Eight Foods Most Likely to Cause Food Allergies or Intolerance

For families worried about food allergies when eating out, worry no more. There is a website that will guide you to allergy-friendly restaurants in your area. AllergyEats rates the responsiveness of some 600,000 restaurants to customer requests for specific dietary accommodations. Rather than focus on typical restaurant review that rate restaurants on food, ambiance and service, AllergyEats solely features the willingness of a restaurant to respond to diners requests to prepare a meal in deference to a food allergy. Based on firsthand ratings and feedback from diners, parents can reduce the stress associated with eating out with children who have food allergies or gluten intolerance by selecting restaurants rated high on the list to frequent and avoiding those restaurants viewed as unwelcoming. Restaurant menus, food allergy lists, nutrition information, certifications, and directions are provided at AllergyEats.

Commonly agreed on characteristics include:

1.       Contributes a serving of whole grains (16g) and/or lists whole grains as the             first ingredient

• Be low in sugar (no more than 8 gms)

• Offers a good source of fiber (at least 3g but preferably 5 gms per serving)

•   Free of artificial food colorings and dyes

So Cheerios is good, and Frosted Mini Shredded Wheat is better. Adding fruit is an excellent way to sweeten the cereal naturally, while adding some more fiber, not to mention colors as nature intended. But don’t forget that the milk you choose is very important, too. Using skim (fat free) milk is best to limit the addition of unwelcome saturated fat.  These crunchy cereals make great snacks. too.

Improved USDA meal standards will result in healthier school meals

lunches and breakfasts: more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; fat-free and low-fat milk; less salt; minimizing unhealthy saturated and trans fats; and better accountability.

For this to become law, the USDA needs your support! To assure that all schools are positioned to serve healthier meals, you can add your support by signing a petition in favor of these undated nutrition standards.

We have only until April 13th to let the USDA know that we  champion the new rules that will lead to healthier school meals.  Sign the Petition offered by Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Want Tuna? Choose Chunk Light

As popular as canned tuna is, it is also the most common source of mercury in our diet. Testing by Consumer Reports’ confirms that white (albacore) tuna contains higher levels of mercury than chunk light tuna.

One serving (2.5 ounces, or about half a can) of white tuna or two servings of light tuna per week, exceeds the safe level set by the Environmental Protection Agency for those at highest risk, specifically women who are pregnant, might become pregnant, or are breastfeeding and young children because of possible neurotoxic effects from the methyl -mercury, a heavy metal found in larger fish that is released by coal-fired power plants and other industrial or natural sources, such as volcanoes, and finds its way into water, and then into our food supply.

Those considered at highest risk  are advised to avoid or limited tuna, and everyone else is encouraged to choose fish that have lower levels of mercury and are also rich in heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Which Fish Should be Limited? How much is OK?

Besides Albacore (white) tuna, Consumer Reports’ analysis found occasional high mercury levels in light tuna, suggesting the need for a more cautious intake than the recommendations offered by the FDA and EPA. Four other high-mercury fish—king mackerel, shark, swordfish, and tilefish—also should be limited or avoided.

Is any Seafood Safe?

According to Consumer Reports, there are types of seafood that are low in mercury and based on a daily serving of 6 ounces for adults and 3 ounces for children.

This information is adapted from an article found at GreenerChoices.

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 8,700 times in 2010. That’s about 21 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 14 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 48 posts. There were 7 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2mb.

The busiest day of the year was May 17th with 81 views. The most popular post that day was Is Hiding Veggies the Way to Feed Your Kids?.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were nutritionists.healthprofs.com, search.aol.com, medpedia.com, hoiantoday.info, and linkedin.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for tortilla chips, green vegetables, vegetables, green veggies, and snacks.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Is Hiding Veggies the Way to Feed Your Kids? November 2008

Do Pre-Portioned Snacks Support Healthy Eating or Not? August 2009

New Sandwich Bread Recommended May 2009

Healthy Eating Promotes Academic Success April 2008

Should We Give Up Produce to Avoid Salmonella? July 2008

Some of the most popular posts were written before 2010, showing that the writing on this blog has staying power!   Thanks to all who viewed that site and hurrah to anyone who went away better informed.  Wishing you  a healthy new year–Pass it on.

Pack a Healthy Lunch You Can Stand By

children what they need. However, we still have a long way to go in most school cafeterias before that confidence can be earned. So with too little time in the day, succumbing convenience is both tempting and way too practical. Throwing together a few single serving, prepared items and calling it lunch may serve your immediate need when fixing lunch is the last thing you want to do, but sending your child off to school with a selection of highly processed foods will undermined your best of intentions in the long term.  Too much saturated fat, sodium, lack of fiber and calorie dense, nutrient void foods will counter your child’s ability to meet the day fully. There is enough evidence to link a healthy lunch with better memory, cognitive function and academic achievement. And, so I refer you to the Cooking Light website, which offers 22 lunchbox ideas that are easy enough and focuses on healthy, whole foods that will benefit your child today and well into adulthood.

And as a holiday treat, you can sign up for free, online newsletters that will send you a daily family dinner recipe and many other healthy cooking options, and until December 31st, you can enter a Sweepstakes to win $15, 000

Can You Name that Nut?

Only half of people with a nut allergy can visually identify all the nuts they’re allergic to, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.  About two-thirds of parents of a child with a nut allergy managed to pick out the nuts that threaten their child’s health, but barely 2% of those participating could identify all 19 kinds of nuts presented, reported study author Todd Hostetler, MD, Ohio State University in Columbus. Most adults could only identify 11 of 19 different forms of nuts whether or not they were allergic. while those under age 18 were able to name just 24% , or 4.6 out of 19 types of nuts, and children with known nut allergies could name only one-third of the nuts that are likely to produce an allergic response

This lack of familiarity with a wide array  nuts, especially among those who may experience a life threatening reaction if an offending nut is eaten, is alarming and suggests that both children and adults are unreliable at visually identifying most nuts. In effect, everyone would benefit from more education to more accurately identify nuts. Sadly, it is not easy to find much information beyond the most popular 5-7 nuts commonly consumed, which may explain why so many people fall short.

Nuts are a nutritional bonanza for those who do not suffer from an allergy to nuts. The Food and Drug Administration approved of the use of a heart health claim for seven nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts, as these nuts low in saturated fat . A reasonable serving of nuts is 1 to 2 oz  (about 10-12) –unsalted–per day.

A look at the typical diet indicates that many children fall short of the recommended servings for fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat/skim diary products based on national consumption data. In fact, only 12.7% of children, ages 6-11, consume two or more servings of whole grains daily out of the six needed. Likewise, a minimum of 3 vegetables is recommended, but 1.5 vegetables is more typical. There is concern that children are consuming too little vitamin D and calcium since milk has been displaced by soda and sugar-laden drinks.

Then there’s the problem of too much dietary fat, which has a role in determining the acceptability of a child’s overall diet. Data from the Child and Adolescent Study for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) indicates that the nutrient density of foods increases with less fat eaten. This means that the vitamin and mineral status of children who consume more than 30% of calories from fat, particularly saturated fats and trans fatty acids, will fall below desired levels.

Interestingly, children who need vitamin and mineral supplements the least—because they are healthy, active and have access to good food and regular health care—tend to get supplements. It is the children who are underweight, have restricted food choices, or have illnesses that put them at risk for a vitamin and mineral deficiency (low level), who should receive supplemental vitamins and minerals, but usually don’t.

Better safe then sorry? Many professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association, stress that healthy children should be encouraged to eat a variety of unprocessed foods as the best way to get the necessary requisite of vitamins and minerals, naturally. Lest you believe that more is better, remember that a multivitamin is only intended to supplement an inadequate diet, not to replace the foods needed as part of a healthy diet. And, supplements do not provide fiber, essential to reduce disease risk and promote lifelong health. That said, there are situations when a multivitamin may be beneficial, such as for children who follow a strict vegetarian diet, especially Vegan, may need supplemental vitamin B12 or those with a medical condition that may challenge their nutritional status.

Let’s look at nutrients that particularly needed by growing children:

• Vitamin D and Calcium

These nutrients are essential for healthy bones and teeth. It is recommended that all infants, get 400 IU of vitamin D daily. Children who drink low-fat or fat-free milk and/or eat dairy products, such as yogurt, ice cream and cheese, usually get enough vitamin D and calcium. A milk intolerance can be managed with lactose-free dairy products, and for others who just don’t like milk, there are fortified non-dairy foods, such as soy products and orange juice. Since multivitamins generally contain only 200mg, or 20% of the daily calcium needed ( 800 mg for children ages 4-8 (3 servings) and 1300 mg from age 9 on(4 servings) , even a basic supplement can’t be relied on to meet the levels needed.

• Fluoride

Most children get enough fluoride to protect teeth enamel if they are drinking fluoridated water. For children over 6 months who live in areas that do not add fluoride to tap water, pediatricians and dentists may prescribe a fluoride supplement.

• Iron

Children, particular adolescent girls, need sufficient iron to prevent anemia and may lead to impaired brain function and intellectual performance. Good foods sources of this mineral include meats, fish, legumes (beans, lentils, Edamame, peas) and fortified breads and cereals.

• Antioxidants

While there is compelling data linking antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins A, E and C as well as beta carotene to reduced risks of chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The benefits, however, have been shown in diets high in fruits and vegetables, and not from isolated supplements, which may even be harmful, according to a recent study published in Cancer Causes and Control

How Do You Manage With A Finicky Eater?

For children who prefer chips and sweets to vegetables and whole grains, and those who typically reject vegetables, the goal should be to promote good food choices, rather than trying to solve this dilemma with a pill. After all, most children are otherwise healthy, active, and have plenty of food available to them so they do not need supplements. In recognizing that vitamins are just that, nutrients that are provided above and beyond a good diet, it makes sense not to substitute a pill for good eating habits. It is far better to put your energies into offering the right food s, keeping in mind that it takes repeated introduction—anywhere from 6 to 15–to a new food before it is typically accepted.

“We want families to provide their child with an environment in which they not only learn how to eat healthy,  but have the opportunity to practice what they learn,” says Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. The answer isn’t a vitamin pill, it is sitting down to eat with your kids so they see you demonstrating the behaviors you want them to develop. And, meals shouldn’t become a battleground. Knowing  that kids tastes change and evolve, just like ours, concentrate on modeling good eating habits and your children

will pick up on it. That means, serve everyone the same food, and let your children eat what they want; if they’re hungry, they will eat enough. Of course, if you have any concerns about your child’s health status, it is best to consult with your physician and/or a registered dietitian to make certain the diet is sufficient to promote growth and maintain health.  According to the experts, providing a diet that reflects the recommended servings for carbohydrates, protein and fat as presented in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid for Kids is the best way to establish lifelong healthy eating habits.

That said, do not be tempted to offer your children individual supplements cautions Peter Gann, MD, ScD, professor of preventive medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago in a recent JAMA editorial. If anything, choose a high-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement that provides the dietary reference intakes for essential nutrients, but contains no additives or fillers, and is manufactured by a reputable company to ensure that its label claims meet the levels declared for nutrient content.

Article adapted from an article prepared for the About Our Children supplement in the Jewish Standard.