Body In Mind Nutrition

This is another perspective to add to the conversation about how to feed your kids.  Do you shoot for what you know they will eat and is convenient or do you continue to challenge their evolving palates?  "I read somewhere that children who reject foods on first sight will be more willing to taste those foods the 3rd or 5th or 10th time they loom over the edge of the dinner table. This is the guiding principle behind Dad’s Weird Suppers."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/magazine/21food-t-000.html?ref=magazine

The most recent information on how a low-fat "diet" may increase the risk for heart disease contributes to the confusion about smart food choices.  Walter Willett, M.D. -He added that while the pervasive dietary guidance given to consumers has been to eat fats sparingly, to load up on starch and eat non-fat products, “the food industry quickly realized sugar was cheaper than fat and laughed all the way to the bank.”


Bottom Line:  the oversimplified message of "low-fat" rather then smart fat has lead to an increase in the consumption of carbohydrates, and in some cases, more refined carbohydrates.  A heart healthy diet includes heart healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fats from nuts, seeds and olive oil.

http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/11/17/10-tips-for-a-sustainable-thanksgiving?fb_js_fbu=757915220

The often overlooked connection between celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases:  "As previously discussed, when individuals with celiac disease follow a gluten-free diet, their anti-tTG levels return to normal. A growing amount of research suggests that when people with celiac disease and ATD adopt a gluten-free diet, not only do their celiac-related antibody levels improve, but their thyroid antibody levels also decrease."

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/110310p52.shtml

"Emerging research supports the possible role of vitamin D in protecting against cancer, heart disease, fractures and falls, autoimmune diseases, influenza, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Many health care providers have increased their recommendations for vitamin D supplementation to at least 1,000 IU."


http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/731722?src=mp&spon=17&uac=144206BZ

 "As a member of the ginger family, cardamom has been used to make heavy and acidic foods easier to digest for more than 5,000 years. Throughout the Middle East even coffee is brewed with ground cardamom seeds, reducing its acid and neutralizing the stimulating effects of caffeine (plus, it tastes good!). Cardamom is also one of the richest sources of the phytochemical cineole, a potent antiseptic for bad breath, gum disease, sore throats, and respiratory conditions."

http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/2786?utm_source=EatingWisely&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=EatingWisely

"While the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease says food allergies occur in 6 to 8 percent of kids, and about 4 percent of adults, there's a lot of self-diagnosis, overdiagnosis, and just plain misdiagnosis Bahna says."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/11/12/131279854/allergy-expert-says-peanut-bans-are-an-overre

You don't have to skip dessert this Thanksgiving!  Check out this Pumpkin Rice Pudding Recipe!!!  I'm on my way to the kitchen ya'll....


http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-meal-makeover-pumpkin-rice-pudding/package/index.html

I wanted to let you know about a great new resource to help with feeding our kids.  This can be the first place to look when you are wondering about feeding your kids.  Teaching your kids about how to eat well (other than by setting an example!!!) is a tough job.  There are lots of tough questions, like: What is the best way to handle a picky eater?  What do I do if my child will not try a new food?  What do I say if my child wants candy?  Does my child eat enough protein?  Check it out!

http://www.eatright.org/kids/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/dr-weils-simple-roasted-root-vegetables/?ref=healthupdate&nl=health&emc=healthupdateemb2

The effort to educate and offer healthy choices to consumers is a big enough job.  The intrusion of big business and government policy sure does make the job even tougher.  Educate yourself about who is funding the research!!

" The organization’s activities, revealed through interviews and records, provide a stark example of inherent conflicts in the Agriculture Department’s historical roles as both marketer of agriculture products and America’s nutrition police.
In one instance, Dairy Management spent millions of dollars on research to support a national advertising campaign promoting the notion that people could lose weight by consuming more dairy products, records and interviews show. The campaign went on for four years, ending in 2007, even though other researchers — one paid by Dairy Management itself — found no such weight-loss benefits.   "

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07fat.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha1
  

If you notice that you struggle more with making healthy food choices and overeating when you are stressed, I have good news!!!  A new study finds that the changes which occur in your very CELLS when you meditate can alter your ability to cope with stress. Learning the skill of calming your mind and eating mindfully can alter your ability to change your eating habits.  Check it out....

"The effect appears to be attributable to psychological changes that increase a person's ability to cope with stress and maintain feelings of well-being. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/206714.php

"Dr. Goldacre has his favorite nemeses, one of the most prominent being the popular British TV nutritionist Gillian McKeith, whose books and diet supplements are wildly successful. According to her Web site, “Gillian McKeith earned a Doctorate (PhD) in Holistic Nutrition from the American Holistic College of Nutrition, which is now known as the Clayton College of Natural Health.” (The college closed in July of this year.) Clayton was not accredited, and offered a correspondence course to get a Ph.D. that cost $6,400. She is also a “certified professional member” of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants, where, Dr. Goldacre writes, he managed to get certification for Hettie, his dead cat, for $60. Ms. McKeith has agreed not to call herself “Dr.” anymore. "      

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/science/02scibks.html?_r=1&nl=&emc=a210

Learning how to eat mindfully includes the centerpieces of slowing down and allowing yourself the wonderful experience of savoring every bite.  Again, simple, BUT NOT EASY!!

"Appetite is complex, and dieting is a challenge. Even so, people who are trying to lose weight may want to start by chewing more slowly. In that way, they allow themselves enough time to experience pleasure and satiety."
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=102110_tw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6wJl37N9C0

Successful weight loss requires a life long change in eating and activity behaviors....quick fixes, such as diet pills and diet and exercise programs only work in the short-term.  


"Dr. Caroline Apovian, director of the center for nutrition and weight management at Boston University Medical Center, who has consulted for drug companies, said, “We’ve shown over and over again that it’s very difficult for anyone to lose weight and keep it off through diet and exercise alone.” When that approach is successful, she said, it often requires intensive coaching, which is impractical for medical offices to provide on a large scale. "      

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/health/policy/29drug.html?_r=1&emc=na

“At a certain point,” she said, “you cross that line and you can’t help what you are doing, and the eating disorder owns you. I lost my bearings on reality and maturity.”

Please be mindful that your commitment to controlling your weight/body can become an obsession or a full blown Eating Disorder.  If you are concerned for yourself or for someone you love, ask for professional help EARLY-please don't wait!!  


http://nyti.ms/aBKxmB

Fighting the forces that are creating the tragic problem of pediatric obesity can feel like fighting the "perfect storm"!  Helping our kids make healthy food choices while they are at school is a major challenge but a great place to start.   It will take a village....

 http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=141404064431134&ShowArticle_ID=11801110103505573

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e32jfiyugf9zoq2n/start

Promise, this will take 5 minutes!  I am thinking about adding an online course-what do you think?