"You may like them. You will see."

"Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say."

By Dr. Seuss

This quote by Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite quotes to use with my kids. Last night we hit a milestone and my oldest child tried eggs! No they were not of the green variety as mentioned in Dr. Seuss's classic Green Eggs and Ham, they were scrambled with cheese. Our youngest loves eggs and I see eggs as an excellent protein source especially since our kids do not really eat any beef, chicken or fish. They do get protein through beans, nuts, dairy and soy products but are hesitant to try new protein sources. So, last night, with the help of an all fruit Popsicle bribe, we made a breakthrough with food. Mom wins twice! New food and whole fruit dessert. Yea mom!

Just in case you need a little help with trying new things think about some of the books that you may already have on your child's bookshelf or take a trip to the library. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss is a great lesson that can be carried over into all aspects of trying new things, especially food.



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Need to talk to a nutrition expert who coaches adults and kids? Then contact: Brandi@ABCDEatRight.com

3 Things Dad Does NOT need for Father's day

Every year we take a day to give our dad thanks for being that special loving guy. We shower him with homemade and store bought gifts. My dad still has mugs and ties from when I gifted them to him over 25 years ago. Every year I think about homemade things I can gift that will be special. Most families host BBQ's or family meals to celebrate the occasion. Three things I know my dad, or any dad for that matter, does not need for fathers day include food borne illness promoters such as Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter.

Salmonella is commonly found in poultry products. Salmonella usually becomes a problem when foods are cross contaminated due to mixing raw and cooked foods and handling food with unwashed hands.

Listeria is commonly found in unpasteurized dairy products, raw meat and ready to eat foods such as hot dogs, soft cheeses and deli meats.

Campylobacter is linked to undercooked poultry and cross contamination.

These unwanted pathogens cause hundreds of thousands of people to become hospitalized every year. Since Father's Day falls in a summer month when things are starting to heat up its important to pay close details to how food is prepared in your household. Remember the following tips and you should be good to go this Father's day:

1. Wash hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
2. Defrost meat, fish and poultry in the refrigerator or under cold running water. Marinated meats also need to be refrigerated.
3. Keep raw meats separate from cooked food and keep an extra set of utensils and serving platters for the cooked food.
4. Don't cook meat all at one time, choose small batches within 20 minutes of eating.
5. Don't let food sit directly in the sun and discard the food once it has been in the heat for more than 2 hours.
6. Teach your children to wash their hands often and safety when handling food.

Our school and parent "On A Nutrition Mission" boxes are almost here! Stay tuned for more information on how we can help spread the word to parents and schools by helping them make nutrition education fun and exciting.

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Slime and Fat

This week I am promoting healthy eating and Food Revolution Day to the Kindergartners and fifth grade classes at my son's school. I plan to do a few demonstrations of which involve sugar, fat and pink slime. I am looking forward to keeping the attention of the fifth graders by adding that "yuck" factor so I am hoping that my fabricated slime and fat will do the trick. The fat is actually homemade playdoh and the slime I purchased from Steven Spangler Science Experiments in which I added the pink coloring. My goal is to teach the students about what is in their food.

Pink slime has received a lot of attention over the past few months. Pink slime is also known as lean finely textured beef (LFTB) and boneless lean beef trimmings (BLBT). It is considered a beef based food additive that has been added as an inexpensive filler to fast food and some school districts hamburgers. It consists of finely ground beef scraps, sinew (tendon), fat, and connective tissue which is removed through a mechanical process and then treated with ammonia gas or citric acid to kill any E.coli, salmonella or other bacteria. It is ground up then pressed into blocks which is then flash frozen and added to beef products. In February McDonald's announced that they no longer were adding pink slime to their hamburgers.

Fat is not necessarily evil unless it is a bad fat like saturated or trans fats. These fats wreak havoc on the body and over time can contribute to major health issues. Trans fats have slowly been removed from most foods and can be found on food labels.

It's time to really think about what goes into the foods that we eat. Take a look at the food labels and educate yourself on what is going into your child's body.

 

Jackson had a great time playing with the pink slime. Since we don't consume fast food or hamburgers for that matter, I don't think that he quite understood that these ingredients could be found in something that is commonly ingested.

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If looks could Kale

Sometimes presenting foods to kids can be a little rough, especially when the food is not the most visually appealing. Kale for instance looks like a small bush. Before kale is cooked it can be a dusty green color and way too big for tiny mouths to eat without trimming down. But once kale is cooked it is transformed into an amazing bright green beautiful healthy addition to the diet.

Visually, kale can perk up but then bitterness hits the tongue and this is the second road block on the road to healthy eating. Kale is considered a cruciferous vegetable along with broccoli. Most kids like to look at the little trees of broccoli but despise the bitter taste.

The good news is that there is hope. The Journal of  the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggested that although these antioxidant rich foods are bitter they may be more receptive if they have a dip to go along with it.

Dip you say? And eat them they may? It is worth a try!

Vegetarian times recently published three recipes to encourage dipping. The three recipes included: Almond-miso dip, Creamy white and green speckle dip, and Butter bean green dip.

My favorite would have to be Almond-miso dip in which you dissolve 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons white miso paste in 1/2 cup warm apple juice. Mix thoroughly with 1/2 cup smooth almond butter adding more warm apple juice if needed. This recipe was created by Vegetarian Times executive chef Ann Gentry author of Vegan Family Meals. To get the other recipes click the link above and search their site for some great ideas.

For other dip ideas try some old favorite like Ranch dip, hummus, salsa, applesauce (why not?) or even a queso (cheese dip).

Don't forget that it may take up to 10 times before a child likes a new food. Be patient and try new things.

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April Fool's Time Capsule for 2112- Will kids be healthier then?

Today I start a blogging challenge with www.WEGOHealth.com as a health activist! Pretty exciting things are happening at ABCD Eat Right this year and taking this blogging challenge will be a step in another fun direction. Today's challenge is to set up a time capsule to be opened in the year 2112. So to my future great-great-grandchildren ( I hope to have someday) I leave you with a photo image summary of 2012's National Nutrition Month from my company ABCD Eat Right. My personal challenge was to motivate parents this month to get their children's plate in shape and to learn about healthy snacks that every child would eat and love.

How many healthy snacks can you find in each picture below?

Captain Crunchy!

Rainbow of Color

Quick and healthy (store bought) snacks

Can fat be healthy? Sure! As long as you avoid Saturated and trans fats and choose foods that are rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids.

P.S. Enjoy the photos! The photos were also taken by my husband Kel Thompson from America's Production Company.

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Who is the most important influence for a healthy kid?

During this amazing month of March I have met hundreds of healthy kids! I taught a weekly class that was visited by preschool to early elementary level kids, spoke to an entire elementary (about 900 people), had a Q&A session with a set of local preschool parents, manned a booth at the local green market, visited all the third graders at my son's school (about 160 kids), spoke at a local mostly Spanish and creole speaking community center, had a press release published in a local newspaper and visited the local Florida Atlantic University. 

What did all of these places have in common?  I saw first hand what the role of everyone in a community has on feeding children. From the University students that may have just gotten through their teenage years and may some day choose to have children to the teachers in the elementary school, to the very concerned parents in the local preschool and foreign speaking community center. This role as the leader, educator and listener all packaged in multiple different bodies. Everyone has a role to play but the main role is a positive and healthy influence!


What each person chooses to place in their mouth every day will profoundly effect their future health. Each child that they have contact with will also be effected (directly and indirectly) by what each person chooses to eat.

Choosing a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, low fat dairy, less processed and chemically laden foods, more organic or local products and less added sugar will enhance the quality of all people involved.

Whether it is a teacher, parent, school aged child, preschooler, grandparent, friend, aunt or uncle, cousin, teenager or 20-something every single age group has their role as a leader in the realm of nutrition.
Think about who you influence and what you can do as an adult to make your diet better! Your body and a child's body will thank you .

Even though National Nutrition Month is over we will never stop talking about healthy eating here at ABCD Eat Right! This week we continue our weekly e-newsletter where we left off prior to National Nutrition Month with the ABC's of Nutrition.
What will G week teach us?
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Help promote healthy nutrition for kids- one pledge at a time.

I wanted to share with you a campaign to help kids eat healthier and be healthier by making one simple pledge each week.

We know that the majority of children don't eat enough nutritious foods to help them develop strong and healthy bodies. Today, over 85% of children are deficient in at least one or more key nutrients.

I am joining the Chef Solus March to National Nutrition Month by making a pledge to help children make healthier

choices each week.

Each week nourishinteractive.com gives a new pledge, one simple goal to focus on to help children eat healthier and some tips to help you get started. It literally takes less then one minute

to show your support.

All pledges are entered into a weekly drawing for cool prizes that promote health (valued at $30-50).

It will only take you a a minute of your time so please support this important cause. Our children are counting on you! You can make your weekly pledge to help kids by clicking here. Please join me and make your pledge for healthy children.

Healthy kids cooking in the kitch

How can cooking in the kitchen help kids become healthy? Most parents shutter at the idea of having the little one in tow as they hectically prepare for a meal. The kitchen can be a dangerous place for kids but as long as safety is the first rule at hand, everyone can have fun and learn at the same time.

We have general rules in our kitchen which were set up for safety. For instance the knives are stored in the cabinet and not in a drawer or on the counter top, they must stand at least 2 feet back when I open the oven door and they have to have their listening ears on at all times when they are helping us.

The joys of listening to our daughter laugh when she helps daddy crack eggs for breakfast or when our son counts off vegetables outweighs the massive mess!

Today I look forward to the kids helping me make a special Tres Leches birthday cake for my husband. I know they will have fun making the cake and learning about how to be safe in the kitchen as well as all the valuable measuring, reading, counting and comparing lessons they will learn are priceless!

What will you cook with your kids today?

We are halfway through March this week and we are celebrating with a visual snack attack of rainbows for your child's plate. If you do not have our newsletter make sure and sign up at www.ABCDEatRight.com

And we are looking to go over 1500 likes on our Facebook page! Click here to help us out!  

Eating disorders and nutrition for kids

Nutrition for kids is a huge topic. It carries us from breastfeeding babies to childhood obesity, food allergies, chronic diseases, failure to thrive and eating disorders. The week of February 26- March 3 is recognized as National Eating Disorder week in our country. It is a time to bring recognition to a disease that is prevalent in our thriving country.

The statistics for children aged 8-15 years old is relatively low- approximately 0.1% of children are considered to have an eating disorder. Females are more likely to have an eating disorder but there are many males that also fight the disorder.

An eating disorder is defined by extreme change in eating habits. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorders.

The good news is that eating disorders are treatable with the help of psychotherapy, nutrition counseling and medical care and monitoring.

If you think a child might have an eating disorder it is important to seek professional advice and intervention. Discuss the situation with your pediatrician who can then refer you to the proper channels of mental health and nutritional counseling.

Don't forget to sign up for our free weekly newsletter at www.ABCDEatRight.com .We will continue the ABC's of Nutrition series until March where we will have visual surprises for you in our kid, parent and teacher friendly newsletter!

Exercise..an important part of kids health

What goes along with kids health? Healthy diets for kids and healthy foods for kids are just the beginning. Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week is important for the overall health of a child. The physical as well as mental and emotional aspects of health.

In a world that is gravitating towards indoor activities there are still ways to get moving.
If you have a Wii or other game box look into their sports and dance games. These are a fun and interactive way to get moving.

An online computer resource with short videos attached to incentives is an online site called www.GetSweaty.com. This program is designed for the school or home setting.

Join an organized sports team, dance class or tumbling class. Community centers are a good place to start for less expensive programs.

Once a child gets into elementary school they may only have physical education once every 3 days, if they are lucky. Some schools no longer have a physical education component. In order to help your school get moving more form a wellness committee and look into the guidelines provided by www.letsmove.gov to give you more ideas.

Even the little ones will benefit from exercise so make it a point to get moving to stay healthy!

Don't miss a letter in ABCD Eat Right's ABC's of Nutrition series.

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