In This Corner an Orange; In This Corner Orange Juice

Whole fruit is a great low-calorie source of fiber and nutrients. A 165 gram (6 oz) orange has four grams of fiber and 81 calories. It has 163% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, and 14 grams of sugar.

Fruit juice is pulverized, pasteurized fruit with fiber removed. Some manufacturers add fiber back in. Fiber enhance juice has three grams of fiber and 120 calories per 8 oz. serving. It has 125% of the daily requirement of vitamin C which has been added back in because pasteurization destroys it, and it has 22 grams of sugar. If you squeeze your own juice, a serving will have no fiber, but it will contain 207% of RDA of vitamin C.   The orange is a lower-calorie, higher fiber option that is cheaper. The winner is – the orange.

Whole fruit is the best choice over fruit juice or other processed food products.

PFCs

Women with higher levels of certain chemicals used in many household products have lower levels of estrogen and are more likely to experience early menopause, a new study finds. Well, that certainly is a concern, but I've long worried about PFCs and their effects on children. While no mention of children is made in this study, common sense tells us that children are more affected by chemicals because of their rapid growth and because their brains are in a rapid state of change.PFCs have been linked to ADHD. While watching ABC News, it was mentioned that companies have until 2015 to remove this chemical from their products. Wow! We have given permission to big business to keep poisoning us for a few more years. Is Teflon really more important than our health?
Follow this link to view the article:
http://tinyurl.com/47yhl73

Sneaking in the Vegetables

Here's another puree to put more vegetables in your child's diet.

Green Puree

Use it in lasagna: Substitute 1/3 of the sauce with puree. Chili: Stir in 1/2 cup per batch.

2     cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
2     cups raw baby spinach
1     cup frozen peas

Stem broccoli and spinach in a steamer over 2 inches of water about 10 minutes or until very tender. Add peas for the last two minutes. Drain. Place in food processor with 2 Tbsp water. Puree until smooth.

Purple Puree

So often I hear parents worried that their child isn't eating enough vegetables. Here's one idea to help you out.

Purple Puree

Use it in Brownies: Substitute for half the oil the recipe calls for. Taco meat: Add 1/2 cup per pound of beef> Burgers: use 1/4 cup per pound of meat.

6     cups raw baby spinach
1     tsp lemon juice
3     cups fresh or frozen blueberries, slightly thawed

Puree all ingredients with 2 Tbsp water in a food processor until smooth. If necessary, add another 1 to 2 Tbsp water for a smoother consistency.

Saline-Milan Patch

We're in the news! http://tinyurl.com/459z5y2