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ASK
CONNIE: Should I buy organic food for my family?
Q. I keep
seeing those "certified organic" symbols on certain varieties
of produce and I'm wondering if organic foods are really worth the
price. What do you recommend?
A. There
has been tremendous growth and interest in organic foods. Certified
organic foods are now available in most mainstream grocery stores.
While they do cost more, there is data that suggests that eating organic
foods significantly lowers the pesticide exposure in children. In
one study (1), children who changed from a conventional to a totally
organic diet had undetectable levels of pesticide byproducts in their
urine after just a few days. While scientists don't always agree on
whether small amounts of pesticides are harmful for children, it does
seem prudent and wise to minimize your child's risk of pesticide exposure.
The
Environmental Working Group has assembled a report card and wallet
guide that shows the types of produce that are higher in pesticide
residues and those that contain little or no pesticide residues. Based
on data from the US Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program
(2) and other sources (3), the working group recommends that you purchase
organic varieties of the produce highest in pesticides, including
apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines,
peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach and strawberries.
The twelve least
contaminated types of produce include asparagus, avocados, bananas,
broccoli, cauliflower, corn (sweet), kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya,
pineapples, and sweet peas.
Sources:
1. Lu C, Toepel K, Irish R, Fenske RA, Barr DB, Bravo R. Organic diets
significantly lower children's dietary exposure to organophosphorus
pesticides. Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Feb;114(2):260-3.
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FOR KIDS
ONLY: Think outside the store!
You have probably
learned about the food
groups by now in school, from the web, or maybe even from your
cereal box. But have you ever wondered where exactly all these food
groups come from? If you answered, “the store,” you are
only partly right.
Say you are snacking
on some whole grain crackers and string cheese. Before your mom bought
your snack at the store, your crackers and cheese were delivered to
the store in a truck, and before that, they were held in a warehouse.
Before that, a factory or processing plant took wheat and milk and
other ingredients, made them into crackers and cheese, and put them
in packages. And before that? At some point in time, your crackers
and cheese and all the rest of your food came from a farm or ranch.
The breakfast you ate just this morning came from a hen laying an
egg or two, an orange picked from a grove, wheat harvested from a
field and milk from a cow. It's easy to forget all the work and steps
that go into producing the food we eat.
Eating closer to home
While much of the food you eat comes from places far away (sometimes
thousands of miles!), it is important to also include foods that are
grown nearby. Fruits and vegetables keep more of their nutrients when
they are eaten soon after harvest. The more days that go by, the fewer
nutrients they will have. There are also many other reasons to eat
locally:
- Fresh food
tastes better! Of course, if it tastes better, you will want to
eat more fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, beans and other things
that are good for you.
- Food is
cheaper if it doesn't have to travel hundreds or even thousands
of miles.
- The farmers
and ranchers in your area will make more money so they can grow
and raise even more delicious fresh food.
Think outside the store
Some grocery markets feature foods that are grown, caught or made
close by. In many places, you can also buy food directly from the
farmer or rancher that produced it. Farm direct stores are
stores or stands found at local farms that sell food directly to customers.
A Farmer's market is a place where many farmers and ranchers
get together and set up stands where you can buy local food. Many
cities have farmer's markets during the warm months of the year. You
can also grow some of your own food in a home garden. If you have
never gardened before, there are many books that will help you get
started. If you don't have a yard, you can grow many types of vegetables
in containers.
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Be
a food geographer!
The next time you
visit the grocery store, take some time to check out where your
food was made, caught or grown. For fresh fruits, check out
those little stickers that are on each piece of fruit. They
will tell you what state or country the food came from. For
packaged and processed foods, check the label to see where the
food was made. Count how many places your food came from. You
could even plot your results on a world map!
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Newly revised 3rd edition, ©2006
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How
to Teach Nutrition to Kids, 3rd edition
The completely
revised third edition of How
to Teach Nutrition to Kids(©2006)
was released
on April 1, 2006. The new edition features the 2005 Dietary Guidelines
for Americans and MyPyramid.
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RECIPE:
Creamy Pasta with Veggies
This is a recipe
I adapted from one I found in Cooking Light magazine a few years ago.
It's definitely a nutritional step-up from traditional macaroni and
cheese. It's a favorite of my family!
DIRECTIONS:
1 slice whole
wheat bread
1-2 T. soft margarine (trans-fat free)
1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions
2 T. flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup
(2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 - 5 ounce
bag baby spinach
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped fresh cauliflower
4 cups hot cooked rotini (corkscrew) pasta (about 2 cups uncooked)
nonstick cooking spray
Preheat oven to
350 degrees. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and
set aside. Place bread in a blender or food processor and pulse gently
to make bread crumbs. Sauté' onions in melted margarine. Add
flour and garlic salt; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually
add milk and stir constantly with a whisk until blended. Bring to a
boil; cooking until thick (about 2 minutes). Add cheeses and stir until
melted.
Add spinach, carrots,
cauliflower and pasta to cheese sauce, stirring until well blended.
Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish that is coated with nonstick
spray. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
or until bubbly.
Makes
4 generous servings (approximately 1 1/3 cup each)
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News
in Brief
Produce for
Kids Campaign
I am the nutrition spokesperson for Produce for Kids (PFK), a campaign
sponsored by produce companies and major grocers that benefits the Children's
Miracle Network. Kids can join the Healthy Kids Club,
available online May 14 through June 30, 2006, prompting children, as
well as parents, to “get healthy and give hope.” Recommended
activities encourage club members to purchase sponsors’ products,
create fun recipes and interact with PFK’s educational section
of the Web site. For more information on the campaign, visit http://www.produceforkids.org.
Recommended
Resource: Recess before Lunch
The Montana Team Nutrition and Montana Office
of Public Instruction have developed a comprehensive kit designed to
aid schools in implementing a "recess before lunch" policy.
Recess Before Lunch: A Guide for Success is available
for download. To learn more about the Montana program and download materials,
visit http://www.opi.state.mt.us/schoolfood/recessBL.html
Childhood Obesity
the Focus of New Issue of Princeton/Brookings Future of Children
Journal
The
Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution
have released the newest volume of their jointly published journal,
The Future of Children, Childhood
Obesity (Vol. 16, No. 1). This issue features nine articles on the
high and rising rates of overweight and obesity among U.S. children,
presenting evidence on the multiple causes, consequences, and methods
of dealing with the growing problem.
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The
information contained in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute
for medical and/or nutrition advice. See your physician and/or registered
dietitian for individual health and/or dietary concerns.
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©2006,
by Connie Evers, All Rights Reserved. There is a modest reprint fee
for reproducing the material in this newsletter in either print or electronic
publications. Please send an email to reprint@nutritionforkids.com
for details and rates.
The
FEEDING KIDS NEWSLETTER is published bimonthly by 24
CARROT PRESS . To subscribe, click
here.
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