Exert from the Introduction of my book Conscious Cooking, which will hopefully exist somewhere other than on my laptop soon!
So many books on food have been published in the past few years. Most of these seem to be focused on weight loss in one form or another. There are books that help you count calories, carbs, glycemic points and pH values. You can make food choices based on your blood type. You can eat all the bacon you want, but stay away from the potatoes. You can eat all the potatoes you want, as long as you only combine them with other vegetables. Only eat vegetables. Only eat fruit. Don’t eat anything after 4:00pm.
It’s exhausting and more then a little confusing. Especially when it is compared to the other message heard loud and clear in our society which is to consume as much easy, quick, sugar-laden foods as possible, and yes, I would like to Supersize that. No wonder most diet plans go up in a chocolate-binging blaze by Tuesday night.
These contradictory messages are also heard by our children. Children lack knowledge and life-experience to understand the biochemical reactions that happen in their bodies when they eat. It is easy to get caught up in dysfunctional attitudes towards food and food preparation, but these don’t appear to be doing anything good for our kids. Everywhere we turn people are worried about the fact that childhood obesity is at an all time high. What used to be referred to as “adult onset diabetes” is now seen in kids under the age of ten. Obesity is about to overtake smoking as the number one preventable cause of death in North America. The average North American child sees roughly 7 000 - 10 000 television commercials annually for food, and the vast majority of these are for sugary cereals, candy, pop and fast food. We live in a fast-paced society, and it is very easy for kids to get caught up in fast-food culture. How do parents instill a positive message in kids in light of these trends? Add to that the fact that they are born with a sweet tooth. They are told to eat every bite on their plate, but thanks to the rise in numbers for childhood obesity, many are now forced to ‘weigh in’ in gym class in front of their peers. The end result is that kids are extremely confused about food and their health and their parents are often unable to help them.
This is not a diet book. Even though in publishing terms it would probably be a smart idea to turn it into one, since people seem to keep buying them; I don’t think I could write a diet book, and certainly not with a straight face. Rather, this is a book about food and its role in a child’s life.
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Saturday, September 6, 2008
greens+ energy treats
2 cup dates
1 1/3 cup raw almonds
1-2 tbsp honey
4 scoops ‘greens+ kids’
Shredded coconut
Use a food processor to chop the dates and almonds very fine. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the honey (the honey is there to help the mixture stick together – use only the amount that you need) and greens+ powder. Use your hands to form the mixture into small balls and roll in the coconut until they are coated. Put the balls in a freezer-safe container and eat cold on a hot day!
1 1/3 cup raw almonds
1-2 tbsp honey
4 scoops ‘greens+ kids’
Shredded coconut
Use a food processor to chop the dates and almonds very fine. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the honey (the honey is there to help the mixture stick together – use only the amount that you need) and greens+ powder. Use your hands to form the mixture into small balls and roll in the coconut until they are coated. Put the balls in a freezer-safe container and eat cold on a hot day!
Dial "D" for danger!
In your car, on they way to work, you see someone in front of you weaving a bit on the road. Not enough that you would classify it as “dangerous” perhaps, but enough that you’re a little nervous about passing them. As you drive past, you see the cell-phone in hand.
Admit it, we all do it every once and awhile and we all know that it’s dangerous. Did you know that it can be dangerous to use a cell while walking? A new study conducted with children age 8-10 using a virtual reality simulator showed that kids were significantly more likely to get hit by a virtual car when crossing the street when they were on a phone. The researchers concluded that the accident rate would be even higher if the person the kids were talking to on the phone was a best-friend, a cute boy or a parent they were in conflict with, rather than an unknown expert. The really scary news is that the confusion and bad decision making, for both children and drivers, lasts for several minutes longer than the phone call goes on. Could there be something more dangerous than just distraction going on here?
Many have heard that call -phones could cause cancer. Most of the health concerns are based on the fact that cell-phones use electro-magnetic radiation in the microwave range. Trust me, I am heavily aware of the irony in the fact that I stopped using a microwave and started using a cell-phone at pretty much the same time in my life! The World Health Organization has declared that there is no real evidence proving ill-effects from cell-phones or their base towers and appears to be highly critical of any studies that might state otherwise.
And yet, there are some compelling studies out there. Some scientists claim that they have lost funding and support form multinational corporations due to their findings. “Professor Ross Adey, a biologist, had his funding withdrawn by Motorola before completing research which showed that mobiles affected the number of brain tumors in animals. Dr. Henry Lai, who has been studying the biological effects of electromagnetic fields for 20 years, was asked three times to change findings on how they caused DNA breaks in rats.” (Fleming et al. “Cover-up claims over mobile phone danger.” Express Newspapers, May 24, 1999). These two scientists found that someone else was interested in their research. Many of their observations on the health effects of EMFs have been used in increasing the military’s understanding of these potential weapons applications (Earth Rising – The Revolution: Toward a Thousand Years of Peace. by Dr. Nick Begich and James Roderick, January 2000). I’m claiming all my sources here because I know this is a touchy subject and I want people to look into this more themselves.
There is a lot of information out there about the dangers of cell-phones, but not a lot of suggestions for reducing risks. Research suggests keeping phones away from areas that are particularly sensitive such as the heart, ovaries, and testis. Mushrooms such as maitake and reishi have been shown to help the body deal with certain frequencies. All herbs and foods that aid the nervous system, especially those that protect the myelin sheath such as lecithin, can be helpful as well. There are even devices that can be placed on the phone to reduce the negative affect.
Sometimes in studies, the affects on human tissues can seem insignificant because they only look at cell-phone radiation and only for a limited period of time. In real life however, most people in our society are now exposed to these waves from cell-phones on the road, cordless phones at home and work, micro waved food on the table and wireless internet on their laps! All those little bits probably add up after a time, don’t you think?
Admit it, we all do it every once and awhile and we all know that it’s dangerous. Did you know that it can be dangerous to use a cell while walking? A new study conducted with children age 8-10 using a virtual reality simulator showed that kids were significantly more likely to get hit by a virtual car when crossing the street when they were on a phone. The researchers concluded that the accident rate would be even higher if the person the kids were talking to on the phone was a best-friend, a cute boy or a parent they were in conflict with, rather than an unknown expert. The really scary news is that the confusion and bad decision making, for both children and drivers, lasts for several minutes longer than the phone call goes on. Could there be something more dangerous than just distraction going on here?
Many have heard that call -phones could cause cancer. Most of the health concerns are based on the fact that cell-phones use electro-magnetic radiation in the microwave range. Trust me, I am heavily aware of the irony in the fact that I stopped using a microwave and started using a cell-phone at pretty much the same time in my life! The World Health Organization has declared that there is no real evidence proving ill-effects from cell-phones or their base towers and appears to be highly critical of any studies that might state otherwise.
And yet, there are some compelling studies out there. Some scientists claim that they have lost funding and support form multinational corporations due to their findings. “Professor Ross Adey, a biologist, had his funding withdrawn by Motorola before completing research which showed that mobiles affected the number of brain tumors in animals. Dr. Henry Lai, who has been studying the biological effects of electromagnetic fields for 20 years, was asked three times to change findings on how they caused DNA breaks in rats.” (Fleming et al. “Cover-up claims over mobile phone danger.” Express Newspapers, May 24, 1999). These two scientists found that someone else was interested in their research. Many of their observations on the health effects of EMFs have been used in increasing the military’s understanding of these potential weapons applications (Earth Rising – The Revolution: Toward a Thousand Years of Peace. by Dr. Nick Begich and James Roderick, January 2000). I’m claiming all my sources here because I know this is a touchy subject and I want people to look into this more themselves.
There is a lot of information out there about the dangers of cell-phones, but not a lot of suggestions for reducing risks. Research suggests keeping phones away from areas that are particularly sensitive such as the heart, ovaries, and testis. Mushrooms such as maitake and reishi have been shown to help the body deal with certain frequencies. All herbs and foods that aid the nervous system, especially those that protect the myelin sheath such as lecithin, can be helpful as well. There are even devices that can be placed on the phone to reduce the negative affect.
Sometimes in studies, the affects on human tissues can seem insignificant because they only look at cell-phone radiation and only for a limited period of time. In real life however, most people in our society are now exposed to these waves from cell-phones on the road, cordless phones at home and work, micro waved food on the table and wireless internet on their laps! All those little bits probably add up after a time, don’t you think?
Caffeinated Kids
“Hi, I’ll have a Grande cappuccino with three shots of syrup and make it quick; my mom’s waiting for me.” It’s funny, but not really. The number of children under the age of twelve addicted to caffeine is staggering. Between pop, iced tea and chocolate, kids consume a lot of coffee in the average week.
Now many people would have read my article in the summer where I talked about my love of coffee, and all the antioxidant benefits that come along with it. This is by no means a retraction of what I said there! But children react differently to stimulants then adults do, and a nine or ten year old brain is simply unable to cope with the effects of caffeine.
Think about what happens when someone, even an adult, has too much caffeine. It becomes very difficult to concentrate, think clearly, or even sit still. Now think about how many kids in the school system have “learning difficulties” and “behavioral problems”, especially right after lunch.
Caffeine is also a diuretic. This means that kids who choose pop over water when it is hot out are much more likely to become dehydrated. Caffeine is acidifying to the system, throwing pH levels out of balance. Water is needed to right the scales again.
Both caffeine and the compounds required to carbonate soda tend to leach calcium and other minerals from the bones. We know now that measuring bone health of twelve-year-old girls can give a pretty good indication of who will have problems with osteoporosis later on in life. Bone density is influenced by dietary patterns very early in life.
How much caffeine are kids actually taking in over the course of a day? To put it in perspective, the average cup of coffee has between 60 and 150mg of caffeine (I’m assuming the difference is whether it was brewed at a bad restaurant or at my house, where the coffee is a meal unto itself). Decaf has 2-5mg, and tea has 40-80mg. Chocolate milk is 2-7mg; a 50gram chocolate bar can be between 3 and 64mg depending on the kind, a 12oz Coke is 64mg with Jolt Cola ringing in at 100mg. Quick math: if a 12oz Coke is 64mg of caffeine, how about those Super Big Gulp slurpees? I can feel my brain melting as I type the words.
While looking online for the above statistics, I found all kinds of websites making ridiculous claims about caffeine. Several stated that it is not addictive at all in average doses of less then four cups daily. Obviously I am imagining that nagging headache that starts up around noon if I don’t have my morning cup. Along this same line, I have heard complaints from parents that their kids seem irritable and sick every weekend. This is a bit of a change from the days when kids would seem to magically recover from illness as soon as Saturday morning arrived. Interestingly enough, these kids are the same ones that drink pop or iced tea at school every day. Coincidence?
Caffeine is not evil, even for children. It is found in foods naturally and is fine in small quantities. But it is mood altering and addictive. What other drugs do we so cavalierly offer to kids? Without getting fanatical about every piece of chocolate (organic dark chocolate, of course) the total amount of caffeine exposure for kids is something worth examining. There is an easy test to figure out if someone is addicted to something: take it away, and watch carefully what happens.
Now many people would have read my article in the summer where I talked about my love of coffee, and all the antioxidant benefits that come along with it. This is by no means a retraction of what I said there! But children react differently to stimulants then adults do, and a nine or ten year old brain is simply unable to cope with the effects of caffeine.
Think about what happens when someone, even an adult, has too much caffeine. It becomes very difficult to concentrate, think clearly, or even sit still. Now think about how many kids in the school system have “learning difficulties” and “behavioral problems”, especially right after lunch.
Caffeine is also a diuretic. This means that kids who choose pop over water when it is hot out are much more likely to become dehydrated. Caffeine is acidifying to the system, throwing pH levels out of balance. Water is needed to right the scales again.
Both caffeine and the compounds required to carbonate soda tend to leach calcium and other minerals from the bones. We know now that measuring bone health of twelve-year-old girls can give a pretty good indication of who will have problems with osteoporosis later on in life. Bone density is influenced by dietary patterns very early in life.
How much caffeine are kids actually taking in over the course of a day? To put it in perspective, the average cup of coffee has between 60 and 150mg of caffeine (I’m assuming the difference is whether it was brewed at a bad restaurant or at my house, where the coffee is a meal unto itself). Decaf has 2-5mg, and tea has 40-80mg. Chocolate milk is 2-7mg; a 50gram chocolate bar can be between 3 and 64mg depending on the kind, a 12oz Coke is 64mg with Jolt Cola ringing in at 100mg. Quick math: if a 12oz Coke is 64mg of caffeine, how about those Super Big Gulp slurpees? I can feel my brain melting as I type the words.
While looking online for the above statistics, I found all kinds of websites making ridiculous claims about caffeine. Several stated that it is not addictive at all in average doses of less then four cups daily. Obviously I am imagining that nagging headache that starts up around noon if I don’t have my morning cup. Along this same line, I have heard complaints from parents that their kids seem irritable and sick every weekend. This is a bit of a change from the days when kids would seem to magically recover from illness as soon as Saturday morning arrived. Interestingly enough, these kids are the same ones that drink pop or iced tea at school every day. Coincidence?
Caffeine is not evil, even for children. It is found in foods naturally and is fine in small quantities. But it is mood altering and addictive. What other drugs do we so cavalierly offer to kids? Without getting fanatical about every piece of chocolate (organic dark chocolate, of course) the total amount of caffeine exposure for kids is something worth examining. There is an easy test to figure out if someone is addicted to something: take it away, and watch carefully what happens.
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