healthy playdate

Hi all I'm back. I know - I was a bit slow in writing over the winter break. I am trying to get back on track. Today I had a big Kindergarten playdate at my house. As the kids were running around having fun, I began to make lunch. As I microwaved the chicken nuggets, reached for the ketchup, and filled their plates with kid-favorite snacks - I came up with my blog installment! I used all things from Jack's Health Food Country. While the kids were happy and loved the food - it was an added plus that it was all healthy. As you can see by their smiling faces . . . they didn't know it was healthy! So - for this blog, I'll tell you more about some of my gang's favorites - with a little help from James' friends!


First up - the chicken nuggets. What kid does not like chicken nuggets? If you head to those fast food restaurants, this is usually the top pick, especially for the very young. Jack has Earth's Best Baked Chicken Nuggets in the frozen section of the store. This is what I feed my kids and usually offer for lunch play dates. the kids love them AND they are baked, not fried. The chicken is all-natural and made without antibiotics. The breading is whole grain - with 8 grams of whole grains per serving! According to the USDA Food Pyramid, grains are the base of the pyramid. Consuming foods with whole grains help to reduce the chances of heart disease and help in weight management. Better yet, there are only 3 grams of fat in these chicken nuggets and no saturated fats. Traditional fast food chicken nuggets contain 12 grams of fat and 3 grams of saturated fat. Saturated fat increases bad cholesterol in the body and decrease good cholesterol. This increases the risk of developing heart disease. Clearly the chicken nuggets at Jack's Health Food Country are the much better choice. And for the moms out there - so easy to prepare as they are fully cooked and just need to be heated up!

Usually when I get out the chicken nuggets, the kids always ask for ketchup. I use to try to discourage the use of ketchup with my oldest child, but now I realize the benefits of ketchup. Ketchup is made from whole tomoatoes. Tomatoes contain lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that helps to neutralize harmful free radicals in the body and thus helps in cancer prevention and also heart protection. The ketchup from Jack's Health Food Country is organic, so the tomatoes are grown without pesticides. A double plus in my book! So, now I encourage ketchup, and believe it or not, they love this ketchup as much as any other!!

What is a chicken nugget lunch without a side of something fun? We always have bags of Pirate's Booty and Tings at my house. I haven't found a kid who doesn't like them! Tings are corn sticks, so much healthier than the more popular corn sticks. I have to admit they are so good: very hard to each just one! We also take these with us in the summers to the beach and it is easy to go through a whole bag very quickly! Pirate's Booty are more of a puffed rice snack and a favorite by all too! As you can see - James' friends enjoyed both types!

Jack's Health Food Country has so many snacks and meals available. Stop in and see! Clearly the alternatives to some of the more popular foods are just as good and so much more beneficial for you or your child's health. I know I feel better when they eat these snacks! And it is clear that they are happy and enjoying them just as much as the unhealthy versions!

Hey - have any ideas for the next blog? Send them my way!! I'd love to hear what some of your favorite products are from Jack's Health Food Country!!!!

Hi from Jack's wife.

Hi all -

Angelina did such a great job with the blog, but now it looks like it is up to me to continue. This is my first attempt at a blog - so bare with me as I get use to it all! I am Jack's wife - you know Jack from Jack's Health Food Country. I'm a social worker by profession, so my information on Jack's products is more from a mom's prospective. You see, we have three children, ages 5, 8, and 11. Sure, we use many things from Jack's store and maybe I can help everyone by talking about things my kids like. They are typical kids - you know the kind that like candy, cookies, and fun. They eat many things from Jack's store and throughout this blog, I'll point out their favorites (and mine). But with the threat of flu and illnesses this winter, I figure it would be good to start with vitamins. What do they take? Oh - probably be good for me to point out that they are also picky!



So here is our current list of vitamins. My gang takes two Animal Parade chewable vitamins a day (brand is Nature's Plus). The fruity pack comes with three flavors - grape, orange, and cherry. Our daughter only eats the grape and cherry, the boys will eat any. According to Jack this supplement is made with all natural ingredients, is hypo-allergenic, and vegetarian (and gluten free!). Many vitamins found in the grocery store are made with synthetic products. At Jack's Health Food Country the goal is to have vitamins made with natural/organic ingredients.



Along with the multi-vitamin, my gang has begun to add omega 3 to their daily intake. Again - jack is the expert - I'm just the mom. But the benefits I have read recently about omega 3's are fabulous. Omega 3 fatty acids are known to increase brain function. Some studies have shown that children that had omega 3 in their diets increased their short term memory, attention level, and reading skills. Omega 3's also have anti-inflammatory properties that help protect children's bones, joints, and muscles. Of course - the best way to get omega 3's is to eat fish. But, my three won't do that. Jack wants them to drink cod liver oil, which they have done. Jack has a few different flavors in his store and our three have taken some of them. But, for convenience sake (and also for taste) they prefer the Rainbow Light "Gummy Omegalicious". These come in a box of 30 individual self-serve packets. In each packet is a daily dose- 4 candy-like chewies. Our five year old begs for his vitamins daily! I know that Jack is disappointed that they don't drink the liquid cod liver oil as its benefits are significantly better, but I feel this way they are at least getting some of the benefits. Maybe we'll improve in the near future!



And the last part of our daily supplement ritual this winter is elderberry. I have to say - this was my idea! I read a lot about elderberry on the Internet and on my quest to avoid the H1N1 and the flu, I found this to be a positive help. So here is what I discovered - Elderberry is an antioxidant and is used to boost the immune system. It is said to help with colds, flu, coughs, bacterial and viral infections, and aids heart health. The juice in elderberry contains high levels of bioflavanoids and other proteins that can destroy the ability of a cold or flu virus to infect a cell. With all the hype about the H1N1 flu - I know most moms would agree that our kids need this! I also read that in 1995, Elderberry was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama. Anything we can do to keep away the flu is good news for us moms!!! So - you wonder - how does this stuff taste? My gang takes 1 teaspoon of Nature's Way Sambucus (a technical name for black elderberry) every night. If they are fighting a cold, I will boost up to two times a day. The bottle says they can have up to four times a day for a more intense treatment. So - back to the taste - it is the consistency of cough syrup and tastes really good. All three of my picky eaters drink it up without a second thought. So - a win win situation! I'll keep you updated on our health this winter too!

Well that's all for my first attempt. How did I do? Do you have a favorite product from Jack's Health Food Country? I'd love to hear your stories too!! I'll be back to share more!!!!!

"ORGANIC" is a big scam!

Organic produce is a big scam.

It's something my mother's been telling me for years.

"There's no difference between that," she insists, jabbing a finger at my organic apple, "and the normal stuff."

"The normal stuff," is what she calls the pesticide-laden germ warfare that graces most supermarket shelves under the smokescreen of "natural" and "fresh."

Luckily, I stopped listening to my mother after she sent me to school with a rhinestone-studded unicorn sweatshirt. The shirt that matched the one she made my teacher. The teacher she called in advance, to plan the day we could coordinate our outfits.

I never looked at a Bedazzler the same way again.

Anyway. We've had this argument once or twice over the years, with her challenging me to come up with a laundry list of proof regarding organic foods' superiority over their conventional counterparts.

Usually, I kind of stumble around the matter, blurt out something like, "It's healthier! Better for the planet!" and make for the exit before she can press me for details. I knew it was better to support organic farming methods, but I didn't really know why.

So here are a handful of reasons to keep in your arsenal, should you one day find yourself in the same predicament.

1. Organic produce is safer and healthier.
Certified organic produce must adhere to strict regulations regarding pest control and growth, meaning farmers cannot use unnatural and potentially dangerous chemicals to control beetles or plump up their tomatoes.

2. Growing organically is safer for the environment.
No chemicals leaking into our water supply or killing wildlife. And while conventional farming methods usually mean the land is worked until it's no longer usable, organic methods utilize crop rotation, which retains and replaces soils' nutrients.

3. Organic produce is not genetically-modified.
Basically, scientists have started to mess with the DNA of natural foods like soy and corn to make them more profitable. GE foods can be made "Herbicide Tolerant" (tweaked to withstand direct applications of pesticides that would naturally kill them) or "Insect Resistant" (the plant itself produces an insecticide that kills pests -- which will likely develop immunities down the line anyway. In the meantime, we get to digest more chemicals. Yum!)

Because foods are not required to have a "GE" label on them, the only sure way to avoid them is to buy food with a "non-GE" label (Go figure -- unnatural foods have become the norm, and normal foods now need a label) or buy organically-grown produce.

Some of my mother's favorite reasons for not choosing organic produce:

"How do we know it's really organic?"
Certification is a long and costly process that can take years. It is strictly monitored. Sure, buying organic requires a certain level of trust in those guidelines, but buying anything does. You trust that you'll get round cereal in your Cheerios box, or that the expiration date on your milk is correct, or that the kid who unloaded the apples didn't juggle them first. (I didn't! I swear! I can't juggle for beans.)

"It costs more!"
Well, yeah. It does. There's no getting around that. Why? Well, for one thing, organic produce is more expensive to grow. Without using cheap pest deterrents (i.e. sewage sludge and chemical fertilizers), farmers need to rely on compost and methods like hand-weeding or crop rotation. Maybe one day, it will become normal to eat natural things again, and prices will react accordingly.

In the meantime, you can make choices that are healthier for all involved.

What's your view? Put in your two cents by answering the poll to the left!

Posted by Angelina.

Sources: On Cost
On organic food terms
On GE foods. Also here.

Staff Recommendations: With food like this, why NOT Go Raw?

Staff Recommends: Go Raw Original Super Cookies

When most people think of the Raw Food Diet, images of fresh fruit juice, heaping plates of carrot sticks, and detoxing wheatgrass shots spring to mind.

That's all well and good, but what about those of us who aren't quite so stringent, or who, perhaps, are simply looking for a healthier, more nutrient-dense snack -- just to tide us over between stalks of celery?

Enter Go Raw Super Cookies, a surprisingly sweet and crunchy cookie made from organic sesame seeds, organic coconut, and organic dates.

And that's all.

Meaning: no added "natural flavors" or preservatives. No added sugar (the dates provide enough as it is), and, for those of you with allergies, no gluten, dairy, eggs, etc.

Yum!

If you've ever tried a raw snack, perhaps a different brand, and found it lacking, trust me - this line is not like those. Instead of the slightly wilted-seeming, brown-bland-blah confections that you might know, Original Super Cookies give you crunch and a little pizazz, and, dare I say it - peace of mind. Especially if your mind happens to have a sweet tooth.

So that's why they're delicious. But why are they better for you?

Well -- it depends of who you ask, to be honest. Some would say there's no difference between a raw snack and a traditionally-processed version.

The Raw Food lifestyle is a giant clam to crack, and I'm not going to attempt it right now, but the basic belief is that raw (aka living foods, like fresh uncooked veggies and sprouted seeds and nuts) contain beneficial enzymes and nutrients that are destroyed when the foods are heated above a certain temperature. Raw Foodists claim a wide variety of health benefits from their diet, from increased vitality to weight loss, to shining hair and skin and the diminishing of a range of health problems.

There are a slew of websites you can check out if so interested. Living Foods is a mecca of information. Or you can check out Supercharge Me, a documentary about a woman who takes on the challenge of going 30 Days Raw.

Personally, I've experimented with raw foods living, and found mixed results. There was definitely an increased amount of energy, after an initial detoxing period. And I felt better -- less hungry, a little cleaner. But there were also times of lethargy, and still other times when I just didn't feel like chewing/sipping that shake made of kale and carrot juice for lunch.

But that's one person's experience, and I urge anyone interested to try it for themselves.

In the meantime, enjoy those cookies!

If anyone currently follows the raw lifestyle, or is experimenting with the diet, please let us know! I'd love to post some personal experiences aside from mine.

Email Us with your knowledge and opinions!

Avocados are Healthy! (And that ain't no guac!)

Part One of our Healthy Eating series.

Avocados have been called many things: short, irritating, pouty, too talkative -- oh, wait, no, that's what I've been called. (p.s. words hurt, people)

Avocados have long been heralded for their health benefits and for their buttery, flavorful simplicity. High in monounsaturated fats, (studies have linked avocado consumption to lower cholesterol levels). Even that stubborn US government has jumped on the avocado bandwagon, revising its official nutrition guidelines to increase the daily recommended intake.

So now that you're sold on avocados, what do you do with 'em?

1) First, choose a delicious avocado -- softer and not so green. The riper they get, the more intense their flavor. You can ripen a greener avocado by placing it in a paper bag with an apple and setting it on the counter. (Conversely, you can store them in the fridge to slow the process down and keep them around longer, in case you just bought them for the companionship. In which case, may I recommend a pet instead? :) )

2) When your avocado is ready to go, you're going to need to know how to slice it.
This video will show you!
Don't do what I did with my first avocado, and attempt to peel the skin from it like it's a common orange or something. (Side Note: avocados are slippery.)

If you're not going to use your cut avocado right away, you can store it in an airtight (super airtight! Get all that oxygen out of there!) container in the fridge, perhaps with a bit of lemon juice sprinkled on top. I've also heard tell of storing it with its pit, which allegedly saves it from turning brown, too.

3) Time to Eat!
Some ways to enjoy your avocado:
-- sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper
-- a customer recommended avocado with honey!
-- as part of your turkey sandwich
-- Grilled, like in this fancy recipe
-- and of course, as guacamole dip for your favorite corn chips.

Do you have a favorite avocado recipe? Send it along to submissions@jackshealthfoodcountry.com!

4) Uh Oh. Now you're in love.
What to do, what to do?
Aside from buying more avocados, you can always show your love with these dapper Avocado Earrings Or perhaps crochet an avocado of your very own. Or treat your face to an avocado face mask.

Submitted by Angelina