Sweets

Do you want to be added to a great group of moms and dads who have entered Pamela’s Annual Recipe Contest and win? Do you want Pamela to make, test and taste your creation and find it to be at least one of her favorites?  Go to www.PamelasProducts.com and enter before the end of August.  While there, check out all the recipes, including last year’s winner.  You will find yourself salivating.  The prizes are great so go for it!

Pamela has succeeded with her goal of making wheat/gluten free products taste better than ones made with wheat. We can assure you that because her baked and baking products are delicious, they are for everyone.   The Kid Kritics were crazy in love with her Banana Bread recipe as well as other cookies and brownies. Look for their pictures and quotes on www.KidKritics.com.  Put this brand on your shopping list!

… for the health of your family,
ellen and sally

It doesn’t take much soda to overdose on sugar in a day.  On average, four ounces will do it.  There about 6 teaspoons of sugar in an 8 oz. soda.   A half cup has about 3  teaspoons.  Kids should have about 2 teaspoons of sugar a day.  Adults don’t need much more. When was the last time you saw a small 8 ounce container of soda?  Kids, teens and adults drinks a lot more, a recipe for obesity, diabetes and depression.  Drink ice cold water or diluted 100% fruit juice instead.

… for the health of your family,
ellen and sally

Your mouth is the door to your health. Excessive bacteria in your mouth not only leads to tooth decay and infections, but also to heart disease and even joint pain.  Bacteria in your mouth promotes lactic acid.  This hardens and sticks to our teeth .  The result: plaque buildup – a substance which actively de-mineralizes the teeth and decays them.  But that’s not all.  Don’t forget, what’s in your mouth leaks into your gut and into your bodily systems.

Dr. Stacey Stein’s preventative advice. Dental visits should be quarterly in order to control bacteria accumulation and to monitor oral and physical health.  Why?  Because every 3 months bacteria accumulates in your mouth.  After cleanings, a good dentist looks for any symptoms in your mouth which reveal signs of illness. Thus, this quarterly oral health check by your dentist is also beneficial.  Both provide cost efficient health insurance.  Cleanings by your dental hygenist are cheaper than fillings, caps, crowns and oral surgery, much less heart disease.  Get thee to your dentist’s friendly dental hygenist!   And, chuck junk food.

For lots more great info on oral health from Dr. Stacey Stein, listen to the archived interveiw (Oct.30th) on www.BetterFoodChoicesRadio.com.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Per Terry Wakefield, Chocolatier for Bissingser’s Chocolate, chocolate’s melting point is 87 degrees F which is why it melts in your mouth. If you have to bite into chocolate, unwanted fats have been added in a process that gives it the waxy harder texture – talking about hydrogenated oils, the sickening kind. Now you know how to determine if you are eating good chocolate! See if it simply melts in your mouth.

If you missed this radio show, listen to the archived version. Terry was loaded with neat information about chocolate. It is well worth your time. Go to www.BetterFoodChoicesRadio.com.

… for the health of families,
ellen

Smarties have always been on our NO list – a combination of sugar, artificial dyes and flavors. The good news is that kids are wonderfully inventive. The bad news is that some invent bad ideas. Here is the latest one. First they smash Smarties in their wrapper. Then they suck the powder into their mouth, and exhale it out of their mouth and nose. The turn on – it looks like they are smoking. They love freaking everyone out by doing this. Needless to say, there have been no studies on how this may prove damaging to their nasal or respiratory passages. There are no studies saying this will lead to the habit of smoking of cigarettes. Do we need studies to prove this is not good for them? If you want to view this in action, kids have made You Tubes so you can learn how smoke Smarties. I can just see it now, Smarties Parties. Just not cool. I shudder to think what those artificial dyes and flavoring chemicals may do to the young as they pretend to smoke. Medical professionals warn against possible, coughing (lung irritation), infections and even the existence of maggots in the nose since they live on powdery sugar. Gross.

Parents, there is not one good reason to have Smarties in your house, your kids’ lunch boxes or pockets, as party or school favors. Take action now. Buy your kids Sun Drops (like M&Ms with naturally colored coatings) for treats instead. It is really hard to “smoke” real smooth chocolate.

… for the health of your family,
ellen