Too much energy. They want to talk, they want to move, they need to be doing something. Today’s study examined the research on children with ADHD and exercise.

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis on studies that examined the effects of exercise on the symptoms associated with ADHD. Those symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, anxiety, learning and memory difficulties. The analysis showed that even short-term aerobic activity improved almost every symptom of ADHD.

What constitutes short-term aerobic activity? Running, skipping, jumping . . .

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Further Research: Fat Intake and Learning

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I always find more research than I can actually use; either the study was too small or the study didn’t exactly apply to the topic. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t good research, but I have to stop somewhere. This week, I’m going to share my take on three research articles I found when I prepared for the ADHD webinar.

The first involves an examination of dietary fat in kids and their ability to learn. The researchers examined the diets of 70 children 9 to 11 years old. Their hypothesis was that as the ratio of omega . . .

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How to Exercise in the Heat

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When the temperature rises, with or without humidity, and you have to get that workout done outdoors, the solution is high-intensity interval training, but only if you’ve been cleared by your physician and cardiologist for intense exercise. Walking, running, swimming, or biking, intervals can help you get an intense workout in a short time. That’s the approach I used in Austin, and you can, too.

The location where I stayed in Austin was on a very hilly road—more mountain than hill. I have nothing like that kind of hill anywhere near my neighborhood. The approach was . . .

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Exercise and the Heat

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How do you know if you should exercise outdoors during the day in the heat and humidity we’re having this summer? I’ll make it simple for you: don’t.

Unless you can exercise in the morning before the sun rises, stay indoors. When I ran in Austin this past weekend, it was before the sun came up and the day was overcast to begin. It was in the 70s but not hot.

Our cooling mechanism is the problem when exercising in the high heat and humidity. If the outside temperature, combined with the humidity, is too high, your . . .

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Heat, Water, and Sports Drinks

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While I was in Austin doing a seminar this past weekend, I posted a thought on Facebook about drinking fluids when it’s hot. And it was hot in Austin; the temperature topped out at 100 degrees. It’s also been hot in Grand Rapids with temperatures hitting the 90s with some humidity to make it even worse. If you’re going to work outside in that type of heat and humidity, you have to drink fluids.

Water is important but when you sweat, you lose sodium and potassium as well. You should alternate four ounces of water with four . . .

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Observations from the Road: Fitness vs. a Healthy Heart

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As I finish my observations from my last trip, I’m on another trip to Austin to do another seminar. I’m sure I’ll have other things to talk about because I’m always looking and listening.

During my run a week ago in Denver, I repeatedly passed two women who were out for an early morning walk. They carried on a conversation the entire time. I think that’s great; having a walking or running buddy or group can get you moving on those days when you don’t want to, and sometimes the gossip is what gets . . .

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