Fresh start for a new year?  Let’s begin in the kitchen. This is the title of Mark Bittman’s article from early January.  I have to say that he has a lot of good advice and humor packed into this piece, and I recommend that you give it a look.  He caught me right away, because he started out with spinning my fantasy life: shopping daily in my small Umbrian village, while my reality is trying to put quick and delicious dinners on the table that satisfy many different tastes 

While I would take issue with Mark over tomato paste and canned beans, otherwise I think he’s pretty much spot on.  Now, where did I leave my map to Italy?

Image: StockXchng

Post from: Blisstree

Fresh start for a new year

And I have to say that most of the trends they spot seem like a pretty good bet to me. Epicurious is predicting trends towards more family-friendly, green, thrifty, and just plain old more practical! Especially for busy families who really have no idea what Molecular Gastronomy is, or why they should care

Read the Epicurious predictions

Check this particular prediction out, and then read my next post!

5. Ginger is the new Mint
Move over, mojitos. Ginger beers and ginger cocktails (like the Ginger Rogers, Gin Gin Mule, and Ginger Smash) are bubbling up at places like The Violet Hour in Chicago, the Clock Bar in San Francisco, and Matsugen in New York.

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Epicurious predicts the top 10 food trends of 2009

Share Something Sweet is a partnership between chocolate company Ferrero and Share Our Strength, a leading hunger-relief organization. This partnership is in its second year, and this year Ferrero has donated $150,000 to Share Our Strength and is giving others a chance to add to that donation. Right now, if you log on to Share Something Sweet and use it to “send something sweet” (that is, a customizable e-card), Ferrero will donate another $1 per e-card sent, up to $10,000. And for every person that joins the Ferrero Facebook page, “Ferrero Lovers Unite,” Ferrero will donate another $1 to Share Our Strength (up to $1,000).

The Ferrero Company was established in 1946 in Alba, Italy. The company’s first and most popular product was made with hazelnuts and cocoa, resulting the formula for the #1 selling sweet spread in the world – Nutella. The company has grown to include the very popular Ferrero Rocher chocolates and many other fabulous sweets.

Share Our Strength is a national organization working to make sure no kid in American grows up hungry. It weaves together a net of community groups, activists, and food programs to catc hchildren at risk of hunger and ensure they have nutritious food where they live, learn, and play. Since its founding in 1984, they have raised over $200 million.

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Share Something Sweet…a program to end childhood hunger in the United States

Fortunately, there are some simple, and natural, things parents can do to help kids stay healthy and energized for all their activities.

Hygiene. The CDC says that the single most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands. When there’s not sink and soap around, use natural hand sanitizers—wipes or gel—with 100 percent pure essential oils.

Nutrition. Growing bodies and brains need fiber and nutrients to stay healthy. A child’s health can suffer from too few of these good things and too many sugary, highly processed foods.

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid recommends nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. One serving size of fruits and veggies for children equals one of the following:
• 1/2 cup juice
• 1 cup raw leafy salad greens
• 1/2 cup chopped raw, canned or cooked fruit or other vegetable

Essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3s, are crucial for development and health of the brain, heart, nervous system, tissues, skin and immune system, especially for school-age children. DHA can be found in fatty cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna, and in DHA-enriched products like eggs and milk.

What about nutritional supplements? If kids and teens are actually eating nine servings of colorful fruits and veggies—plus foods containing all the other recommended daily nutrients—every day, then they probably don’t need them. But with picky eaters, tight schedules, food allergies and more, they don’t often get what they need. In these cases, supplements might be a good idea. But be careful. While it’s easy to find a fun and fruity multivitamin that kids don’t mind taking each day, it’s the nutrients they need, not loads of sugar or artificial colors and flavors.

Rest. Rest, relaxation and sleep are key for handling stress. While moderate stress is normal, the demands of school life can cause stress overload for youngsters and adolescents—and their parents and teachers! Be sure to schedule in downtime and allow for adequate sleep when you’re planning the week.

Kids need more sleep than you might think.
• 3–6 years old: 10 3/4–12 hours per day
• 7–12 years old: 10–11 hours per day
• 12–18 years old: 8¼–9½ hours per day
Stomachaches, nervousness, trouble sleeping, anger flares or infections may be signs of stress. Fortunately, there are plenty of safe, effective ways to handle it. Breathing deep, exercising, stretching, physical play and homeopathic remedies may help.

If you would like to know more about natural ways to help your kids stay healthy, the Whole Body Team Members at Whole Foods Market are well educated about all of the products they offer and are happy to answer questions.

You can also visit WholeFoodsMarket.com for educational podcasts and more information.
Story courtesy of Family Features
Image: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

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“Healthy Kids, Naturally” from Whole Foods Market

Cooking Light has a series of features on antioxidants: their importance in health, the food sources, and recipes that capitalize on antioxidant-rich foods.

The ABCs of Antioxidants

Color Your Palate

From The DNA of Antioxidants

Experts agree—while there’s no formal recommendation for the amount of antioxidants we need—the best way to obtain them is from a varied diet. The reason? Antioxidants work synergistically and may provide a greater benefit together than they do individually….Unlike many other nutrients, you can’t store antioxidants, so you have to keep replenishing the supply….When German researchers recently looked at the impact of small amounts of polyphenols in dark chocolate on blood pressure, they found that just 0.2 ounces of dark chocolate shaved three systolic points and two diastolic points off hypertensive subjects’ blood pressure.

Notice that dark chocolate is a source of antioxidants?

Image: Cooking Light

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Concerned about antioxidants?

WISH-BONE^® PUTS ITS SALAD DRESSINGS TO WORK FOR WOMEN IN NEED

Supports Dress for Success® Worldwide Through 24-Ounce Bonus Bottle Program

The makers of Wish-Bone know the importance of dressing when it comes to salad.  But they also know that a different kind of dressing – clothing and personal style – is key to a woman’s self esteem.  That’s why this summer Wish-Bone is supporting Dress for Success Worldwide through its 24-ounce bonus bottles of Wish-Bone Italian and Ranch dressings.  Wish-Bone is making a donation to Dress for Success to help women work toward self-sufficiency. 

Dress for Success Worldwide is an international organization dedicated to improving the personal and professional lives of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.  Its network of affiliates promotes the economic independence of women in 85 cities in the U.S. and across Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Netherlands.  Since 1997, Dress for Success has served almost 400,000 women around the world, reaching more than 40,000 women each year.

“Wish-Bone is proud to support the work of an organization that plays such a vital role in helping women achieve their goals and become self sufficient,” says Dana Emery, Marketing Director, Wish-Bone dressings.

Visit Wish-Bone.com for product information and recipes.

 

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Wish-bone salad dressing supports Dress for Success

“Granola bars, bran muffins; you think you’re making smart food choices and eating right but looks can be deceiving. FOX6 News Reporter Christie del Amo shows us six supposedly healthy foods that really aren’t.” Video Report

Image: Flickr

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Eating healthy? Maybe not

CNN.com has offered a quick nutrition quiz to see if you’re just as confused as everyone else…

Image: Iain Bagwell, CNN

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Quick nutrition quiz

So we all know about salmon, right? But how much, how often, and what else? The Alphas of Omega-3s can be found at Cooking Light’s website.

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What about Omega-3s?

Yahoo Article

Images: Wikimedia Commons and Stock.xchng

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7 Reasons to Drink Green Tea