Cereal, Crackers, and Chocolate Chip Cookies

People who have an intolerance to, or allergy to, gluten are going to have to avoid many of the foods that most people don’t think twice about eating. If you just learned that you have a gluten allergy, then you will be discovering all the foods that you can no longer eat. Unfortunately, most of those foods are both comforting and tasty. When I learned that I had a gluten allergy, my first trip to the grocery store made me aware of just how many foods there were that I could never eat again. This experience was rather shocking, and … Continue reading

Avocados: The Perfect Baby Food

New parents probably receive a lot of conflicting advice when it comes to starting their babies on solids. Some say that, as soon as your baby starts reaching for your food, it means he is ready to eat it. (Does that mean that when my baby reaches for a bottle of beer, he’s ready for that, too?) Others claim that, if your baby doesn’t sleep through the night, adding solids to her diet will help her to sleep longer. (I’d like to find some of those people and make them explain to me why my daughter woke up to nurse … Continue reading

Baby Blog Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd

Safety and summer fun have been two themes occurring in the Baby Blog for last week. From tougher toy standards and new information about you baby and second-hand smoke, to fun in the baby pool and enjoyment through volunteering, you’ll find a variety of information and opinion. Some of it might even be controversial. Add your comment! Here, now, is the week in review. July 28th Baby Blog Week in Review: July 21st Through July 27th What types of activities do you like to do with your baby? Is it playing on the floor, reading or taking walks? How about … Continue reading

Spicing Up the Holidays with Healthy Spices

My daughter and I spent the better part of last week in the kitchen trying to get our holiday baking done. We’ve got a few more batches of cookies to go before I can collapse under the Christmas tree and start enjoying the fruits of our labor. It’s been hectic, but there’s nothing better than having your home smell like the inside of a spice factory. The mouth-watering aroma of warm spices got me thinking about the nutritional value of some of the ingredients we’ve been adding to our recipes—-namely the spices. Obviously spices make a dish taste good, but … Continue reading

Making Healthy Choices at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table

For many people who watch what they eat on a daily basis Thanksgiving is the one day of the year that they throw caution to the wind and devour whatever their stomachs desire. Not my sister-in-law. In fact, she won’t eat a bite of turkey (or ham) today. Rather, she’ll fill her plate with samples of all of the fabulous side dishes that surround the sliced up bird. It’s not because she’s a vegetarian; rather she believes that she’s doing her body good by skipping the meat dishes and eating the lower calorie menu options. (To each her own I … Continue reading

Is Pasta Really Healthy?

This Sunday more than 35,000 runners will take to the streets of the Big Apple for the 2007 New York City Marathon. Prior to making their way along the 26.2-mile route runners have the opportunity to participate in the traditional night-before pasta dinner. Carb loading before a big race is part of the training process. At least it was for me. I pigged out on pasta before I ran the Chicago Marathon. I gorged on ziti at the Olive Garden before I ran the Madison Marathon and I had two plates of spaghetti plus four pieces of garlic bread the … Continue reading

More Tropical Aquarium Tips

Keeping an aquarium can be a rewarding hobby — but it isn’t easy! These tips can help your fish stay happy and healthy in your tank. Caring for your fish starts BEFORE they enter the tank. You need to acclimate your fish before they enter your aquarium. Place the fish and the water from the bag into an empty and clean five gallon bucket. Add one cup of water from your aquarium every ten minutes for an hour. After an hour or so, the fish will be acclimated to your tank water and ready to move into the aquarium. Add … Continue reading

An Apple A Day Keeps Cancer Away

In a previous blog I recounted our recent trip to a local apple orchard. Despite my concerns about the farm’s pricing structure, we had a great time and left with more apples than we could possibly consume. In fact, if the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is really true I should be able to keep my daughter out of the pediatrician’s office until next summer. Kidding aside, the health benefits associated with apples are serious business. Studies show eating apples can reduce a number of diseases. And with apple harvest season in full swing there’s no … Continue reading

Health Benefits of Mushrooms

Did you know September is National Mushroom Month? I didn’t either until I saw a sign in the supermarket yesterday encouraging shoppers to “Celebrate the Mushroom.” At first I thought it was a ploy to get customers to buy mushrooms. But when I got home I did some research and learned that this month is indeed National Mushroom Month. I also discovered that the formidable fungi offer many health benefits. In fact, several Eastern cultures have long revered mushrooms as both food and medicine. But it wasn’t until just recently that researchers have been able to back up those claims … Continue reading

Eating Healthy At The State Fair—It Can Be Done

I know what you are thinking… Is it possible to eat healthy at a place where just about everything is deep-fried and impaled with a stick? Moreover, does anyone try to eat healthy at a local fair? I know I don’t. But then there are people like my friend (and running partner) Kim who do. Recently I detailed my adventures at our local fair and listed all of the tantalizing on-a-stick-creations my daughter and I gorged on during our time there. Kim attended the same State Fair with her kids and she left without ever wrapping her lips around a … Continue reading