Teach Your Children Healthy Eating

The incidence of childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Obesity is one of the easiest medical conditions to recognize, but often, one of the most difficult to treat. Overweight children are quite likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthy patterns of eating and exercise. One of the best ways to help children adopt good eating habits is to start teaching them about cooking at an early age.

Involving kids in meal preparation encourages healthy eating habits and introduces them to the value and importance of nutritious, balanced meals. Elizabeth Pivonka, a registered dietician with a doctorate, heads Produce for Better Health Foundation, the nonprofit entity behind the "Fruits & Veggies — More Matters" national public health initiative. Pivonka says the kitchen can be a great place to stir up some fun while teaching healthy habits. As a working mother of two, Pivonka understands that getting kids to eat healthy fruits and vegetables can sometimes be a challenge. "Kids can help by measuring, mixing or gathering ingredients while you cook," she says. "If kids help with the cooking, they are more inclined to eat what’s on the table. At my house, we make meal planning and preparation a family activity."

You can even start toddlers out helping you “cook” by using toy food, pots, pans, and bowls to copy what you are doing. Older preschoolers can help by measuring ingredients and stirring, and grade school kids can prepare simple non-cooked recipes or use the microwave with proper supervision. A simple microwave baked potato, cut open with a table knife and topped with cooked broccoli and cheese is fun, will empower them and give them a sense of accomplishment. Start educating your children about healthy eating at an early age. Getting them into good eating habits early on will go a long way towards keeping them happy and healthy the rest of their lives.

Take a little extra time at the grocery store with your kids educating them in the produce section. Tell them “This is the most important section of the store” and get them involved in picking out the fresh ingredients you will be eating. Make a game of trying something new and take turns picking out a new fruit or vegetable every week to try then get them involved in it’s preparation.

If you are an overweight adult yourself and are not well educated about healthy eating, start learning now and take steps on a weekly basis to educate yourself and your children. It is said that the best and easiest way to learn something new and retain the information, is to teach it to someone else. Learn about one seasonal fruit and one seasonal vegetable a week, trying one cooked and one uncooked recipe. You will be amazed at how much knowledge and experience you will gain over a short period of time. You may not enjoy all of the foods or all of the recipes you try, but keep the ones you do, and soon you will have a repertoire of healthy recipes you enjoy. Best of all, you will be teaching your children healthy eating habits and a healthy lifestyle that will stay with them the rest of their life!

Learn about the Junior Leagues Kids in the Kitchen

Are You Feeling a little Sluggish after the Holliday Food Fest?

The Holidays are over and it is time to make a Fresh start as a Part-Time Vegetarian. 

Are you experiencing eating remorse?  Did you give in to your darkest eating desires and eat way too many Meats, Sweets and Treats over the holidays?  Are you feeling Guilty about your Holiday Food Indulgences?  Do you feel the need to put your body into Depriveaty because of your Depravatey? 

Part-Time Vegetarians realize that we naturally have ups and downs in our eating patterns.  It has been part of the natural weight cycle of humans for many millenia to put on a little extra weight in the cooler months.  This extra weight is padding to insulate us from the cold and fuel for the extra work our bodies need to do (shivering) to keep warm.  Your body is perfect now and it will be perfect when you shed that extra weight over the next few months and return to Perfect Health in Body, Mind and Spirit.  The time for indulgence and feasting is over.  It is now time to gently return yourself to your Part-Time Vegetarian "Path to Healthier Eating".

The first thing you may want to do is flush out some of the extra toxins and fats you probably over-consumed, so be sure you are drinking plenty of water to aid that natural process.  Secondly, get 10 minutes of some fairly strenuous exercise 2-3 times this week and work up a good sweat.

If you are in a snowy climate, you are in luck, you may be able to shovel some snow.  Just take it slow if you are not used to a little healthy exercise and don't hurt yourself.  It can even be something as simple as 10 minutes of jumping jacks.  It may feel and look silly at first, but you may find them fun and liberating!

Be gentle with yourself and feel the health returning as the oxygen penetrates all the way down to the cellular level.  The toxins will quietly seep out the pores in your skin and float away down the rivers of your blood to be naturally processed and eliminated.  Your body will Love you back for the care you are giving it.

When it comes to cleansing and detoxification, there are many foods that could be considered "Super Foods" to aid the process.  Number one, of course, is drinking plenty of clean pure water.  Here are a few more you may want to try:

• Fresh Fruits and Fruit Juices - After water, fruits and fruit juices are your best daily choice for detoxification.  Beginning your day with a fruit and yogurt smoothie or some fresh squeezed seasonal juice will support your body to continue the detoxification process started while you were sleeping.  The fiber in fruit and live cultures in yogurt will aid in healthy digestion which is part of the detoxification process.  The natural sugars and enzymes in fruit are easy to digest, and will give you an energy boost to get your day started.  I always try to get 2-3 of my daily servings of fruit at breakfast.
  

• Raw Vegetable Juice - Vegetable juice is a great detoxifier, especially if it is raw.  Juicing your own locally grown seasonal organic produce is the best way to go. 
• Yogurt and Kefir - The "Healthy Bacteria" in yogurt, lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus, help promote a healthy intestinal tract which is the main highway to elimination of toxins and waste in your body.  Both yogurt and kefir aid in lactose digestion.  Kefir is a product which is relatively new in the American market, but has been drunk in Slavic countries for centuries. It may help reduce serum cholesterol and can possibly prevent mutagenic and oxidative damage in the human body
• Kombucha -  Kombucha is a fermented tea drink which is chock full of living probiotic organisms like Lactobacillus bacterium and Saccharomyces Boulardii along with active enzymes, Amino Acids, Antioxidents, and Polyphenols which can help restore your body's balance and vitality.  It is very potent, so I reccomend drinking only 8 ounces a day and only for short periods of time.   
• Green Tea - Some chemicals in green tea have been found to boost production of a group of key detoxification enzymes and may help some people strengthen their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer. The chemicals, known as green tea catechins, boosted production of the enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family.  GTS enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body's defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, according to the study’s lead investigator, H.-H. Sherry Chow, Ph.D., a research associate professor at the University of Arizona. They modify the cancer-causing molecules that would otherwise damage cellular DNA, thus rendering them inert. “They actually convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, and studies have shown a correlation between deficient expression of these enzymes and increased risk of developing some cancers,” Chow said.

Continued small changes in your diet will keep you on the path to Optimal Health and Wellness.  Being a Part-Time Vegetarian means enjoying all food in the right moderation, Loving your body with Healthy Food to the degree you are able to at this point in your Life, and continual improvement in health and wellness at your own pace without guilt because you know that "Health is a process and you are in it for the long term."  I sincerely wish you all the Health, Wealth and Happiness you deserve in the New Year!

"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day."

~ Jim Rohn

"Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live."  ~ Jim Rohn

"One-quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. The other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive." ~ (Hieroglyph found in an ancient Egyptian tomb.)

"Our Health Care system has become a Disease Care System."  
~ Barack Obama

Eat More Whole Grains

What Are Whole Grains?

Adding whole grains to your part-time vegetarian diet will benefit you in many ways.  I'm sure you've heard that you should eat more whole grains, but what are they?, how much should you eat?, and where can you easily get them?  Eating at least three or more one-ounce equivalents of whole grains daily can reduce the risk of many diseases and help you achieve a healthy diet.  Whole grains are hearty, healthy, and tasty.  If you are an earnest part-time vegetarian seeking optimal health, whole grains provide a one-stop source for nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals vital to your well-being. 

Whole grains are the entire seed (or kernel) of the plant. A single seed of grain contains three distinct parts: the bran, the endosperm and germ.  If all three parts of the grain are included, the food is considered a whole grain.

• Bran. The outer seed layer: full of fiber, B vitamins, 50 percent to 80 percent of the grain's minerals, plus other health-promoting plant substances called phytochemicals.
• Germ. The inner embryo: full of B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals and small amounts of healthful unsaturated fats, phytochemicals and antioxidants.
• Endosperm. The starchy middle: contains carbohydrates, some protein and smaller amounts of B vitamins.

 These whole grains are ground, cracked, or flaked kernel, which includes the bran, the germ, and the inner most part of the kernel (the endosperm).  Some examples of whole grains include whole wheat, oatmeal, Corn (including whole cornmeal and popcorn), Brown Rice, Wild Rice, whole-grain Barley, whole Rye, Amaranth, Millet, Quinoa, and Buckwheat.

Health Benefits of Whole Grains

Medical evidence has clearly proven that eating whole grains on a regular basis reduces the risks of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.  Regularly eating whole grains reduces your risk of obesity, as measured by body mass index and waist-to-hip ratios, and will  also lower your cholesterol levels.  Few foods can offer such diverse health benefits. Whole grains also contain valuable phytochemicals and antioxidants. Eating only  three daily servings of whole grains have been shown to reduce their risk of heart disease by 25-36%, stroke by 37%, Type II diabetes by 21-27%, digestive system cancers by 21-43%, and hormone-related cancers by 10-40%. 

Eating the right types and amounts of whole grains can:

• Lower triglycerides
• Lower blood pressure
• Improve insulin control
• Ease constipation and other digestive disorders
• Help with weight management
• Slow the buildup of plaque in your arteries

How do I identify Whole Grains?

The ingredient list on a food label shows ingredients in the order of the most abundant by weight.  When selecting products that contain whole grains, look for those that show whole grains listed first on the ingredient list.  For products such as bread or pasta to be labeled whole grain, the grain can be ground, cracked, or flaked, but it must retain the same proportions of bran, germ, and endosperm.  Any label that says 100% whole grain is the best product you can buy.  It is really easy and fun to get three servings of whole grains a day and they are a great filler for meats.

Examples of one whole grain serving include:

• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or other cooked grain
• 1/2 cup cooked 100% whole-grain pasta
• 1/2 cup cooked hot cereal, such as oatmeal
• 1 ounce uncooked whole grain pasta, brown rice or other grain
• 1 slice 100% whole grain bread
• 1 very small (1 oz.) 100% whole grain muffin
• 1 cup 100% whole grain ready-to-eat cereal

Here are more easy ways to incorporate whole grains into your daily diet:

• Substitute half the white flour with whole wheat flour in your regular recipes for cookies, muffins, quick breads and pancakes or add up to 20% of another whole grain flour such as quinoa or amaranth.
  
• Replace one third of the flour in a recipe with quick oats or old-fashioned oats.
  
• Add half a cup of cooked bulgur, wild rice, or barley to stuffings.
  
• Add half a cup of cooked wheat or rye berries, wild rice, brown rice, bulgur or barley to your favorite canned or home-made soup.
  
• Use whole corn meal for corn cakes, corn breads and corn muffins.
  
• Add three-quarters of a cup of uncooked oats for each pound of ground beef or turkey when you make meatballs, burgers or meatloaf.
  
• Stir a handful of oats in your yogurt, for quick crunch with no cooking necessary.

Start adding whole grains to your diet on a daily basis and reap the health benefits of whole grains.   

Don't Have a Cow!

As part-time-vegetarians, we are concerned with eating the most healthy diet available.  How many servings of fruit did you eat today?  How many vegetable servings?  What about whole grains, legumes and nuts?  The evidence that a diet loaded with fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains reduces the risks of all major causes of illness and death is so overwhelming that it is no longer debatable.  While I do not advocate a purely Vegetarian or Vegan diet, I do advocate eating less red meat.  Here are many reasons why you should avoid eating red meat.

• Red meat is high in saturated fat and cholesterol
• Cows take longer to grow so they have more time to absorb toxins from the pesticide ridden grains they are fed.  They are treated with growth hormones so they grow faster and fed large doses of antibiotics to keep them from getting sick.  If you eat fast food burgers, a lot of them are treated further with all kinds of preservatives, additives, and chemicals.  Treat yourself to a homemade burger of organic beef from the supermarket.  
• An increased risk of bowel cancer was found for people who ate more than two servings of red meat per week. "Men who eat red meat as a main dish five or more times a week have four times the risk of colon cancer of men who eat red meat less than once a month," says Edward Giovannucci of Harvard Medical School. 
• Heavy-red-meat eaters are also twice as likely to get prostate cancer.
• Excessive amounts of red meat can lead to a higher risk of osteoporosis due to an acid byproduct from digesting very large amounts of protein.
• Eating red meat every day can double the risk of Arthritis
• A recent study found that rating more than one serving of red meat per day can double the risk of breast cancer, especially in young women. 
• Energy use. It takes almost ten times more energy to produce and transport livestock than vegetables.
• Soil erosion.  For each pound of meat, poultry, eggs, and milk we produce, farm fields lose about five pounds of topsoil.
• Overgrazing. About ten percent of the arid West has been turned into a desert by livestock.

The message I want to get across is that red meat should be eaten at most a couple times a week. Other foods, such as poultry, fish and beans are great red meat substitutes that provide lots of protein and should be eaten more frequently. When you do eat red meat, choose smaller portions, lean cuts and organic if you can afford it.  When preparing red meat, it should be roasted, broiled, or braised rather than frying or grilling it.

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World Food Day 2009

In case you missed it, as I did until a day late, Friday October 16th was United Nations World Food Day.  In fact, it was the 29th observance of World Food Day (W.F.D.), which was started in 1981 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O.).

The worldwide event is observed in over 150 countries and is designed to increase understanding and awareness of worldwide hunger and be a call to action to alleviate that hunger.  It is sponsored in the United States by 450 national, private organizations, mostly at a grass-roots community level.

The theme of this years W.F.D. is "Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis".  This theme was picked to help focus attention on the U.N.F.A.O. World Food Summit in Rome November 16-18th.  The F.A.O. World Food Summit will focus on the goal of Food Security which refers to the availability of food and one's access to it.  The F.A.O. defines Food Security as "When all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy Life". 

Last year 923 million people around the world suffered from hunger on a regular basis.  Since then, an additional 105 million have been added to the hunger rolls, bringing the total to 1.2 Billion people suffering from chronic hunger!  Some of the contributing factors to this massive increase are environmental along with access to markets, increase in food prices, global population growth, displacement because of war, climate change, and increased farming for use in biofuels.

 

At least 70% of the world's poor, the majority of them women, live and work on small-scale farms, are often unable to produce enough to feed themselves, and many cannot afford to purchase food for their families.  They usually don't own the land they are farming and, since they can not survive there, when they can manage it, are moving to urban areas to find work.  According to Raymond C. Offenheimer, the president of Oxfam America, "Small-scale farmers hold the key to increasing global food production in a sustainable way but our policies have left them to fend for themselves on the front-lines of hunger, poverty and climate change."

 This growing world food crisis has led to a collaborative global effort to combat hunger centered around country-led processes to improve Food Security.  The United States believes that Food Security is the foundation for building social and economic development.  The idea is to support small farmers in rural areas to become sustainable and provide themselves with a livelihood that gives them the opportunity to  stay in their communities.  In his inaugural address President Obama said: " To the poor nations, we pledge to work along side you to make your farms flourish and let clean water flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds."  At the 2009 G-8 Summit President Obama pledged the U.S. would invest 3.5 billion in agriculture-led economic growth.  This commitment led to 16 billion dollars from other donors to support this new approach to advance agricultural development and reduce hunger for the poorest segment of the population which is rural farmers.  Here in the United States, efforts currently under way in congress and in an initiative recently announced by President Obama that would provide critical resources for investing in agriculture and rural livelihoods.  You can support that bill Here.

Around the world in the past year there have been many riots because of lack of food for starving people.    Although there is enough food produced in the world to feed everyone, there are many factors which contribute to global hunger and the answers to the problem are complex.  According to the World Resources Institute, global per-capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past several decades.  In 2006, MSNBC reported that globally, the number of people who are overweight has surpassed the number who are undernourished. At that time, there are more than a billion overweight people in the world and 800 million who were undernourished.

As a Part Time Vegetarian, you have taken a small step to helping alleviate hunger, reduce global warming, and provide your body with a healthier diet, but you can do more!

• Spread the word about "Part Time Vegetarians" share this blog with a friend.
• Help spread the word about hunger by researching hunger facts online, informing yourself, and helping inform others on hunger.
• Participate in the regional and national debate about the causes and remedies for hunger both here and abroad.  I have a friend who is a local organic farmer and he makes a very strong case for sustainable farming as the key to both physical and economic health for the local community.
• Volunteer at a local food bank.  They usually need extra help during the colder months and during the holidays.
• Start a food drive at your place of work to raise hunger awareness and support a local food bank or homeless shelter. (Be sure you get permission and have the support of management first.)
• Contribute to regional and international food relief on an ongoing basis.  Most large charity organizations will take donations directly from your credit card or bank account on a monthly basis allowing you to spread out your donations over the year and put it on auto-pilot which saves you time and effort.  My two favorites are Oxfam USA for international hunger aid and Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest) for US aid.

These are just a couple of ideas to get you started helping the most needy among us.  As a chef, it is natural for me to want to provide food and be involved in hunger relief efforts.  Giving back in gratitude for all the blessings I have in my Life, and especially for food, is one of the most satisfying and rewarding things I do.  There are so many opportunities to give and provide food, one of the most basic needs of our fellow human beings. I believe everyone who has enough should be doing their part to alleviate this most basic suffering.  I hope you will take the opportunity provided by W.F.D. to share your blessings with those in your community, your region, and our world.

My personal favorite food charities are Oxfam USA and Feeding America which I listed and provided links to above.

Here are other great food relief charities to check out:

• Catholic Relief Services - Hunger Relief
  
• Action against Hunger - USA
• Bread for the World Institute
• Food for the Hungry
• Freedom from Hunger
• Global Hunger Project

These are the very top-rated hunger charities by the American Institute of Philanthropy. 

I hope this blog post has helped inform you on hunger and the world hunger crisis and inspired you to be involved in some small way.  Please pass this post on to everyone you know that you think will benefit from this information.  God bless your food, your body, and your Spirit.

Robert

 "A hungry man is not a free man"  ~ Adlai E. Stevenson

" This should not be about theoretical elegance, efficiency of markets or linkages between democratization and economic development. It should be about being human and about leaving space for others and allowing them to be human. It should be about compassion and a genuine search for creating feasible, workable and accessible opportunities for the millions out in the cold. It should be about a different vision of the world."

~ Eunice Kazembe, Malawi's Ambassador to Taiwan from a hunger workshop given by Oxfam.

"In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food. Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine… poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness."  

~ Bread for the World