Kids love smoothies! As Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, LDN shows us, this Blue Banana Smoothie has a surprise ingredient that adds more nutrition while still being delicious! Blue Banana Smoothie Happy National Nutrition Month!
Kids love smoothies! As Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, LDN shows us, this Blue Banana Smoothie has a surprise ingredient that adds more nutrition while still being delicious! Blue Banana Smoothie Happy National Nutrition Month!
March marks the celebration of National Nutrition Month! If your New Year's resolutions were forgotten come February, here's the perfect chance to make small daily changes all month long with the help of Nourished. I'll post daily tips, both on the blog and facebook, that will be easy to achieve but will make a huge impact over the month.
Milk, milk, milk. And, more milk. Choosing milk for our kids seems like it should be a fairly straightforward nutrition topic. Unfortunately, with the rise of milk protein allergies and the abundance of lactose intolerance, I counted a total of 11 ... FULL STORY
When most people think about food allergies, thoughts of peanut-induced anaphylaxis might spring to mind. Are you familiar with Food-pollen allergy syndrome or Latex-fruit syndrome? Well, when my husband and I first met, I was not. I actually laughed at him. My husband, at the time, was not the healthiest person. So, naturally when he told me that fresh carrots, celery, and cherries made his throat itch, I thought he was trying to keep his crazy-dietitian-girlfriend from fixing his diet.
About the time that my nephew was diagnosed with mild peanut and milk protein allergies, I started delving more into food allergy literature. I now, for the entire world to read, apologize to my husband for giving him such a hard time! So, lets explore these two poorly-known allergies:
Food-Pollen Allergy Syndrome
This is also referred to as oral allergy syndrome and fresh-fruit syndrome. This condition occurs in 25-50% of people suffering from seasonal allergies. Within a few minutes of eating a fresh fruit or veggie, this person can experience itchiness of the mouth/throat. Symptoms last about 20-30 minutes and then disappear. It's caused by similar allergens that are found in both the pollen and some fresh foods. An allergy skin test may confirm the allergy.
Problem foods:
Latex-fruit syndrome
Another lesser known food allergy can affect those with latex allergies. Certain fresh foods (specifically kiwi, water chestnut, avocado, mango, and sometimes potato) can cause an allergic reaction as these foods share similar proteins as latex.
Welcome to the Daily Herald's December column from "Your Neighborhood Nutritionist":
When I started thinking about the holidays and all the delicious food, I tried to come up with some fun nutrition topics that might help other parents embark on a healthier holiday season. Instead, my mind kept traveling to thoughts of the family... Full Story
Diabetes awareness is first step in fighting it.
In my life before kids, I had the best job — working with the endocrinology team at Children’s Memorial Hospital.
Working closely with all the families was extremely rewarding, but now that I’m a mom, I can better empathize with the challenges diabetes can place on the day-to-day life of a child, their family, and their friends.
Nov. 14 is World Diabetes Day, and I couldn’t think of a better topic to discuss this month, especially with the sweet treats of the holiday season upon us... Full Story
Whether you are a new parent and starting solids with your baby or have older school-aged kids, organic food is a hot topic.
Luckily, since the organic industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, you can walk into almost any grocery chain, large or small, and find an abundance of organic produce to choose from.
Constipation in children is probably one of the top five reasons that a parent contacts me. It can be frustrating, both for the child and the parent. When a child experiences pain passing a stool, they can often try to hold it in in the future - this only perpetuates the problem. And, consider the last time you had a bout of constipation, your stomach feels so full that the last thing you want to do is put more food in. Kids feel the same way. Unfortunately, younger children are often more sporadic eaters. You put this on top of the sporadic eating and it usually results with a very frustrated parent.
First, lets look at how a normal stool forms: as digested food moves thru the intestines, water is absorbed and the waste from the food is left creating the stool. For a soft stool, enough water must remain and the rectal muscles need to contract to move this stool along. When either the water or the muscle pathways fail, constipation results. If these pathways are malfunctioning, the stool sits for longer periods in the intestines causing it to become harder and larger. The larger it gets, the more it weakens the intestine muscles creating even more difficulty in passing it. Additionally, the harder and larger the stool becomes, the more likely it becomes to tear the soft tissue of the rectum causing pain and often blood. All of this combined causing the child to react by holding on to the stool longer as a protection from the pain.
Based on the common causes of constipation in children, the first steps in treatment are to: drink plenty, get moving, and add more fiber to the diet (check out a previous hot topic for more information on fiber). However, if this doesn't stimulate the stool, your child may need medical assistance with a stool softener, but there are several natural laxatives you can implement.
The following fruits are natural laxatives that help regulate the intestines and soften stools extremely well. You can add these fruits to smoothies, puree them and smooth on toast or add to oatmeal, and stir them into yogurt.
This week, Joey's favorite meal is mac and cheese with strawberries and next week, he won't touch it. Frustration. As you finally have a small repertoire of guaranteed meals, Joey hits a food rut and won't eat any of it — now, he fights even coming to the table. Frustration peaks. If this sounds like your house, you are not alone...
To Read more:
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110614/entlife/706149922/#ixzz1QDpmstEq
Serve one new food once a week, with no pressure to eat it all. After everyone has tried the food, put it to a formal vote. If everyone enjoys it, add it to the regular menu. Choose an exotic fruit or vegetable or an ethnic dish that you've never tried before. You may find that your children like veggie burgers or hummus served with raw vegetables.
For delicious recipes and information about Meatless Monday, visit www.meatlessmonday.com. This movement is already popular in many countries.
Have your children set a goal of eating a fruit or vegetable from every major color group each week - red, orange-yellow, green, blue-purple, and white. Divide a piece of paper into seven columns, one column for each day. Use markers, crayons, or colorful stickers to help your child mark the colors eaten each day.
Take a walk after dinner. Use the stairs instead of the escalator at the mall. Don't choose the closest parking spot to the store's entrance. Work physical activity into everyone's schedule. The possibilities are endless!
We've all heard people state that they're "addicted to food", but does such a condition really exist? The answer is yes, and it's sometimes very serious. Some experts, however, refrain from using the term "food addiction:, preferring to refer to it as "bingeing disorder". Food addicting or binge eating disorder involves the same brain circuits and underlying genetic susceptibilities as addiction to drugs.