Tag Archive for 'vegetables'

Healthy Snacks For Kids

Published on August 4, 2009 in Nutrition. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , .

Healthy Snacks healthy-kids

Healthy summer snacks are a must for keeping kids happy and active during time off from school. Snacks provide energy, prevent overeating, and keep blood sugar stable throughout the course of the day. Check out these ideas for healthy summer snacks for kids:

1. White or red grapes (Try freezing them for a new spin!)

2. Frozen blueberries on top of low fat yogurt

3. Fruit “kabobs” (Just line up diced fruit on wooden     skewers.)

4. Baby carrots and a small side of hummus

5. Sliced raw vegetable assortment with a small side of guacamole

6. Diced melon on top of cottage cheese

7. Banana pop (It’s just a frozen banana!)

8. Banana sliced, topped with natural peanut butter, on top a whole-grain English muffin

9. Unsalted almonds or walnuts over a fruit cup

10. Baked tortilla chips with bean dip

11. Celery sticks with whipped cream cheese as dip

12. Homemade “yogurt-sicle” (Just insert a popsicle stick and freeze!)

Bonus Tips: With all these tasty snacks, and summertime activities kids will certainly be thirsty, but resist the urge to serve an ice-cold soda and instead:

* Make an effort to keep water as the main beverage for your kids all summer long.
* When serving fruit juice, choose varieties that are 100% juice (Some kid-friendly boxes and pouches contain about 10% juice, so it pays to compare!).
* Fat-free milk is a nutritious, lower-calorie alternative to whole milk and some kids actually find it more refreshing than the regular kind.

You can also give your kids vitamins to keep them healthy from all the pathagens that are going around these days.

Environmental Working Group Latest Report on Pesticide Content of Common Fruits and Vegetables.

Published on May 31, 2009 in health. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Late 2006, the Environmental Working Group released their latest report on the average pesticide content of common fruits and vegetables.

Many different studies that have been done with animals have found that exposure to pesticides can increase the risk of developing various types of cancer, nervous system dysfunction, and reproductive problems.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children should do their very best to minimize their exposure to pesticides and other environmental toxins.

Key findings from the Environmental Working Group’s latest study are as follows:

1. The six fruits that consistently have the lowest levels of pesticide residues are avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, bananas, and papaya.

2. The six vegetables that consistently have the lowest levels of pesticide residues are onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage, and broccoli.

3. The seven fruits that consistently have the highest levels of pesticide residues are peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, and grapes that are imported from outside the United States and Canada.

4. The five vegetables that consistently have the highest levels of pesticide residues are sweet bell peppers, celery, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

While it is unrealistic for most of us to eat only organic produce 100 percent of the time, we can use the results of this study to guide us in choosing to buy organic varieties of those fruits and vegetables that consistently rank high in pesticide content.

What follows is a complete list of all 43 fruits and vegetables that were evaluated for pesticide content and their rankings:

RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE
1 (worst) Peaches 100 (highest pesticide load)
2 Apples 89
3 Sweet Bell Peppers 86
4 Celery 85
5 Nectarines 84
6 Strawberries 82
7 Cherries 75
8 Pears 65
9 Grapes – Imported 65
10 Spinach 60
11 Lettuce 59
12 Potatoes 58
13 Carrots 57
14 Green Beans 53
15 Hot Peppers 53
16 Cucumbers 52
17 Raspberries 47
18 Plums 45
19 Grapes – Domestic 43
20 Oranges 42
21 Grapefruit 40
22 Tangerine 38
23 Mushrooms 37
24 Cantaloupe 34
25 Honeydew Melon 31
26 Tomatoes 30
27 Sweet Potatoes 30
28 Watermelon 28
29 Winter Squash 27
30 Cauliflower 27
31 Blueberries 24
32 Papaya 21
33 Broccoli 18
34 Cabbage 17
35 Bananas 16
36 Kiwi 14
37 Sweet peas – frozen 11
38 Asparagus 11
39 Mango 9
40 Pineapples 7
41 Sweet Corn – frozen 2
42 Avocado 1
43 (best) Onions 1 (lowest pesticide load)