Fruit

4
December

Radio Gems: Apple and Eve’s NEW Products

We interviewed Ken Gootkind, head of the natural and organic product lines for Apple and Eve. Boy, have they got some great new products for kids! The first to bring to your attention is FIZZ ED. This is a genius answer to replacing soda. It is 8.4 fluid ounces of 70% juice and 30% carbonated water. That’s it. No bad chemicals added. No added sugar. Only fruit juice and sparkling water. A bonus is that Apple and Eve uses the better sources for both their natural and organic juices. This product is first being introduced into vending machines at schools. Yeah - a far better beverage choice than the junk sodas. You will also see it in stores soon. The four flavors are: Pomegranate Cherry, Orange Mango, Green Apple and Red Raspberry - Yum Here’s your answer for drink treats, especially for parties!

And there is more …. FRUITABLES. This is a great new vegetable/fruit juice drink for kids. You will find a nice flavor and nutrient balance that includes carrot (yellow, purple, orange), beet, pumpkin, tomato, and butternut squash Juices. When was the last time you kids drank beta-caroteen-filled pumpkin and butternut squash juice? The three flavors are: Strawberry Kiwi, Tropical Orange, and Berry Berry. Again, no added sugar, bad chemicals and unwanted ingredients. Perfect for school lunches!!!!! Fruitables will be showing up in your stores soon.

Apple and Eve, known for quality, are ahead of the curve when it comes to creating healthier products for kids. These new products are example of this truth.

For more about Apple and Eve, listen to Ken on our archived show by clicking on to www.BetterFoodChoices.com/BetterFoodChoices.

… for the health of your family,

ellen

4
December

Radio Gems - Pediatrician, Dr. Ocampo

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For those of you who do not listen to our Blog Talk Radio show “Better Food Choices” I will begin to pass along some of the information shared by guests that you will particularly value.

When talking with someone this morning, I was reminded of what our Ingredients Standards Board Pediatrician said about feeding babies. Start feeding them baby food vegetables before fruit. You will have far better vegetables eaters as they grow up! Sweet is an acquired taste. It is better not to introduce this to babies first. Go green with you babies!

Dr. Ocampo also told us that about 80 percent of her patients do not follow through with recommended tests. This is particularly concerning because so many are being tested for diabetes and heart diseases related to obesity. It also follows that those not getting tested are not listening to the preventive or turnaround advice. Yee-gads, this is health of your children we are talking about.

Listen to this archived show by clicking on to www.blogtalkradio.com/betterfoodchoices. It will be worth your time!

… for the health of families,
ellen

4
December

Organic Produce - Your Best Medicine

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Studies show that on average, “nearly a dozen nutrients are 25% higher in organic fruit, veggies and grains than in conventially grown produce. … organic options had nearly 50% more of the antioxidants quercetin and beta-caroteen.” * Actually this information was gathered from 100 studies, that’s a lot and quite conclusive. So not only are you getting a lot more nutrients and no damaging chemicals when you eat organic, you are also getting twice as many immune buildings antioxidants - the powerful germ fighters. At a time when we are all watching our spending, spend wisely. Make your dollars work for you and your family. Buy organic nutrient-packed fresh produce and prevent having to fork out money for medicine and doctor’s visits. Your kids and you will be healthier and positively productive at the same time.

* Supercharge Your Menu (For No Extra calories), Prevention Magazine, Jan. 2008, p. 114.

28
October

The Latest Great New Products for Kids!

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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

19
October

Farmer’s Market

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A couple of months ago I had an opportunity to scoot over to the Farmer’s Market in St. Michael’s , MD. The morning was perhaps that first glorious sunny day which turns the weather page from Spring to Summer. The air was a bit crisp but soon gave way to the sun’s persistence to reign on a perfectly blue sky day.

This Farmer’s Market is located just off this village’s main street and backs up to the water’s edge. What a spectacular location! Tables provided a showcase for fresh produce, home-made cheese, breads, herbs, orchids, and more. Fresh corn and strawberries were inviting. Local gardeners work hard to bring their fresh food to market for us to purchase, take home and devour. My eyes went straight for my greatest weakness, cheese! A local dairy farmer made their own brand of cheddar cheese. One was aged for three months, one for six months and the best was age d for a year. There were a few seasoned versions such as one with sun-dried peppers and basil. But the best was the one aged the longest – ummm. So pungent! And, it melted in my mouth. I immediately bought some after having tasted all the choices several times – just couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t very subtle about it. At least I bought some! Wondering around renewed the value of a Farmer’s Market in my mind. Whether the grower used organic or conventional methods, the food was fresh and sun-ripened. We always say organic first, local second, store third in prioritizing how to buy produce. The local produce misses the preservation methods used during transportation and in stores to keep produce looking fresh. Because local produce has been harvested after being sun-ripened, it contains the full benefits of phyto-nutrients. It is also harvested just before it is brought to the market. The sooner you eat produce after it has been picked, the more of the nutrients have been maintained. So even if this produce has not been grown organically, local produce does have nutrient benefits not found in store produce.

As a gardener, I know how hard local growers work to produce bountiful and delicious food. Just take a look at their hands and nails! Supporting them feels great. They deserve it.

Let’s get back to the cheese I bought. Do you think I could take ten steps out of the market before beginning to eat it? In fact, at about every tenth step, I took another bite. Patience is a virtue – except when you have a little bag of mouth-watering, home-made, smooth ivory cheese in your hands. Why let it age one more hour. I didn’t.

… for the health of families,

Ellen