» Read more: Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Wheat Graham Flour 24 oz
Tags: Bob's, Flour, food product, Graham, graham flour, Ground, healthy food, Heart, Mill, northern spring, oz, spring wheat, Stone, Wheat, Whole, whole grain bread, whole wheat flourWhen you head to the grocery store, shopping for products like eggs, meat, fish, milk, and produce can be very tricky. Signs are posted everywhere labeling food as natural, organic, and a number of other things—but what’s the difference, really? Learning what specific names mean can help you decide if you should shell out extra money on a product, whether the nutrition value is better or if it is simply a marketing ploy.
Natural is a term associated with a number of fruit and vegetable product. Typically, this is simple a marketing ploy to convince you to buy the product. After all, all fruits and vegetables are natural, right? Unless it’s a new kind of food that has been developed and processed, the product is natural. Probably what you’re really looking for is organic. Organic foods are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There are two main benefits to organic foods. Firstly, you are helping the environment as chemicals are not being introduced into nature. Secondly, you are avoiding ingesting chemicals and are therefore benefitting by using a healthier food. However, organic products are usually more expensive while nutrition is the same (I mean a good apple is a good apple). If you’re on a budget, skip over organic fruits and vegetables that you can peel, like oranges and bananas. After all, once you’ve discarded the peel, you’ve also discarded the chemicals. Instead, opt for organic items like apples, where you eat the peel. No matter what you buy, however, make sure that you rinse off the food when you get home.
» Read more: Nutrition: Is Organic Worth It?
Tags: foods, hormonesChild Obesity… it’s everywhere now. Over 1 in 5 kids are obese now. What is happening to our kids?
Things have changed a lot since I was a child, nearly 50 years ago. We had Physical Education in school every single day, it was mandatory. Most of us kids brought our lunches to school, consisting of a healthy sandwich, fresh fruit, homemade cookies, and juice or milk to drink. Or you could purchase milk and apples from the snack bar. Oh yeah, there was candy and Twinkies, etc., But the Washington Red Delicious apples were so good who wanted candy?
After school we’d play tag football or ride bikes around the neighborhood, and on weekends helped our parents with the chores, and then played some more out in the street, or in the backyard with friends. In high school, I rode my bicycle to school, approximately 6 miles from home on a hilly road. Many of my friends had cars, but we couldn’t afford it, and I didn’t like riding the school bus. We rarely had any ‘fat’ kids in school. If there was an obese child, it most likely was a specific health issue.
» Read more: The New Epidemic – Child Obesity
Tags: body weight, child, child obesity, childhood obesity, children, diabete, diabetes, education, fitness, mental problems, obese children, obesity, obesity among children, parents, school, stress, weight