"CRUNCHING CARROTS, NOT CANDY"...a fun nutritional picture book for kids

This food revolution is about saving America's health by changing the way you eat. It's not just a TV show, it's a movement for you, your family and your community. If you care about your kids and their future take this revolution and make it your own. Educate yourself about food and cooking. Find out what your child is eating at school. Make only a few small changes and magical things will happen. Switching from processed to fresh food will not only make you feel better but it will add years to your life. You can...

*** Join the Food Revolution community on Facebook.

I am really concerned about the unhealthy foods that are being offered to the consumer. Companies spend millions of advertising dollars to convince us about our choices without even realizing what an influence advertising has on our purchasing dollars, decisions, and desires.

In the following paragraphs I will give you information about a product that is used so frequently. You be the judge as to whether the ingredients in this product are really good for your well being.

COOL WHIP...
Cool Whip Original is made of water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skim milk, light cream, and less than 2% sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), natural and artificial flavor, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, and beta carotene (as a coloring).[5] In some markets, such as Canada and the United States, Cool Whip is available in an aerosol can using nitrous oxide as a propellant.
According to a Wired Magazine article, consumers are paying 41 cents per ounce for mostly water and air: twice the cost of homemade whipped cream.

Do you know what all these ingredients are in Cool Whip, especially xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, without a reference book? What are the first four main ingredients in this products (excluding the water)? Are they good or bad? What do they contribute to your health?

Become an educated consumer on what companies are really selling and the cost it has on your health and pocket book. Start today taking baby steps in replacing an unhealthy product with a healthy product for the sake of your family.

You don't need a degree in nutrition or to possess an IQ of Einstein to raise healthy, active kids. Simply create an environment that encourages your family to eat appropriately and to become more physical.
The following fifteen suggestions will encourage the development and maintenance for a lifetime of healthier bodies and minds:

1. Most importantly, parents should manage the food supply. Parents are in charge of which foods to buy and when to serve them. Remember..."If parents don't buy the food product, kids and/or your family won't eat it"!

2. Let kids have some choice in what they will eat from your food supply, giving them a sense of control.

3. Have kids help prepare the meals. This gives them partnership in the food and they will tend to eat it more willingly.

4. If you have the time and the space ... grow a garden of any size. This also encourages kids to learn about healthier foods. They love the bragging rights of growing and eating their own foods.

5. Don't force kids into over eating by licking their plates clean because (as the adage goes) "... there are staving children in China." Serve smaller amounts and their bodies will tell them when to stop eating.

6. Have kids slow down on eating and chew their food 20 times before swallowing. This helps with their digestion and over eating. Remember that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to recognize that your stomach is full.

7. Offer kids a variety of foods from the time that they are able to consume them. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. It is said that it may take 15 times of offering a particular food to a child before kids will eat it. So keep trying!

8. Soda and other sweetened drinks just add extra calories and fat to their bodies, not to mention the destruction to their teeth and bones. Offer children and your family milk, water or juice (in limited quantities).

9. Don't let dessert be the reward for eating a nutritious meal but a part of the meal. In fact, use dessert as a special treat for important occasions. Better yet, offer kids fresh fruits for dessert ... fruits are sweet and offer good nutrition and fiber.

10. As a parent, be a good role model and eat healthy too. Remember ..." Kids see more of what you do, and hear less of what you say."

11. Be active as a family and you will all benefit health wise and family wise. Thirty to sixty minutes of physical activity a day will help maintain a healthy mind and a healthy body for a lifetime.

12. Limit T.V. and computer time. These motionless activities will put on pounds.

13. Establish a rule of "90-10." Eating healthy 90% of the time allows 10% of eating poorly, for life happens with special occasions of birthday parties, holidays, etc.

14. Use individual charts to record eating habits. Give rewards each week ... like stickers, a movie, but not food rewards.

15. And most importantly ... serve your family plenty of veggies and fruit daily. The darker the green veggie the more nutritional value it will offer, as fresh fruit will deliver many dietary benefits and fiber that your kid's developing body needs.

With all this said, take into consideration that habits don't change overnight. Learn to take baby steps, changing one unhealthy habit for one good healthy habit. Soon you will enjoy the many lifestyle changes that you and your family have accomplished together.
Happy, Healthy Eating and Exercise!

I was recently at the "De Moines Waterfront Market" with my books. A really nice farmers market with lots of great fruits and veggies. (Prices were higher than in California but folks were buying fruits and veggies like crazy.) I bought some organic Carrots (pictured below). We cooked them slightly, adding nothing. They were the sweetest carrots I have every eaten...WOW! I want more :)

All in all the day turned out perfect. The scenery was beautiful on the sound, the weather was cool, the produce was delicious, and my books were a hit. It could not have been better.

***Carrot Museum -
http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk

***Boston Vegetarian Society - http://www.bostonveg.org/index.html

***How to grow carrots - http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/carrot.htm

**Order your Vita-Mix at ------www.crunchingcarrotnotcandy.com,
***send me a proof of purchase (via e-mail or to Judy Slack, P.O. Box 336, Denair, CA 95316),
***receive a complementary CCNC book.

WeightWatchers, one of the most popular weightloss programs today, featured the Vitamix 5200 in a Father's Day promotion - Calls the Vitamix a mighty, multifunctional must have kitchen tool that dad should have!
(1,224,290 visitors per month.)

Going Green Smoothie

Yield: 3 1/2 cups (840 ml)

1 cup (160 g) green grapes
1/2 cup (78 g) pineapple
2 cups (60 g) fresh spinach
1/2 ripe banana, peeled
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1 cup (240 ml) ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
4. Blend for 60 seconds or until desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately.

Famous for being the secret to Popeye's legendary strength, spinach is truly a nutritional powerhouse-and perfect for green smoothies. A Harvard University study found that women who ate spinach more than five times a week had a 47 percent decrease in risk of cataract surgery compared with those who ate spinach less than once a month. Lutein, found in spinach, may also benefit eye health by reducing the risk of macular degeneration, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. Vitamin A and vitamin K are two of the prevalent vitamins in spinach and they are known to help regulate blood flow, maintain bone health, preserve cell health and help the cells in the body grown normally.

If Popeye had owned the Vitamix 5200, the Emerald Smoothie would have been a healthy and tasty treat; a nice change from eating spinach straight from the can!

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. uncooked oats
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. shredded carrots (about 2)
1/2 c. skim milk
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1/3 c. melted butter (5 1/3 tbsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 medium muffin cups with no-stick cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. Combine first 8 ingredients; mix well. Add combined milk, egg whites, butter, and vanilla, mixing just until moistened. Fill prepared cups 3/4 full. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

ACCORDING TO A RECENT ARTICLE about famous chefs & School Lunches in the POST...

"CHEFS DECLARE ASSAULT ON CHICKEN NUGGETS AND OTHER SCHOOL LUNCHES"
by Tom Henderson - Jun 4th 2010

'...Ann Cooper, the nutrition director of the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, calls herself "the Renegade Lunch Lady" and tells the Post the chefs may know their way around a souffle, but they don't know beans when it comes to the reality of school lunches.

THEY CAN DO THE MOST GOOD BY EDUCATING AND INSPIRING KIDS TO EAT HEALTHY FOODS,, she says.

"We've grown a generation of children who think chicken nugget is a food group," Cooper tells the paper.'

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