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.

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

It frosts me when ads give you misinformation in order to sell, sell, sell.  Be smarter than they think you are.  Follow your gut instinct rather than be misled.  The most recent ad that makes my hair stand on end is about sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  What research has shown is that processed corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, impacts the body differently than plain sugar cane. The results are linked to diseases.  They lead you to believe this is not so – its okay to eat high fructose corn syrup.  Not.  One thing they do say that is right is "Sugar is sugar."  True.  However, the sugar's origin and how it is processed impacts the molecular structures which determines the impact it has on your body when you eat it. We say stay away from high fructose corn syrup and when you need a sweetener, use sugar cane. Also, please less is better. 

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Fresh frozen Wild Blueberries by Wyman's of Maine!  Win a whole case.  Fill your freezer with this potent antioxidant to keep your family well all winter!  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today.  Enter more than once to up your odds.

Chef Carlino serves school lunches. He know kids like healthier food.  He also knows the obstacles for turning junk lunches into better ones.  How do you start the process? Keep this in mind, "Real food does not need masking." 1. Don't attack the whole situation. Work on one change at a time. 2. First recommended change: add a salad bar.  3. Parents, get involved.  Become volunteers helping in the kitchen and lunch room.  This is just the guts of what Chef Carlino shared with us on this interview.  He said so much more!  Listen on www.iTunes.com, then Podcast then "Better Food Choices". Then email me as we are working on a plan to help you. (ellen@KidKritics.com). Many hands make a happening!  Look forward to hearing from you.

… for the health of families,
ellen

Cornbread, cornbread muffins, cornbread, corn kernel and dried cranberry cornbread…. so many variations to please your guests.  Enter to Win a whole Case of Cornbread & Muffin Mix, Gluten Free, by Pamela's Products. Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today.  Enter more than once to up your odds.

Do you want someone with authority to step in to try and the limit amount of sugary drinks kids drink? This as been suggested since recent research reveals that “85% said they had a sugar-sweetened drink at least once in the past week.”*  The policy of no sodas on school campuses has not made a measurable difference in how much of it kids drink.  And, we all know kids should not be drinking sugary junk drinks. What is your suggestion on this issue?

…  for the health of families,
ellen

How nice would it be to have a whole Case of “Amish style” Spelt Wide White Noodles by Vita Spelt in your pantry for holidays and winter meals?  The grain, spelt, offers a complete protein and scores low on the gluten scale  – it’s nutty delicious!  Makes them the preferred pasta.  Enter to win.  Go to www. KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today.  Enter more than once to up your odds.

*Ron Winslow, “Kids Keep Sipping Sodas”, Wall Street Journal, 11/8/11, D3.

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.

The one tried and true breakfast food for best mental performance is real oatmeal. It’s slow-digesting properties, thanks to its fiber content, provide a “sustained flow of glucose to the brain.”* Add a little more protein to your meal in the form yogurt, nuts and seeds, or a slice of chicken and you are ready for brain work.  (Course you need to have studied and slept well to ace the test.)  Please avoid sweet instant versions and do not add spoonfuls of sugar to your oatmeal. Fruit toppings offer you a winning combination. What did your kids have for breakfast this morning?

… for the health of families,
ellen

* Sue Shellenbarger, “Toughest Exam Question: What is the Best Way to Study?”, Wall Street Journal, p. D1

Learned something today.  Sugar also bad for you eyesight. Excess glucose floats around in your blood stream and goes to your eyes which have small delicate blood vessels.  It disrupts the flow of blood by compromising the lining.  Since nutrients are carried through your blood, this disruption causes your eye mechanisms to “shut down since they are not being fed.”  Just one more reason to not eat too much sugar – as little as possible.  As Dr. Healthy Manley continued, she reminded us to eat “whole colorful real food.”  Feed your eyes with phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and protein – avocados, blueberries, cinnamon, carrots for starters! Listen for more eye health tips from Dr. Heather Manley. www.iTunes.com/Podcast/ Better Food Choices.  Your eyes will be so glad you did!

… for the health of families,
ellen

Have until Sunday night to enter to Win a Case of assorted Almond & Rice Cheese Chunks and Shreds.  Looks, cooks and tastes like mild cheese.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today!