Is Milk Really Good for Your Child?

When we were kids, we have always been told to drink our milk by our parents. Why? Simply because milk gives us calcium which in turn is the most abundant in the body. Its main use is in building and maintaining bones and teeth. It is a vital mineral in regulating the heartbeat, muscle development, preventing muscle cramps, protecting against blood clotting, protecting against colon cancer, helping in the transmission of nerve impulses, and contributing to enzyme function. It inhibits the absorption of lead into bones and teeth, eases restless sleep and regulates the passage of nutrients through the cell wall.

But is milk truly the best way for our children’s bodies to consume calcium? No. In fact, there are foods that are higher in calcium than milk. A cup of sesame seeds contain 2,200 mg of calcium compared with the 280 mg of calcium in a cup of milk. Even cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, figs, oats, prunes, and soy products contain generous amounts of this calcium.

So why is milk not the best way to absorb calcium? One reason is that milk and other dairy products, although rich in calcium, are high in animal protein, which has been shown to create calcium loss through the urinary tract. Research is showing that countries consuming the most milk also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis which helps support this theory. Secondly, your child would be better off in getting their calcium from fortified juices with added calcium. Even though milk is known to be rich in calcium, our bodies only receive a fraction of that calcium because our bodies are not able to break it down. Cows' milk is rich in phosphorous when combined with calcium -- can prevent your child from absorbing the calcium in milk.

In turn our bodies are much better able to digest calcium that has been added to juices. Finally, the pasteurization process of milk depletes our kids bodies from calcium as well.

In conclusion, milk is an imortant part of our children's well balanced diet but it certainly is not the only way to "do our bodies good."

Jenny Lee
Mom, Certified Nutrtion Specialist and inventor of the BEE-Z SNACK SHOP
http://www.beezsnackshop.com/

Is There Lead in our Children’s foods?

Yes. Since lead is present in the environment, from both natural and man-made sources, a low level of lead is present in many food products. Lead is a naturally occurring metal found in small amounts in the Earth’s crust. However most of the lead found throughout the environment comes from human activities.

During the last few weeks, we have heard of many toys been recalled by the news because of lead exposure. Such toys that been recalled due to lead paints are Thomas The Train, Elmo, Dora toys and Fisher- Price. Logo on to their website to see other recalled toys: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html

The most common source of lead contamination from human activities is likely to be from lead-based paints but exposure can occur from a number of sources:

• Eating foods or drinking water that contain lead
• Spending time in areas where lead-based paints have been used and are deteriorating or being worked on
• Having hobbies in which lead may be used
• Using ceramic ware that has a lead glaze.

Children are poisoned by mouthing objects with lead dust on them, such as fingers and toys, by chewing on surfaces coated with lead paint, such as window sills, or by eating paint chips. The most likely sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipe and brass fittings used in household plumbing. About 5 percent of children ingest enough lead from food and beverages to be at risk for adverse health effects. The FDA has estimated that about 20 percent of all dietary lead comes from canned food and two-thirds of that results from lead solder in cans. Acidic foods can leach lead from the solder in the seams of cans. Lead enters the food chain from soil, deposition from the air, containers and food processing equipment. Lead can also get into your child’s foods by certain dishes, lunch boxes, and/or glasses you may use.

Lead Challenge: ( If you take the challenge please write me an email and let all of us know what you find out about possible lead in your home. We will take all the emails and pick one randomly whose lucky recipient will win the newest product to hit the market- Bee-Z Snack Shop) Valued at $25 for Free.

I challenge all of my readers to go on and buy lead test strips (a link of where to purchase lead test strips are on the bottom of my home page- www.beezsnackshop.com) and test your children’s toys, canned foods, lunch boxes, dishes, paint etc. If you do find anything that contains lead let us know and get rid of it right away.

So why did I decide to talk about lead under Food for Thought? Simple, Lead is a very dangerous metal that enters our kids bodies very easily and without us being aware of it- It can make our children very sick and in severe lead exposure, death. However, there are things you as a parent can still do in helping your child’s body fight lead from a nutrition point of view. Believe it or not iron, calcium and garlic can enhance the excretion of lead in the urine. So if you think your child has been exposed to lead make an appointment to see his doctor but also provide them with high foods containing iron, calcium and garlic.

Jenny Lee
Certfied Nutrition Specialist and founder of Bee-Z Snack Shop
www.beezsnackshop.com

5 TIPS IN PACKING A SCHOOL LUNCH YOUR CHILD WILL WANT TO EAT

In the USA, more than 30% of children ages 6-17 are overweight or obese, which is a result of a decline in eating healthier food choices With school just around the corner, we as parents have to start thinking again about packing our children’s school lunches.“It takes a child 8 to 10 exposures of a food for an increase in preference for the food,” says Monika Ressel, a pediatric nutritionist at CHOC Hospital. “It starts with what is offered at home and getting kids involved to help.” Another reason why the Bee-Z Snack Shop helps encourage kids to eat healthier food choices. It makes healthy snacks continually visible to the child as well as making the child feel in control and involved of what they are choosing to eat.
5 TIPS IN PACKING A SCHOOL LUNCH YOUR CHILD WILL WANT TO EAT:

1. Child Participation- If you ask your child or get him involved in choosing between healthy foods when packing his lunch, he will feel more control of what he will be eating and therefore be more likely to eat his healthy lunch at school. 2. Protein. Make sure you pack a lunch that is higher in protein than carbohydrates. Carbohydrates and food in high fat, such as pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs and chips, will drain his energy quicker than foods loaded in protein such as tuna, meat, chicken, egg or chopped veggie salads. Instead of putting his deli meats or chicken salad in buns or breads, for example, wrap them in wheat tortillas, pita bread or accompany them with wheat crackers.
3. Cut & Dip their Fruit and Veggies. Try cutting fruit and vegetables into finger-accessible sizes. Kids tend to eat fruit and veggies that have been precut rather than eat a whole piece of fruit. It is also less messy to eat! Offer veggie sticks such as carrots with a side of dip such as low fat ranch or celery with peanut butter. Accompany fruit slices with yogurt as a yummy dip!
4. 100% Juice vs. Milk vs. Water It’s recommended to drink 1% or non-fat milk, or water to avoid dehydration and no more than 4-6 ounces of juice per day. However, either option is acceptable for a well balanced school lunch drink. Always include an ice pack or use the plastic containers with ice-pack lids just to make sure the drinks and foods are kept cold.5. Make it fun and with love. Cut their sandwiches into fun shapes with cookie cutters for example. Place colorful spoons and napkins into their lunch bags. Decorate the outside of their bags or have them draw pictures the weekend before on the front of their sack lunches! Write little love notes and/ or jokes and place in the bag for your child to find!

All in all, incorporate your child when it comes to packing their school lunches- after all he is the one that will be having to take it to school but most importantly they will be the ones eating it!

Jenny Lee
Proud mom, certified nutrition specialist and inventor of Bee-Z Snack Shop
www.beezsnackshop.com

Kidz Nutrition 101

Of course the following applies to all of us but why do kids eat? Let’s start with the basics. The essential reason why kids eat is to provide their bodies with fuel, prevent diseases, and to sustain tissues in our bodies. Theirs, as well as our, bodies are a complex yet perfect system that tells us when we are hungry and when we are full. This is due simply to our blood sugar levels. Low levels of sugar in our bodies indicate hunger while higher levels inform us that we are full.

However, somehow generations of kids have stopped listening to what their bodies are trying to tell them. In other words, we are allowing for outside influences to take over our biological system. Kids now eat due to media influences, social factors (family gatherings), and internal influences (boredom, stress, depression, school, peer pressure, anger). If they become aware of these outside influences then they are able to be more conscious eaters and therefore strive for a healthier lifestyle as an adult.

The important message here is that kids can eat most anything they want but in moderation. In fact, vitamin A, if not taken in moderation, can be toxic! It is also important to realize that cutting all fats from a diet is not healthy either. Their body needs the fat, which is a concentrated form of energy. Fats provide children and teens with healthier skin, hormonal balances and insulation. It is, therefore, not the fats from our diets that makes us gain weight but the types of fats one consumes that causes us to gain weight and develop heart disease, cancer, and diabetes as an adult. Examples of both good and bad fats are listed below:

J GOOD FATS L BAD FATS
-Fresh -Refined
-Not refined - Exposed to oxygen,
-Not exposed to light or heat
Oxygen, light or
Virgin Olive Oil

All in all, be aware of why and what you child eats and encourage them to try different types of foods! Educating your child about better food choices and making them more aware of whythey eat will help create healthier lifestyle as adults.

Jenny Lee
A Proud Mom, certified nutrition specialist and founder of the Bee-Z Snack Shop™
www.beezsnackshop.com

Food Pyramid for Kids 101

Welcome to a new series called ‘Bee-Z Foods for Bee-Z Kidz’©. As a certified nutrition specialist and inventor of the Bee-Z Snack Shop™, I know about the importance of having kids eat healthy foods and snacks but as a mom of two, a 5 and 2 year old, I also understand the struggle we as moms face in having them chose to eat foods that are good for them.

Through this blog and many more to come, I will share children nutritional information as well as fun and easy healthy recipes and fun food ideas for you and your child. To understand nutrition we must first start at the beginning with the food pyramid and what it means to our kids. Did you know that the food pyramid’s servings differ from children to adults? When it comes to kids, the food pyramid is divided into 5 categories: Grain, Vegetable, Fruit, Milk and Meat Groups.

Grain Group (6 servings)
Grain Group foods help give us carbohydrates which is very important for all of us but not as important as it is to our kids. Carbohydrates give our children the energy they need to play, learn, sleep and keep their bodies running 24-7, as we all know so well!

Grain Group Foods, such as bread, muffins, bagels, cereals, rice, pasta, tortillas, crackers and pancakes, come from many different grain plants: "Whole-grains" like whole-wheat bread, also provide fiber and other substances that help keep them healthy.

Vegetable (3 servings) & Fruit Groups (2 servings)
Vegetables and fruits provide our kids with many different vitamins that result in many different ways that help their bodies grow big and strong. For example, Vitamin C, helps heal their cuts and fight infections, Fiber, helps them digest their food and Phytochemicals that help our children prevent disease. While Vitamin A help our children’s vision and keep their skin healthy.

Milk Group (2 servings)
Did you know our bodies have 206 bones that are alive and growing? Believe it or not, your kids will eventually have 32 permanent teeth! Milk Group foods provide calcium that helps build strong bones and teeth as well as stop bleeding if you get cut or bruised. They also provide other important nutrients for our children, including protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, and B vitamins.

Meat Group ( 2 servings)
Meat Group foods help kids build strong muscles. Foods in this group provide protein and iron as well as carry oxygen to all parts of their bodies. Protein also makes energy to help get your child through busy days!

So why is understanding the food pyramid important for your child’s health? It can help us, as parents, become more aware of what guidelines to follow for our children nutritional needs but most importantly it helps us realize that the most important information one can take away from the food pyramid, specially when it comes to picky eaters like mine, is moderation. I personally would have a hard time to make my child eat 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit a day, every day!

So knowing what the recommended servings are, help me become creative in how my little picky eaters can take it in. For example, I buy only 100 % juice with no added sugars or preservatives and offer it along with their lunch or snack. Did you know 1 cup of orange juice, for example, is equal to two servings of fruit? Or if I serve broccoli, I sprinkle some cheese on top, covering one vegetable and one milk serving in one shot.

The bottom line is that if my kids eat at least some veggies and fruit a day or during the week, and not necessarily meet the recommend servings every day, I feel like I still have accomplished a lot! Remember they are kids and we must willing to work with them and encourage food in a positive way and not as a punishment. In doing so, our kids will slowly want to try different types of food by themselves!

Jenny Lee
Proud mommy and founder of the Bee-Z Snack Shop™
www.beezsnackshop.com