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

Please read this… for the health of your family, ellen

Q&A about Arsenic and Apple Juice

by Kimberly Lord Stewart (author of Eating Between the Lines, guest on Better Food Choices Radio)

If the recent Consumer Report study about arsenic in apple and grape juice leave you in a quandary about what to buy and whether there are safe juice options, consider this your one-stop source for no spin information on what to buy.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Oz entered the conversation when he independently tested apple juice samples for arsenic. The results were alarming, as some samples exceeded FDA limits for arsenic.  But the television doctor’s tests were discredited because they did not distinguish between the two types of arsenic—organic and inorganic.  The Consumer Reports study gives Dr. Oz’s concerns credibility,  so here is what you need to know:

Q: What is organic and inorganic arsenic?Don’t confuse this with the same type of organic used in food production. Organic arsenic is naturally occurring arsenic in soil and ground water. There are two forms of organic arsenic that may pose health risks, according to FDA. Inorganic arsenic is a known carcinogen.  Inorganic arsenic in water is considered a silent killer because it has no taste, no color or odor.

Inorganic arsenic was allowed in US until the 1970’s to combat the Colorado potato beetle, but even with the 40-year ban, it remains in the soil. A bigger concern is that more than 70% of apple juice concentrate consumed in this country is imported from China, where there is no regulation regarding inorganic arsenic.  Other countries that import apple juice include Argentina, Brazil, Eastern Europe and South Africa, each with varying levels of regulations. For instance in the Consumer Reports study, Brazilian imported apple juice proved cleaner than juice from Argentina and China.

Q: What did the Consumer Reports study find? This recent Consumer Reports study found that among 88 samples of apple juice and grape juice, the levels of arsenic were notably higher than what is allowed in drinking water.  The study specifically looked at the two type of arsenic, organic (the type that is naturally occurring) and inorganic (the type that comes from agricultural inputs and is considered carcinogenic. Even though none of the samples exceeded the FDA limits for arsenic in food for adults, the results are of particular concern for children’s health.

Q: How much arsenic is allowed in food and water?The juice industry is citing the study as of little concern because none of the results show that juice exceeds food standards, but FDA is relooking at the issue. Current regulations limit the amount of total arsenic in drinking water at 10 parts per billion (ppb) and 5 ppb for inorganic arsenic. FDA says they have a “level of concern” for arsenic levels above 23 ppb in food.


Q: Should I be concerned?Consumer’s Union (parent company of Consumer Reports) is calling for FDA to adjust the limits for apple juice to 3 ppb for arsenic and 5 ppb for lead. "We calculated that level so that if a child drank 4 to 6 ounces of juice daily, they would be under the daily limit of arsenic intake," Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, tells The Salt. "It would give them a one in 1000 risk for skin, bladder and lung cancer." Hansen says that 35% of children 5 and younger drink more juice than pediatricians recommend, which is why the limits need to be established for children.

 The Juice Products Association says there is nothing to worry about. "Consumer Reports and other media outlets erroneously compare juice to the standards for drinking water. Juice is not water. To compare the trace levels of arsenic or lead in juice to the regulatory guidelines for drinking water is not appropriate because regulatory agencies have set lower thresholds for drinking water than for food and other beverages because people consume larger amounts of water."

 Q: What is FDA doing about it?FDA will continue to test juices and juice concentrate and evaluate data provided by industry, consumer groups and government agencies, as well as data published in scientific literature. If the agency finds too much inorganic arsenic in any juice, it will take steps to remove that product from the market.

Q: As a parent, what can I do to limit my child’s exposure to arsenic in juices?Here are a few ways to protect your  children from exposure to arsenic and lead in juices:

1. Buy organic. Among all the samples tested by Consumer Reports, organic brands contained lower amounts of arsenic than other brands.
2. Pay attention to Country of Origin. Brands from China and Argentina contained higher levels of inorganic arsenic than juice from the United States.
3. Be brand savvy. One of the study’s most surprising results were the dramatic differences in arsenic levels among brands. For instance, Gerber baby apple juice had the highest levels of arsenic, while Juicy Juice had low levels.
4. Dilute your child’s juice. Physicians recommend limiting juice intake regardless of concerns about arsenic, to limit sugar intake. So this latest arsenic study is another reason to limit your child’s apple juice consumption.
5. Print out this list of brands that contain the highest and lowest levels of arsenic. PDF attached.

To learn more about food safety and food labeling issue like this on, read Kimberly Lord Stewart’s book, Eating Between the Lines, now available on ebook.

 http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Between-Lines-Supermarket-Shoppers/dp/031234774X

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eating-between-the-lines-kimberly-lord-stewart/1008026588

The food companies know this.  Body care, cleaning and perfume companies probably do too.  Research as shown there are fragrances that stimulate your brain to think, "I 'm hungry, better eat this… just one more bite."  Now mind you, this desire can begin in your bathroom with fragrant soaps and shampoos.  Do you nibble on food during or after you have used a sweet smelling cleaning fluid? We think is It is better to avoid lab created fragrant products for two reasons.  Desirable smelling lab-made chemicals, when used as directed, have been connected to respiratory, neural and other illnesses. And, stimulating the desire to eat when you are not truly in need of food adds to weight management issues.  Keep in mind that everyone living your home is affected by this reality as well.  I have to look hard to pick out unscented laundry soap. And I certainly do not use those chemically laden laundry softeners which give me giant headaches. I feel better and struggle less with snacking!  Please, give some serious thought to making these changes.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Better enter now to Win a WHOLE YOUNG TURKEY by Plainville Farms. I really hope you are the one I call on Monday morning to say, "YOU WON!"  Enter by going to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today!

I watch people putting cases and huge bottles of soda in their carts and wonder what they are thinking.  They are spending their hard earned money on carbonated dyed sugar water, described by some as Liquid Candy. They are kidding themselves when they are buying diet which is worse.  Both are empty of nutrients and full of disease related ingredients.  Not only are you paying for the actual soda, you will be soon paying for soda induced doctor  and pharmaceutical bills in the near and far future.  This is an addictive acting expensive habit. Buy water or water filters instead.  Stop throwing your money down the soda drain.  Can you afford to do this?

… for the health of families,
ellen

Wouldn’t you love to have a case of Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce by Simply Organic in your pantry for holiday cooking?  Enter to win one this week.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today.

Recently we blogged about the top three: Onions, Corn, Pineapples. Here are the rest. Avocado, Asparagus, Sweet Peas, Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit, Mushrooms.* Feel comfortable feeding these to your family without buying organic. Just watch out for imports from South America and Asia. I try to buy one avocado and one mango a week. These will help feed a family when you cut them into little pieces and add to salads or use as a side. We eat a lot of sweet potatoes and cooked onions. You will usually find a pineapple or some watermelon in our kitchen at any given time. Peas are a weekly must. The others are woven into our monthly menu though we have been staying away from cantaloupe lately. This list is your budget saver group. Ask your store’s produce manager when they are going on sale, really  -  make him your “best friend.”

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Free Food for you if you Win a Case of Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce by Simply Organic.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes and enter today.

At last, there is a way to decorate your holiday cakes, cupcakes and cookies without using those dyes made from derivatives of coal tar and oil. Go to www.NaturalCandyStore.com to buy little jars of your color choice. They won’t be as bright as the others which is your cue they are all natural, made from real food such as beets. And, the colors are still beautiful, safe and fun to use. While you are there, look for the Sunbursts candy coated sunflower seeds and ChocoRocks. All in their Natural Baking Decoration section. Have fun!

(For more about natural candy, go to iTunes-Podcast-BetterFoodChoices and list to Dawn Van Hee)

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Speaking of all natural, fill your pantry with Puffin Puffs Fruit Medley Cereal by Barbara’s Bakery. Colorful, safe and crunchy yummy. Enter to win a case. Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today.