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Deborah A.
Richardson, MA, RD
Debbie earned
her degree in nutrition from Arizona State University in December, 2003 and completed
her internship for dietetics with the University of
Northern
Colorado in May, 2005. Her experience includes
nutrition counseling in health and wellness and a variety of health
issues such as obesity, weight management, diabetes, high
cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.
She also designs and facilitates nutrition education classes for
adults and children using her Master of Arts degree from Ottawa
University in
Training and Organizational Development.
Debbie is married with two children, ages 11
and 15, and has lived in Ahwatukee for 11 years. She developed an interest in
working with families with children following her successful
resolution of some health issues through nutrition and lifestyle
changes. She enjoys
hiking, traveling and being a part of her children’s various
activities.
 Click on picture for
information about our nutritional program
 Click on
picture for information about the new Food
Pyramid
Ahwatukee
Pediatrics, P.C. and Optimal Nutrition, L.L.C. are pleased
to provide to parents and caregivers of our patients a
Nutritional and Physical Activity program for Children
and Adolescents called 'We Can'. All classes will be
taught by a Registered Dietitian.
The following is included in the
course:
- Hands-on activities designed to help parents
model healthy eating and physical activity
behaviors.
- Understanding the core concept of “energy
balance” or long-term balance between ENERGY IN (calories from
food) and ENERGY OUT (calories
burned).
- Ideas for increasing physical activity as a
family and reducing sedentary behaviors such as screen
time.
- Concepts and techniques that provide
life-long skills and behavior modification tools to enhance the
health and well being of the family.
- Taste testing of healthy and convenient
snacks and beverages that provide an alternative to high fat and
sugar-sweetened snack
products.
- Label reading techniques that enable parents
to make healthier food
choices.
- Understanding how portion size and serving
size can affect weight
control.
- The latest scientific, evidenced-based
health and nutrition information and take-home
resources.
- Ideas for fast yet healthy
meals.
- How to handle setbacks and stay motivated to
maintain a healthy weight for
life.
If you would like
additional information about the 'We Can' program and class
schedules please contact our office at
480-496-6444.
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Information on the New Food Guide
Pyramid
The
Food Guide Pyramid is one way for people to understand how to eat
healthy. A rainbow of colored, vertical stripes represents
the five food groups plus fats and oils. Here's what the colors stand
for:
- orange -
grains
- green -
vegetables
- red -
fruits
- yellow - fats
and oils
- blue - milk and
dairy products
- purple - meat,
beans, fish, and nuts
The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the pyramid in spring
2005 because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how
to be healthy. The agency later released a special version for
kids. Notice the girl climbing the staircase up the side of the
pyramid? That's a way of showing kids how important it is to
exercise and be active
every day. In other words, play a lot! The steps are also a way
of saying that you can make changes little by little to be
healthier. One step at a time, get it?
The Pyramid
Speaks
Let's look at some of the other
messages this new symbol is trying to
send:
Eat a variety of
foods. A balanced diet is one that includes all the food
groups. In other words, have foods from every color, every
day.
Eat less of some foods,
and more of others. You can see that the bands for meat and
protein (purple) and oils (yellow) are skinnier than the others.
That's because you need less of those kinds of foods than you do of
fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods.
You
also can see the bands start out wider and get thinner as they
approach the top. That's designed to show you that not all foods are
created equal, even within a healthy food group like fruit. For
instance, apple pie might be in that thin part of the
fruit band because it has a lot of added sugar and fat. A whole
apple - crunch! - would be down in the wide part because you can eat
more of those within a healthy diet.
Make it
personal. Through the USDA's MyPyramid website, people can get
personalized recommendations about the mix of foods they need to eat
and how much they should be eating. There is a kids'
version of the website available
too.
How Much Do
I Need to Eat?
Everyone wants to know how much they should eat to
stay healthy. It's a tricky question, though. It depends on your
age, whether you're a girl or a boy, and how active you are. Kids
who are more active burn more calories, so they need more calories. But we
can give you some estimates for how much you need of each food
group.
Grains
Grains are measured out in ounce
equivalents. What the heck are they? Ounce equivalents are just
another way of showing a serving
size.
Here
are ounce equivalents for common grain foods. An ounce equivalent
equals:
- 1
piece of bread
- 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, like oatmeal
- 1/2 cup of rice or pasta
- 1 cup of cold
cereal
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 4-5 ounce equivalents each
day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents
each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 6 ounce equivalents each
day.
And
one last thing about grains: Try to eat a lot of whole grains, such as 100% wheat bread, brown rice, and
oatmeal.
Vegetables
Of course, you
need your vegetables, especially those dark green and orange ones.
But how much is enough? Vegetable servings are measured in cups.
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 1 1/2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to
13-year-old girls need 2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to
13-year-old boys need 2 1/2 cups of veggies
each day.
Fruits
Sweet, juicy fruit is definitely part of a
healthy diet. Here's how much you need:
* 4- to 8-year-olds
need 1-1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls
need 1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need
1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
Milk and Other
Calcium-Rich Foods
Calcium builds strong bones to last a
lifetime, so you need these foods in your diet.
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 1-2 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food)
each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 3 cups of milk (or
another calcium-rich food) each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys
need 3 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each
day.
If you want
something other than milk, you can substitute yogurt, cheese,
or calcium-fortified orange juice - just to name a
few.
Meats,
Beans, Fish, and Nuts
These foods contain protein
and lots of other
important nutrients. Like grains, these foods are measured in
ounce equivalents.
An ounce
equivalent of this group would be:
- 1
ounce of meat, poultry, or fish
- 1/4 cup cooked dry beans
- 1
egg
- 1
tablespoon of peanut butter
- a small
handful of nuts or seeds
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 3-4 ounce equivalents each
day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents
each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 5 ounce equivalents
each day.
Whoa!
That's a lot to swallow. The good news is that your mom, dad, and
the other grown-ups in your life will help you eat what you need to
stay healthy. There's more good news - you don't have to become a
perfect eater overnight. Just remember those stairs climbing up
the side of the new pyramid and take it one step at a
time.
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