It can be near impossible to wean your children off of soft drinks. At times it’s just easier to give in to their demands. But believe it or not, it may be easier to reduce their intake of sugar-laden soft drinks by reducing their salt intake.
A study performed in the United Kingdom showed the reduction of salt intake in children reduced their demand for soft drinks. The study consisted on a group of 1,686 children between the ages of 4 and 18. These children were asked to keep food and drink diaries for one week to track both their salt and fluid intake. The researchers found that by reducing 1 gram of salt per day (about 2 teaspoons), the reduction in sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption was about 27 grams (about 1 fluid ounce). The researchers speculated that a decrease of 3 grams per day of salt could lead to an average reduction of 2.3 soft drinks per child per week.
6 Ways to Reduce Family’s Salt Intake:
- Choose low-salt varieties of snacks and canned goods
- Purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables (if not possible choose frozen)
- Remove the salt shaker from the table to reduce temptation
- Use lemon juice, herbs and spices to add flavor to food
- Don’t add salt or reduce the addition when making foods
- Shop wisely and read labels carefully
Until next time,
Dr. Mommy
Did you know that a glass of red wine is good for you??
A recent French study published in ‘The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’ (FASEB), found that very high doses of antioxidant polyphenols (equivalent to one bottle of red wine per day) can shut down and prevent cancerous tumors.
Well, I am not suggesting you drink a bottle of red wine a day, but a diet rich in fresh produce, combined with a good supplement is the better choice to obtain the anti-cancer effect. You can also add other antioxidant rich foods to your diet to get the same effects, such as healthy chocolate made from unprocessed cacao with the acai berry, blue berries, rich dark green leafy vegetables, etc…
Studies have shown that low doses of polyphenols, play a beneficial role for those with ailments of the heart and circulatory system, because they facilitate blood vessel growth. The researchers claim that polyphenols are micro nutrients, often found in whole, unprocessed foods such as red wine, fruits, vegetables and green tea.
Imagine, finding the treatment for complex diseases can be easily found there waiting to be discovered in unexpected places, like the produce aisle.
**Veggie Fact**
The asparagus, a close relative of onions, garlic and leeks, long has been considered an aristocrat among vegetables. This harbinger of spring not only boasts fine taste, it’s rich in vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and folate .
Until next time,
Dr. Mommy
Don’t you love snacks? Who doesn’t? The problem is the type of snacks that we eat and the times that we eat them.
Now let’s be honest, do we really need someone to tell us what is right and wrong about the foods we eat?? YES!!!! Although we were all taught about the good and bad foods, it is always a good reminder to be told about them again!!
You must know by now, that my favorite word is ‘moderation’. It works when it comes to snack time too. The best snack for our bodies are fruits and vegetables. It is easy to cut up some orange wedges, for example, and place on counter or your refridgerator for an easy snack. Dried fruit is a great snack for those on the’go’. I like to have cut up vegetables available with dressing or yogurt to dip them into. These are all snacks that we know are healthy and good for us, but how many of us truly eat them regularly??
The newest snacks on the market are the ‘100 calorie snacks’.. You know which ones I’m talking about.. the ones that have 10 mini chocolate chip cookies in them that are thin as paper and just leave you wanting more. I’ve tried them and have not been satisfied at all, actually I wanted to eat 3 of those little bags, but that would defeat the purpose of the ‘100 calorie snack’ bag..
Nuts are a snack food that are very satisfying.. you can have almonds, cashews, etc and they are delicious and good for you. Your body needs ‘fats’ to function on as well, and nuts /grains are a great source with out the guilty feelings attached. Sunflowers seeds are also a great snack and are great in yogurt or over your salads. Pretzels are great snacks too and not as bad as potatoe chips. But again, my favorite word – moderation is key…
As I mentioned before, we need to eat at least 5 meals a day and those meals consist of snacks. After a healthy breakfast, you can have fruit, or nuts or crackers with cheese, or cheese stix, etc to hold you over until lunch and then the same in between lunch and dinner. It is not difficult to do, but will take some training. With some practice and dedication you will be able to experiment with different snack foods and enjoy your snack time.
Until next time,
Dr. Mommy
Remember growing up and having your mommy ask those famous words, ‘Did you eat all your veggies?’ I certainly do, but did she really know why veggies were so important?
We have been taught to have a variety of servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but why??
Well, did you know that fruits and vegetables are very high in antioxidants?? Yes, that word again… antioxidants!
Antioxidants are not produced by our bodies but are necessary to remove toxins. Our bodies are attacked by toxins on a daily basis. From the moment we wake up we are bombarded with toxins; from the air that we breathe to the foods that we eat. These toxins age us continuously and we must ingest antioxidants to slow down this process.
Antioxidants fight the free radical produced by the toxins and keep us healthy. Antioxidants have been known to help with the aging process, and various other health concerns such as joint pain, cardiovascular disease, gum disease, skin irritations and so much more.
These wonderful little ’soldiers’ better known as antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables and for those who do not consume enough of these wonderful foods, there are also many other products on the market today….
So, have you eaten your veggies or fruits today to help attack those terrible toxins??? If not, what are you waiting for??
Until next time,
~Dr. Mommy
Hmmmmm, you must be wondering why I mentioned vegetables and chocolate in my title…well, I will tell you…
As a mom to 5 children, it isn’t always easy to get everyone to eat their vegetables or eat healthy snacks. Actually it is quite difficult. I have found that unless you drown the spinach in cheese or broccoli in butter, the kids won’t touch it!!!
Well, what if I told you that you could give them a chocolate nugget that was equivalent to 1 pound of broccoli or 1/2 pound of spinach???? I know it sounds crazy but it’s true…
The antioxidants contained in both spinach and broccoli are equivalent to one nugget or one ounce of the Healthy Chocolate Drink – Activ….
This was a major revelation in our household, because as I mentioned, my kids won’t eat spinach and there are at least 2 that don’t care for broccoli…. now I can give them a Xocai nugget without worrying….
Yes, the nugget is healthy!!!! I know it is hard to believe, but it is not a candy but a food. Aside from the delicious taste and the look and smell of rich dark belgian chocolate, it truly is not a candy!!! The ORAC value contained in each 12 gram nugget is 3,120. Broccoli florets contain an ORAC value of 890 for 3.5 ounces!!!
So, yes it is a food…..it will be some time when we can actually believe that this particular chocolate can be healthy, but why wait!!!
Research has shown that unprocessed cocoa powder contains an ORAC value of 26,000, along with the wonderful acai berry which as an ORAC value of 18,500 and blueberries with an ORAC value of 2,400 all which are found in this great little nugget….
I will share more important antioxidant facts in my next post. Thanks for visiting….
Dr. Mommy
