A mom recently mentioned The Sneaky Chef cookbook to me and I was surprised that I had not heard of it before! It sounded like a great idea, but I needed to investigate further. After reading more about the recipes and ideas behind the recipes, I have mixed feelings about this book. I like that this cookbook focuses on increasing the nutritional value of foods that kids are already eating. I think it is a great first step in changing the eating habits of your kids (and husband, wife or partner). It would be great for a stay-at-home mom or dad that has time to prepare the purees used to sneak veggies into the recipes. It would also be great for a family that has established VERY picky eaters – mom, dad and/or the kids.
What I don’t like is that this book perpetuates the myth that kids will only eat kids foods. If these recipes are used long-term, you are doing nothing to encourage the enjoyment of healthy foods, especially fruits and veggies that are now thought of as impossible to get kids to eat without drenching in ketchup or ranch or hiding some how. Also, the purees used to sneak fruits & veggies into the recipes do take a considerable amount of prep time. Plus the amount of time that is required to cook the veggies down to a soft mush results in the loss of a considerable amount of nutrients. And the amount of puree used in each recipe (1/4 to 1 cup), when divided among the serving sizes, results in a tiny amount of these fruits and veggies actually making it into your kid. If they currently don’t eat any fruits or veggies, this is an improvement though!
I do recommend the using it as a short-term stepping stone, or as a supplement to your repertoire of healthy cooking options. Not recommended though, as your sole cooking method, especially for long-term development of healthy eaters!
Pick up a copy of The Sneaky Chef at a discount here.
September 25th, 2008
The corn growers must be feeling the pinch from the recent backlash against High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) because they put out this unbelievable video telling you that HFCSs are not so bad. The video claims it is “OK in moderation”, but the problem is that it is in almost everything! It may seem obvious that HFCS would be in the big jug of artificially colored non-juice, but what many don’t realize is that it has been included in foods as far reaching as canned soup, frozen dinners, breakfast bars and even meat products!
Many manufacturers are yielding to the concerns that this substance probably isn’t so good for us and removing it from their list of ingredients and substituting plain old sugar. Even retailers, like PCC Markets here in the Seattle area, are banning the killer corn juice from their entire store. If this video brainwashing ploy fails, where will we put all that good cheap corn?
Maybe the corn growers and Big Tobacco should team up and produce some public service announcements proclaiming, “Have a cigarette and some Sunny D! Because you know they are OK in moderation…”
September 14th, 2008
B12 deficiency can cause depression, anemia, fatigue, dementia, poor memory and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Now, according to new research, low levels of vitamin B12 is being linked to brain atrophy. Brain shrinkage is linked to mental decline as we age, and specifically Alzheimer’s disease.
“In this study out of the University of Oxford in England, 107 volunteers ages 61 to 87 underwent MRI scans and cognitive and blood tests. They were all cognitively normal.
After five years, the individuals with lower vitamin B 12 levels at the start of the study, showed the greatest decrease in brain volume, twice that when compared to those in the highest level of B12 group, even when age, sex, and education were factored in.
Interestingly, none of the participants registered in the “deficient” range, they were just at the low end of a normal range. It’s estimated two out of five people are deficient in the vitamin.”
Notice that those who experienced the most significan brain shrinkage were NOT considered deficient, simply on the low end of the NORMAL range.
While this study may make you want to run out and buy a B12 supplement, I wouldn’t advise this. You may think I would recommend increasing your consumption of B12 containing foods – primarily foods of animal origin (meat, eggs, fish, poultry, milk, etc.). Surprise – I don’t think this is the solution either. I would bet that those with a higher B12 level did NOT have a higher intake of foods containing B12.
What may have been different was the ability of these individuals to absorb the B12 they were consuming. B12 is an interesting vitamin in the way that it is assimilated in the body. Although it is absorbed in the intestines, like other vitamins, it can’t be absorbed unless it is attached to a special co-factor (intrinsic factor), which is produced in the stomach. If your stomach is not functioning optimally, you will not be absorbing B12 optimally (plus a host of other nutrients).
B12 absorption often decreases with aging, as does stomach acid production.
How do you get your stomach to function to the best of it’s ability? Hire a stomach coach? Positive affirmations (”Good boy, Stomach, you’re doing such a great job!”)? Eating a wide variety of whole foods is a good place to start. Avoding refined sugars and flours. Improving your intestinal health by increasing fiber (whole foods) and consuming probiotics (supplements, fermented foods) will also improve digestion. Some individuals will also benefit from increasing stomach acid. After ingesting another Pepsid AC, you probably feel like you have PLENTY of stomach acid. Check out the book “Why Stomach Acid is Good for You” . More on this subject later…
September 9th, 2008
