EFAs

This delicate nutty flavored herb is chock-a-block full of nutrients. Sesame seeds feed your brain, bones, ears, hair, heart, lungs, mouth/teeth, muscles, nails, nerves, and nose. Their good brain supporting fats help to lower LDL and increase HDL levels. Along with their quality amino acid proteins, they also supply you with B complex vitamins (niacin, folic acid, thaimin, pyridoxine and riboflavin). They contain a very rich source of minerals: calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium and copper.

And, boy are they good to eat! Hummus is made with Tahini, a sesame seed paste. They often are sprinkled on baked goods such as bagels. We love to add them to salads, including egg and tuna. Certainly they enhance all salads, egg dishes and many fruit desserts. Adding them to entrees before serving is a great way to add nutritional power to every meal. Sesame seeds are a brilliant way to stoke your kids with so many of the nutrients they need while growing. We buy them in bulk and keep them in jars for handy use. Try this, too!

    … for the health of your family,
ellen

Here's what food oils to buy and how to use them to get the most for your money.  Buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil and non GMO Canola Oils in dark green or brown glass jars.  The rest , including "Pure Olive Oil" have been processed enough to remove their health benefits and add unwanted ingredients – chemicals. Store in a cool dark place, away from your stove and burners.  These oils should be good for 18 months to 2 years.  Hopefully you use them up before then – your brain needs it!  The best have a bite in the back of your throat.  The bigger the bite, the better it is. If you open a jar and it smells like Play-Doh, it 's bad – take it back or throw it away.  Please, stay away from those sold in plastic containers or cans that are now being lined with BPA. 

Use your non-GMO, organic Canola Oil for everyday cooking.  Save your EVOO for drizzles over vegetables and salad dressings, though it is also good for sauteing as well. 

One more thing:  Those bright store lights degrade oils.  Pull out a bottle/jar from the back of the shelf where it has not been exposed to the light.  (I do this when buying produce as well.)

For more good facts on food oils, please listen to Food Expert and Author (Reading Between the Lines), Kimberly Lord Stewart,  on www.iTunes.com, Podcast, Better Food Choices dates 2/17/12.  She is worth every minute!

… for the health of your family,
ellen

You have until Sunday evening to enter to win a Case of Enchilada Sauce Mix by Simply Organic.  If you want a stash of this quick fix for a delicious healthier family dinner, please go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes.  Enter more than once to up your odds.

Performance Food for Valentine’s Day and everyday! Cocoa Powder (dark chocolate)! It’s nutrients feed your brain, heart, muscles, nerves, bones, hair, nails and skin! You can thank its concentration of minerals and omega-3 fats for this. This powder itself actually reduces your cravings for sweets. Plus it is loaded with antioxidants – 20% more than wine. And, you know it helps lift your spirits. Catch is, for these benefits, it has to be eaten as true dark chocolate. I enjoy a square or two of a 70% dark chocolate bar everyday. 85% is even better. Start your kids on 60% dark chocolate.  Most love it… and it loves them!

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Black beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese (soy in this case) and tortillas… little olive oil and you have an inexpensive, nutritious, delicious meal for your kids. Will they like it?  “Yes,” says Janice, the mother of two, who created this recipe.  We agree. The flavors cook together for yummy bites.  Whole grain tortillas were used in this photo’s version.  We encourage you to try them – great source of fiber and tummy filler.  There are gluten-free tortillas for those want them. You don’t need a Quesadilla maker for this recipe, and, if you have one, great!  (I don’t… yet).  For recipe details, please go to www.KidKritics.com. It is featured on the homepage. Ask you kids to help you make some of these Quesadillas and watch your family gobble them up!

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Heart Healthy Week spills into our sweepstakes.  Win a whole case of Wild Blueberry Juice by Wyman’s of  Maine,  PLUS,  a children’s book, A Heart Pumping Adventure by Dr. Heather Manley.  This is  a win/win opportunity so please enter at www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today!

Since you heart is pumping hard to push blood through about 60,000 miles of blood vessels  a day, wouldn’t it be a good idea to feed this muscle its needed fuel? Dr. Heather shares what she feeds her family of four so all stay healthy and function at their best.  Good fats (Omega-3s) were tops on her list.  Putting flax seed oil with heart healthy blueberries and other fruit into smoothies is a daily event for breakfast or snacks.  Avocados in salads or Guacamole are frequently consumed by her family.  Grass-fed beef and eggs are commonly found on their plates for dinner and other meals.  One of her young daughter’s was making scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese for her breakfast while we were on the air.  It’s not that hard!

To hear all of Dr. Manley’s Heart Health interview, please go to the www.BetterFoodChoicesRadio.com archived shows, or, www.iTunes.com, Podcast, Better Food Choices and click on the Feb. 3rd, 2012 show. PLEASE, avoid having any heart disease statistics in your family.  Listen to Dr. Heather Manley.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Chocolate lovers, enter to Win a Case of Chocolate Walnut Cookies, Sugar Free, by Joseph’s Lite Cookies.  This is a great opportunity for those diagnosed as pre-Diabetic or Diabetic, or for those who want to avoid either diagnosis.  Joseph made them especially for you.  Go to www. KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today.  Enter more than once to up your winning odds.