Lake Travis ISD Wellness Watch
SPRING / Summer 2023
IN THIS EDITION...
FEATURED CONTENT: Fentanyl Awareness Night - View the Full Presentation
NUTRITION: Spring into Summer with Seasonal Fruits & Veggies
SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Surviving the Pressure Cooker of High Achievement
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Research Says UNPLUG!
LTISD FENTANYL AWARENESS COMMUNITY PRESENTATION
The video is posted below for you to view at your own convenience. This link will also be available on LTISD's website as part of LT's parenting video series.
We are so grateful to the following people for their contribution to this important discussion:
Stefanie Turner - Founder and President, Texas Against Fentanyl
Carilu Bell - Lake Travis Community Impacted Member
Mike Prather - Lake Travis Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief
Sally Hernandez - Travis County Sheriff
Dan Hobson - Founder of RISE Recovery Services
Kristen Dark - Senior Public Information Officer, TCSO
SPRING into SUMMER with SEASONAL FRUITS AND VEGGIES
Authored by: Kendall Lyons, Dietetic Intern, University of Texas at Austin
Reviewed by: Marissa Bell, MPH, RD, LTISD Dietitian & Marketing Coordinator
As the school semester winds down, summertime is fast approaching! We are so close to long days of soaking up the warm Texas sun and cooling down with the refreshing taste of fresh cold fruits and vegetables. This summer is a great time to explore the wide variety of seasonal fruits and veggies to complement the summer days ahead!
What’s in Season?
Seasonal produce includes those which are purchased and consumed near the time they were harvested. Varying environmental factors including soil content, temperature, and precipitation all affect a region’s ability to grow certain fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
Each produce item has a specific time frame when it is best suited to be harvested, at its peak ripeness and flavor. When the ideal harvest time ends, produce is considered “out of season.” The Texas Department of Agriculture has published a Texas produce availability chart that outlines when fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested in Texas and may be available in stores and farmers markets. For a more interactive and kid-friendly version, check out the seasonality wheel from the Texas Department of Agriculture!
Does Seasonality Matter?
Various health and economic benefits arise when fruits and vegetables are harvested regionally, in season, rather than imported across borders.
Health Benefits:
Out-of-season produce is picked prior to reaching full maturity, with the intended purpose of ensuring it can withstand both long transportation and processing times. Seasonal produce is often grown, sold, and distributed locally, shortening the time and distance from farm-to-table. This means local produce is able to mature longer before harvest and able to reach peak ripeness and nutritional value. One relatable way to explain the nutritional impact of travel times on produce with your children is to compare it to what happens when you go on a long road trip. Fruits and vegetables are most nutrient-dense at the peak of harvest; likewise, we are most energetic and awake at the beginning of a long road-trip. Once fruits and vegetables are harvested, their vitamin content (including vitamin C, E, A, and some B) slowly begins to decrease. Similar to the produce losing its freshness and vitamin content, we too become tired as we travel. Choosing seasonal produce allows for the expedited arrival of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables to our table.
Economic Benefits:
Seasonal fruits and vegetables are often grown and sold locally which allows consumers the opportunity to directly impact their local communities. Money spent with local producers is more likely to stay in the community and support the local economy. Shopping locally can also increase demand for local products, and therefore, local jobs. Head to the farmers market to eat seasonally and support producers in your community!
Get Involved for National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month
While including fruits and vegetables is an essential staple in one’s diet year-round, we would especially like to invite you and your family to celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables month this June!
Do you have a get together, BBQ, or poolside party coming up? Try bringing a fruit salad or this delicious Peach and Blackberry Salad featuring the current month’s seasonal fruits! These recipes can be used as a reference and adapted based on taste preference and current seasonality of fruits!
Food is a reason to gather and a good way to spend quality time with the whole family. In addition to sharing a meal, involving children in meal preparation can aid in teaching them basic kitchen skills and makes for fun shared memories! Elementary-aged kids can help with washing produce and mixing ingredients. Preteens and teens can slice and dice fruits and veggies to help prepare seasonal recipes.
Desiring a farm-to-table experience where you can gather local produce and ingredients for summer recipes? The Hill Country Fruit Council highlights Peach orchids for you and your family to visit and pick your own peaches! For other varieties of fruits and veggies, the Texas Farmers Market website is updated weekly, sharing when and where local farmer’s markets are near you!
Continue celebrating National Fresh fruits and Vegetables month by participating in National Smoothie Day on June 21st! Hot summer days in Texas are the perfect occasion for a cold refreshing smoothie! Smoothies serve to aid in rehydrating and fueling the body with fresh nutrients. When making a smoothie, try implementing seasonal fruits and vegetables! Try tossing in vegetables such as leafy greens, carrots, or even peas as a way to maximize your child’s vegetable intake. The flavors pair well with the sweet fruit to create a delicious treat!
Citations:
“Easy Fruit Salad | MyPlate.” Www.myplate.gov, www.myplate.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/easy-fruit-salad.
“Farm to School — Seasonality Wheel.” Squaremeals.org, squaremeals.org/FandN-Resources/Texas-Farm-Fresh/Seasonality-Wheel.
“Orchards | HC Fruit Council | Fredericksburg, Texas.” Hc Fruit Council, www.texaspeaches.com/orchards.
“Peach and Blackberry Salad.” Dinnertonight.tamu.edu, dinnertonight.tamu.edu/recipe/peach-and-blackberry-salad/.
“Picked at Their Peak: The Benefits of Eating Seasonal Produce.” Mayo Clinic Diet, diet.mayoclinic.org/us/blog/2022/picked-at-their-peak-the-benefits-of-choosing-and-eating-seasonal-produce/.
“Why Eat Seasonally?” Seasonalfoodguide.org, 2019, www.seasonalfoodguide.org/why-eat-seasonally.
SURVIVING THE PRESSURE COOKER OF HIGH ACHIEVEMENT
By: Dusty Bird, MA, LPC
Do you ever feel like you are juggling 101 responsibilities? And oh, look, here comes a new one!
As parents in today’s world, we are seemingly responsible for more and more with no end in sight. And many of us feel the pressure to perform all aspects of our multiple roles to an exhaustingly high standard of perfection. What a heavy burden to bear.
For some families, we are also watching our children taking on their myriad of responsibilities and putting the same perfectionistic intent on themselves. Such a heavy load to carry.
This long-term pressure to perform at an unsustainable level eventually leads to burnout. 66% of parents of children under 18 met the criteria of burnout according to a 2022 study by researchers at the University of Ohio. Students and parents are both experiencing burnout. According to the latest 2023 statistics, 51% of US teens are told at least once a month that they appear stressed or burnt out, with an average stress level of 5.8 out of 10 during the school year. Some research shows 75% of teenagers are experiencing so much stress that they are at risk of burning out.
It may begin with the strain of chronic stress. Then feeling overwhelmed. Finally, becoming unmotivated or frozen to move forward with something that you can’t do “perfectly”.
Over time what we see for our children is a lack of feeling accomplished that can lead to a loss of self-esteem and confidence. As the self-doubt and inner critic gets louder, we see an increase in anxiety, depression, cynicism and detachment.
I can hear parents saying, “We hear you, but what if we want our family to have challenging goals? We believe our kids are capable of working hard to succeed in their dreams!”
Great, pushing for big things, when realistic, can be very rewarding. We can address the unhealthy aspects of perfectionism and identify unrealistic expectations while still fostering ambitious goals for ourselves and our children. There are many factors contributing to stress and burnout for today’s youth, but there are helpful mindset lessons in your control.
Any experienced multitasker can tell you that not all of your labors carry the same weight. Teach your young person to recognize when to give it your all and hold a high standard and when to accept a more relaxed result. You can start by modeling for your children your own acceptance of a less than perfect result for some duties and chores to reserve energy for the priority projects. Embracing a good enough, self-acceptance minded, approach to find balance is an amazing life skill.
Emphasizing personal growth above achievements also helps to avoid the feeling of devastation when things don’t work out exactly the way you hope. Life does not always work out the way we planned and being able to face that with resilience is a huge protective factor for healthy, adaptive coping.
Finally, as a parent, to best be able to support your family, notice your needs along with managing your own expectations and stress by making time to take care of yourself. To take care of others, we must first, steady ourselves.
Be well and best wishes,
Dusty Byrd, MA, LPC
(512) 221-2973
Research Says UNPLUG!
By: Coach Z (Danielle Zibilski)
Physical Education and Health Teacher, Serene Hills Elementary School
Better late than never! I recently found out May 1-7th was National Screen Free Week. Screen-Free Week is an annual invitation to play, explore, and rediscover the joys of life beyond ad-supported and addicting screens. During the first week of May, thousands of families, schools, and communities around the world put down their entertainment screens for seven days of fun, connection, and discovery.
Even though it’s about turning off screens, Screen-Free Week isn’t about going without – it’s about what you CAN do! An hour once dedicated to YouTube becomes an hour spent outside; ten minutes spent scrolling away on social media turn into ten minutes spent doodling; a movie on a rainy afternoon is replaced by time spent reading, chatting, getting those board games out, or playing pretend!
We may have missed the national challenge, but who is to say your family can’t take it on this summer– just put down those entertainment screens and do literally anything else! You might be surprised at what you find. Does a week seem too difficult? No excuses! Simply plan a day, a few hours of every day, or start with a few hours in just one day; however you participate is great!
This doesn’t mean all screen time is taken away. It only applies to “Entertainment screens”. (“Entertainment screens” means that you can’t use Screen-Free Week as an excuse not to do your homework or your job. But if you’re a teacher or boss, you can help everyone celebrate by reducing the amount of screen-based work you assign.)
Our family does much less screen time when we escape to our ranch or go on a family vacation. I am always amazed at the change in behavior I notice in my children. My teenage son communicates more, gets involved in cooking. My daughter gets out toys she has forgotten about and shows her creative side. I notice my son and daughter interact better and play more carefree with each other. I am sure you notice similar things when screen time is reduced. Unfortunately, the hustle and bustle of everyday life gets in the way, and before we realize it our children are back to their bad habits of playing hours of video games and staying up late scrolling through social media.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids ages 8-18 now spend, on average, a whopping 7.5 hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day, 4.5 of which are spent watching TV. Over a year, that adds up to 114 full days watching a screen for fun. That’s just the time they spend in front of a screen for entertainment. It doesn’t include the time they spend on the computer at school for educational purposes or at home for homework. 114 days! Imagine the impact in our lives for the better if we cut that down drastically.
I hope this quick read was enough of a reminder to challenge your family to take on the challenge…even if we are late to the party!
Notice at the center of the WSCC model is a child. We believe every child should be safe, healthy, challenged, supported, and engaged. This is achieved through the supportive structures of family, school, and community surrounding the child.
This spring, Lake Travis ISD's School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) decided to create a quarterly newsletter to share information that will help families and the community support student health in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, social and emotional wellness, and health education. We will focus on these areas to support and encourage families to implement simple habits that are important for healthy development.
