Healthy Foods For the Kids

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Benton_Chandrel]Benton Chandrel

We all know that children are very picky with their food. If they are given a choice, they will always pick sweets over fruits and junk food over vegetables. That's why it's really a challenge especially for parents to get their kids to eat healthy foods. Sometimes the fault is also with the parents. They always buy foods that their kids want and not what their kids need. It is also necessary for parents to know what the different types of healthy foods for kids are.

Kids are always known to be very energetic. So it's important to feed them with foods that will meet their body's needs. Therefore, healthy foods for kids should always be available at home. From the start, you should train your kids to get used to eating healthily because this will benefit them in the long run. As we all know, kids have a sweet tooth, meaning they always want to eat sweets. Instead of giving them chocolates, candies and cookies, give them sweet fruits or make them sweet fresh fruit smoothies. They will surely enjoy it and you don't have to worry about the nutritional content.

You should also make sure that there are no junk foods available inside the house. Also avoid having sweets and other sugary snacks in places where your children can find it. It's hard to control your kids once they get used to the habit of grabbing something delicious yet unhealthy.

Another most important thing that parents should do is set an example for your children. If you are eating junk food and snacks in front of your kids, then they will also want some of it. Getting your kids to eat healthy foods can sometimes be a mission, but remember it is better in the future for their health and doing something about it is better than letting them pick up a bad eating habit.

Benton has been writing articles about diet, fitness and weight loss online for nearly 3 years. You can also check out his latest website on polo sweatshirts and polo sweatpants

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Healthy-Foods-For-the-Kids&id=3437910] Healthy Foods For the Kids

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Blackberries - Top 10 in Antioxidant Capacity

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Cole_Tanner]Cole Tanner

As delicious as blackberries are -- they offer much more value than just a sweet summer treat. Research has shown that blackberries are low in calories, low on the glycemic index, are an excellent source of fiber, are chock full of vitamins B, C, and E, minerals, and ellagic acid (thought to be a potent cancer fighter), as well as antioxidants.

In fact, according to the USDA, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries all rank in the top 10 for antioxidant capacity in more than 100 common foods. And, research published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ranked blackberries as far and away the most antioxidant-rich food based on a typical single serving out of more than 1,000 food types tested.

Many of the most potent antioxidants in blackberries are named anthocyanins, which are responsible for the purplish-black color in both blackberries and blueberries and have been shown to fight everything from heart disease and cancer to memory loss.

About one cup of blackberries will provide the approximately 75 calories, one gram of protein,.06 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbs, and about 7.6 grams of fibre.

So, whether you pick them yourself at a berry farm, grab some at your local produce market, or buy them fresh or frozen at the grocery store, blackberries make a healthy snack. And they're easy to enjoy, just add them to your cereal, make a cobbler, or top off your salad, ice cream or smoothie with them. Or, make a blackberry margarita.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Blackberries---Top-10-in-Antioxidant-Capacity&id=3407044] Blackberries - Top 10 in Antioxidant Capacity

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Child Nutrition - A is For April the Asparagus

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Amber_Cabrera]Amber Cabrera

Not only does asparagus have folic acid, which is great for the skin, but it is also a great vegetable for steaming, frying and/or baking. Slathering it with low fat cheese or wrapping it in turkey bacon are always great crowd pleasers too!

Childhood obesity is a major problem in this country. The snack food industry continues to find more ways to pump out prepackaged, unhealthy foods that are more convenient and seemingly less expensive than nutritional alternatives. However, they fall obscenely short on nutritional value. Combine that with limited school budgets that are forced to cut out recess and other extracurricular activities, and you are left with a generation of children growing up overweight.

As a parent, there is so much self-imposed guilt when feeling as though we are not doing enough to monitor our child(ren)'s diet. Full time jobs, endless 'to-do' lists, and time - all conspire to make us feel worse when we believe that we have no other option than to choose the quick and easy unhealthy meals.

There is good news on the horizon. Many fruits and vegetables have versatile preparation options that are fantastic alternatives to junk food and can be prepared in advance with very little effort. But this is only half of the battle.

The other half is to convince your child(ren) to eat more fruits and vegetables. If they are picky eaters, this can be difficult. That's why I recommend a book called The Adventures of Tommy The Tomato by author and nutritionist, Jay Holt. It's a fantastic book of color-filled illustrations for both children and parents about nutrition. Tommy and his friends are a group of fruits and vegetables who teach kids about the fun of eating healthy. Each character is named after a letter of the alphabet, so it's easy to follow and reinforces primary learning. Children relate to each page of the story while learning about good nutrition.

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Why People Should Eat Healthy - 5 Tips to Eating Healthy

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ross_Gray]Ross Gray

The reasons why people should eat healthy are too numerous to list. Among the top contenders are avoiding many illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. In order to eat healthy you don't have to give up all the foods you love or become thin as a rail. It is more about maintaining a healthy weight, increasing your energy level, and feeling terrific.

We all need to take more time and put more thought into what we are fueling our bodies with. We are all rushed, stressed, and short on time but that is no excuse to eating whatever is easiest or quickest. There are plenty of one pot, 30-minute meal recipes available, also believe it or not there are some prepackaged foods that are fairly healthy too. Here are some top tips to help you out.

1. Make sure to drink enough water. Water is an important component of a healthy eating plan. After all our body is comprised of approximately 75% water. Water helps us flush our bodies of toxins and waste products.

2. Consume more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. If we eat more of these items throughout the day our sugar and energy levels will remain in check.

3. Eat an adequate amount of calories but don't overdo it. Put some thought into how many calories you really need to consume throughout the day. A construction worker will burn up more calories than somebody who working in an office. Don't consume more than you will burn.

4. Watch the portion size of your meals. For some reason our portion sizes over the years have increased dramatically. I believe this has a lot to do with marketing. If you order your favorite entree at a restaurant and get a loaded large platter of food you will most likely be happy paying the price they are asking for the meal. The reality is that our portion size has doubled or tripled over years past. Be proactive and package up any food beyond a reasonable portion and make two meals out of it instead of one.

5. Consume a wide range of foods. Go out of your way to try new foods. I am always looking for ways to incorporate different types of whole grains into my diet. There are probably a lot of grains and legumes that you have never even heard of. Try some new exotic fruits or vegetables that you found at the market. The worst that can happen is that you don't like them. Keep your meals exciting and new by adding variety.

If you utilize the preceding tips it will not be that difficult to [http://EasyFitnessAndNutrition.info]eat healthy. Because the subject of healthy eating is such a broad topic, I recommend you do some additional studying about fitness and nutrition at [http://EasyFitnessAndNutrition.info]http://EasyFitnessAndNutrition.info. Click through my preceding link for a ton of science-backed information and strategies.

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How to Speak With Influence

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Zuraidah_Ali]Zuraidah Ali

Influence is most commonly associated with power and authority. Nevertheless, let's think of ways to unravel the hidden powers of language, as we use it every day, to influence the attitude, thoughts and behavior of people around us.

Have you heard of influence tactics and influence strategies? To start, we can try to appear more 'assertive' in negotiations and tap on 'coalition tactic' in group discussions in order to win majority support. Now, how much of this knowledge have you utilized in your life as a student, employee, or participant in any kind of discussion, competitions, challenge, etc?

In bringing the topic of "influence" closer to English as a Second Language (ESL), I have decided to delineate the effects of powerful and powerless language. I shall link this interest to "politeness theory".

To illustrate powerless language which indirectly carries the effects of "influence", we can look at a common habit to use 'hedges' like "I wonder if you could"... and "Could I maybe ask you..." in our daily conversation and interaction. If you stand on the receiving end, these expressions may sound humble and less threatening to your ego and disposition. In other words, it brings about the impression of politeness and respect.

Another example is our tendency to use words or phrases which 'minimize imposition' like "I need just a little bit of your time" in making requests or asking for some consideration. 'Hedges' and 'minimization of imposition' are both ways to redress face-threatening acts. They may seem 'powerless'; however, the gain is worthwhile.

In short, within the context of "influence", powerless language manifests politeness tactics which represents rituals of approach, social distance, and respect. You may sound humble and down-to-earth, yet you bring more attention to yourself. Hence, you will have more opportunity to influence the hearer of your assertion and reasoning.

Note: I encourage critical reading, critical thinking and writing via my academic blog. You can visit it and share your thoughts at http://speakup-avenue.blogspot.com

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Colorful Eating Habits For Good Health

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Neil_Roth]Neil Roth

We all know colorful fruits and vegetables are a good way for an aesthetically appetizing presentation of food. In fact Van Gogh used them with much success in his paintings. But did you know it is good for health to include fruits and vegetables of different colors in your diet? It sounds playful to include the rainbow in your diet chart but that is what the nutritionists now days are advising. In fact fruits and vegetables from each of the four primary color group should be included every day in your food.

So what are the colors that are so good for health? Yellow/orange, red, green and blue/purple is the favored color by the dieticians. But how and why color plays such an important role in our health and disease prevention? To begin with you have the effects of the pigments themselves which are great antioxidants. Did you know lycopene found in red tomatoes protects you against prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and even heart disease as per one preliminary study?

Pigments are just the first line of defense. They are the precursor for more health benefits.These include vitamins and, fiber. And also phytochemicals that help detoxify the body, battle tumor growth and activate protective genes. Did you know that the most intensely colored fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of protective phytonutients?

Take spinach for example. The dark green color of spinach is practically a one stop pharmacy. It delivers at least three important antioxidants, including the yellow pigment lutein, which helps prevent macular degeneration, the main reason that causes blindness in the elderly. In fact one serving of raw spinach contains about three quarter of your daily vitamin A, one quarter of your folic acid requirement and 185 percent your vitamin K...a vitamin that help strengthen bone.

The message is very clear. Use colorful fruits and vegetables to paint a picture of good health.

The writer of this article is Neil Roth who researches and writes about health and fitness.If you enjoyed this article you can have look at another article by this author on [http://lipcarecenter.com/lip-reduction-surgery/]Lip Reduction at this blog on [http://lipcarecenter.com/]Lip Enhancement.

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Vitamin C to Fight Swine Flu and Influenza

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Shalah_Beckinghart]Shalah Beckinghart

The powers that Vitamin C has over fighting influenza and swine flu:

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects against infection and enhances immunity.

The daily suggested dosage of Vitamin C is about 100-200mg 2-3 times a day for adults. When faced with such stressors adults can take 500-1000mg 3 times a day. For severe cases such as the onset of influenza that ill person can take 500-1000mg every 2 hours. Its important that you stick to the normal recommended dosage and then only when faced with illness increase to the higher levels. Only on the onset of environmental stress such as trauma, fever or infection should you take higher dosages of Vitamin C supplement otherwise you can run the risk of Vitamin C overdose.

1-3yrs old, 15mg normal dosage/ 400mg onset of illness dosage per day

4-8yrs old, 25mg normal dosage/ 650mg onset of illness dosage per day

9-13yrs old, 45mg normal dosage/ 1200mg onset of illness dosage per day

14-7yrs old, 65-75mg normal dosage/ 1800-2000mg onset of illness dosage per day

18yrs old and older, 80-85mg normal dosage/ 2000-3000mg onset of illness dosage per day

Pregnant women, 80-85mg normal dosage/ 1800-2000mg onset of illness dosage per day

Breast-feeding women, 115-120mg normal dosage/ 1800-2000mg onset of illness dosage per day

Vitamin C Overdose mostly comes by taking high levels of lab made or lab manipulated Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid and the like. Overdose can cause diarrhea, gas, stomach upset and cramps, nausea, and diarrhea. The more major overdose conditions that come with vitamin C overdose are developing kidney stones, Vitamin B12 and copper deficiencies, and also the increased need for oxygen. Pregnant mothers taking 5000-6000mg or more of Vitamin C can possibly subject their babies to develop rebound scurvy. People that have iron overload diseases need to avoid Vitamin C overdose since it increases the absorption of iron. Patients with Hemochromatosis should not take extra Vitamin C either due to the accumulation of nonheme iron in the presence of vitamin C. Long term problems caused by vitamin C overdose includes: acute right sided conjunctivitis, kidney disease, diabetes, and hypoglycemia.

The absolute best Vitamin C to take is naturally occurring Vitamin C in the form of whole foods or whole food botanical supplements. One would need to ask themselves. Where in nature do you find "ascorbic acid"? The answer is nowhere. Most companies use chemical ascorbic acid that mimics real Vitamin C. Now again on the onset of influenza however by all means you can take those dosages of Vitamin C(ascorbic acid), but just for that time.

Natural ways to get Vitamin C is in camu camu berry, acerola cherry, rhus coriana, rose hip, indian gooseberry (amla fruit), and hibiscus. These botanicals are rich in Vitamin C and you can get them in capsule form if you like.

Learn what [http://fightinfluenzanaturally.blogspot.com]Fight Influenza Naturally suggest on the best natural RAW food Vitamin C supplements and other foods rich in Vit C by reading this article in its entirety at [http://fightinfluenzanaturally.blogspot.com/search/label/vitamin%20c]natural Vitamin C to fight swine flu and influenza naturally. Here's to good health!

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