Congratulations to Chris (my brother), Tia and Sophia. They are expecting not one but two...TWINS in Feb '09!
My Brother...
Can I tell you...the little kid on the right (the taller one) looks exactly like my brother when he was that age...it make's it really, really hard to watch this creepy commercial. It gives me the heebee jeebee's!!!
Kids and Food
I watched a great Op.rah show the other day. It talked about kids and their eating habits and how you can help. Below are parts that I found particularly interesting. It was Dr. O.z on the show again...
"He says there's a very good biological reason why it's so hard to get kids to eat their vegetables. In fact, they are hardwired to not like them. ...when our prehistoric ancestors searched for food, their children were most susceptible to poisons, which often taste bitter. So instead of liking something bitter—like broccoli—children tend to crave sweet and bland foods like dairy or chicken nuggets."
"Children also have a biological reason not to like certain foods. Flavorful fruits and veggies may actually taste differently to kids than they do to adults. "An older adult has 3,000 taste buds," Dr. Oz says. "A kid has 10,000."
"...we run into problems when we don't allow our taste buds to mature. "That's the big challenge we have in America—we've infantilized our taste buds. When a 3-year-old wants hot dogs, a burger, fries, a shake, cola, that's not abnormal. When a 30-year-old wants those foods, we're in trouble."
This natural craving for fatty blandness and sweetness is part of why there are so many "white kids" in America, ... "You know what a 'white kid' is? It's not the skin color, it's kids that only eat white—white flour, white bread, white rice, white sugar," ... "They only eat white foods, because white foods are seen as being safe to them visually, emotionally, from a taste perspective."
"As you get older, the fat comes alive," he says. "It becomes a hormone secreting gland. They get acne because they're getting feminized, because those hormones are estrogen. [Boys] grow breasts, which hurts your self-esteem and scars you your whole life. And as you get older, you begin to develop fat around your jowls. Now you can't sleep at night because you've got sleep apnea, which is like having a bunch of rear-end collisions all day long."
That's not where it stops. He says an enlarged omentum squeezes the kidneys, leading to high blood pressure. It poisons the liver and leads to more bad LDL cholesterol. And it blocks insulin, which leads to diabetes. "The next generation will be the first that we know of in our recorded history that will have a shorter life expectancy than its parents," he says. "The major driver of that is the obesity that's causing diabetes. Almost a fifth of the kids in the country today are overweight. Thirty-five percent of the kids that are born in this decade will be diabetics. If you're black—40 percent of the kids. And if you're Latino, half the kids."
Step 1—Keep Nothing Off-Limits
"I know that sounds crazy, but it turns out when you make foods off-limits, you create a cult around them and the kids just want to get to them. And they're smart—they'll find it," he says.
The time to make decisions about food isn't when you lock cabinet doors, he says. It's when you're in the supermarket. "Don't even bring the stuff into the house," he says.
Step 2—Fiber for Breakfast
When kids have sugary cereals, doughnuts and soda for breakfast, they start the day on a sugar high. "They show up in class, and teachers complain about this all the time, the kids can't be controlled for the first hour. And then they bottom out when their insulin goes up and now they can't pay attention … until lunchtime," he says. "Their whole day is like this."
Instead of allowing this sugar blast in the morning, make sure your kids get about half their fiber intake—about 7 to 10 grams—from their breakfast. Fiber is found in abundance in healthy foods like steel-cut oatmeal and fruit. If your kids refuse to eat those things right away, He recommends sprinkling the fiber—psyllium husks, for example—in their food.
"Find things that your kids resonate to and use those tools," he says.
Step 3—Try Healthy Foods 10 Times
This is especially difficult, He says, because many parents want meals to be easy. But giving up on healthy food is a big mistake. "It will take you, on average, 10 times of exposing a kid to a food before they'll finally say, 'You know what? I sort of like that.'"
Any peer your kid knows can help. "You get one child who's willing to be smart about the way they eat," he says. "It can be in your play group, your school, whatever, just get one kid—one ally—and you'll bust through the defense."
Step 4—Get Moving
Healthy families are ones who incorporate physical activity into their family life.
"He says there's a very good biological reason why it's so hard to get kids to eat their vegetables. In fact, they are hardwired to not like them. ...when our prehistoric ancestors searched for food, their children were most susceptible to poisons, which often taste bitter. So instead of liking something bitter—like broccoli—children tend to crave sweet and bland foods like dairy or chicken nuggets."
"Children also have a biological reason not to like certain foods. Flavorful fruits and veggies may actually taste differently to kids than they do to adults. "An older adult has 3,000 taste buds," Dr. Oz says. "A kid has 10,000."
"...we run into problems when we don't allow our taste buds to mature. "That's the big challenge we have in America—we've infantilized our taste buds. When a 3-year-old wants hot dogs, a burger, fries, a shake, cola, that's not abnormal. When a 30-year-old wants those foods, we're in trouble."
This natural craving for fatty blandness and sweetness is part of why there are so many "white kids" in America, ... "You know what a 'white kid' is? It's not the skin color, it's kids that only eat white—white flour, white bread, white rice, white sugar," ... "They only eat white foods, because white foods are seen as being safe to them visually, emotionally, from a taste perspective."
"As you get older, the fat comes alive," he says. "It becomes a hormone secreting gland. They get acne because they're getting feminized, because those hormones are estrogen. [Boys] grow breasts, which hurts your self-esteem and scars you your whole life. And as you get older, you begin to develop fat around your jowls. Now you can't sleep at night because you've got sleep apnea, which is like having a bunch of rear-end collisions all day long."
That's not where it stops. He says an enlarged omentum squeezes the kidneys, leading to high blood pressure. It poisons the liver and leads to more bad LDL cholesterol. And it blocks insulin, which leads to diabetes. "The next generation will be the first that we know of in our recorded history that will have a shorter life expectancy than its parents," he says. "The major driver of that is the obesity that's causing diabetes. Almost a fifth of the kids in the country today are overweight. Thirty-five percent of the kids that are born in this decade will be diabetics. If you're black—40 percent of the kids. And if you're Latino, half the kids."
Step 1—Keep Nothing Off-Limits
"I know that sounds crazy, but it turns out when you make foods off-limits, you create a cult around them and the kids just want to get to them. And they're smart—they'll find it," he says.
The time to make decisions about food isn't when you lock cabinet doors, he says. It's when you're in the supermarket. "Don't even bring the stuff into the house," he says.
Step 2—Fiber for Breakfast
When kids have sugary cereals, doughnuts and soda for breakfast, they start the day on a sugar high. "They show up in class, and teachers complain about this all the time, the kids can't be controlled for the first hour. And then they bottom out when their insulin goes up and now they can't pay attention … until lunchtime," he says. "Their whole day is like this."
Instead of allowing this sugar blast in the morning, make sure your kids get about half their fiber intake—about 7 to 10 grams—from their breakfast. Fiber is found in abundance in healthy foods like steel-cut oatmeal and fruit. If your kids refuse to eat those things right away, He recommends sprinkling the fiber—psyllium husks, for example—in their food.
"Find things that your kids resonate to and use those tools," he says.
Step 3—Try Healthy Foods 10 Times
This is especially difficult, He says, because many parents want meals to be easy. But giving up on healthy food is a big mistake. "It will take you, on average, 10 times of exposing a kid to a food before they'll finally say, 'You know what? I sort of like that.'"
Any peer your kid knows can help. "You get one child who's willing to be smart about the way they eat," he says. "It can be in your play group, your school, whatever, just get one kid—one ally—and you'll bust through the defense."
Step 4—Get Moving
Healthy families are ones who incorporate physical activity into their family life.
One thing you should be sure not to do is to hit the couch right after meals. "You'll actually change your metabolism," Dr. Oz says. "Those are the kinds of moves that will change America's health."
Step 5—No Eating in Front of the TV
If you eat while watching television, not only are you more likely to spill food on your shirt, you're also more likely to gain weight. People consume approximately 225 more calories a day when they eat absentmindedly in front of the TV.
In just one month, that adds up to two pounds!
Yogurt, good for you?
10 REASONS YOGURT IS A TOP HEALTH FOOD
1. Yogurt is easier to digest than milk. Many people who cannot tolerate milk, either because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance, can enjoy yogurt. The culturing process makes yogurt more digestible than milk. The live active cultures create lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack, and another enzyme contained in some yogurts (beta-galactosidase) also helps improve lactose absorption in lactase-deficient persons.
2. Yogurt contributes to colon health. When eating yogurt, you care for your colon in two ways. First, yogurt contains lactobacteria, intestines-friendly bacterial cultures that foster a healthy colon, and even lower the risk of colon cancer. Lactobacteria, especially acidophilus, promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon and reduces the conversion of bile into carcinogenic bile acids. The more of these intestines-friendly bacteria that are present in your colon, the lower the chance of colon diseases. Basically, the friendly bacteria in yogurt seems to deactivate harmful substances (such as nitrates and nitrites before they are converted to nitrosamines) before they can become carcinogenic.
Secondly, yogurt is a rich source of calcium - a mineral that contributes to colon health and decreases the risk of colon cancer.
1. Yogurt is easier to digest than milk. Many people who cannot tolerate milk, either because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance, can enjoy yogurt. The culturing process makes yogurt more digestible than milk. The live active cultures create lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack, and another enzyme contained in some yogurts (beta-galactosidase) also helps improve lactose absorption in lactase-deficient persons.
2. Yogurt contributes to colon health. When eating yogurt, you care for your colon in two ways. First, yogurt contains lactobacteria, intestines-friendly bacterial cultures that foster a healthy colon, and even lower the risk of colon cancer. Lactobacteria, especially acidophilus, promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon and reduces the conversion of bile into carcinogenic bile acids. The more of these intestines-friendly bacteria that are present in your colon, the lower the chance of colon diseases. Basically, the friendly bacteria in yogurt seems to deactivate harmful substances (such as nitrates and nitrites before they are converted to nitrosamines) before they can become carcinogenic.
Secondly, yogurt is a rich source of calcium - a mineral that contributes to colon health and decreases the risk of colon cancer.
3. Yogurt improves the bioavailability of other nutrients. Culturing of yogurt increases the absorption of calcium and B-vitamins. The lactic acid in the yogurt aids in the digestion of the milk calcium, making it easier to absorb.
4. Yogurt can boost immunity. Researchers who studied 68 people who ate two cups of live-culture yogurt daily for three months found that these persons produced higher levels of immunity boosting interferon. The bacterial cultures in yogurt have also been shown to stimulate infection-fighting white cells in the bloodstream. Some studies have shown yogurt cultures to contain a factor that has anti-tumor effects in experimental animals.
5. Yogurt aids healing after intestinal infections. Some viral and allergic gastrointestinal disorders injure the lining of the intestines, especially the cells that produce lactase. This results in temporary lactose malabsorption problems. This is why children often cannot tolerate milk for a month or two after an intestinal infection. Yogurt, however, because it contains less lactose and more lactase, is usually well-tolerated by healing intestines and is a popular "healing food" for diarrhea. Many pediatricians recommend yogurt for children suffering from various forms of indigestion. Research shows that children recover faster from diarrhea when eating yogurt. It's good to eat yogurt while taking antibiotics. The yogurt will minimize the effects of the antibiotic on the friendly bacteria in the intestines.
**Antibiotics kill not only harmful bacteria; they also kill the healthy ones in the intestines. The live bacterial cultures in yogurt can help replenish the intestines with helpful bacteria before the harmful ones take over. I usually "prescribe" a daily dose of yogurt while a person is taking antibiotics and for two weeks thereafter.
6. Yogurt can decrease yeast infections. Research has shown that eating eight ounces of yogurt that contains live and active cultures daily reduces the amount of yeast colonies in the vagina and decreases the incidence of vaginal yeast infections.
7. Yogurt is a rich source of calcium. An 8-ounce serving of most yogurts provides 450 mg. of calcium, one-half of a child's RDA and 30 to 40 percent of the adult RDA for calcium. Because the live-active cultures in yogurt increase the absorption of calcium, an 8-ounce serving of yogurt gets more calcium into the body than the same volume of milk can.
8. Yogurt is an excellent source of protein. Plain yogurt contains around ten to fourteen grams of protein per eight ounces, which amounts to twenty percent of the daily protein requirement for most persons. In fact, eight ounces of yogurt that contains live and active cultures, contains 20 percent more protein than the same volume of milk (10 grams versus 8 grams). Besides being a rich source of proteins, the culturing of the milk proteins during fermentation makes these proteins easier to digest. For this reason, the proteins in yogurt are often called "predigested."
9. Yogurt can lower cholesterol. There are a few studies that have shown that yogurt can reduce the blood cholesterol. This may be because the live cultures in yogurt can assimilate the cholesterol or because yogurt binds bile acids, (which has also been shown to lower cholesterol), or both.
10. Yogurt is a "grow food." Two nutritional properties of yogurt may help children with intestinal absorption problems grow: the easier digestibility of the proteins and the fact that the lactic acid in yogurt increases the absorption of minerals. And even most picky-eaters will eat yogurt in dips and smoothies and as a topping.
Perhaps we can take a health tip about yogurt cultures from cultures who consume a lot of yogurt, such as the Bulgarians who are noted for their longer lifespan and remain in good health well into old age.
Anti Aging...
Do the Chinese know the secret to anti aging?
While watching O.prah yesterday, Dr. O.z was on and was talking about the number #1 aging factor is stress and how to reduce it. One suggestion was chi-gong, an easier version of tai chi! Interesting.
"Dr. O.z says the "major agers"the activities that age us the quickestinclude a diet high in fat and sugar, not getting enough exercise, lack of sleep and too much exposure to the sun. The number one ager is stress."
"But experiencing some stress is not always bad. "It wakes us up. Makes us alert. We learn better sometimes when we have a little bit of stress."
"Dr. O.z says there are a few ways you can ... reduce your negative reactions to stress."
"Another is through meditation or prayer. "That can strip decades, literally, off your life," Dr. O.z says. If, like Dr. O.z, you find still meditation difficult, you can also use techniques like tai chi or chi-gong which Dr. O.z says is an "easier version" of tai chi."
What is chi-gong?
"A gentler form of energy practice, Qigong is a beautiful, flowing combination of movements and breathing techniques that stimulate energy flow and promote your natural resiliency to stress and illness."
See Video below for one example
Have you seen these?
Why is it that every stupid invention they come out with, I want!!! LOL! Aren't they cool looking!!!
Stroll-LightsIf you’ve ever walked your baby in the dark, you’re going to love Stroll-Lights. These clip-to-your-stroller lights make you and your stroller easy to see and be seen in the dark. Battery operated, these strings of lights come in a variety of eye catching colors. You can buy them in 3′ or 6′ lengths, and they can be combined to make longer lengths. The lights can be set to be either on continuously or to blink. And they’re not just for strollers. Put them on your backpack, in your tent, on a bike or on a boat. You can even decorate your Xmas trees with them! Wee Travel Baby Equipment Rentals loves these, and we know you will too. $22.65 CDN.
Olympic = Slow Down???
Okay, so what are your thoughts on the Olympics and the CCAA slowing down referrals or closing for a time??? Think it will impact all of us waiting parents? (29 months and still waiting!!) Sheesh....Something I miss...
I miss living on a Marina. I was down the beach this weekend and ate dinner and hung out at Sunset Marina! I feel home whenever I'm in a marina. (sounds weird, I know) It must be the smell of the salt air, the beautiful boats and the thrill of the sport. Below is where I lived in High School. It was AWESOME!! I miss it...
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