Got Milk?

I'm so grateful for all the different options for milk.  I use a variety in my kitchen.  Gotta say I'm not a big fan of goats milk.  I know it's good for me which should make me want to drink it but I had to draw the line somewhere. I just couldn't gag it down.   

My fridge has the following milks in it.  

I read somewhere that over 75% of Americans are allergic to cow's milk.  Not sure how they come up with these stats but nonetheless as I'm thinking about my own family, there's 6 of us and 5 of us, for sure, cannot tolerate cow's milk.  In my extended family the numbers are probably the same.  Signs of allergies (especially look for these in your children) are: clearing mucous from throat a lot, snorting (don't you hate the sound of kids snorting?  It drives me nuts!), lines under eyes, darkness under eyes, excema, rashes, and WARNING kind of grosse but red rings around the bum area.  If you notice any of these signs after having milk it's a good indication that there's some sensitivities to it.  Some of you might feel worried because you love milk and your kids love milk.  We used to be the same way.  But no need to worry when there's such great alternatives.  Here's how I use the different kinds of milk.

• rice milk--I make pancakes, waffles, shakes, put it on cereal, etc.  This is our main source of milk.  Did you know that there's the same amount of Calcium in rice milk as there is in Cow's milk?  And vita D.  I get the enriched organic kind from Costco.  Cheapest price!  Start here if you haven't tried different milks before.  Your kids won't be able to tell a difference.
• almond milk--I get the chocolate kind for protein shakes.  I also get the unsweetened original kind.  It's the best because it's not sweet making it taste more like cow's milk.  I especially love this with granola. It's kind of expensive.  It's cheaper to make it and really not too difficult or time consuming.  Maybe I'll blog about that soon.
• soy milk-- When I'm working out hard I use some soy because it's high in protein, however, I don't use very much. It's just not that good for you. Too much soy can trigger migraines, effects the estrogen/progesterone balance.  Use soy milk sparingly and make sure it's of an organic source.  It's absolutely disgusting how soy is processed.
• Organic Cow's milk-- I still buy a gallon of organic milk 2 times a month because Spanky likes it.  She doesn't show any adverse reactions to it. Portamus Prime and Bubbles are definitely allergic.  They sniff and snort and drive me crazy if they ever drink it. I'm also allergic to it.  I used to wake up everyday with hardened boogies in my nose and a sore throat.  No joke every morning.  Since going off milk I wake up with a clear voice and nose.    

If you're going to get milk, be sure it's organic.  

• I've done lots of research on dairy farms.  Most of them especially the large companies (meadow gold, walmart, etc) treat the cows REALLY bad.  Not only that the drugs and hormones are severly affecting Americans.  So you'll spend a couple extra dollars but it's well worth it knowing you aren't giving your children the growth hormones--another reason for the estrogen/progesterone balance to get off.

So what do you say?  Set a goal to try a different milk this week.   If you're eating whole grains and vegetables and drinking the hulk juice, trust me you're getting all the Calcium you need.  If you start using alternative milk sources with very young children, they grow up not having a clue.  Tallyoop (my 3 yr old has no clue about cow's milk. She's only had rice and almond milk.  Same with Bubbles (my 4 yr old).  Remember even if there is no sensitivities to dairy, one could easily transpire when used too much and too often.  We need to rotate the things we eat and drink.

tracking nutrients has never been easier

For the last year or so I've been tracking the nutrition and foods my kids eat through food journals.  Sounds a bit overwhelming.  But not when there are easy-to-use programs available.

Go to http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/

It's easy to use.  First you register to use the site.  You'll have to enter you and your children separately to get accurate amounts for each child or you can estimate if your children are close together.  That's what I've done.  You enter your age and gender. 

Then you add the food that you eat all day into the DAILY FOOD INTAKE.  You can add food that you eat often to make it easier the next time you fill out your DAILY FOOD INTAKE.

Next click on Analyze your Food Intake.

The program will do the work for you by showing you how many nutrients you've consumed compared to the USDA guideline recommendations for your age and gender.  You can see what nutrients are lacking in your diet and then adjust or add foods to compensate.  Great tool to help ensure your family is getting the NUTRIENTS NEEDED.

It will also help you track your calories.  You can add your exercise into the program as well.  THIS SITE IS SO AWESOME!!!!! I didn't know about it for a long time and did everything by hand.  

fun sites for kids

http://kidshealth.org/

http://www.mypyramid.gov/

Get your kids excited about nutrition.  There's lots of fun games they can play while learning.  Here's a few sites we use.

my theory (part 4)

I spent the next 4 months really working at getting my children the daily nutrient requirements based on the Center for Nutrition. I filled out charts and tracked the vitamins and minerals and the food they ate.   If they wouldn't eat the nutrition, then they drank it.  I was disguising every vegetable possible in their drinks and other food.  I did have a more powerful blender back then because I was able to blend beets and carrots, celery and tomatoes, etc.  They had no idea what they were drinking most of the time but the thing is THEY LIKED IT.  Some smoothies were just bad but you can mask anything with frozen fruit and juice.  Anyways, I'll share my recipes in upcoming posts.   I didn't realize it but my theory about nutrition had been evolving and I was in the middle of testing it.  Slowly my extremely picky eaters, Spanky and Bubbles, began eating real food.  I didn't believe it myself when one night for dinner they started eating beets and asked for more.  UH...double take.  These were the same kids that gagged on every vegetable that came close to touching their mouths.  It's interesting when we give our bodies what it needs AND get rid of sugar (see post about sugar) our body's natural instincts are allowed to make choices based on what our bodies need.  The garbage food and sugar and deficiencies takes away this natural instinct.  For all of you with picky eaters, find a way to sneak in those daily vitamins and minerals.  This might be the only way to get rid of the picky eating habits.  More info on this theory and how to be sneaky with it in my book (coming really soon).

You DID WHAT...?

Sounds crazy to put the family's grocery shopping into the hands of a 9 year old but I did this past week.  I gave her the weekly budget and told her how much she could spend and that it had to feed the family for at least 4 days.  At first Spanky starting making lists of food that were processed and not good for us like chips, soda, etc.  (What kid wouldn't!)  I didn't say much except that she needed to have a menu for each day with what we were going to eat AND that it needed to correlate with the food guide pyramid AND if there was any extra money she could spend it how she wanted to. BUT if she didn't get enough food, we wouldn't have anything to eat.  Risky, I know.

So off to Sunflower Market we went (my favorite store).  She was so excited.  I followed her around the store as she started grabbing all her favorite foods like hotdogs, frozen pizza, frozen breakfast sausage, and chicken nuggets.  She learned really quickly about how much food costs and what she could buy with the money she had.  I gave her a calculator and told her to add everything up so she didn't go over.  I made sure I had cash and that's all she was getting.  I went and sat in the front with a magazine.  She was gone shopping for a half hour or so.  I saw her pick up things and put them in her cart and then awhile later she'd put some things back.  It was actually really cute and comical seeing her little mind at work.  Eventually I migrated over to her and saw her progress.  To my suprise all the processed foods except one item (hot dogs) had been taken out.  I asked her what happened and she said, "The food I originally wanted was too expensive so I had to make some changes."  Interesting results! EATING HEALTHY IS CHEAPER.  A 9 YEAR OLD CAN TELL YOU THAT.  Not only did this teach Spanky a valuable lesson about money, it also taught her about meal planning and creating well balanced meals. We didn't eat like kings by any means.  Our meals for the 4 days were pretty simple but she was in charge and she was excited.   I was proud of her efforts. Oh and on a side note she did go over a bit.  She hasn't learned about sales tax yet.  I guess it's never too early to start teaching these valuable lessons to our children.  It will stay with them forever.

Use what you've got!

I've had some questions about what kind of blender I use. I wish I was using one of those sweet VitaMix blenders. SOMEDAY! For a long time I used an inexpensive blender that my sister gave to me. I wore it out after 6 months of using it several times a day. It was a Cuisinart. So for Christmas I got one of these blenders and I LOVE IT!Plus it came with a food processor which I've always wanted but couldn't ever afford.  This has really made things easier for all the raw food recipes I make.  The great thing is it was at Costco for less than $60.  I've been impressed with it.  Obviously if I could have bought the Vitamix they were selling I would have but I took what I could get and have been happy as can be. Thanks honey!

The point is YOU DON'T NEED AN EXPENSIVE BLENDER.  I don't even have one. For those of you who have a Vitamix, I hope you're using the crap out of them.  Use them for all us poor people working with 1/4 of the power you've got:)  Happy Blending!

"Oh no he's turning green!!!" (part 3)

I experimented over the next few months.  It was summer so there were plenty of fresh vegetables to choose from.  I researched more and more about the essential vitamins and minerals.  We had a shake a day.  (A different one each day of course)  At first I had to use more juice and frozen fruit to mask the taste of the vegetables and greens.  Now I don't have to use as much sweet stuff.  I used this basic recipe.  It's easy to make and easy to digest and a best-seller at our house.
fill blender pitcher 1/2 full of apple juice (I use the unfiltered or homemade apple juice but use whatever juice you have)
add 3 red chard leaves, 3 kale leaves, beet greens, handful of spinach, handful of romaine lettuce, spirulina (powder 1/2 tsp) and ice and water if needed. . 
The thing is I've tried this recipe on some of the pickiest eaters. I've babysat kids and tried it out on them.  Consistently, it’s a big hit.  It's awesome. I have to coax them a bit to take the first drink by making a game out of it or using some fun straws.  We call it "Hulk Juice".  Whoever finishes all of their drink first acts like "hulk" with his superhuman powers.

We established the tradition to "hulk out" after drinking it.  We all say as each kid finishes his last sip, "OH NO HE'S TURNING GREEN! WATCH OUT!"  It's fun for the kids.  They pretend to grow and rip their clothes out.  They act like they have superhuman strength like the hulk by picking up ridiculous things like the sofa chair or refrigerator or even each other. 

All I can say is if this is what it takes to get them the much needed vitamins and minerals they need each day, I'll do it because I'm committed to providing them with the best nutrition possible.  

Curious about what vitamins are found in this drink:

Red Chard has fiber, vita K, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, vita E, Folate.

          Kale has Vita C, Riboflavin, Vita A, Vita E, Vita K, Iron, Fluoride.

          Spinach has Potassium and Zinc, Vitamin B-6.

          Spirulina is high in Kelp, Protein, Essential Fatty Acids, Vita B12

This drink not only will cleanse the body but will also build the immune system. Try it.  I’m serious.  You’ll love the way you feel after drinking it. It's awesome!