FUN with Fruits and Vegetables
Welcome to my 'Did you know' page!
I’m really excited to share these fun facts which will help you make informed decisions on your choices of foods and beverages you buy for your family. So jump in and start exploring! Come and check back often to see our new content and give us feedback on special topics you want us to discuss.
Watch me come alive and talk to you about the important trends in natural foods and beverages geared for parents and kids. We will send out a tweet to let you know when you can meet me in person.
In the meantime, eat and drink healthy!!
–Mickie
The TRUTH about SUGAR
We all know the sugar is going to sneak in somewhere, sometime, into our own and our kids’ diets. You don’t need to become a biochemist to cut back, and you can still even have a sugary treat once in a while. But if you’re looking for ways to minimize sugar intake, follow these 3 steps:
1. Learn its disguises: As tricky as this seems, sugar is almost never called just “sugar” on ingredient lists, so you have to be smart about spotting where it hides. There are 61 different names for sugar on food labels. A trick to help you spot them: watch for words ending in “-ose” like sucrose or maltrose and look out for the buzzwords of “syrup,” “nectar,” “cane” and “sweetener”.
2. Cut Out Liquid Sugar: Cut out soda – which has up to 46 grams in a single 12-oz can. Multiple studies have linked soda consumption to obesity in the US. Select pure fruit drinks with no sugar added.
3. DIY: Cut back on the amount of sugar you add to things like coffee and tea, buy plain Greek yogurt and add your own berries or fruit.
Read Dr. Darria Long Gillespie’s full report here: The Shocking truth about Sugar
Veggies: NOT just for Rabbits!
Like fruits, vegetables are a great source of essential nutrients that the child needs for development. Veggies are low in calories and fat, which makes them a must in every meal your kid has. The higher the vegetable intake, the healthier your child can be. Vegetables make your diet healthier and give you sustainable energy, unlike sugar highs that last a few hours or less.
- Regular intake of vegetables, in the right form, can reduce the risk of different types of cancers and chronic diseases.
- Vegetables can be cooked in different ways and still retain their goodness.
- They have the nutrients that can boost immunity and keep ailments like a common cold and flu at bay.
- Veggies can also reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes.
Fiber from vegetables can prevent colon cancer, high blood pressure and rectal fissures among other diseases.
Mom Junction Fruits And Vegetables For Kids – Benefits And Fun Facts – Sagari Gongala
What's ORGANIC?
- pesticides
- fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge
- herbicides
- antibiotics
- bioengineering
- hormones
- ionizing radiation
Organic animal products — meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy foods — come from animals that are fed 100% organic feed products, receive no antibiotics or growth hormones, and have access to the outdoors.
If a product is labeled “organic,” it means that a government-approved certifier has inspected the farm where it was produced to ensure that the growers followed all the rules necessary to meet the USDA’s organic standards. Farmers who produce organic foods use renewable resources that conserve the soil and water for future generations. And any company that handled or processed that food on its way to the grocery store must be certified organic, too.
Foods labeled “organic” can be either:
- 100% organic: They’re completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
- Organic: They’re at least 95% organic.
Read the complete article here: Kids Healthy – Organic and other Environmental Friendly Foods
Check out this fun video for a bit more info on– What Is ORGANIC?
Why Eco-Friendly Packaging is Important
Saving the planet is everyone’s responsibility. Climate change is a reality, and disposable packaging is becoming ever more present in our society.
Everything comes in packaging: food, clothes, toys, and furniture and the result is we create 254 million tons of garbage each year*.
That’s 4.4 pounds per person. 87 million tons [or 34.3%] of this material is recyclable, but on average, we only recycle/composted 1.51 pounds of those 4.4 pounds.
Using eco-friendly packaging makes it easier for our customers to do their part in improving our quality of life.
Read Rhonda Burgess’s blog here: http://smallbizbonfire.com/profiles/blogs/why-eco-friendly-packaging-is-important-to-consumers
Get more facts here: https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/web/html/
Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging which results in improved sustainability. This involves increased use of life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA)[2][3] to help guide the use of packaging which reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint. It includes a look at the whole of the supply chain: from basic function, to marketing, and then through to end of life (LCA) and rebirth.[4]
Additionally, an eco-cost to value ratio can be useful.[5] The goals are to improve the long term viability and quality of life for humans and the longevity of natural ecosystems. Sustainable packaging must meet the functional and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.[6] Sustainability is not necessarily an end state but is a continuing process of improvement.[7]