Color Your World! |
| Is there ANYTHING more important that your child's health? Sometimes, just understanding the importance of something helps to change the way you think about it and how willing you are to go the extra mile to make it happen. Is eating fruits and veggies all that important? Yes! Recent studies have shown that the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of the two main killer diseases in this country - heart disease and some cancers. |
Who's the Boss?
Allowing kids to run the show when it comes to making wise food
choices is asking for trouble. Parents need to step up to the plate
and be responsible for the care and feeding of undeveloped brains.
In addition to adding more fruits and veggies, here are some things
you may want to consider:
SOFT DRINKS AND SPORTS DRINKS–
- Children who fill up on empty-calories in soda pop between
meals won’t feel hungry. - Many soda brands contain caffeine and that caffeine does
increase stomach acid levels. What we may not be aware of is
that sodas also contain an array of chemical acids as
additives, such as acetic, fumaric, gluconic and phosphoric
acids, all of them synthetically produced. (That is why certain
sodas work so well when used to clean car engines.) Drinking
sodas, especially on an empty stomach, can upset the fragile
acid-alkaline balance of the stomach and other gastric lining,
creating a continuous acid environment. This prolonged acid
environment can lead to inflammation of the stomach and
duodenal lining which becomes quite painful. Over the long
term, it can lead to gastric lining erosion. - New evidence has shown an alarming rise in deficiencies of
calcium and other minerals and resulting bone fractures due
to the increased consumption of soft drinks. - Most soft drinks are diuretics, meaning they squeeze liquids
out of the body, thus exacerbating dehydration instead of
correcting it. - When we give sugar-laden sports drinks to dehydrated kids,
the high sugar content requires that blood be sent to the
stomach to digest it. This fluid shift can lower the blood
volume in other parts of the body making them more
susceptible to cramps and heat-related illnesses. - Studies show the connection between "stimulant drinks" such
as Red Bull and increasing violence by those who consume it.
milk, orange juice and other everyday foods, click here to read
another page on our website: Dirty Secrets of the Food
Processing Industry by Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing
Traditions.
Knowledge is power!
| If pressuring, bribing, threatening doesn't work. What does? |
Antioxidants are the superheroes of the body.
Oxidation is the process during normal cell metabolism, where highly reactive compounds called Oxygen Free Radicals are created.
They travel through cells, disrupting the structure of other molecules, causing cell damage. Every day, the cells in our body wage a
battle against these free radicals that are believed to contribute to cancer, heart disease, the effects of aging, and more. The job of
the antioxidant therefore is to protect components of a cell from oxidative damage. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals, convert them
to harmless substances, absorb them or attach to them before the free radicals can attack normal tissues, destroy cellular proteins or
enzymes, or even cause DNA mutations leading to cancer.
Oxidation is the process during normal cell metabolism, where highly reactive compounds called Oxygen Free Radicals are created.
They travel through cells, disrupting the structure of other molecules, causing cell damage. Every day, the cells in our body wage a
battle against these free radicals that are believed to contribute to cancer, heart disease, the effects of aging, and more. The job of
the antioxidant therefore is to protect components of a cell from oxidative damage. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals, convert them
to harmless substances, absorb them or attach to them before the free radicals can attack normal tissues, destroy cellular proteins or
enzymes, or even cause DNA mutations leading to cancer.
How many antioxidants should we be consuming daily?
The USDA researchers suggest a daily intake at the minimum
of 3,500 antioxidant points. The average person consumes
about 1,400 antioxidant points daily. There is a huge gap
between what we should be consuming and what we are
actually consuming.
Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables will also give you plenty
of vitamins and minerals. For example, many are naturally high
in folic acid, vitamin C and potassium.
The USDA researchers suggest a daily intake at the minimum
of 3,500 antioxidant points. The average person consumes
about 1,400 antioxidant points daily. There is a huge gap
between what we should be consuming and what we are
actually consuming.
Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables will also give you plenty
of vitamins and minerals. For example, many are naturally high
in folic acid, vitamin C and potassium.
- Fruit and vegetables are also a good source of fibre and
other substances, in addition to antioxidants. All these
nutrients are important for your health.
- Fruit and vegetables are generally low in fat, low calorie
foods. So eating fruit and vegetables instead of foods
that are high in fat and added sugars may help you and
your children achieve or keep to a healthy weight.
| So how can we get more healthful fruits and veggies into our kids? Pull the plug on pressure tactics and try these smart strategies! The best advice is don't pressure, coax, bribe or reward your child to eat vegetables and fruit. Why? For some children, pressuring them to eat can really sour the mealtime experience. They may even lose interest in eating as a result. That's like taking one step forward and three back - not what you want. |
Make food fun! No, we're not talking about a food fight, we're talking being involved in the growing and preparing of food. When children can experience the joy of food, watching it grow, touching, smelling even mushing fruits and vegetables, they will be more interested in eating it. |
Practice what you preach
Without feeling guilty, some of us have to face the facts. Many adults
don't eat the minimum recommended serving of vegetables and fruit
each day. If time is an issue, skip cooking the vegetables and serve
them raw with a healthy salad dressing as a dip. Kids like them better
that way anyhow.
Create Grazers
Instead of empty, unhealthy snacks, have bite-size pieces of organic
fruits and veggies to "graze" on after school and all weekend long.
Become a label reader
Don't justify added sugar to get your kids to eat. Fresh is better than
canned, especially if there's sugar added. Most commercially made
fruit "treats"and so-called healthy snacks like trail mix and yogurts
contain lots of sugar. (see sidebar on sweeteners) Make your own or
buy it plain and add your own healthy sweetener.
Get your kids involved in the process
Whether they eat it or not, that zucchini doesn't seem so foreign after
they've helped shop for it or just prepare it. Take a safari to your
organic (see sidebar-right) produce section and pick out the
ingredients for a salad. Remember that the deeper the color, the
better it is for you. Fresh fruit can go into a vegetable salad too, plus
nuts, seeds, freeze dried veggies and raisins. Add more nutrition by
making your own salad dressing. Use flax seed oil for Omega 3, (you
can also grind the flax seed in your blender first to thicken the
dressing for a more creamy texture)
Organic Flax Oil Salad Dressing
8 Tbsp.Organic Flax Oil
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or more, to taste)
Optional: 2 small cloves of garlic, minced (see below)
1/2 Tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 Tsp. salt
pinch of Xylitol sweetener
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mix above ingredients in an opaque jar or wrap aluminum foil around
jar to protect oil from light. Note: If you are storing your salad
dressing, consider withholding the garlic until just before use to
prevent it from overpowering your dressing. Or, add the clove whole
or simply cut in half without mincing for a more subtle garlic flavor.
Keeps up to two weeks in the fridge.
Without feeling guilty, some of us have to face the facts. Many adults
don't eat the minimum recommended serving of vegetables and fruit
each day. If time is an issue, skip cooking the vegetables and serve
them raw with a healthy salad dressing as a dip. Kids like them better
that way anyhow.
Create Grazers
Instead of empty, unhealthy snacks, have bite-size pieces of organic
fruits and veggies to "graze" on after school and all weekend long.
Become a label reader
Don't justify added sugar to get your kids to eat. Fresh is better than
canned, especially if there's sugar added. Most commercially made
fruit "treats"and so-called healthy snacks like trail mix and yogurts
contain lots of sugar. (see sidebar on sweeteners) Make your own or
buy it plain and add your own healthy sweetener.
Get your kids involved in the process
Whether they eat it or not, that zucchini doesn't seem so foreign after
they've helped shop for it or just prepare it. Take a safari to your
organic (see sidebar-right) produce section and pick out the
ingredients for a salad. Remember that the deeper the color, the
better it is for you. Fresh fruit can go into a vegetable salad too, plus
nuts, seeds, freeze dried veggies and raisins. Add more nutrition by
making your own salad dressing. Use flax seed oil for Omega 3, (you
can also grind the flax seed in your blender first to thicken the
dressing for a more creamy texture)
Organic Flax Oil Salad Dressing
8 Tbsp.Organic Flax Oil
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or more, to taste)
Optional: 2 small cloves of garlic, minced (see below)
1/2 Tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 Tsp. salt
pinch of Xylitol sweetener
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mix above ingredients in an opaque jar or wrap aluminum foil around
jar to protect oil from light. Note: If you are storing your salad
dressing, consider withholding the garlic until just before use to
prevent it from overpowering your dressing. Or, add the clove whole
or simply cut in half without mincing for a more subtle garlic flavor.
Keeps up to two weeks in the fridge.
| Confused about Sweeteners? Studies have raised a red flag on sweeteners such as Splenda and Equal. A better choice are natural sweeteners such as Xylitol. Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar commonly derived from corncobs and birch trees. The difference is the molecule contains only 5 carbon atoms rather than 6 of most other sugars. That's the key to the beneficial qualities both as a food source and a bacterial inhibitor in medical and dental use. |
| Is buying organic worth it? Organic farming is labor intensive, and gets very few, if any, federal subsidies So, in fact, the retail price of organic produce more accurately reflects the true cost of growing food the RIGHT way, which is what I have suspected all along. The cost of buying organic, including milk, is more. But the cost to our health will most definitely be far greater in the long run. In the case of conventional dairy products, most concerning are the adverse health effects on children who drink milk from cows injected with hormones and antibiotics. To boost production, dairy farmers inject their herd with recombinant bovine growth hormone or rBGH, which tricks their bodies into making more milk. Also, these cows are frequently given antibiotics to keep them from spreading disease. Organic milk has been proven to have more vitamins, more antioxidants, more omega-3s, and more overall health protective qualities. Some produce contains several times the amount of pesticides as the organic equivalents, and the residue can't be peeled or washed away. That's worrisome given that contaminants pose the biggest risk to children and fetuses. Pesticides have been shown to cross the placenta during pregnancy, and a recent study by scientists at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health in New York found a link between pesticide use in New York apartments and impaired fetal growth. Another study, from the University of Washington in Seattle, found that preschoolers fed conventional diets had six times the level of certain pesticides in their urine as those who ate organic foods. Few doubt that high doses of pesticides can cause neurological or reproductive damage. With infant reproductive organs still forming and the brain developing through age 12, and with young livers and immune systems less able to rid bodies of contaminants, eating organic is more important for children and pregnant or breast-feeding women. The bottom line, and our challenge to you, is this…take a minute to think of all the things you spend your hard earned money on. In the end, are any of them more important than the health and well-being of your own body, and those of your family? |
| Good VS. Best Here's a list of fruits and veggies that you should always buy organic, if possible. If you do buy conventional versions of the following produce, please be sure to wash them thoroughly with a produce spray (organic produce, of course, should also be washed just in case). These are ranked in order by EWG, with the worst of the bunch, peaches, at #1. Peaches tend to have the most pesticides of any fruit or vegetable ...so if possible buy these organic. Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes (Imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes Carrots Green Beans Hot Peppers Cucumbers Raspberries Plums Grapes (Domestic) Oranges The 20 Fruits and Veggies With the LEAST Amount of Pesticides According to EWG, the following produce has the lowest pesticide load, ranked in order with the produce with the absolute lowest pesticides first. Onion Avocado Sweet corn (Frozen) Pineapples Mango Asparagus Sweet peas (Frozen) Kiwi Bananas Cabbage Broccoli Papaya Blueberries Cauliflower Winter Squash Watermelon Sweet potatoes Tomatoes Honeydew melon Cantaloupe Click here to print off this list to take with you when you shop. Don't forget to purchase the produce spray! |
Counter-top gardens
Kids love to see things grow. But if
growing your own vegetables isn't an
option, try counter-top gardening. This
website will teach your kids about
growing spouts and greens, and in
turn,growing spouts and greens will
teach your kids responsibility.
http://www.sproutpeople.com/kids.html
Kids love to see things grow. But if
growing your own vegetables isn't an
option, try counter-top gardening. This
website will teach your kids about
growing spouts and greens, and in
turn,growing spouts and greens will
teach your kids responsibility.
http://www.sproutpeople.com/kids.html
Hide and Seek
Making soup can be a family activity
or a quick meal. It's a sneaky way to
get a lot of good veggies into your
family.
If you thought soup only came in
cans, you might want to start with this
family pleaser:
Making soup can be a family activity
or a quick meal. It's a sneaky way to
get a lot of good veggies into your
family.
If you thought soup only came in
cans, you might want to start with this
family pleaser:
Quick and Easy Carrot Soup
Cook organic carrots until soft
Put carrots and part of the cooking water in a blender
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Optional: add a little cream, plain yogurt or kefir for a creamier soup
Here's a chicken stock recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network. You
can use it as a base for many kinds of soup. Make sure you use a
naturally grown chicken without hormones or antibiotics.
Cook organic carrots until soft
Put carrots and part of the cooking water in a blender
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Optional: add a little cream, plain yogurt or kefir for a creamier soup
Here's a chicken stock recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network. You
can use it as a base for many kinds of soup. Make sure you use a
naturally grown chicken without hormones or antibiotics.
Freeze dried veggies, raw nuts and seeds:
How to be a Budget Organic
Organic fruits and veggies shipped to your home
Find local organic products near you
Straight talk on healthy eating
The Weston A. Price Foundation
http://westonaprice.org
Body Ecology.com- a great source of sweeteners and fermented
products https://shop.bodyecology.com
Nourishing our Children
http://www.nourishingourchildren.org/offerings/nourishing-traditions
.html
A campaign for real milk
http://www.realmilk.com/
Dietary Guidelines for Children
http://www.westonaprice.org/children/diet_children.html
Facts on Raw Milk
http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/
U.S. Wellness Meats: Source for grass-fed and raw dairy
http://www.grasslandbeef.com/StoreFront.bok
Here's another great site that'll help you find healthy food
in your area:
www.eatwellguide.org
Did you know that pH of your body affects
every aspect of your heath? pH levels
regulate, effect, and control practically
everything in nature, including your body.
Watch the AMP challenge to see the
effectiveness of the water you're drinking now
PHion products are backed by a "no questions
asked" 30 day guarantee
every aspect of your heath? pH levels
regulate, effect, and control practically
everything in nature, including your body.
Watch the AMP challenge to see the
effectiveness of the water you're drinking now
PHion products are backed by a "no questions
asked" 30 day guarantee
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AWB to provide scholarships and grants.
