Baby
& Toddler Nutrition
The Best Diet for
Kids
Starting Solids
The Mother-Child
Weight Connection
Enough Calcium Without Cow’s Milk??
Five Reasons to Make Your Own Baby Food
Organic: A Choice For Our Children
Foods and Supplements for the
Nursing Baby
When It Has to Be Formula
Eight Easy Ways to Get Your Children to Eat Vegetables
Nourishing Your Independent Toddler
Cooking
& Recipes
"Tastes Like
Chicken" Cashew Gravy
Is Your Microwave Oven Safe?
Immune A-Go-Go Soup
Potato Poppers
Cranberry-Orange Relish
Heart-Healthy Garlic
Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving Family Recipe: Sweet Potato Corn Bread
You Can Eat Healthy This Thanksgiving!
Vegetable Upside-Down Casserole
Frugal, Nutritious Snacks for Kids
Quick,
Healthy Snacks and Fun!
Vegetarian
Lifestyle
When Your Teen Goes Vegetarian
Your Vegetarian Pregnancy – Is It Safe?
The Over-Processed, Hormone-Injected, Super-Sized Backlash:
Could Your Family Go Vegetarian?
Vegetarian Alternatives to Thanksgiving Turkey
Enough Calcium Without Cow’s Milk??
Vegetable Upside-Down Casserole
Raise a Healthy Vegetarian Kid
General Food & Nutrition
Articles
Coffee
with a Conscience
Many
busy, sleep-deprived parents jump-start their day with a cup
of java. Now coffee lovers can pack even more into their morning
cup. With so many options for eco-friendly coffee, consumers
can have a significant impact on the environment, rainforest
ecology and conditions for coffee farmers in the coffee growing
regions of the world.
Soy
Milk Alternatives
Maybe
you’re a vegetarian who’s decided to go vegan,
or perhaps you’ve just opted to give up drinking cow’s
milk. Either way, there’s a good chance you’ve
reached for a carton of soy milk to replace the dairy.
Organics
Delivered!
A
plate of bruised apple slices was offered around the playgroup.
Every parent in the group could relate to the story; the battered
apples were the result of a harried shopping trip that was
spent rescuing soft fruit from busy toddler hands. “Why
not get your organic produce delivered?” Kelly Maxwell,
group member and working mother of two asked.
Cranberries
Show Their Strength
When
is the last time you ate cranberries? Was it with a turkey
dinner? With all the research pointing to the amazing health
benefits of this simple berry, shouldn't cranberries be more
than a once-a-year side dish?
Vitamin
C Earns an “A”!
There’s
been a great deal of research concerning the many ways in which
vitamin C is beneficial to health. Also known as ascorbic acid,
this nutrient serves the body in a variety of ways. There’s
a great deal of research indicating its value in helping the
body overcome serious illness and disease. Some studies indicate
a good potential for the possibility that vitamin C can even
help prevent some diseases.
Organic
Wines for the Holidays
Perhaps
you’ve considered giving organic wines a try but, from
what little you know about organic wines, have decided they
couldn’t be much more than a step up from vinegar.
Decoding
Food Labels
Whether
you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes
or simply losing weight, you want to eat a healthy diet and
focus on foods that are high in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients
and balanced in fats, carbs, proteins.
Gluten-Free
Holidays
If you’re the parent of a celiac child, who must keep
your child on a gluten-free diet, you have to be extra careful
during the holidays to ensure Aunt Sally doesn’t slip
little Mikey a chocolate chip cookie.
Dieters
Need More Calcium
Women
on diets need more calcium than normal to avoid bone loss,
say Rutgers University researchers.Studies showed a weight
loss diet of 1.5 pounds a week for six weeks cuts absorption
of calcium.
What
Should I Eat, Coach?
One
year ago, the Wellborn family from Plano needed help. Eleven-year-old
Brecken was growing broader faster than he was growing taller
and some of the kids at school were beginning to tease. Additionally,
the Wellborns suspected that 13-year-old Makenna, a competitive
gymnast, needed more protein in her diet to get her through
her intense schedule of practices. “We were going through
a period of poor eating habits,” recalls mom Pam Wellborn, “and
we wanted to nip it in the bud.”
Candida:
Restoring Balance with Ayurveda
Candida
albicans is a yeast-like fungus that lives in the mouth and
throat, the intestinal tract and the genital tract. Normally,
the population of candida is in healthy balance with other
intestinal flora. However, sometimes its population explodes
because of various factors such as an improper diet, bursts
of intense stress or ongoing low-grade stress that isn't managed
effectively combined with poor sleep/exercise routines or antibiotics
or oral contraceptives.
Is
Your Organic Garden Really Organic? Hidden Problems with
Lead and Arsenic in your soil
You
know not to garden near your house, because your home was once
painted with lead-based paint. You know not to garden near the
road because automobile exhaust used to contain lead. But did you
know that former farming practices might have contributed to lead
and arsenic contamination in your soil?
The
Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners
Back
to school time often means thinking about what to put in your
child’s lunchbox. If you’re like most parents,
you’re probably concerned about the increasing rate of
childhood diabetes and obesity.
10
Smart Reasons to Use Fish Oil
We
are in the grip of an omega-3 fish oil wave. Every day, more
studies are published showing just how important this nutrient
is to us. Last week, it was children with concentration problems;
this week, it is children with autism.
10
Back-to-School Power Breakfasts
Breakfast
is the most important meal of the day for growing school children.
It provides the necessary brain and body power to make it through
the first half of the day. Children who start out each school
day with a good breakfast perform better academically and have
fewer behavior problems.
Incredible,
Essential CoQ10
CoQ10
is also one of the most powerful antioxidants known to man. Deficiencies
in CoQ10 (also known as Coenzyme Q10) can cause or aggravate many
conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and periodontal disease.
Healthy levels of CoQ10 help to lower your blood pressure and
assist circulation as well as maintain healthy muscle tissue in
your heart.
Juice
It! Fruits and Veggies the Easy Way
In
today's world, pollution and chemicals come at us from all angles.
Our water contains toxic levels of metals and chlorine. Our produce
is tainted with pesticides. Our meat and meat products are pumped
full of hormones and antibiotics. It
is small wonder that so many of us fall prey to chronic ailments
and disease — so much so that conditions like allergies,
PMS and migraines have become as common as a cold or the flu.
Hot
Java! What Is Sustainable Coffee?
Gourmet coffee
lovers have been seeing a few new terms in the local premium coffee
shop as they file past the seasonal retail displays of roasted,
whole bean bagged coffees. Phrases include ”eco-friendly,”
“organic,” “shade-grown,” “fair
trade” and “certified sustainable.” Most often
those beans seem to the casual buyer to be simply more expensive
than the corporate mega-brands. But these few phrases represent
far more benefits than at first glance, including economic and
social gains for the growing regions and farmers, harvesters and
processors of green coffee beans at the local level.
7
Reasons To Eat Organic
Organically grown fruit and
vegetables are not covered in a cocktail of chemicals. Even after
washing, a conventionally grown apple may have 20 chemicals on
its skin. Conventionally grown fruit and vegetables contain more
water and fewer vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants than organically
grown produce. Even processed organic food is better for you,
as manufacturers are banned from using many of the most harmful
additives such as hydrogenated fat, MSG and artificial flavorings
and colorings.
Is
Farmed Salmon Safe to Eat?
The American
Heart Association recommends eating fish/salmon and their products
to prevent heart disease. On the other hand, recent media reports
indicate that some fish and farmed salmon contain toxic substances.
There is an obvious discrepancy in the limit set by various health
agencies. So don't give up fish and salmon completely. It is a
known fact that fish and salmon offer benefits in heart health.
The benefits to heart health may outweigh the risk of getting
cancer from eating farmed salmon. Choose a variety of fish and
include them in a healthy well-balanced diet.
Is
Fish Still Safe to Eat?
Fish and shellfish contain high-quality
protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat
and contain omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet that includes
a variety of fish and shellfish can contribute to heart health
and children's proper growth and development. However,
nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. For most
people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is
not a health concern. Yet, some fish and shellfish contain higher
levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child's
developing nervous system.
A
Closer Look At Your Child's School Lunch
Starting
in October 2002, irradiated meats became featured in many U.S.
school lunch programs. Food manufacturers in the United States
are currently allowed to irradiate raw meat and poultry to control
microbial pathogens and began marketing irradiated beef products
in mid 2000. However, according to Samuel Epstein, M.D., professor
emeritus of environmental and occupational m medicine at the University
of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, consumers are
wary of irradiated food — and with good reason.
Local
Honey: Can It Alleviate Allergies?
As one who makes his living
by writing about allergies and asthma, I am often asked about
the potential health benefits of using local honey. Here I am
talking about alleviating allergy symptoms, not “curing”
allergies, which is far easier said than done. Honey contains
bits and pieces of pollen and honey. As an immune system booster,
it is quite powerful. In talks and articles and in my books, I
advocate using local honey. Frequently I’ll get e-mails
from readers who want to know exactly what I mean by local honey,
and how “local” should it be. This is what I usually
advise.
7
Ways to Soothe Your Allergies
Spring is here, and allergy
sufferers everywhere are tearing up. The warmer weather invites
us to spend more time outdoors but the red eyes, itchy noses and
nasal congestion make outdoor fun a challenge. Check with your
health care provider to see if any of these supplements can help
ease those uncomfortable symptoms and to make sure they are safe
in your particular situation.
The
Arthritis Sufferer’s Diet
Arthritis affects more than
40 million Americans and is referred to as the most common chronic
disease in people over 40. Doctors believe there are over 100
different forms of arthritis, all sharing one main characteristic:
they all cause joint inflammation. What can you do to relieve
the symptoms of arthritis? A lot. There is a great deal of debate
in the medical world about the effects of overall diet on arthritis
and using diet toward alleviating the condition.
The
Niacin Rush
Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid,
is very necessary for your body. Niacin is needed at the cellular
level. It is an important nutrient in cellular processes that
create the ultimate energy currency of your body: ATP or adenosine
triphosphate.
Immune
A-Go-Go Soup
Good enough for dinner any
night, this soup is of special benefit for those in the midst
of chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Variations on this soup
are a regular part of my anti-cancer lifestyle.
Natural
Alternatives for Lupus Symptoms
Making healthy diet and lifestyle changes will
enable you to better manage the symptoms of autoimmune disorders
such as lupus, fibromyalgia and Sjogren's syndrome while moving
towards healing and wellness. The
following lifestyle modifications will not only benefit autoimmune
conditions — minimizing discomfort and maximizing healing
— but will also help reduce your risk of every common degenerative
disease affecting Americans today.
Vitamin
A: The Glow-in-the-Dark Vitamin
The ancient Egyptians had
a cure for "night blindness": they fed the patient lots
and lots of liver. Perhaps they thought they were appeasing the
gods of sight. In 1930, the first fat-soluble vitamin was discovered,
vitamin A, which it turns out does indeed appease the gods of
sight. Vitamin A is best known for improving eyesight, particularly
at night, which is one of two reasons we call it the “glow-in-the-dark
vitamin.” But the eyes are not the only part of your body
grateful for your generous consumption of vitamin A.
The
Health Benefits of Chocolate
Good news: Research says you can have your cake
and eat it, too — as long as that cake is chocolate. For
centuries, chocolate has been used to treat diseases and maladies
such as depression. Civilizations from Mexico to Europe have hailed
chocolate as an aphrodisiac. The U.S. government officially recognized
its virtues in World War II, making the chocolate candy bar standard
issue for the military.
Sage:
More Than Poultry Stuffing!
The wise gardener who planted
salvia officinalis has an abundance of sage for valuable
medicinal use. Prepared as an infusion (1 teaspoon of the herb
steeped 15 to 30 minutes in a covered cup of boiled water), sage
has a multitude of applications.
Find
Community Resources
In an ever-expanding global
market, it's easy to forget that most of our needs can be met
by using the resources we have access to in our own communities.
As gasoline prices rise, which in turn tend to increase the price
of every item transported, it's to our advantage as well as the
environment to buy locally.
Immune-Boosting
Supplements for Winter Health
Holiday cheer isn’t
the only thing that abounds this winter: Cold weather ushers in
the sniffles, sneezes and coughs of cold and flu season. Check
with your health care provider to see if any of these supplements
can help your family avoid illness or feel better quickly in the
event you do get sick.
10
Ways to Cut Cholesterol Naturally
When most
people think of cholesterol, they think of the waxy fat-like substance
that is found in many of the foods we eat. Although cholesterol
is often feared, the truth is that your body needs cholesterol
for a number of different things. For example, it is used in the
manufacture and maintenance of strong cell walls, it is critical
for hormone and vitamin D production and it even is used to coat
the nerve cells in the body.
What’s
the buzz about raw foods?
Which is better: cooked food or raw? What is meant
by "raw food" and what is meant by "cooked food?"
One cannot simply say that raw is uncooked, for there are raw
food "cookbooks." Nor is cooking simply the application
of heat through boiling, baking or frying, as I soon discovered.
Ripening itself is one form of natural cooking; others are described
later.
4
Ways To Lose Weight Naturally and Effectively
You'll be surprised
to know that you don't need to stop eating or have to exercise
for hours every day to lose weight. Just a few simple lifestyle
changes added daily can turn your life around quickly. You will
start to lose weight within days and feel better as well.
The Smart Way to Eat Fast Food
If you find that
the very survival of you and your kids seems to depend on the
occasional consumption of fast food, you don't have to cut it
out all together. You just have to make judicious, nutritious
choices.
Top
10 Reasons to Go Organic
The average child
receives more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely
used cancer-causing pesticides in food. The food choices you make
now will affect your child’s health in the future.
Take
Zinc for Healthy Bodies and Minds
Did you know that zinc deficiency
ranks 11th out of the top 20 risk factors for disease? Yes, zinc!
According to the World Health Organization, zinc deficiencies
are responsible for 16% of lower respiratory infections (such
as pneumonia) and 10% of diarrheal illness worldwide.
10
Tips for Staying Within Your Dietary Restrictions
Over time this will all get easier. Your body will begin to repair
itself and it will stop craving the unhealthy food eventually.
It is a long process, but when you begin to see little steps of
progress then you will feel more motivated. It will also take
some time for your taste buds to adjust to alternative foods.
Give it time.
Try
Saw Palmetto for Prostate Health
In their
recent article about using saw palmetto to treat prostate disorders,
Andrea Gordon, M.D., and Allen Shaughnessy, Pharm.D., state that
“saw palmetto appears to have efficacy similar to that of
medications like finasteride, but it is better tolerated and less
expensive.”
Melt
Away Tension With Lemon Balm
Lemon
balm, a member of the mint family, has been used for centuries
to melt away tension, relax the body and soothe the mind. Often
overlooked, it deserves to be considered as a part of any medicinal
herb garden.
Community-Supported
Agriculture, Farm Markets, and Pick-Your-Own
At a time when small farmers
are struggling to survive, this helps local economies and is a
more sustainable practice than continually buying food trucked
into supermarkets over thousands of miles.
Have
You Fed Your Good Bugs Today? - Prebiotics
Foods
such as yogurt, buttermilk, miso or kefir are the most recognized
foods providing good bacteria for the gut.
