AboutKidsHealth April 2010 E-newsletter

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April 2010

Welcome to the AboutKidsHealth E-newsletter for April 2010!
Spring has officially sprung, and with that comes the end of flu season. The H1N1 flu pandemic gave us all a scare this past winter but did not turn into the public health nightmare some experts thought could come to pass. Read on to explore some of the reasons why the pandemic played out the way it did. As we make our way further into spring, sun safety will become more of a concern. See information in Just for Kids on keeping safe in the sun. Learn about the brain in our pages about how babies learn to think and our module on how the brain works Just for Kids. We also have a feature about a disturbing and risky behaviour, the choking game, that is becoming a trend among youth, and a news item on the effects of bullying on those who bully. Finally, fibre is important at every age and we have included an article about this along with a high fibre recipe for muffins.
For more trusted answers about children's health, please visit: www.aboutkidshealth.ca.

Health Tip of the Month:

Dietary fibre is important to our overall health at any age. Fibre can do more than simply relieve irregularity. It can also help prevent and manage health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Read about how fibre helps maintain good health, how fibre requirements change with age, and how to increase your child's fibre intake.
Find out more

	H1N1: What have we learned? In the spring and summer of 2009, pandemic H1N1 began to spread around the world. While many died and even more were infected, a global mass mortality scenario, last seen in 1918, did not materialize. What happened? Were we saved by our own ingenuity or by sheer luck? Now that the second wave of infection is well behind us, several studies, and the opinions of experts, suggest it was a bit of both. Read what SickKids' Chief of Infectious Diseases had to say about the H1N1 pandemic and what we have learned so far. Read the full article >

	The choking game: Is your child at risk? Also called the American Dream, the Funky Chicken, and Space Monkey, the choking game is well known to teenage and tween boys and girls around and the world. Every day many young people play this dangerous game, sometimes with deadly results. Find out more about the choking game and whether your child is at risk for playing it. Read the full article >

Spotlight

Learning to think: Cognitive development in a baby's first year
Cognitive development is the development of your baby's abilities to see, hear, touch, feel, taste, and smell; to remember and learn; to understand language and then to say words; and to think. All of these processes take place in your baby's brain, which undergoes tremendous development during the first year of life. Learn about cognitive development in a baby's first year of life.
More >

Research

Bullying: How it affects those who bully
When researchers study the effects and frequency of bullying, they often report on how it affects the children who are bullied. While the effect on those who are bullied should never be diminished, what bullying tends to do to children who bully is also extremely negative. Find out how bullying affects those who bully. This article also provides a link to information on how parents can help children who bully or who are bullied.
More >

Just for Kids

Sunlight is important for getting vitamin D but it is important to be careful when you are in the sun. Find out how you can protect your skin from the sun's rays.
More >

Find out how the brain works and what the different parts of the brain do.
More >

Recipe of the Month

Apple and cheese whole wheat muffins
Wonderful and moist, these nutritious muffins have great flavour. They are sure to be a hit with the entire family.

Ingredients:
12-cup muffin tin, greased or paper lined
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) all purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour
1 cup (250 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt
1/3 cup (75 mL) vegetable oil
2 cups (500 mL) diced peeled apples
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded old cheddar cheese

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. In another bowl, combine egg, yogurt, oil, apple, and cheese. Add to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven (375 degrees C) for 20 minutes or until muffins are firm to the touch.

Source: Better Food for Kids, by Joanne Saab, RD and Daina Kalnins, RD. Toronto: Robert Rose, 2002.

For more great recipes, please go to the Recommended Reading page on the SickKids website.

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