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6 Healthier Drinks to Quench Your Kids' Thirst

9/23/2013

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Water is undoubtedly the healthiest choice for us and for our kids to drink; however, there are times when H2O just doesn’t cut it and we crave something bubbly, sweet, crisp and refreshing. 

Instead of giving in and letting our kids guzzle a few sips – or cans – of soda, keep some of these healthier choices in the house for when they really want it. After a long soccer game, grueling tennis match or an afternoon spent in the car, hand them a drink without the added sugar and preservatives that they will love!

Some drinks even act as filling snacks, so read below to find out how you and your kids can fill up from a tasty beverage.

1.) Orgain Healthy Kids Organic Nutritional Shake – The perfect grab-n-go snack to keep in your tote and hand off to your child after school and before practice. This yummy shake comes in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry and packs 8 grams of protein from organic milk. A fruit and veggie blend add 23 vitamins and minerals.

2.) Organic Flavrz – Mix 4 teaspoons of this fruit juice flavored drink into water for a refreshing drink sweetened with agave and real fruit. With only 9 grams of sugar for an 8 ounce drink, pour up for after-school play-dates.

3.) Sneaky Pete’s All Natural Oat Beverage – The goodness of oatmeal and fruit come together in this high-fiber drink. With 5 delicious flavors to choose from and made with all-natural ingredients like stevia, tummies will stay full from the oats.

4.) Mamma Chia Squeeze Pouch – Packed with essential Omega 3’s, protein and fiber, this drink is made with organic chia seeds, fruit and veggies. Good for you and your kids as an afternoon snack - the chia seeds help to curb your appetite so you don’t overeat at dinner.

5.) Hint Fizz – When they ask for bubbles, try this spring water and natural fruit flavor mixture for a refreshing thirst-quencher. Big flavor and no sugar make this a win-win.

6.) LIV Organic – Let your kids replenish and recharge after the football game or dance class with electrolytes and potassium. Sweetened with agave and rice syrup – two sweeteners that take longer to digest in the body - so no sugar-rush here!



Robin DeCicco is a holistic nutritionist who runs the Tenafly and Ramsey based ‘The Power of Food Education.’ She counsels individuals and families on learning how to make healthier choices and specializes in changing behaviors to achieve life-long success. To schedule an appointment or to learn more about her program, visit www.poweroffoodeducation.com. 

 


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Back to School, Back to Sugar!

9/5/2013

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That first trip to the supermarket to buy back to school snacks can be daunting - - from trying to decipher the ingredients in products to listening to our kids implore for the snacks they see advertised on TV, it’s not an easy task.

Corporations have made it their top priority to market their products to us by making us believe that they are not only good for us, but that they actually are contributing to our health.

By using phrases like, ‘packed with whole grain,’ ‘added fiber’ and ‘natural sugar,’ these food giants are tricking us into thinking their brands are health-conscious.

Don’t believe everything you see on TV and don’t let your kids fool you into picking up the coolest snack of the school year, because kids are consuming more added calories and sugar from the snacks they eat during the school year than we thought.

The sugar in added drinks and foods makes up almost 16 percent of the calories U.S. children and teens consume, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published online in the National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief.

This report looked at added sugar consumption in children due to the significant prevalence of childhood obesity.  The report showed that boys consume about 362 calories a day from added sugar and girls eat about 282 calories in added sugar on a daily basis. Sugar consumption also went up as children got older.

These numbers not only reflect the added sugar kids eat at birthday parties and trips to the ice cream shop, but they demonstrate just how much sugar is in products we buy every day.

Foods like fruit snacks, salad dressing, ketchup, dried fruit, flavored milk, iced teas and lemonade and low-fat cookies all contain loads of sugar.

While TV commercials tell us that snacks now contain ‘real fruit’ and ‘good grains,’ I invite you to pick up a snack and see for yourself what it’s really made of.

The fruit snack Gushers claims to be a ‘fruit flavored snack’ on the front package. There are 12 grams of sugar in one package and the second, third and fourth ingredients are all different names for sugar, while there is only one ingredient of fruit.

The Welch’s Mixed Fruit Snack contains 18 grams of sugar per serving with the word ‘sugar’ listed before any of the fruit purees on the ingredient list.

Thinking of feeding your family popular granola and cereal that claims to be ‘all natural’ for breakfast? Think again.

In one cup of Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Raisins, there is 30 grams of sugar - - that’s more than if you ate Cocoa Pebbles.

Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Cinnamon Almond has 18 grams of sugar per serving from sugar and brown sugar syrup and Udi’s Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins pack 21 grams of sugar from cane syrup.

V8 wants us to think their drinks are full of vitamins – and although they might be, they are also full of sugar - V8 Splash Berry Blast has 16 grams of it, mostly from high fructose corn syrup.

Nabisco Teddy Grahams created the Strawberry Banana flavor to win you over, yet, there are 7 grams of sugar for every 9 cookies with multiple names for sugar on the ingredient list.

Bottom Line: Turn off the commercials and investigate companies yourself! Your health is your most important asset and NO ONE cares about it as much as you.

Robin DeCicco is a holistic nutritionist who runs the Tenafly and Ramsey based ‘The Power of Food Education.’ She counsels individuals and families on learning how to make healthier choices and specializes in changing behaviors to achieve life-long success. To schedule an appointment or to learn more about her program, visit www.poweroffoodeducation.com.




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Getting your kids back into a healthy routine!

9/3/2013

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It’s time to put away the goggles and flip-flops and time to bring out the sharpened pencils and notebooks. Kids all around the country are gearing up to go back to school and whether or not they like it, it’s time to get back into a routine.

During the summer, most kids are happy eating hot dogs, ice cream and bags of Goldfish at camp and pool parties, but now that the school calendar has begun, we need to start feeding them foods that will keep them alert and focused throughout the day.

While Goldfish and other popular snack crackers are tasty, they are won’t do anything to help your kids perform their best during the school day - - instead, these foods are loaded with enriched wheat flour, which has been stripped of its vitamins and minerals and can cause an initial peak of energy, followed by sluggishness, irritability and cravings for sweeter foods.

We want our kids to feel energized and alert for the entire day, so why not give them snacks that will help them to feel their best?

When shopping in the supermarket for school snacks, try to slowly move away from the big companies like Nabisco, Lay’s and Keebler, as most of their products are full of refined flours like wheat flour, white flour and enriched wheat flour.  The healthier type of flour is listed as “whole wheat flour.” Most of the time, this ensures that the wheat hasn’t been processed.

Keebler Town House Crackers, Sunshine Cheeze It’s and Ritz Bitz all contain wheat flour or enriched wheat flour - - meaning the good parts of the wheat that contain the bran and germ and all of the protein, fiber and vitamins is NO LONGER THERE. So, most kids are eating snack foods with no fiber, thus not keeping them as full or as satisfied.

When kids eat foods that are full of refined ingredients, they tend to lose focus, become irritable at a quicker rate and crave more and more snacks. Refined flours cause a short blast of energy; whereas, whole grain flours lead to long-lasting continued energy with no crash.

So, instead of filling their lunch boxes with snacks that lack nutrients, try the following:

1.)  Pack Fresh – Include a bag of mini carrots, cut up celery and peppers. These veggies give a solid crunch and are full of fiber and vitamins to keep them going strong all day long.

2.) Mix the New with the Old – They might not like the taste if you only give them the newer, healthier pretzels at first - - so combine them. Try adding Newman’s Spelt Pretzels, Snyder’s Honey Wheat Pretzels or Shiloh Farms Sprouted Whole Grain Pretzels into their mix. These have much more fiber and protein than regular pretzels to keep their tummies full.

3.) Don’t Take No For an Answer - Each week, tell your kids they should try one new snack as part of an experiment to see what they like. They don’t have to eat a whole serving, but make sure they try a couple each day of the week. The more times you give it to them, the more likely they are to want to eat it.

4.) Pop It! – Popcorn is such a tasty treat, but it doesn’t have to be reserved for movie- time. Try lunch-size bags of Skinny Pop Popcorn and Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn. No butter or anything artificial here – just a fun snack.

5.)  You Don’t Always Need the Milk – Dry cereal in a baggie is a perfect school snack, especially if the cereal is full of real whole grains like oats and buckwheat and low amounts of sugar. Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal and Barbara’s Bakery Puffins are favorites. 



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    Author: 
    Robin DeCicco

    Robin DeCicco is a passionate food educator who wants to help you live your healthiest life! 

    Robin's blog is dedicated to educating the public on why we gravitate towards certain foods and what this says about our mindset, in addition to explaining the reasons for eating certain kinds of food and brands over others. Pick up tips on how to feel your healthiest and keep up to date with all the latest health news by reading this nutritionally-dense blog!

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