Strategies for Dealing with Picky Eaters

Posted on December 2, 2010

picky-eaterIf you’ve got a picky eater at home, these 10 rules should help you keep your sanity. My kids have been well trained over many years to try almost everything I put in front of  them, both at home and in restaurants, and as a food writer-author, I’ve dragged my family through some pretty strange eating experiences. My daughter tried duck brains in Beijing at the famous Da Dong Peking Duck Restaurant (“they’re okay, but I prefer the pancakes and duck,” was her response, and mine too). When we lived in the Philippines, my then seven-year-old son tried deep-fried mole crickets at a food festival. The little Filipino boy sitting next to him was chomping away on a handful of the dark nuggets, so my son felt compelled to try them. He said they tasted like “really, really, really crispy fried chicken nuggets.” His Filipino acquaintance agreed.

I also know what each of my children doesn’t like. My son despises mushrooms, and is not keen on potatoes (except fries). My daughter  picks the arugula and mezuna leaves out of her salad claiming that they scratch her throat when she swallows. She also doesn’t like tortellini, which I think is a texture thing. I respect their wishes.

Here is a list of dos and don’ts that should help change some picky eating habits at any age.

DO

  1. Get your child involved in your family’s food decisions. Offer healthy options and allow them to voice their opinions.
  2. Include your child in food preparation and the cooking process as much as possible.
  3. Eat with your children. My rule at the table is that my kids must try everything. They don’t have to like it, but they must try it.
  4. Eliminate or reduce all snacking between meals. Get rid of any empty-calories snacks with zero nutritional value (all junk food).
  5. Focus on healthy eating not dieting. Dieting can be a real problem during the teenage years and can lead to eating disorders down the road. Tell your kids why a particular food is good for them. Protein helps  build strong muscles. Vitamins and minerals are critical for healthy cells, tissues and organs. Omega-3s in fish fuel the brain. And, complex carbohydrates from whole grains give long-lasting energy to run and play…and to win that soccer game or swim meet.

DON’T

  1. Don’t open the kitchen after dinner. Say no to all post-meal snacking.
  2. Don’t offer bribes or rewards for eating, and don’t punish your child for not eating. Food equals emotions is not an equation you want to establish in their minds.
  3. Don’t make eating a power struggle. Neither side wins.
  4. Don’t fool your kids. If they ask what’s in a dish, answer honestly. Betrayal will result in mistrust.
  5. Don’t give up offering healthy foods no matter how many times they are rejected.

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Chinese Herbal “Confinement” Soup for New Mothers

Posted on November 17, 2010

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Chinese Herbal “Confinement” Soup, a broth flavored with an assortment of dried Chinese herbs, is just one reason I find living in Malaysia so endlessly fascinating. The Chinese, Malaysains, and numerous other Asian cultures have a centuries-old tradition of serving new mothers foods that will restore their energy, alleviate pain, and improve their general health. So, why am I writing about this unusual soup?

As the U.S. Ambassador’s wife, one of my “duties” is to celebrate important events in our embassy community, which is comprised of about 100 American employees and their families. When it was brought to my attention that we had TEN new mothers (a mini baby boom of sorts) at Embassy Kuala Lumpur, I just couldn’t resist hosting a lunch for them. As I was going over the menu with my Chinese cook, Luann, and residence manager, Jennifer, they both jokingly suggested that I should serve confinement soup. “What’s that?” I asked. They  laughed, then explained that this broth is served to new mothers throughout their first thirty (some say forty or more) days of being confined to their homes with their babies while being waited on and fed (sounds good to me, I think we need something like this back home).

The day before the lunch, Luann showed me a plastic bag filled with a bunch of dried herbs she bought from the Chinese market. I opened it. We both giggled as I pulled out small bags of truly weird looking stuff. One bag contained a piece of a very thin white root, Fook San, that resembled dry wall or plaster (all if could think of was pica, the pregnancy disease where a woman craves non-food items). Other bags contained small red berries, Kei Chi; red dates the size of cherries, Hong Cho; a yellowish root resembling long strips of apple peelings, Yok Chok; a long, scraggly, dried beige root, Tung Sam; and a long, thin snow white  root, Wai San. I haven’t found a reputable source to tell me what all of these herbs do, suffice to say, they are purported to be be healthy for new mothers and others as well.

On the morning of the lunch, Luann washed all of her dried loot then placed it into a pot containing chicken broth and brought the concotion to a boil. She reduced the heat and very gently simmered (more like steeped) it for about 2 hours. After straining, she served it with some of the berries and dates floating in the bowl. It tasted like a chicken broth with slightly sweet and tart overtones.

Just in case you’re wondering, the rest of the delicious lunch menu looked like this:

  • Chinese Herbal “Confinement” Soup
  • Pad Thai with Shrimp
  • Quick and Easy Chicken Curry (from Eating for Pregnancy)
  • Steamed Tofu with Pork and Salted Radish
  • Sauteed Mixed Vegetables
  • Coconut Rice
  • Strawberry-Blueberry Chiffon Cakes

The meal was fabulous. As a party favor, each guest received a copy of my book, Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Mothers-to-Be. They were very happy, and I was too. PS: Flavours Magazine in Malaysia covered the event…I’ll post the link on twitter http://twitter.com/cjonescooks when the article comes out. Look forward to more recipes…I’m working on the chicken curry.

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A Heart Attack Story Every Woman Should Read

Posted on November 9, 2010

heart-attackI just received an email from a close friend of mine, Lauren. When I read it, I got goosebumps and teary eyes. She and I share something in common: Both of our mothers had heart attacks. Mine survived, hers didn’t. In her note she sent to a long list of friends, she wrote: “As many of you know my mother died 15 years ago from a heart attack. She absolutely knew something was wrong because she was in her doctor’s office parking lot when she died. She never made it into the office. She had no appt that day—but I believe she knew something was wrong.

I wonder if she had read an email like the one below—if she could have been saved. So I decided not to simply read the story below but to share it with all of you. Knowledge is power. Maybe you all can share it with the people closest to you and between all of us we can save a life.”

I want to thank Lauren and the courageous and compassionate woman who shared her story below. I don’t know her name, but it’s not important. She’s alive, which is all that matters. Please read this, ask others to do the same,  and if you or anyone around you suspects a heart attack, get help immediately. Don’t do what my mother did. She called 911, the paramedics arrived and she told them she felt better. She refused to go to the hospital. The next day she had a heart attack. I wrote Eating for Lower Cholesterol: A Balanced Approach to Heart Health with Recipes Everyone Will Love for my mom and millions of other people out there who need to lower their cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Heart disease is preventable. It starts in childhood. Keep it out of your life and those you love!

“NURSE’S HEART ATTACK EXPERIENCE
I am an ER nurse and…I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the
best description I’ve ever read.

Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction)… Did you know that
women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when
experiencing heart attacks …. You know, the sudden stabbing pain in
the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor
that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman’s experience
with a heart attack.

I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO
prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might’ve brought it on. I
was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in
my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and
actually thinking, ‘A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my
soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up..

A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you’ve
been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with
a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you’ve
swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is
most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn’t have gulped it down so
fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass
of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my
initial sensation—the only trouble was that I hadn’t taken a bite of
anything since about 5:00 p.m.

After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little
squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it
was probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continued racing
up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically
when administering CPR).

This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out
into both jaws….. ‘AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was
happening — we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being
one of the signals of an MI happening, haven’t we? I said aloud to
myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I’m having a heart attack!

I lowered the footrest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a
step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a
heart attack, I shouldn’t be walking into the next room where the phone
is or anywhere else .. But, on the other hand, if I don’t, nobody will
know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to
get up in moment.

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the
next room and dialed the Paramedics .. I told her I thought I was
having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum
and radiating into my jaws. I didn’t feel hysterical or afraid, just
stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over
immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to
unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me
when they came in.

I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and
lost consciousness, as I don’t remember the medics coming in, their
examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their
ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but
I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the Cardiologist was
already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my
stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions
(probably something like ‘Have you taken any medications?’) but I
couldn’t make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer,
and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner
had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery
into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side
stents to hold open my right coronary artery.

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have
taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but
actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire
station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my
Cardiologist was already told to go to the OR in his scrubs and get
going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my
arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents.
Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I
want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned
first hand.
1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not
the usual men’s symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my
sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women
than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn’t know they
were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take
some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping
they’ll feel better in the morning when they wake up ……. which
doesn’t happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly
like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is
unpleasantly happening that you’ve not felt before. It is better to
have a ‘false alarm’ visitation than to risk your life guessing what it
might be!

2. Note that I said ‘Call the Paramedics.’ And if you can take an
asprin.. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself
to the ER – you are a hazard to others on the road. Do NOT have your
panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what’s
happening with you instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor — he doesn’t know where you live and if it’s
at night you won’t reach him anyway, and if it’s daytime, his
assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics.
He doesn’t carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved!
The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will
be notified later.

3. Don’t assume it couldn’t be a heart attack because you have a normal
cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated
reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it’s unbelievably high
and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by
long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of
deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in
the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let’s be careful and be aware.
The more we know, the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10
people, you can be sure that we’ll save at least one life.
**Please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends
(male & female) you care about!**”

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Tips on Buying Fish and Shellfish

Posted on March 28, 2010

Salmon for Dinner

As the spring and summer grilling season kicks off, here are some tips to help you navigate the seafood counter or your local fish market! Remember, too, that your fishmonger is a terrific source of knowledge. Ask him or her about amounts, best cuts, and optimal cooking methods and times. If you are not going home right after shopping, request to have  your seafood placed in a bag of ice. Enjoy!

Tips for buying fresh fish filets and steaks

  1. Look for firm, shiny flesh that gives slightly when pressed. Flesh should not be mushy, and it should not separate easily.
  2. If the head is on, the fish’s eyes should be clear and should bulge a bit. Avoid dull, cloudy, sunken, or bloody eyes.
  3. The gills should be bright pink or red, not brown or gray.
  4. The fish should have a pleasant ocean-fresh smell, not a fishy or ammonia-like odor.
  5. Scales (if on the fish) should be shinny and should cling tightly to the flesh.
  6. Steaks and filets should be moist, not slimy or dry, and the color should be uniformly bright, not dull.

Tips for buying live crabs, lobsters, and shrimp

  1. Legs should be lively when touched unless the crustacean is soft-shelled (such as soft shell crabs).
  2. The tail of a live lobster tail should curl under when lifted up. It should not hang limp.
  3. Shellfish should feel weighty, not light or dry.
  4. Raw shrimp should have translucent shells with a grayish green, a pinkish-tan, or a pink tint. They should be moist and firm, not mealy.

Tips for buying live clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, and other mollusks

  1. Shells should be tightly closed. If they are open, they should shut immediately when gently tapped. Discard gaping shells that do not close when tapped.
  2. Shells should be moist and intact, not cracked, dry or chipped.
  3. Mollusks should have a clean ocean-fresh scent, not a fishy odor.

Tips for buying shucked clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, and other mollusks

  1. Meat should be plump, not shriveled, dark, or dry.
  2. Meat should be free of shell and sand particles.
  3. Liquid should be clear, not cloudy or opaque, and it should be less than 10% of the volume.
  4. Mollusks should have a clean ocean-fresh scent, not a fishy odor.

Tips for buying frozen fish and shellfish

  1. Flesh should be frozen solidly.
  2. Fish should be contained in a tight, moisture-proof package.
  3. Fish should not have any freezer burn or ice crystals.
  4. When thawed, fish should pass the same test as outlined for fresh fish and shellfish above.
  5. Frozen fish should remain frozen until it is thawed for cooking. Do not refreeze fish or shellfish.

Tips for cooking fresh fish

  1. Marinades and dry rubs add tremendous taste to fish, and the choices are endless. Play around to find your favorites.
  2. Keep marinating fish refrigerated; do not leave it at room temperature. Do not use the plate or platter that held the raw fish to serve the cooked fish. Discard any marinades or sauces that came in contact with the raw fish. Do not serve them as sauce and do not recycle them.
  3. The healthiest and tastiest ways to cook fish are grilling, broiling, poaching, steaming, pan sautéing, or baking. Avoid deep frying.
  4. 10-Minute-Per-Inch Rule for Fish: Measure fish at its thickest point (if stuffed or rolled measure after stuffing). If baking (at a high temperature), grilling, broiling, poaching, steaming, or sautéing, cook the fish for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Add 5 minutes of cooking time to the total cooking time for fish wrapped in foil or covered with a sauce. Double the cooking time for frozen fish that has not been thawed prior to cooking.
  5. Fish is done when the flesh turns from translucent to opaque. It should flake easily with a fork or knife. A thermometer should read 140 degrees F when cooked.
  6. Cook fish skin-side down. The filet or meat will slide off the fish easily when cooked.

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Fiber Fix

Posted on December 7, 2009

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We all know we should eat more fiber…but before I rattle off facts and food sources, I’d like to give you a crash course on the ins and outs of digestion (no pun intended) and why fiber is so important.

Digestion begins in the mouth, where salivary enzymes break down starches into smaller molecules for the body’s nourishment and energy. After being chewed and swallowed, the food enters the esophagus, a long tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach. The stomach churns the food and bathes it in gastric acids, which help digest protein. Then, the chyme (or partially digested food) travels to the small intestines, where further breakdown occurs and nutrients are absorbed by the intestinal walls. Most of the absorbed nutrients enter the bloodstream and are carried throughout the body for storage or further chemical synthesis. The leftover roughage continues to move through the large intestines where it soaks up water to increase its bulk, and we all know what shows up at the other end.

An adequate intake of dietary fiber and fluids, particularly water, are the best ways to keep this machine moving smoothly and to prevent constipation. There are basically two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. To receive the greatest health benefits, it is advisable to consume a wide variety of both types. Here’s an easy way to remember the differences.

Insoluble fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, wheat bran, and nuts, does not dissolve in water. This roughage moves material through your digestive system and forms the bulk of your stool. It is vital for regularity and maintaining a healthy intestinal tract.

Soluble fiber, including oats, peas, and beans, dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance—think of gooey warm oatmeal. In addition to ferrying chyme along the digestive tract, soluble fiber helps to lower blood cholesterol by sweeping the bad LDL cholesterol out of your system before it sticks to your arteries, and it can also reduce blood-sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of glucose in the blood. A high intake of soluble fiber is particularly recommended for diabetics or anyone diagnosed with pre-diabetes.

The recommended fiber intake for adults is 25 to 30 grams. Children need about half that, depending on their age and size. Most people get the bulk of their fiber at breakfast, through fresh fruit and cereals. Ideally, boxed cereals should contain at least 8 to 10 grams of fiber per serving. Because kids’ cereals contain nowhere near this amount, you might try mixing some high-fiber cereal with their favorite brand. During the rest of the day, fiber can come from whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, vegetables, fruits, and beans. The following list comes from Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be.

High-Fiber Food Sources and Grams of Fiber

½ cup General Mills Fiber One Cereal = 14 grams
½ cup Kellogg’s All Bran Cereal = 10
1 cup raspberries = 8
½ cup cooked lentils = 8
½ cup cooked black beans = 7
½ cup cooked chickpeas = 5
1 potato with skin = 5
½ cup canned kidney beans = 5
½ cup cooked green peas = 4
½ cup Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Cereal = 4
1 cup quick-cooked oatmeal = 4
1 cup blueberries = 4
1 medium apple with skin = 4
2 slices whole wheat bread = 3
1 cup strawberries = 3
1 medium orange = 3
¼ cup wheat germ = 3
5 dried dates = 3
½ cup broccoli = 2
5 whole wheat crackers = 2
½ cup Brussels sprouts = 2

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10 Foods for a Healthier You!

Posted on November 19, 2009

healthy-life

10 Foods for a Healthier You!

  1. Whole grains. Whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, barley, and oats. Whole grains are a great source of vitamins and fiber. Rule of thumb: Brown is best. Avoid refined white foods stripped of their nutrients.
  2. Fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants. Prunes, blueberries, blackberries, mangosteen, kiwi, grapes, broccoli, red pepper, beets, spinach, and artichokes. Antioxidants promote cell regeneration and basic metabolic functions. Dark chocolate and tea also contain antioxidants.
  3. Fish high in DHA omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, sardines, tuna, halibut, and anchovies. Omega-3s fatty acids are essential to good heart health, fetal brain development, and they can help reduce depression. Ask your doctor about supplements, particularly if you are at risk for heart disease, or if you are pregnant.
  4. Low-fat dairy products.  Milk, yogurt, and cheeses. Calcium is the key to strong bones and preventing osteoporosis. If you are lactose intolerant, try calcium-fortified foods, such as orange juice and soy milk, or supplements. The average Daily Intake of calcium for people between the ages of 31 and 50 years, is about 1,000 milligrams.
  5. Mono and polyunsaturated oils. Olive, canola, peanut, corn, safflower, sunflower, sesame, and flaxseed oils. Use these cholesterol-busting oils in salad dressings, cooking, and baking. Minimize saturated fats, such as butter, lard, and the white fat on meats. Avoid all trans fats, including stick margarine.
  6. Soluble fiber. Oatmeal, barley, and brown rice. There are two types of fiber: soluble (from whole grains) and insoluble (from fruits and vegetables). Soluble fiber helps reduce cholesterol. Insoluble fiber is excellent for digestion, but it does not affect cholesterol levels.
  7. Nuts and seeds. All kinds. Filled with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, nuts and seeds are the perfect snack, salad topping, or baking boost.
  8. Vegetable proteins. Tofu, beans, nuts, and seeds. These fat-free sources are excellent alternatives to meat and poultry.
  9. Folic acid. Lentils, fortified breakfast cereals, asparagus, spinach, and orange juice. Folic acid is critical in preventing neural tube birth defects and cleft palate, and it has the cardiac benefit of lowering homocysteine levels, a by-product of protein metabolism in your blood. Most people need about 400 micrograms of folic acid per day.
  10. Resveratrol. Red wine, raspberries, peanuts and mulberries. The antioxidant resveratrol may have some cardioprotective benefits.

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Prune Power

Posted on April 15, 2009

prunes1Not just for constipation anymore, prunes spell serious antioxidants. Lately these dark, wrinkly fruits have come in #1 on the anti-oxidant score sheet, beating raisins, ranked second, and blueberries, third. According to a recent study by Tufts University in Boston, these powerful morsels may help slow the aging process of both the body and brain. Bottom line: Eat prunes or drink prune juice. Read more www.sunsweetdryers.com.

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