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6A Daily News – Tuesday, September 25, 2012 An ode to the humble earplug By Josh Noel, Chicago Tribune (MCT) Every office, it seems, has an earplug person. The earplug people, marked by small explosions of blue, green, orange or tan expanding from their ears, peck away at their keyboards, lost in thought and a stern-eyed concen- tration. The earplugs are their strength. Last time I saw my office's earplug person, he was — no Families bypass junk food joke — walking through the hall with his freshly bought monthly allotment. He proclaimed himself an addict. "They allow me to think in complete sentences," he said. His breed is small, but fervent, as evidenced by the 21st century's most authentic of validations: Facebook. The Anonymous Earplug Addicts page was born in 2010. Though it has garnered a mere 29 "likes," it signals not only the dedication, but also the depths to which the earplug peo- ple identify with their squishy little friends. Though I am not among the ranks of the earplug people, earplugs have a firm place on the periphery of my life as a simple and cheap escape. I do not travel without them. They are always in my medicine cabinet at home. They are always in my desk drawer at work. I seldom use them, but I feel so much better knowing they are within arm's reach. I think of it like this: When we don't like what we see, we close our eyes. When we don't like what we hear — a screaming child, a chatty co-worker — what can we do? Earplugs are eyelids for your ears (earlids, perhaps — thanks for nothing, evolution!). They're crucial nowhere more than on airplanes. In such confined spaces, where we share not enough room and stale air with far too many strangers, the ability to shut them out is essential. That's doubly true in dire situations, such as cry- ing babies, tarmac delays or a chatty neighbor with bad breath (mouthlids, anyone?). According to recent news reports, proactive parents have (MCT) — Pizza, fries, nachos, soda pop ... the dinner of champions it's not. But it's often the din- ner that kids dashing from school to practices, games and home wind up eating. Fast food, concession stand fare and packaged snacks are staples in many households. That's espe- cially true for children in organized sports, even when parents acknowl- edge they aren't the health- iest options, according to a study published in the July/August 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. "Mostly it's conve- nience, especially with parents working and everybody being so busy," says Kiersten Firquain, a mom and the chef and founder of Bistro Kids, a school lunch provider. "It's so much easier to go to the concession stand when you get to the game." So what's a parent to do? landing. taken to carrying earplugs to distribute to other passengers in case of an infant meltdown. But rather than depend on their kindness, I take the initiative to protect my ears, sure, but also my sanity. I don't even have to turn them off during takeoff and Even when healthy meals are a priority, serv- ing them up requires plan- ning. Take Janet and Brian Mark of Shawnee, Kan. They both work full time, their sons (Nate, 13, and J.J., 12) play competitive baseball, and their daugh- ter (Lizzie, 8) takes dance lessons and plays volley- ball and soccer. Summer was challeng- ing enough, with overlap- ping practice schedules and multi-day, all-day tournaments. Now school, with its early mornings and homework, is back in the mix. meals like noodles before practices and tote a cooler filled with protein-packed snacks, granola bars, sand- wiches and water bottles to games and tournaments. On weekends, they make pans of lasagna, enchi- ladas and other dishes per- fect for quick weeknight meals. They then usually wait to eat later in the evening, after everyone is back home, so they can connect as a family around the din- ner table. The Marks rely on light MCT photo Janet Mark, right, prepares dinner with the help of her children, from left, JJ, 12; Liz, 8; and Nate, 13, on Sept. 11 at their Shawnee, Mo. home. Kansas State University Research and Extension in Johnson County. Foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar are not only unhealthy, but they reset kids' taste buds. A steady diet of fast food spurs cravings and makes healthy options taste worse in comparison, she says. "Vegetables don't taste quite the same if they've been eating chicken nuggets and French fries at most meals," says Burnett, who spends many of her own evenings and week- ends shuttling her two daughters to tumbling, volleyball, cheerleading competitions, softball and other activities. Even fruit tastes less sweet to a young palate used to artificially sweet- ened sports drinks and sodas, she says. Sweet drinks also add unneeded calories and fill kids up, making them less likely to eat that healthy snack. That's why Burnett recom- mends filling a reusable bottle with plain old water instead of buying sports drinks and other bever- ages. "That's really important to us," Mark says. "Some- times it falls apart and doesn't work, but we try." What's for dinner is 1010 Jefferson St., Red Bluff 527-7800 Complete Dental Care • Cosmetic Dentistry • Adults And Children • New Patients Warmly Welcomed! www.MooreandPascarella.com also key, says Nichole Burnett, a family and con- sumer sciences agent with "Kids will do better when eating healthier and staying hydrated with water," Burnett says. "That will show up in how they're performing." Good nutrition isn't a one-shot deal, though. It's something parents can work on throughout the day, says Beth Bader of Overland Park, Kan., the redbluff.mercy.org www.redbluff.mercy.org Soul Love Alegria Shoe Sale 9 am-3 pm 9/28 Main Hospital Hallway Community Diabetes Support Group 6:30 pm-8 pm 10/1 Columba Cardiac Support Group Community Basic Life Support 6 pm-10 pm 10/9 Columba Grief Support Group Auxiliary Scrub Sale Waterbirth Class Weekend Childbirth Class Bag City Leather Sale 10 am -4 pm 10/17 & 7 am-2 pm 10/18 Warde-McAuley Meeting Rooms 736-1326 6:30 pm-8:30 pm 10/10 Columba Education 6 pm-8:30 pm 10/8 Columba 3 pm-5 pm 10/4 Coyne Center 6 pm-9 pm 10/19 9 am-3 pm 10/20 Warde/McAuley 736-1326 527-5290 527-5077 529-8026 528-4207 10 am - 4 pm 10/30 & 7 am-2 pm 10/31 Main Hospital Hallway www.redbluff.mercy.org 529-8026 529-8026 736-1326 author of "The Cleaner Plate Club" (Storey Pub- lishing, 2010). "Every time you add something healthy to the mix, it takes the pressure off the evening meal to be the end-all be-all of bal- anced nutrition," says Bader, whose 7-year-old daughter, Amelie, compet- ed in her first youth triathlon earlier this year. "It frees you up." Bader follows a basic protein-whole grain-fruit- vegetable formula for each meal. That might mean a hard-boiled egg, slice of whole-grain toast and blueberry-beet smoothie for breakfast, followed by a turkey and cheese sand- wich (also on whole-grain bread) with fruit and a salad for lunch. Scrambled eggs, home- world devour an enormous range of foods. So cook the healthy meal you want to eat and serve it to the entire family. makes sense, says Kathy Denis of Overland Park, and it's easier and cheaper than eating out. When her children were younger, it was a great way to intro- duce them to new textures and flavors. Now that the kids are older — Julien is 13 and Camille is 15 — cooking at home ensures they get the nutrition they need. Preparing one meal just And, like anything, planning, shopping and cooking healthy meals becomes a habit. made burritos, wraps and quesadillas are quick-and- easy dinner options, as are leftovers. When Bader cooks on weekends, she often makes a bigger batch of meatloaf or adds extra burgers to the grill with an eye toward midweek. "We all have days when the kids aren't going to eat as well, like at birthday parties or on vacation," Bader says. "I'm constant- ly figuring out strategies so that doesn't become a majority of our diet." Notice that Bader said "our." She and her hus- band, Kurt Becker, eat the same meals they make for their daughter. It's an increasingly unique con- cept in a world dominated by kiddie menus, charac- ter-branded products and advertisements keen on convincing parents that children will eat only cer- tain foods. Books like "My Two- Denis' husband and her collaborator on the Restaurant Guide of Kansas City, Laurent Denis, made a vegetable tart one recent weekday night. It was an early- evening snack for one teen, dinner for the parents and a post-practice meal for their second child. Leftovers went into the next day's lunch boxes for school. drive-through on the way home or suggested order- ing pizza, because they knew a healthy dinner was waiting at home. "When the whole fami- ly eats healthy, it just falls into place even if the schedules are hectic," Denis says. "If the adults eat healthy, the kids will eat healthy, no matter who's at the table." No one stopped at the FRESH IDEAS Year-Old Eats Octopus" (Bull Publishing, 2009), "Hungry Monkey" (Mariner Books, 2010) and "Bringing Up Bebe" (Penguin Press, 2012) have a different message: kids from around the the word "snack" often means sugary drinks and highly processed foods loaded with sugar, salt or fat. But it doesn't have to be that way, says Beth Bader, a mom and the author of "The Cleaner Plate Club." "People forget there are real food options that are convenient," Bader says. "Kids like them just as much as the other stuff." When it comes to kids, SNACKS TO TRY • Banana roll-ups (a small whole wheat tortilla spread with peanut or other nut butter, topped with a banana and rolled up) • Carrot sticks, sliced sweet bell peppers and cherry tomatoes with homemade ranch dressing for dipping • Edamame in the pods • Fresh fruit and a small serving of almonds or other nuts • Fruit smoothies (pack them in a thermos or freeze in small cups to take along) • Ice pops made with fresh fruit and herbs • Trail mix made by combining your child's favorite dry cereal, nuts, seeds, pretzels and dried fruit • Hard-boiled eggs • Kale chips • Popcorn • Whole-grain crackers and cheese cubes or sticks • Yogurt sprinkled with granola and fresh berries (pack granola separately to keep it from getting soggy)