Chemicals

They went from Junk Food to Real Food and now swear by it. One boy was 16 and always “starving.”  The other was an overweight college kid.  And they have a dad with Type 2 diabetes.  Mom thought she was feeding her family good food but after a dinner with me, she realized Jello and other processed foods she was serving were counter-nourishing her family. Her turnaround story is brilliant. A first bit of advice is, “You can’t tell them. You must show them.”  If you want to be inspired and learn how overnight everyone of them voluntarily bought into her changes, listen to Vickie Peaire tell her story.  Go to www. BetterFoodChoicesRadio.com (date: Jan 27, 2012) and listen or find it on iTunes, Podcast, Better Food Choices.  You will be SO glad your did!

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Save money and Win a Case of Classic Macaroni and Cheese by Annie’s Homegrown.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes before Sunday night.

“Hooked on chicken nuggets: Girl, 17, who has eaten nothing else since age TWO rushed to hospital after collapsing.” *

Apparently this teenager has never eaten fruit or vegetables.  Now she is in hospital with  swollen veins in her tongue, has anemia and has been warned that she was killing herself.

You say, no way this can happen.  I say, “Yes Way.”  Too many times I have has parents tell me, “My son/daughter will only eat chicken nuggets so that’s what I give him or her.  They refuse to eat anything else.”  I simply look at them and wonder who’s the boss.  Moms and dads, you have to guide your children away from the wrong decisions and to the right ones.  Sometimes that is easier said than done, yet, the alternative can be deadly.

Keep in mind you may be working against addictions.  Unfortunately, ingredients put in some foods are purposely habit forming.  Take charge now and avoid disaster later.  I am using strong words.  Don’t underestimate the consequences.  Steer your kids into making better food choices today and tomorrow.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

P. S. Please pray for this girl.

* This is a report from the U.K.

There are cookies and then there are cookies!  Snackimals are made with your children’s health  in mind.  No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or trans fats.  Full of natural, organic and non-GMO ingredients.  Also full of flavor! The animals are so well carved you can easily identify them providing major kid appeal. They come in lunch box sizes for travel snacks.  Healthier Recipe Moms have used cookies in parfaits and as pie crusts… take a look at some of their recipes, www.KidKritics.com. When it is time for treats, Snackimals are a great choice.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

What would you do with a whole case of Classic Macaroni and Cheese by Annie’s Homegrown? Enter to win and then let us know!  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today and tomorrow… until Sunday night.

Reminder: After products and recipes meet our Family Food Experts Ingredient Standards set by our board of noted health professionals, kids blind taste test them and decide which ones to award their Kid Kritics Approved Seal.  Because they are now deemed healthier and kids like them, we feel compelled to share this news with you.  Now you can serve your family healthier foods odds are they will love.

It just makes me mad.  Plain yogurt is healthy.  It is what many food companies do to it that makes it unhealthy. You think yogurt with fruit on the bottom is healthy – too many have more sugar than a candy bar.  Watch for the amount of sugar and ingredients in all flavored yogurts. Better to buy plain and add your own fresh or frozen fruit.  Bottled drinkable yogurts/smoothies may have as many calories as an ice cream dessert.  Again, it is all the added ingredients used to make it that are collectively unhealthy.  Instead, make you own yogurt smoothies with fresh fruit.  Frozen yogurt is mostly misleading as to its health benefits.  By the time it is flavored and sprinkled with toppings, you are really looking at an ice cream sundae.  Please watch out for sugar and fat-free versions.  Artificial ingredients are the worst!  Now you know not to be fooled by some food companies.  Outsmart them with your knowledge – Buy Smart.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Today, enter to win a book and a case of supplements, both for your children. Battle with the Bugs, written by Dr. Heather Manley is part of her Human Detective Series – it’s a brilliant educational story.  Yummi Bears Organic Immunity Shield by Hero Nutritionals are created to help protect cold and flu bugs from your children.  Perfect time of year for these prizes.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes.  Enter more than once to up your odds!

The 10 Worst Cereals in terms of sugar per cup

Cereal, grams of sugar per cup, teaspoons of sugar:

• Kellogg's Honey Smacks, 20.0, 5 tsp

• Post Golden Crisp, 18.7, 4.6 tsp.

• Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch Original, 16.0, 4 tsp.

• Quaker Oats Oh!s, 16.0, 4 tsp

• Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch OOPS! All Berries, 15.0, 3.7 tsp

• Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries, 14.7, 3.6 tsp

• Kellogg's Froot Loops Marshmallow, 14.0,3.5 tsp

• Kellogg's Smorz, 13.0, 3.2 tsp

• Kellogg's Apple Jacks, 12.0, 3.0 tsp

• Kellogg's Froot Loops Original, 12.0, 3 tsp

Alternatives:

• Post Shredded Wheat,* 0.0, 0 tsp

• Kellogg's Mini-Wheats Unfrosted Bite-Size,* 0.6, 0.15 tsp

• Cheerios Original, 1.0, 0.25 tsp

• Kix Original, 2.4, 0.6 tsp

• Post Grape-Nuts Flakes, 5.3, 1.3 tsp

• Quaker Oats Oatmeal Squares Cinnamon,* 6.0, 1.5 tsp

• Post Bran Flakes, 6.7, 1.6 tsp

• Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Vanilla Bunches,* 8.0, 2 tsp

* The serving size for dense cereals was adjusted to a serving (2/3 cup) with roughly the same weight as a cup of most light cereals.

Source: Environmental Working Group – THANK YOU!

Please avoid the sugar cereals and use the others as snacks, not the central source for breakfast nutrients.  Give your kids a better start , especially on school days.

… for the health of your family,
ellen