Behavior Modification of child to become overweight

It is important to modify the behaviors that led your child to become overweight and these include:

Limiting Television: you should limit television viewing to about one or two hours each day (this includes playing video games or using the computer). Watching television doesn't use up many calories and it encourages eating unhealthy foods and unhealthy habits.

Healthy Eating Habits: your child should eat three well-balanced meals of average size each day, plus two nutritious snacks. Discourage skipping of meals (especially breakfast).

Snacks: you should limit snacks to two each day and they can include low-calorie foods, such as raw fruits or vegetables. Avoid using high calorie or high fat foods for snacks, especially chips, cookies, etc.

Drinking: you should encourage your child to drink four to six glasses of water each day, especially before meals. Water has no calories and it will help you to feel full. Other drinks can include diet sodas and lowfat milk. Avoid letting your child drink regular soft drinks or fruit juices, as they are high in calories (150-170 calories per serving).

Diet Journal: help your child to keep a weekly journal of food and beverage intake and also of the amount of time that is spent watching television, playing videogames and exercising. You can also record your child's weight each week (but do not weight your child every day).

Healthy Eating Habits

It is not necessary to count calories, but you and your child should become more educated about the foods you eat and how many calories they contain. You should begin to routinely check the nutrition label of the foods that your family is eating. You want to try and eat foods low in calories and also low in fat. Be careful of many low fat or ‘diet foods,' as they can still be high in calories even though they are low in fat.

Also, begin checking the serving size of prepared meals and snacks. A bag of chips might only have 200 calories, but you may be surprised when the serving size is only 10 chips. Eating the whole bag can easily get you over 1000 calories.

Some eating habits that will help your child lose weight include:
Healthy Meals: your child should eat three well-balanced meals of average size each day. Serve fewer fatty foods. It is best to prepare foods that are baked, broiled or steamed, rather than fried. In addition to a small serving of lean meat, provide large servings of vegetables.

Single Servings: Avoid serving seconds of the main course or dessert. You can eat more salad or other vegetables if still hungry.

Desserts: serve fresh fruit as a dessert and avoid frequent eating of ice cream or cake or other high calorie foods.

Grocery shopping: buy low-calorie and lowfat meals, snacks and desserts and buy low fat or skim milk and diet drinks. Avoid buying high calorie desserts or snacks, such as snack chips, regular soft drinks or regular ice cream.

Eat at the table: Avoid letting your child eat meals or snacks outside of the kitchen or dining room. And no eating while watching TV.

Avoid Fast Food: you should limit how often you allow your children to eat fast food, as it is usually high in fat and calories

Secrets to Selecting Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

We all know buying fresh is best, but when it comes to shopping for fresh produce, it is not always easiest. In fact, it is a little tricky and can be time consuming. Here are a few of our secrets to shopping smart for the fresh stuff in the produce aisle.

Buy produce that is in season
Buy locally grown produce
Buy produce that is on special
Use your senses
When in doubt – just ask

Sprouting and safety

There have been a few recent news stories regarding salmonella contamination in sprouts. These have been combined with warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that sprouts could be contaminated with food poisoning bacteria and advising the very old, the very young, and those with compromised immune systems to avoid raw sprouts.

Most people knowledgeable in sprouting feel that these stories were far overblown because it made interesting news - it's the original "health food might be bad for you" story.
Use certified organic seeds. Organic certification assures that seeds have been grown and handled in a manner which helps minimize possible sources of contamination. Manure used on organic fields, for example, must be composted for a long period of time. Composting has been shown to reduce or eliminate pathogens in manure. Organic farmers are also required to use rodent/bird proof storage for seeds destined for consumption. Organic sprouting seeds have NOT been implicated in any outbreak of food poisoning.

Also refrigerate finished sprouts. Ideally you want to eat them right after you pick them. Those sprouts are still growing in your plate! Now that's "Fresh"!

Happy sprouting

Why we eat sprouts?

There are many reasons. In addition to providing the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes of any food per unit of calorie, sprouts deliver them in a form which is easily assimilated and digested. In fact, sprouts improve the efficiency of digestion. Sprouts are also deliciously fresh and colorful.

With the current economic crisis, not to mention the fact that so much of our food supply is contaminated with pesticides and pollutants, it's nice to know you can grow your own sprouts in your home and become more self-sufficient.

Sprouting at home takes only a few moments a day and can produce a good portion of your daily requirements of the nutrients you need from fresh produce. The hassles are minor, the costs are low, and the freshness is wonderful. It is a very effective way to add raw foods to your diet. If you can supply a jar, some screen or netting, and rinse the sprouts twice a day, you can grow delicious organic sprouts in 4 to 6 days, even less time depending on your setup.

Growing your own sprouts means having fresh organic vegetables every day from a square foot of counter space. Common seeds for sprouting include alfalfa, fenugreek, peas, lentils, radish and red clover. Mung beans have been sprouted in Asia for thousands of years, but they require more equipment and time than other seeds. Other seeds include broccoli, cabbage, mustard seed, garbanzos, and quinoa.

Importance of Sleep

Sleep is not taking time from our busy routine. It is essential for physical, mental and emotional well being. A good night’s sleep gives the body time to heal and brain, time to process all the stimuli it has received.

A hot bath before bed lowers Blood Pressure and helps sleep better.

Skin absorbs the therapeutic ingredients of cosmetics better during sleep.

Fill a herbal pillow with dried lavender, roses, cloves, citrus, khus and other herbs to get a refreshing sleep.

Choose a mattress that supports the spine. A bed that is too hard or too soft will tire out your body.

Loss of sleep increases blood sugar levels, which is risky for diabetes