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Are there foods that “feed” the brain?   Well, berries have been found to promote brain health as well as heart health.   Which berries and what health effects do they have? Our doorbell rang at 9 this morning.   Our neighbor was standing there with 2 quarts of strawberries he had just purchased at the Farmer’s Market.   Strawberries are not only loaded with many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, there are also one of the berries known to promote healthy brains. Why are berries so healthy? Berries are rich in antioxidants – in fact they have found that berries have some of the highest antioxidant levels of any fresh fruits.    Antioxidants aren’t vitamins or minerals but plant chemicals that protect the plant and have been found to have many health benefits when we eat these plants.     The differing color of the berries means they provide different antioxidants.   Berries that are red, blue or purple provide anthocyanin,   a strong...

Kids can be quite the helpers in the kitchen.   And, if they help with the cooking, they are more likely to eat the food served.   So how can you get kids interested in cooking?    Not just for girls but guys also like to cook.   In fact, a well-known blog is written by a mom with 3 sons who are always coming up with new kitchen “crafts” that are edible.   Many other websites have fun suggestions for kids.   Let’s look at some. Kitchen Fun with my 3 sons This mom posts hundreds of ways she involved her sons in creating fun food “crafts”.   She has ideas for holidays, for parties, for kids crafts and many pictures and recipes.   As most parents find out, kids can be picky eaters.   She started “ creating cute characters/animals out of food ” to get her sons to try new foods.   She has even written a book, Wild Eats & Adorable Treats with meals and snack ideas for kids. Here are some of her and her sons’ creations: Snacks Mini De...

Are you making some nutrition mistakes?   Even those who are health conscious and pride themselves on eating well can make some of the mistakes noted below.   Or, you may be interested in eating healthier and want to avoid some nutrition mistakes.    An interesting article in the Washington Post, 10 Nutrition Mistakes Even Really Healthy People Make covered a number of “mistakes” you may not be aware of.   What are some of these nutrition mistakes?          1.       Flax seeds – Flax seeds are the latest trend and healthy so you add some whole flax seeds to your cereal, your smoothie.   Flax seeds are super healthy, loaded with heart healthy omega-3 fats plus fiber and some antioxidants.   But to get the benefit of flax seeds, don’t eat them whole as they may go through you pretty much undigested.   Instead, buy ground flax seeds and sprinkle some on your morning oatmeal, add to your smooth...

Smoothies are the rage and many people have their favorite smoothie recipe.   Which one is better for you?   A recent article in the New York Times, Are Smoothies Better For You Than Juices? , outline the pros and cons of juice vs. smoothies.          1.          Juice – to be healthy, juice has to be real, 100% juice.   Many people buy Sunny D, Hi-C, or Capri-Sun juice drinks and think they are getting real, 100% juice.   But these are fruit drinks or juice drinks and not 100% real juice.   These fruit drinks may contain some juice as Hi-C drinks contain about   10% real juice.   Simply Fruit Punch Juice Drink contains only 15% juice.   The rest is mostly sugar water.   The added sugar in these drinks is often high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar which provide only “empty calories” without the nutritional benefits of real juice.     Choose "juice" not...