Don’t Let the Flu Get to You

Stress, aging, hectic schedules, lack of sleep….you name it! As the year come’s to an end, all your holiday stress may have caught up with you — and suddenly you have the sniffles, sneezing and a runny nose.

Stress can weaken our bodies’ defenses and compromise our immunity, and as we are in the midst of winter, the flu may lurking around the corner. It is imperative you care of yourself and your family. Kids Eat Right has just what you need to know to      beat the bug.

Read on for some of Nutri-Savvy’s tips :

Get plenty of Vitamin C…Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant by helping eliminate disease-causing free radicals. It is required for collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone. It also plays an important role in brain function, mood, and energy. Below is a table of whole foods that contain Vitamin C:

Food	Serving	Vitamin C (mg)
Orange juice	¾ cup (6 ounces)	75
Grapefruit juice	¾ cup (6 ounces)	60
Orange	1 medium	70
Grapefruit	½ medium	44
Strawberries	1 cup, whole	82
Tomato	1 medium	23
Sweet red pepper	½ cup, raw chopped	141
Broccoli	½ cup, cooked	58
Potato	1 medium, baked	26

Boost your immunity with Probiotics….70% of your body’s immune system is located in the digestive tract. Probiotic cultures in yogurt and probiotic drinks can help optimize the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and better regulate the digestive system for healthier function. Try Activia probiotic lowfat yogurt and DanActive probiotic dairy drink.

Eat a balanced diet….Whole foods such as fruits & vegetables, legumes and grains contain the vitamins and minerals necessary to sustain a healthy body. Fish, eggs, lowfat diary products and lean meats provide the proteins we need for our muscle tone and tissue integrity. Healthy fats such as walnuts, olive oil and flax oil have beneficial omega 3’s good for heart-health, mood and brain function. (Walnuts also contain an antioxidant compound,ellagic acid supporting immunity and said to be cancer preventative.)

Stay hydrated….Water is nature’s purest source of hydration, and drinking water is cleansing for the body. Though it has been recommended 8 glasses per day (varying according to the individual), we can get 20% of our water needs through fruits and vegetables as they are high in water content. This winter season; consider fruits such as apples, oranges and grapes; and vegetables such as red leaf lettuce, kale, squash and cabbage.

Kids Eat Right: Family mealtime

I could not agree more with this week’s message: Eating together as a family. This not only promotes conversation and good relations, but also healthier eating habits. When we dine together, we are less likely to fill up on not-so-healthy snacks on-the-go or by our computer where we can eat mindlessly, consuming more calories than we realize.

credit: http://www.bing.com

I really enjoy time together eating with family and friends, especially during the holidays – catching up with relatives I don’t get to see that often. Of course, eating healthy may be a little more challenging with all the traditional holiday trimmings. But eating together with friends and / or family on a regular basis has been shown to promote a healthier lifestyle. Read this post for some helpful information on this subject: the family table

Food of the Month: Grapes!

I love grapes! They are perfect alone, a refreshing snack (without much mess), and even my babies love ‘em. Green or red, they are also delightful additions to salads and even make good in smoothies. Champagne grapes are a wonderful addition to cheese and wine adding a delightful li’l pop of flavor to the palate. Here’s the the grape, an easy portable fruit for all who enjoy and the perfect size for my little toddlers’ mouths.

Try ‘charlie’s famous chicken salad with grapes‘ recipe*.

card designed/created by Nutri-Savvy (Lauren O'Connor,MS, RD)

*Nutri-Savvy’s heart-healthy recipe modifications:
For a zesty, healthier alternative to the above recipe, use the rich & creamy yogurt-based garlic mint cheese to replace the following ingredients: Miracle Whip, Worcestershire and salt. To save on fat and calories, cut the amount of walnuts in half (saves approx. 80 calories and 8 g fat per 161g serving). Serving suggestion: dollop 1/2 cup chicken salad over a bed of lettuce.

How do you enjoy grapes? Got any interesting recipes to share?

Kids Eat Right: TV, health and your child

photo by CRA1977

As a parent, I am much more conscious about the influences of our society, especially TV. Now that my girls are 2, I’ve entered a new phase of careful monitoring. How much is too much? What is educational and not overstimulating? Fortunately it is not all bad. There are some wonderful new programs available to support children’s health:

SESAME STREET just recently launched a wellness initiative “Food for Thought” and it looks like 4 new “Superfoods” muppet characters (a banana, a brick of low-fat cheese, a whole wheat bun and a stalk of broccoli) will be joining its cast of characters.

4 new "Superfoods" characters

 

 

A healthy new program created by Chuck Pardee

THE CHEFSTERS: Chuck Pardee delivers an “out-of-the-box hilarious and informative children’s FunSerious TV Series Promoting healthier eating and a positive lifestyle” with his new TV series The Chefsters.

Both of these programs can help teach and instill good health values in your children.

But watch out for commercials. They often showcase fat-laden, sugary, empty-calorie foods that can have a bad influence on your child. So unfortunately, TV can deliver contradictory messages when commercials interrupt good, healthy airtime. What’s a parent to do? Susan Moores, registered dietitian and ADA spokesperson has some good information and tips in her article:

Does TV influence what your child eats?
Discover what you can do to keep your kids happy, healthy and motivated.

What are your thoughts of TV and it’s influences on our children?

Enjoy a Little Holiday Spirit

Now that my Christmas Letter is finally written and posted, time to move onto food & drink and your health. I’ve written some articles on steering clear of holiday weight gain and preparing successful holiday meals.  But now I’m thinking ahead to New Years Eve and keeping your good eating habits in place. Part of that includes managing your alcoholic intake.

Chances are your New Year’s Celebration will be hosted with plenty of appetizers and some naughty beverages to choose from. But don’t let this keep you reaching for more.

Did you know that just 6 little appetizers can wind up costing you over 600 calories? – and many don’t stop there (especially when drinking)!

Play it right by having a healthy snack before you leave for the party and taking time to assess what is out there before digging in. And be sure to drink plenty of water, not only to curb your appetite, but to help with the alcohol intake.

Here are some smart alcoholic choices so you don’t drink in your calories and wind up taking in several more when eating:

• Wine is more calorie-friendly at 20 cal/oz than hard liquor (ranging from 32-69 cal/oz). But that doesn’t mean you are free to drink all you want. A smart choice: Stick to a 5 oz glass of wine – it is only 100 calories with no cholesterol, sodium or fat. Opt for a red which is touted with the heart-healthy resveratrol antioxidants.
• Beer is the next best choice: At 150 calories per 12 ounce serving, it is actually lower in calories per ounce, but often harder to estimate and control intake.
• So what about Champagne?: Enjoy a little, knowing that one 4 oz glass of champagne yields 90 calories.
• If consuming hard alcohol, consider pairing 1 1/2 ounce of, say scotch, with sparkling water which won’t raise any calories but keep your glass fuller longer.

Remember, when we drink we lose our inhibitions, which allow you to eat and drink without thinking. Additionally, since the body processes alcohol first, it leaves fats and carbohydrates to be stored as fat rather than used as fuel to burn. So practice moderation and enjoy a little holiday spirit.

Christmas Letter 2010

Dear friends and family,

The O’Connor family would like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season. While many of you may have received a link to this letter, it is still in progress. Please check back from time to time to see additions to this letter. It’s finally DONE! Read on:

JP lifts Julia and Ailish

In the meantime, please enjoy our photobook pictures that depict some of our family ventures from this past year: http://ailishandjulia.shutterfly.com/
(once you get to the site, please scroll down to view photobook)

Wow! This year has flown by. Looking back in January, Ailish and Julia had just completed their role as baby Nell in the HBO series BIG LOVE, Season 4. We had met a lot of nice people (cast & crew) on set and enjoyed being part of the production.

February breezed by and suddenly it was the end of March, my 40th b-day. I kept it low-key. The months that followed were uneventful until May when we took our first trip abroad with babies. We visited JP’s dad in Marbella, Spain, took a brief trip to Morocco, and then spent a couple of days in Barcelona for our anniversary. We discovered a charming food market restaurant owned by a french man and his Catalonian wife – a place where our babies could join us comfortably and where we sat family style and met other locals and travelers. It was a fine, intimate setting.

We ventured onto London to stay with Jay’s very good friend, Woj and meet up with Natasha their daughter Olenka. Discovering new food venues and child-friendly gated parks was part of our daily activity. Though we did have some set items on our agenda like visiting the V&A museum.

Off to the countryside for a few days – we visited Martin, Katie and their children Billie and Jojo in Totnes, England. It was a glorious wonderland of nature. Hiking through the natural landscape of the gorgeous countryside and shopping was a nice rest and relaxation for all. The babies hit it off famously with the whole Monger family.

A month or so after our return back to the states, Olenka and Chess came to stay on the last leg of their around the world trip. Soaking yp plenting of LA sun and checking out all the hot spots, they found plenty of time in between to entertain and play with our babies and share their travel stories.  We enjoyed their company and we’re delighted to host them. Ollie stayed a bit longer and spent a week up in the bay area with G’ma Lee and the babies and I.

JP will find plenty to add to this letter – surely lots of details I’ve missed…but I will continue on and let him add in more later.

Sept, Oct and Nov. came and went so fast. But I’d be remiss not to mention the adorable Halloween costumes G’ma Lee bought for Ailish and Julia and how we carefully managed to put them on them while they were half-sleeping so we could get a proper Halloween experience on the amazinginly decorated Glen Green street.

“Trick-or- ….Sleep?” We had just flown back from SF, and per usual fashion, A&J always manage to fall asleep at the end of the fiight. Nearly 8pm, we wanted to get our peak at the delightful decorations and show off our cute li’l chickens (or ducks??) Wasn’t much of a Halloween for our sleepers, but we enjoyed seeing our neighbors and their kiddos.

And how can I forget to mention our mini weekend get-away in Seattle. We enjoyed Hannah and Dutch’s union ceremony and a little time with our dear friend Matt whose new home looks awesome! The babies enjoyed the decor, especially the colorful throw rugs.

Already a week into Dec. and I’m busily trying to get the last of our Christmas list together, including this letter. We enjoyed a nice Hannukah celebration at my sister Shana’s and A&J got plenty of attention from their cousins, aunties and G’ma Carol.

We hope you have a wonderful December – enjoying all the festivities that come with this season.

Much love,

Lauren, JP, Ailish  & Julia : )

Kids Eat Right: Let them Explore!

Ailish and Julia discover greens and roots vegetables

Not too long ago I wrote on how to be a good food detective in my post Grocery Cart Smarts. This article could have very well been tailored for kids. Giving them ownership and responsibility with a bit of fun can help guide them in the right direction. Kids have good imaginations and enjoy role-playing.

Let them be the “food detective” and chose what is healthy and what is not:

• Let them find the missing ingredient: If it says whole grain, ask them to find the whole grain in the list of ingredients. If it isn’t actually there, they’ve detected a false claim.
• Have them stock the dairy: Have them find lowfat items with whole, natural ingredients without artificial flavors, additives or dyes.
• Let them detect cereal killers: Sugars, hydrogenated oils and artificial flavorings and colors often top the list of ingredients in unhealthy cereals. Ask them to seek out hi-fiber (3+ grams fiber), whole grain items with little or no added sugar.

Exploring is another way to go. Let your kids explore and discover foods for themselves:

Babies: Yes, even babies can take part in a healthy shopping experience. While you are sorting through your farmers market produce, let them ogle, touch and even taste the variety of colors and/or textures of fruits and vegetables.

Kids: Allow them to choose and read cookbooks, venture through farmers markets and shops to educate, teach and encourage the importance of fruits and vegetables, while sharpening their math and reading skills as well. Registered dietitian Beth Fontenot  has some great tips for you and your child in her article
exploring as we go.