Sugar

Moms Making Noise confess their regifting experiences - yes, we all have participated one way or another.  Jodi has one that is missing in action, Body Paint - it’s a mystery.  She also has mom stories for the worst presents - seems her mom was an expert at selecting the most off-the-wall gifts.  One dynamite gift received from a husband was a snow-blower, the latest and greatest of course… Yes, it really was for him.  These moms talked about holiday treats (snowballs, carrot cake) meals and frustrations…  You’ll learn from their good and bad ideas!  Have fun and tune into this archived show aired Dec. 26th!

A study presented to the American Heart Association revealed that many obese teenagers, pre-teenagers and children have stiff and thick arteries, the same condition found in 45 year olds.  This means that these young boys and girls could suffer from serious heart disease as early as in their 20’s and 30’s.  Nope, this is not natural.  Heart attacks and strokes at this age will not only shorten their life-spans, their productivity levels as living adults will be seriously altered.  In addition, the cost of caring for this generation of cardiovascular disease candidates will be staggering.  Why not just lose the weight instead of losing your life.  

This is serious stuff.  WIth over 16 percent of kids being obese and an additional almost 16 percent overweight, we are looking at about one in five kids with old sick arteries - maybe more.

There are simple solutions, beginning with giving up the white carbs, junk foods and bad fats, and, start moving.  Please, wake up and help reverse this trend.

… for the health of families,
ellen

I know Halloween is over, thank goodness, however I still want to introduce you to the “Switch Witch.”  Keri Marshall, ND, our recent guest on the Better Food Choices blog talk radio said the “Switch Witch” comes to her house on Halloween.  “Who is the ‘Switch Witch’?”, I asked. After her kids return from trick or treating carrying bags of candy, they are asked to pick out 5 candies that they want to keep.  Then they go to bed, leaving the remainder of the candy-filled bags out in a special place.  During the night the “Switch Witch” comes in and switches the bags of candy for a present for each child.  The “Switch Witch” gets to keep the candy - it disappears into the garbage, and the kids wake up in the morning to be surprised with their new gift, usually a toy.  Everyone is happy.  This is a win/win solution.  Kids get to have fun trick or treating, they get to have a little of their favorite candy, and they get a present.  What they don’t get is a belly-ache, a giant sugar rush, some mental chaos, added cavaties and fat-producing calories.  I love this idea!  Don’t you?

… for the health of your family,
Ellen

We just returned from the Expo East Natural Products Trade Show in Boston.  At each trade show I seek out and choose the latest and greatest new product or brand among the thousands of foods on display.  This year’s winner is:

Plum Organics Kids Meals and Plum Organics Baby Food

All meals are frozen which means there are NO Preservatives!
All meals are Organic!

Below is the list of their products:

KIDS MEALS: Bowties Pasta with Creamy Sweet Potato
                    Cheese filled Spinach Tortellini with Marinara Sauce
                    Rainbow Pasta Shells with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
                    Italian Sausage Marinara Suace over Multigrain Pasta
All include a Veggie Delight mix

 - 100% organic ingredients
 - Fortified with Omega-3 - brain food!
 - No artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors
 - Og trans fat, low fat
 - Convenient 2-item frozen meals
 - Biodegradable Tray

BABY FOODS: Pumpkin Banana
                      Mango Muesli
                      Black Bean Tomato Tagout
                      Harvest Vegetables with Turkey
                      Pears and Apples
                      Sweet Potatoes
                      Super Greens
                      Super Greens Multigrain
                      Red Lentil Veggie
                      Pasta with Veggies and Chicken
                      Banana Peach Rice Pudding
                      Vegetable Stew with Beef
 - No Added Sugar
 - No Added Salt
 - No Artificial Ingredients

As usual, good ideas spring from a need and desire to do a better job.  I met and talked with the founder of this new company.  As a young mom, she looked at herself and said, “There has to be a better way to feed babies and kids.”  She began by feeding her baby son and now has developed a wonderful line of foods for young ones starting at 6 months.  If you recall from our interview with pediatrician, Dr. Ocampo, the recommendation is to not start by feeding your babies sweet foods.  Plum Organics line for babies offers many non-sweet, vegetable and other healthy options.  Bravo! 

We encourage you to look for this line and weave it into your current food choices.  Plum Organics is a new bright light in the food industry.  It’s a win/win for all.

… for the health of families,
ellen

Kids

$2 Billion - that’s how much money shoppers are expected to spend on candy for Halloween.  That’s 2 with nine zeros following it - $2,000,000,000!  How much of this is going on credit cards adding to debt?  How many credit cards will be used to pay for the medicine purchased for all the kids who will eat this candy and then get sick?  How much money will be spent paying for dentist bills afterwards?  Halloween is a costly holiday and no one even gets presents - just candy full of fake dyes, flavors, and sugar. 

What’s the solution?  Since we are warned not to give out or receive anything thing that is not packaged, why not some small bags of trail mix, crackers (Cheddar Bunnies), and even cookies (Late July) that kids love - the ones that meet our Better Food Choices standards? Joseph’s Lite Cookies has some little snack paks of cookies that have been Kid Kritics Approved.  This is money better spent.  I also like the idea of having parties with home-cooked treats, especially those using fruit.  Serve a good ice cream made with real cane sugar and cream topped with frozen berries and nuts (for those not allergic) - yum!   If you use chocolate syrup, make sure it is Ah! Laska.  Let’s Go Organic has some sprinkles made with natural food colors that are fun. 

As a child years ago, I loved running around our village in a home-made costume going from house to house for treats.  There was one house always to be avoided because they always made you do a trick first- sing a song or something - before they gave you anything.  I am afraid that those days of fun innocent trick or treating are over - too many real scary possibilites in today’s world of “crazies”.  Unfortunately, this holiday tends to lend itself to bad experiences.  

Please spend your portion of this $2 billion on good healther food and fun.