Just Eat It! Getting kids to eat healthy food.

Ever battle with a child to just eat their vegetables? It is a terribly negative experience that will leave them resenting that they ever had to put it in their mouths? Do they sit at the dinner table whining and crying over it until you finally give in and give them what you know they will eat? That child has you in the palm of her hand at that point and is in complete control over you!

I know a mother who feeds her child just about nothing but chicken nuggets. She complains that he won’t eat anything else, so to get him to eat, she feeds him what he ‘wants.’ The problem with this and any child who only eats this or that, is that if we as parents limit what we feed our child, he/she will only eat those foods. I guarantee that it has a lot to do with the parent’s attitude toward food choices as well, but kids WILL eat when they are hungry. Don’t provide the unhealthy food, and they can’t eat it! A child may go hungry for even a whole meal (this is not harmful to them for one meal), but no doubt, when the next healthy meal comes along, they will eat if they are hungry! It is so vital to their nutrition and health to introduce them early to many vegetables and fruits. If a child never has an unhealthy chicken nugget full of preservatives, and saturated fats, he will never know the difference. This parent introduced a chicken nugget to her child early in life, but I’m sure if she introduced better choices early in life, he would learn to love them too – even without having to put ketchup on it!

10 Tips: What you can do to get your child to eat healthy food – and like it!

1. Let them help - Get them in the garden with you (or produce section of the store) and teach them what the different vegetables are. Pick one and let her make it with you in the kitchen. She will have ownership in the process and get excited to try what ‘she has made’.
   
2. Make it fun – Cut up all sorts of vegetables of many colors, display it in a fun dish, and get a variety of dipping sauces for them. They will want to try them out.
   
3. Let them choose – Let them decide what vegetables they want for dinner.
   
4. Surprise them – Add spinach to lasagna, or cooked carrots or squash, cut small, into macaroni and cheese. There are a lot of ways you can sneak the good stuff in.
   
5. Make smoothies with vegetables and fruits – Start with less veggies and more fruits – they’ll never know it is there. Then gradually introduce more veggies and less fruit.
   
6. Vegetarian night – Pick one night a week where you consistently ONLY have a variety of vegetables, cooked and raw. Make it fun, and delicious. Make this the one night that you set the table perfectly, with the good dishes. Possibly even have candles or other decorations that tells everyone at the table – “wow – this is a special night of the week”. Call the night “Family Fun Night” or make up a better name. You don’t even have to mention that all you are serving is vegetables, just make it enjoyable!
   
7. Wrap it – Kids will eat just about anything inside a tortilla. Use a whole wheat tortilla and fill it with shredded chicken, spinach, some shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, a little cheese and salsa or homemade ranch dressing.
   
8. Be their role model – Kids learn by watching your eating habbits. You can never expect your child to do something willingly that you are not doing yourself. When you eat your vegetables, voice how much you love them, express excitement, “Yay – I get to eat my green beans”! Their enthusiasm and positive attitude will set the tone for how they will react when trying a new food.
   
9. Limit Snacking – If kids eat a snack too close to dinner time, they will not feel hungry enough to eat the healthy food, and will fight you more. If they are good and hungry, they will be more open to trying new things!
   
10. Say "No” without saying "NO" – When your kids ask you for an unhealthy snack – say “I have something better for you”! You can always say “YES” if you keep healthy snacks on hand so you can always offer a better alternative to satisfy their cravings for a snack or something sweet. If all they hear is “NO!” to everything, it will become a negative experience.

Immunizations - H1N1

I had an experience just the other day. I’m pregnant and went in for a 3 1/2 mo check up. The Dr. asked if I had the H1N1 vaccine yet, and I said “no”. She matter of factly said “that’s ok, we’ll get that for you then before you leave today.” I replied that I would not get it. She GASPED, and said “WHY!”, in a very shocked tone. She wanted all my reasons. I told her this was not up for discussion as I did not want to argu the point. (I knew that if I gave her a reason, she’d probably have a good comeback.) She tried and tried, and then used guilt to tell me “don’t you realize that you are at more risk and you are putting yourself and your unborn infant at risk of dying if you contract the H1N1.”!!! She tried to make me feel like a terrible person and an irresponsible mother… but I still told her ‘no’, and she just couldn’t understand why. While “I” am not an infant, my baby is and will also be affected by any immunizations I would receive. She made an interesting comment to me…. she stated that when the baby is born, he/she cannot have the shot for the first 6 months of life, so if I get the shot now, it will protect the baby now and for the first several months of life… so… if even the Dr. will not give a new infant the shot (see photo - For 6 months and older), then WHY would I want to allow the immunization to get into my 3 1/2 mo old child still in the womb?

I just want the truth, and as long as we are being used as guinea pigs, and they are trying to pump us full of experimental drugs, I will be cautious about what I allow to be put inside of me. We just don’t know what side effects will come of this yet, and may not know for 10+ years, as we have seen of other immunizations, or their ingredients “thimerisol”, and other preservatives, etc…

I hope if I contract the H1N1, it is not serious. (I actually believe I already got it, but it was fairly mild) This could be because I drink my purple (green) smoothie (http://www.alive2u.com/recipes/smoothies.htm#Purple%20(Green)%20Smoothie) every day. I am taking care of myself and I very rarely get sick, so I feel I made the right choice. If I ever have been to the Dr. for something, they always seem stunned when I say “no” to all the sicknesses, diseases on their list – "nope - never had them"… I usually get the "wow, you're just healthy, aren't you?" I just can’t believe they push SO hard to try and make you feel like a bad person if you don’t follow the crowd. One thing I know is that people for the most part, feel VERY strongly about either side they are on… but which one is right? For me and my family, good healthy habbits and good sanitation will take care of most anything that would/could be a potential problem. It isn't worth the risk to me, to take an experimental drug, that may or may not prevent a sickness that may or may not be that serious!

I know this is a touchy subject and I encourage you to take a look at both sides and not just blindly take the advice of your Dr. - They are taught to tell you what they do and in most cases, probably mean well, but it doesn't always mean they are right!

There are some very interesting articles here: http://www.medicalvoices.org/en/vaccination/articles/vaccination-is-not-immunization.html

Moooo - ve over milk - Now there's somthing healthier!

Milk, it does a body good! Mmmm MILK! Where's Your Mustache? Milk builds strong bones. Got MILK?

Those familiar comments and questions sound a bit familiar don't they? The milk producers have spent millions on advertising, and I might add, they have done an excellent job. I sure grew up truly believing that milk is good for you. If you couldn't finish everything on your plate, mom would tell you to at least 'finish your milk'! As a parent, you feel like you are doing the right thing, keeping a large gallon of milk in the refrigerator at all times. Even when the cost rises, it is still a priority to buy it! When a treat is served like brownies or cake or cookies, it is the first thing we want, a nice tall glass of MILK. I have to admit, I have loved it. Is it possible to be addicted? Well I could have been. I loved to drink it with everything. I KNEW I was going to have strong bones because I have regularly drunk milk by the gallon for, well, my whole life.

A year ago, I started doing some research and found that we don't need milk! What? I thought... what about all the years of doing the right thing and trying to take care of my kids, all the calcium we've been consuming, etc... I started getting mad at what I found! Studies have shown that in the United States, we consume more dairy milk than ANY other country, and yet we have the highest rate of osteoporosis - go figure! It is even suggested that milk has contributed specifically to the bone loss in the older generation. That didn't seem to be the worst part of my findings. Most dairys feed their cows high levels of hormones so they can artificially produce more milk. This overproduction oftentimes causes infections and sickness which requires medicine and antibiotics, and then they are fed grains and food with pesticides, all of which end up in the milk WE drink.

There's more... and it is disgusting to say the least - I encourage you to educate yourself on this so you can at least make a decision for you and your family. If you find you can't break away from your tall glass of milk and cookies, at least look at the benefits of consuming organic over all the others.

Better yet, for those of us who are feeling deprived after learning that milk is no longer an option for us after learning the facts, there is hope! Sprouted Almond "Mylk". I wasn't a true believer till I tried it. For the last year, I have been making my own. From raw, unpasteurized, almonds, that have been soaked overnight to 'sprout' so they can release essential enzymes, and then when blended with water, a little salt, sweetener and a little vanilla it makes wonderful, creamy... milk! The taste and feel is remarkably similar to my favorite glass of milk! The health benefits are through the roof! I even recently bought some at the store (it's expensive) to try the difference in taste. I found that they tasted the same, but my version wasn't quite as sweet as the one at the store. Unlike the store version, I know mine was fresh, I used 'sprouted' almonds, I used natural sweetener (agave nectar) and all natural, unprocessed, sea salt.

Check out my links on the benefits of sprouted almonds: http://www.alive2u.com/sprouted_almonds.htm

And my Sprouted Almond "Mylk" recipe: http://www.alive2u.com/recipes/smoothies.htm#Sprouted%20Almond%20Mylk

It was easy to convert, and NOW I know I'm serving a healthy alternative that I can live with long term, and I haven't missed cows milk at all.

Trick or Treat?

Q: Halloween is tradition and having ample amount of sugary treats is justifiable, right?

A: Would you intentionally digest poison? Consider this: Poison is any thing applied to the body or ingested within the body, which causes or may cause illness or disease. Sugar could be considered poison, because it is depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals. All that is left is pure, refined carbohydrates. The body cannot use the refined starch and carbohydrate unless the washed-out proteins, vitamins and minerals are present. Refined sugar is toxic to our bodies!

Q: Well, eating a sugary treat is better than eating nothing, right?

A: No! Sugar is worse than eating nothing at all since it actually drains the body of its existing vitamins and minerals since it demands those to digest it. Refined sugar is lethal when we eat it because it contains only "empty" or "naked" calories.

You may consider taking that trick over that treat – or grab a healthier alternative. It is ok to want something sweet, but in moderation, choose treats with all natural, whole sweeteners. Some options include, raw honey, molasses, agave nectar and stevia. Bake with these sweeteners in place of refined sugar, and your body will thank you.

Happy Halloween!

Alive2U first post - Why are we here

This is the beginning of a journey of your life!

Take this oath - Today, I am making a stand, to be a better me! I am going to take care of my health, for my future. The same way we pay insurance for our health or even car insurance. We are taking a step now for the outcome of something that will happen in the future. What we put into our bodies today, will affect the outcome of our health for the rest of our life. I will not let the food industry guide my life, I am in complete control. I choose to eat to live, and will choose to eat live food that is nourishing, that will balance my health, energy... my life!

Who is with me?