That’s right, even government agencies are joining the movement. This week the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of the new 7th edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to the press release, more than one-third of children and more than two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. I believe it. (more…)
We know how important it is to read labels on snack foods, boxed dinners and cereals but do we actually need to read the labels on yogurt? YES. If I’m learning anything during this journey it’s that you have to read the labels on everything. Yogurt should contain only milk, live yogurt cultures and any natural fruit they might add. Should. But many of the fruit flavored yogurts on the market contain a lot more than that. I’ve seen some that contain carrageenan, others that contain high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors, and some fruit yogurts that contain no fruit whatsoever. So how do you find yogurt that contains simply fruit, milk and yogurt cultures? Two ways: read the labels or mix up your own. (more…)
I’m not suggesting that what your about to read is about health food. It doesn’t follow a raw diet, vegetarian or vegan diet, or even a fresh-fruit-and-veggie diet. But we all know kids like fun food and I’m a believer that “Fun Food” does not have to be synonymous with “Junk Food”. If we make smart choices about the ingredients we use, we can make fun “kid food” without all the chemicals, food dyes, refined sugars and well…junk. (more…)
Granola bars stir up quite the controversy at our house. My kids want to bring them to school for snack, but a nut-free school means no granola bars with nuts of any sort. That rules out a lot of the granola bars on the market. Then when we look at what’s left and examine what ingredients are actually in the remaining granola bars things really start to get interesting. Let’s just say we’re left with…well, not much. (more…)
Granola. What image does the word “Granola” evoke for you? I’ve always felt the word “Granola” was synonymous with “health”. For me growing up, the word Granola evoked images of health food markets where you could barely fit down the aisle but you could find things like Wheat Grass and Hemp seed. But now Granola is common, good food and chances are you can find a healthy, minimally processed granola at the average supermarket. But not all Granola is the same and this is a perfect opportunity to discuss the importance (and ease) of reading labels.
Well, 2011 is officially here and we are now faced with endless possibilities for the upcoming year. In previous years my New Year’s resolutions had been pretty consistent, but this year they have finally changed. They used to include, “lose five pounds”, “exercise more” and “fit into those old jeans again”. This year, though I’ll keep my “exercise more” resolution, the purpose and direction of the rest of my resolutions directly follow the path I’ve been taking on this Out of the Box Food journey. These resolutions won’t necessarily get me to my old “lose five pounds” goal, but they will provide my family and I a healthier way of treating our bodies. (more…)
A few nights ago we took our boys to see the holiday light displays on “Candy Cane Lane”. As we rolled our minivan slowly through the streets behind the rest of Los Angeles, we spotted a neighbor selling hot cocoa to benefit the Eagle Scouts. What’s more festive than a cup of hot cocoa, brightly colored light displays and holiday music on the radio, right? We bought each of the boys a cup and as they sat cozy in the back, sipping the warm drink and slurping the marshmallows out one-by-one, I realized that it was probably time to take a deconstructed look at instant hot cocoa. I was pretty sure those drink packets weren’t as innocent and idyllic as they seemed. Turns out I was right.
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Last week I mentioned that we’d delve into a couple of well-known holiday marshmallow traditions. Rice Crispy Treats are definitely up there on the list of the go-to recipes for cookie exchanges, school holiday parties, and as a treat for Santa after he’s made it down a few chimneys. But I’d bet that if Santa knew those treats contained a chemical banned in eleven countries and an additive suspected to cause abnormalities in the brain, hyperactivity in children and cancer, he’d probably pass. Just a hunch. (more…)
A couple weeks ago my son pulled an old bag of marshmallows from the pantry. With a look of pleading on his face, he asked if he could “Puhleeez have one” of the stale puffs of corn syrup. I found myself staring at that bag I’d had in the pantry since the first summer campfire more than eight months ago and realized that in addition to being an integral ingredient in summertime s’mores, marshmallows also play a big role during the holidays. They top sweet potato casseroles on Thanksgiving, are mixed into holiday fudge and cookie recipes and make a fun dreidel craft/dessert when pierced with a pretzel and dipped in chocolate. They also top our cups of hot cocoa as we wait for Santa to come, and are an important ingredient in the ever-present rice crispy treats that grace our school bake sales and holiday parties. (more…)
What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? It’s warm, gooey deliciousness screams “comfort food” – especially on a cold winter day. But a boxed product we’ve come to know as macaroni and cheese doesn’t even contain “cheese” in the pure sense of the word. In fact, the word “cheese” is only found on the last line of a long list of ingredients. So what do we do when our kids only want “the orange macaroni and cheese”? And what if your kids cringe at the site of…ready…gasp…bread crumbs on top of baked macaroni and cheese? Is this sounding familiar? (more…)