Make your own Trail Mix

Next time you’re in your local health food store, have your kids pick out some ingredients from the bulk department. At home, place each ingredient in a different bowl and have your kids(s) assemble their own trail mix! They will love eating their own creation!

Ingredient Ideas: whole grain cereal, nuts (raw is healthiest), seeds (raw is healthiest), pretzels, natural chocolate or carob and dried fruit.

Excellent for bringing on a bike ride or family hike.

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“Recently, consumption of nuts has been the focus of intense research because of their potential to reduce coronary heart disease risk and to lower blood lipid [fat and cholesterol] levels based on their unique nutritional attributes.” Nuts are rich in plant proteins, fats (especially unsaturated fatty acids), dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and other compounds, such as antioxidants and phytoesterols.

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When you have a child with a food allergy, especially if he’s allergic to peanuts, it can be a real financial burden on the family. Plus, the emotional and mental stress that goes along with it can be very taxing at times. You must make sure he or she NEVER leaves the house without an epipen or better, two, in case they have an allergic reaction. Why two? If one fails you have a backup. The child’s life can depend on them.

We have a family member, a 3 year old, that’s allergic to peanuts and it’s been a big adjustment. Many things on the shelves at the grocery store or even offered at a bakery are forbidden. Some items such as chocolate, cookies, cake, muffins, even some cereals and ice cream have been processed with machinery that also processes nuts must be avoided. We have learned to read all the information on the packages to check for only foods that are safe for him to eat. By law a manufacturer has to include information stating that it’s contents are processed with machinery that also processes nuts.

It also means that he can’t eat cake at birthday parties because cakes from bakeries, even the bakery departments of grocery stores, cannot be trusted. Parents of the children in his playschool class have to be told never to allow their children to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school. And traveling can be a nightmare. Watch out for that pizza for it too may be made with peanut oil. Drive-in restaurants often use peanut oil to cook with. Chick Fil-A uses peanut oil. Check with your local McDonalds. It may be best to avoid that kind of food in the first place!!!

I hear that most families avoid certain types of transportation such as planes and ships. I have found a few helpful hints for plane travel. Inquire several times which airlines do NOT serve peanuts. Book early morning flights because the planes are usually cleaned at night. Otherwise check your seating area carefully for any fallen nuts or nut packaging left from the previous occupants. Be sure to include the seating areas directly in front and behind your assigned row. Bring your own snacks for your child.

We find that Jet Blue is very accommodating. While they can’t guarantee other passengers will not bring nuts or a nut filled candy bar on board they announce over the loud speaker asking the passengers to refrain from eating anything containing nuts and they check for any medical personal aboard in case they may be needed. In dire cases they will land the plane at the nearest airport if someone has a serious attack.

It is always to double check everything you can before going on a trip. Even the hotels and vacation spots need to be checked. Try and find a place that is near medical help in case your child Inadvertently comes in contact with nuts and has to be rushed for help.

When you first learn your child has a nut allergy and the repercussions involved, it definitely is a difficult and frightening thing to adjust to. It takes time to realize it’s not insurmountable.

Learn all you can. It’s important to understand and become aware of the possibilities that can be done when and if your child has an attack. This knowledge can ease your fears. Once you renew your mind and get used to the process of preparing to avoid an attack and understand that in case it does happen, you have the ability to stop his or her reactions long enough to get them to medical care for further help if needed, your family can go back to a normal life with the necessary adjustments.

Enjoy the precious moments you have with your children, nurturing them with love, compassion and mercy as they grow up.

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Orange Fruit Nut Truffles

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup orange-essence dried plums (prunes)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate-covered raisins (or plain raisins if preferred)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a food processor with the knife blade, blend all ingredients until a dough-like ball forms. Using your hands, roll into 1-inch balls.

Optional: Top each with a walnut piece.

Nutrition information per ball:
Calories: 62
Protein: 1g
Fat: 3g
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fiber: 1g
Sodium: 1mg

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Well, last I heard, researchers are saying, “stay away” from these kinds of food and eat lots of vegetables, fruits and nuts instead. Down the road as you age, you’ll be glad you did. Why? Fruits, vegetables and nuts actually help to prevent or reverse harmful metabolic processes in your body. That translated means they help to guard the human body from diseases.

Plant-based foods have an ingredient called phytochemicals which are what provide the better health for our physical bodies, including helping to keep us thinner. That in itself is good news and reason to change our diet from our old way of eating.

Someone once told me they eat junk food because it’s cheaper. Well, guess what…no way, that’s just an excuse so he/she can remain a child. They will pay down the road and it will be much more expensive for their medical bills!

As a matter of fact, overweight and obese people tend to eat fewer vegetables, fruit and nuts and instead consume far more saturated fats. They don’t give their bodies the advantages of protective trace minerals and phytochemicals found in natural foods to aid in warding off physical diseases and other problems.

Eating less plant-based foods causes higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. This on top of being obese or overweight can and will produce physical problems in due time.
Research has found that oxidative stress and inflammation in our bodies are definitely associated with the onset of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and joint disease.

“Diets low in plant-based foods affect health over the course of a long period of time,” Dr. Vincent, a researcher in FL. explained in a statement to the press. “This is related to annual weight gain, inflammation and oxidative stress. Those are the onset processes of disease that debilitate people later in life.”

“People who are obese need more fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholesome unrefined grains,” Vincent said. “In comparison to a normal-weight person, an obese person is always going to be behind the eight ball because there are so many adverse metabolic processes going on.”

In order to get enough protective phytochemicals daily, the UF researchers concluded that people should try to consume plant-based foods such as leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes at the start of each meal.

Vincent suggests, “Fill your plate with colorful, low-calorie, varied-texture foods derived from plants first. By slowly eating phytochemical-rich foods such as salads with olive oil or fresh-cut fruits before the actual meal, you will likely reduce the overall portion size, fat content and energy intake. In this way, you’re ensuring that you get the variety of protective, disease-fighting phytochemicals you need and controlling caloric intake.”

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They are crunchy, they have a delightful taste and they are the healthiest snack you can eat. As a matter of fact research suggests that we should eat Almonds at least once a day!

Almonds have been proven to help reduce our risk of heart disease, and as if that weren’t enough, another side benefit of eating almonds is that they help curb our appetites and help reduce weight. WOW…you can’t lose with this nut!

Why not try almonds? Eating only around 3 ounces daily can reduce our LDL cholesterol levels. Those are the bad guys…(low density lipoprotein).

Now, monounsaturated fats are the health promoting fats that our bodies need to aid in reducing heart disease. These are the same fats as found in olive oil. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats. Studies have proven that in an average diet, if you eat the equivalent amount of carbohydrates in nuts, it resulted in the reduction of the risk of heart disease by 30 percent.

Substituting saturated fats that come from meats and dairy products with the fats from nuts reduces the risk of developing heart disease by 45 percent.

Also, vitamin E is found in almonds, which is an antioxidant along with potassium, and magnesium, which lessens the resistance around our veins and arteries and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout our entire bodies.

So, almonds are an especially good choice to snack on because of their overall healthy attributes in protecting us against high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart disease and lowering the LDL cholesterol levels in our blood.

Try almonds as your choice of snack at least once a day for four months and see the difference it makes! You can eat them raw as is, or you can soak the raw almonds in water overnight to soften them.

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Besides being delicious and satisfying with their crunchy consistency, they are a very healthy natural product. They provide our bodies with necessary vitamins, minerals, and improve our energy levels with their proteins, fiber and carbohydrates.

Yes, nuts are chocked full of nutrients to aid in keeping our bodies more healthy. (‘scuse the pun)

There is thought that nuts can even be helpful in guarding against cardiovascular diseases because of their fiber and their fatty acid content being 80% to 90% unsaturated.

Could it be that eating nuts might even help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes because of the unsaturated fat and food fibers they contain?

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