Eco Child’s Play

I work in a school district where over 75% of the children are on the free and reduced lunch program. To be eligible for such a program, family income must fall below 130 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines for free meals, or family income must fall between 130 and at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines for a reduced price meal.  The current Federal Poverty Guideline is $21,200 for a family of four.  Most of the children on this program eat both breakfast and lunch at school. Unfortunately, the nutritional quality of these meals is poor, as they are packed with processed foods.

Malnutrition is usually a consequence of poverty. Farm to School programs have the ability to combat this negative effect of poverty by providing children two healthy meals a day from a local farm: Read the rest of this entry »

Ice cream made from breast milk would benefit both cows and humans, according to a letter sent from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream:

If Ben and Jerry’s replaced the cow’s milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers-and cows-would reap the benefits.

Using cow’s milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer’s health. Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America’s leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding cow’s milk to children, saying it may play a role in anemia, allergies, and juvenile diabetes and in the long term, will set kids up for obesity and heart disease-America’s number one cause of death.

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Once upon a time, a not very long time time ago, Melissa Chmelar tried to bring a little bit of country to New York City. The Cordon Bleu Trained chef decided that New Yorkers deserved a sampling of the freshest organic produce that hands could pick.

Spoon Catering was born. After experiencing overwhelming success, Melissa developed Spoon storefront and TableSpoon. Since I’m not part of the super swanky New York set all of this has limited interest to me (my narcissism is well established).

What comes next is truly delightful. (big payoff after the jump!) —>

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Consumer Reports recently reported that some breakfast cereals marketed to U.S. children are more than half sugar by weight.

A serving of 11 popular cereals, including Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, carries as much sugar as a glazed doughnut. And some brands have more sugar and sodium when formulated for the U.S. market than the same brands have when sold in other countries. Post Golden Crisp made by Kraft Foods Inc and Kellogg’s Honey Smacks are more than 50 percent sugar by weight, while nine brands are at least 40 percent sugar.

Is there a link between the marketing of sugary, salty, or fatty foods to kids and the rise in childhood obesity and related health problems? Recent research by the National Academy of Sciences indicates a possible causal relationship, but a little common sense will tell you that high sugar foods are not the best for our kids.

I can’t stomach the fact that some parents feed their children these so-called foods, especially for breakfast. How many kids get jacked up on sugar every morning, only to hit a wall and have their growing bodies and minds be starved of energy for learning and playing?

How can we feed our children wholesome organic breakfasts without blowing our budget?

In order to fuel our children with nutrient-rich food and still follow a household budget, we can choose healthy whole foods that we prepare. Fresh food is always a great choice, but grains are still one of the best deals around, and with organic, you know your kids are eating clean food with a high nutrient content.

Healthy breakfast foods with no added sugar that are cheap and easy to prepare:

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We are having an amazing flush of fall strawberries this year, and the colder nights make the berries super sweet.  Given the state of the economy, I feel more pressed to preserve the abundance of food growing in our garden.  Making organic strawberry jam is easy, and it is one food item I can easily provide our family a year’s supply of with the help of my children.  This recipe makes about 5-6 cups of jam, so I like to double it. You don’t need a pressure canner to can jam; just a big pot will do.  You will need to purchase pectin; I like sugar-free, citrus-based Pomona’s Universal Pectin.

Organic Strawberry Jam

In preparation for canning:
Sterilize your jelly jars. You can do this by placing them in boiling water or in your dishwasher. Also, heat up the rings and lids in a pot of water until little bubbles begin to appear, but do not boil. Heat a really large pot of water for canning. The jars must be completely covered by the water. Place a lid on the pot to help the water heat faster.

To make the jam:

• Pick or buy 2 quarts of berries
• Clean the berries, remove the green tops, and mash gently.
• Add 2 teaspoons of calcium water (included in pectin package) to mashed berries

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Introducing your baby to real food takes time. Fortunately, there is no need to rush, In fact, going slowly gives your baby a chance to develop a taste for different types of food, and in the long run enables her to make healthier food choices. There is an enormous selection of fresh, natural food that your little one can eat, but there are also several foods that are not good for babies. Here is a list of many of the foods that you should avoid:

• Foods with sugar, salt and caffeine as a main ingredient – Avoid introduction as long as possible: As a general rule, foods containing high amount of these ingredients, usually do not contain much nutritional value and are not very healthy.

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I’ve been on a tempeh buying kick lately, which has forced us to dig through our cookbooks and memories for good tempeh recipes.  Tempeh is less processend than tofu, and thus it is healthier and higher in protein.   We tend to eat a lot of tofu, so adding tempeh into our diet helps us cook beyond our usual meals.  Of course, organic ingredients are a must!

Organic Vegan Tempeh Sloppy Joes

Saute:

• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 2 diced green peppers
• 1 diced large onion

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We talk a lot of this blog about the benefits of children being outside and exploring nature. We cite research that shows how it helps cognitive development and increases awareness of our natural world.

Now, you can add one more reason to the list. Australian researchers have found that children who spend the most time outdoors are the ones least likely to be nearsighted.

Myopia (nearsightedness or shortsightedness) has become far more common in recent years and experts suggest as many as 80 percent of people in highly-educated groups are sufferers.

This is a statistic that I have heard for years and I have always attributed my own nearsightedness to those many hours spent reading a book under the covers by flashlight. As a dedicated bookworm, I’ve always considered it a badge of honor.

But. Read the rest of this entry »

As China comes out of it’s adolescence and moves toward a true free market it stumbles and rights itself. Chinese people aren’t bad or silly, two of them appear to be, and may face the death penalty. You see, two brothers have been arrested for selling contaminated milk.

My sense of justice has me delighted. My motherhood has me alarmed. The most recent number is 52,000. Fifty two thousand sick babies, 104,000 parents wondering what else they could have done. 208,000 grandparents praying over their children and their grandchildren. Communities in fear and businesses struggling to right themselves.

Two greedy men + one chemical additive = international chaos pain and death.

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Let’s face it, we all like to pretend we NEVER let our precious youngsters have any sugar or sweet treats. In reality, we are REAL parents and our kids do get some treats. How can we manage allowing a sweet tasty every now and then while still making the healthiest choice for our kids? Read the rest of this entry »