Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Are you going to eat tomorrow??

Please come to California Pizza Kitchen at Tempe Marketplace (Rio Salado and McClintock) between 11am and close TOMORROW Thursday April 1, 2010. 


A portion of your bill will go to help The Academy Winterguard (one of the many programs of The Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts). Just click the link below to print your flier and The Academy will get 20% of your bill. You don't spend anything extra, just order your food like normal.



It's that easy! I will be there...hope you will too!


BONUS---They have amazing HEALTHY options for your child such as a grilled chicken breast and broccoli, sides of grapes, etc.



CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE FLIER!!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Toddler Trouble? Try this!

Are you having behavior issues with your child? It might be the foods they are eating.

There has been mounting research that food additives and preservatives can increase negative behavior in children. Schools that have taken out preservatives, artificial colorings, and additives have reported significant drops in behavior issues, fighting, attention issues and more.

So what can you do? Mainly, we as parents just need to feed our kids foods with as little "processing" as possible. And YES it can be just as easy as reaching into a box...

Snack ideas:

Diced ham or turkey cubes
String cheese
Cut up fruit
Veggies

The key is to cut up everything when you get home from the store before you even put it away and put it into little pre-portioned snack containers or baggies. That way if you are running out the door, or your child decides with a SCREAM that they are hungry, you can just grab and go. 

The best part- it doesn't hurt to try. If your child regularly has meltdowns, is moody, has short attention spans or any other unwanted behavior- you can change the foods they eat and see if that makes a difference. I normally always recommend you check with your doctor before any food change, but this is a change any doctor will stand behind. And- if it does not help with your child's behavior, at least they will be healthy little crazies!

Check out some of these articles for evidence about how eliminating additives and processed foods changes behavior in children.

Diet and Behavior in Children

Food Additives & Behavior

Food Affects Behavior

If you find other articles or resources on this topic- please leave a comment. This is a very interesting topic and I am sure much more research will come out on these issues.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Fast Food

Everyone knows fast food is not the healthiest option for any of us. With mounting research showing that the first 5 years are crucial in preventing obesity in children, there is even more reason to be sure your children do not eat too many drive-thru meals.

Here is an article that you MUST read from a lady who did an experiment with a Happy Meal from McDonalds. She purchased the meal and left it untouched on a shelf in her office for a year now. And while you would think it would have grown moldy and decayed...NOPE! It pretty much looks exactly the same.

Think about that- it looks pretty much the same a year later. Yikes! Now, I am not on my high horse about anything- I have eaten plenty of fast food meals in my day. And- I have also given my son food from some of these places.

BUT you can make better choices. Every fast food restaurant now has a grilled chicken sandwich and a side of fruit or veggies. I get the grilled chicken without any toppings, sauce or cheese and give my son water. Is it the perfect choice? Of course not, but sometimes it happens. Life gets busy and the thought of cooking or even going into a restaurant seems like too much work, but you can still help that better food is offered to your child.


Click here to read the Happy Meal Experiment article


Click here for a easy list of healthier fast food menu choices


Click here for Health Magazine's "Top Ten Healthiest Fast Food Restaurant" list

Thanks to my friend Erin for the link to the Happy Meal article!