Posts from — May 2009

We’re all familiar with the ubiquitous children’s menu at most restaurants – grilled cheese, hot dog, mac n’ cheese, chicken fingers…

While usually an easy destination for the youthful menu reviewer, the familiar items on the Kid’s Menu are typically very far from healthy.  Growing bodies need far more nutrition and far fewer calories, less fat and less sodium than these items will provide.

Next time you’re out, try ordering a healthier choice from the main menu and split it with your little companion (restaurant portions are usually quite large – enough to share).

Or work with your child to order familiar (but not very healthy) dishes in a more nutritious way – grilled instead of fried, whole wheat instead of white, dressing on the side…

There may be initial resistance, but the example you’re setting is an excellent one!

Happy Memorial Day – the unofficial start of the long-awaited summer season.  It’s also when we all try to not just imagine, but actually try to execute, a family vacation.

Family travel when a loved one has a food allergy, especially to foreign destinations, does not have to be daunting.  Take a look at this piece on deliciousbaby.com for excellent advice on how to take some of the stress out of travel abroad.

Have a fantastic AND safe trip!

I just came across a fantastic article: “The Clean Plate Club: Why Your Family Shouldn’t Join” by Kelly Burgess.

Kelly talks about the negative effects of insisting that kids finish all the food in front of them at meal times.  She insists that such a “rule” interferes with a child’s growing appreciation for listening to her body’s own cues of hunger and satiety – as well as curiosity about trying new dishes.

Take a read.  I’d love to hear about how you do meal times around your own table.

Come learn all about Indigo Rabbit and taste free samples of your favorite cookies varieties!  Pick up your favorites for your holiday weekend!!!

Whole Foods Market, Cranston, RI – Friday, May 22, 11:00-1:00

Whole Foods Market, Andover, MA – Saturday, May 23, 12:00-2:00

Resist the temptation to label foods with some moral designation.

If you love a food that is high in sugar or fat, simply eat it in moderation in combination with other more healthful elements in your diet.

French fries are neither good nor bad; they’re just french fries.

When you deny yourself something you enjoy out of guilt, you’re setting the stage for a binge later on.  It’s all about balance.

I encourage all of you with gluten concerns (and those of you who care about someone who does) to visit the “Product Research” section on heathyvilli.com.  They use a very user-friendly approach to explaining common product lines and their individual GF claims and manufacturing practices.  A very hand tool!

We hear all the time that our kids are getting too much sugar.  Sugar in foods provides us with empty calories, calories that are not equipped to serve any healthful function within our bodies.  It can be found on labels in many forms – fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose – basically anything ending in “-ose”. 

I work with kids a lot and have started having fun with a terrific exercise I found in the February 2009 edition of Family Fun magazine entitled “Beat the Sugar Blues”. 

A brilliant young man, 13 years old, did a demonstration of common foods and their corresponding sugar contents by utilizing sugar cubes (2 grams of sugar per cube).  There are no daily reference values for sugar, but a good rule of thumb is 48 grams per day MAX.  That’s 12 teaspoons/12 sugar packets/6 sugar cubes. 

According to the article, a 20oz bottle of soda contains 17 teaspoons of sugar = 17 sugar packets = 34 sugar cubes = 68 GRAMS OF SUGAR!   The pioneer of this Family Fun article built a WALL of sugar cubes to illustrate his point.  A Hi-C Juice Box has 6 teaspoons of sugar/6 sugar packets/> 12 sugar cubes.  That’s ONE item in a kid’s lunch box! 

Get out your calculator and try this out at home.

Try to get more of the daily recommendations of Fiber, and get below on Fats, Sodium and Cholesterol.

The longer the ingredient list, the more processed and unhealthy the food is.

Take a look at a kitchen favorite for me and my girls on Cafemom.com!!!