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.

Every week we teach kids how to Fuel Their Dreams.  This week we focused on what foods feed their brains. After giving them some cool brain facts, we made a recipe that feeds it.  Look at this  photo of one of the boys making “BaNilla Berry Smoothie.”  The brain foods used were yogurt, banana, blueberrries and raspberries.  All the kids were licking every drop in and on their cups.  Big Success!  For recipe details, please go to www.KidKritics.com. Then click on the Breakfast recipe icon. You will find it listed there.  This is an easy one. Let your kids make it!

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Don’t forget to enter to Win a Case of Chocolate Walnut Cookies, Sugar-Free by Joseph’s Lite Cookies.  Simply go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today and tomorrow!

Spelt Spaghetti is as good as it gets! The grain spelt has been grown for thousands of years in Europe. In this country, Spelt used to be grown by the hundreds of thousands of acres. Increased mechanization made it an impractical crop, and it was replaced by wheat. Now Spelt is making a big comeback in the United States. It has a rich, nutty flavor and a smoother texture, containing a “balanced” protein made up of all 8 essential amino acids your body requires. Plus, it is more easily digested than wheat. All other pasta will taste boring after you enjoy some made with spelt. The Kid Kritics LOVED it.  So will yours.  Put this on your grocery list!

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Want to win a whole case of Chocolate Walnut Cookies, Sugar Free by Joseph’s Lite Cookies ? Enter the Kid Kritics Approved Food Giveaway Sweepstakes.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today.  Up your odds by entering more than once!

Surprised? Mixing black beans with chocolate? We worked with this recipe until it knocked our socks off! Added protein, less sugar, no flour, no dairy, and lots of dark chocolate. Gluten-free, Wheat-Free, Dairy-free. Jaimie, our R.D. chef, figured out how to make this combination into a fudge brownie. Try it. It is the featured recipe on www.KidKritics.com – easy to find, easy to prepare. Make it your family’s Valentine Day treat – cut them into heart shapes.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

How would you like a case of Chocolate Walnut Cookies, Sugar Free, by Joseph’s Lite Cookies delivered to your door? Enter to win by going to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes today!

Did you know that Parmesan Cheese feeds your Bones, Muscles, and Nerves?  Every time you sprinkle some on your spaghetti, salad, vegetables such as green beans, or eggs, you are not only adding pungent flavor to your food, you are fueling three important body parts. Since Parmesan cheese, is higher in sodium (1 cup has over 1500 mg sodium), use a little, just enough to replace the taste of salt.  That's what we have been doing for years in my home. 

Parmesan cheese is made from skim cow's milk in Italy and is usually is aged 12 to 16 months. They say the best comes from the Parmigiano-Reggiano area of Italy. I find it most cost efficient to buy a hard chunk and then grate it myself.  Why pay for someone else's labor? Just make sure you have a good grater and put your kids to work. Remember, the better the Parmesan cheese, the better the flavors, the less you need.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

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.