As I speak with him often, and consider him a friend, I asked him if he would do me a personal favor and write an article on how dangerous High Fructose Corn Syrup and Refined Sugars are…so here it is! The truth! I was going to take little pieces of the article, but I think the information is so important, I’ve decided to use the entire thing.

What Parents and Kids Need to Know About

High Fructose Corn Syrup and Refined Sugars in General

Dr. Bach MacCloud, DO, ND, PhD, LC

Parents (and the general public) are constantly bombarded by “reports” telling us about the latest health scares. Although some of them are certainly legitimate, most are more about sensationalizing poorly designed, mostly inconclusive studies to get people’s attention. Sorry, but that’s just the nature of how most of today’s news and information is presented.

Kids, on the other hand, are constantly bombarded by advertisements for “kid-friendly” foods and beverages in the hopes that they’ll influence their parent’s buying decisions (which they certainly do). From my perspective, 90+% of all those ads are for foods & beverages of either poor or dubious nutritional value. Once again, I’m sorry to say that that’s just the nature of today’s food production & marketing practices.

This article is meant to present the key points regarding HFCS in our food supply in a straight-forward, reasonably objective fashion to help both parents and kids to understand what it is, what impact it may be having on one’s health, and help them decide whether to consume or avoid it.

I believe in freedom of choice based upon accurate information. This is not about preaching my beliefs, it is about informing and empowering parents and kids to take charge of their own health.

High fructose corn syrup has gotten a lot of attention over the past several years. It has, in many ways, become the latest scapegoat to blame many of our health problems on. I’m not really sure that this is completely deserved, but I agree that it is a significant contributor.

Numerous studies have shown a strong correlation between the rise in the intake of HFCS and the increase of several serious health issues including:

• Overweight
• Obesity
• Insulin Resistance / Metabolic Syndrome
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure / Hypertension
• Abnormal Blood Lipids (elevated cholesterol, LDL, & triglycerides)
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Accelerated aging (associated with advanced glycosylation end products)
• Diabetic complications (including: retinopathy (may lead to blindness), nephropathy (may lead to severe kidney disease), neuropathy (may contribute to numbness, pain, impotence, speech impairment, loss of bladder control)
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Elevated uric acid levels (gout, kidney stones)

Now, to be fair and objective, it is vital to point out that “correlation does not equal causation.” In other words, the rise in intake of HFCS over the past several decades is not the only possible cause for the declining health of both children and adults in our society. There has also been a steady, dramatic rise in the intake of sugars, artificial sweeteners, processed oils & fats, food additives, toxins and many other very questionable substances & things (like electromagnetic radiation exposure) not to mention a decline in exercise & activity along with the erosion of many core values and the family unit. All of these likely play significant roles in our declining health.

As far as the role HFCS has played, the HFCS industry has struck back with a big advertising campaign stating that their “experts” report that HFCS is no different than any other sugar… yada, yada, yada.

The truth, in my opinion, is that HFCS is extremely harmful. On the other hand, there is also truth to what the HFCS industry experts are quoted as saying as well… HFCS is not significantly different or more harmful that other form of highly refined sugar. The reality is that all highly refined sugars are harmful. The same is true of all artificial sweeteners as well.

We are all programmed to enjoy and seek out sweet tasting foods. That was part of what helped people identify foods that contain significant amounts of carbohydrates which are essential for overall health and energy. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy in many situations.

In nature, however, carbohydrates almost never occur by themselves, rather they are part of a more complex food matrix that typically includes quite a bit of fiber, small amounts of protein, and in some cases a bit of fat as well. In addition, they mainly occur in fruits and vegetables which also contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes (all of which play a role in the proper digestion & utilization of the sugars and other nutrients).

Even sugar cane, beets, and corn (the three primary crops that refined sugars are derived from) are not very concentrated sources of sugar. However, once they go through multiple steps of refinement, their sugar concentration goes from 4-7% up to 95-100%. They no longer resemble the original food crops at all after this transformation, and the body is no longer able to recognize and use them as food. Rather, they have been transformed into highly-refined chemicals that behave entirely differently in the body.

You can eat all the whole sugar cane you want and it will not have a significant adverse affect on your blood sugar or your health (other than contributing to dental decay since the sugar still feeds the harmful bacteria that cause tooth and gum disease). However, when 96% of the other substances are stripped away from the sugar cane, leaving only the sucrose, it will cause significant dramatic upset to one’s metabolism.

So, the point is simply this: ALL REFINED SUGAR IS HARMFUL! HFCS is a highly refined sugar and it is harmful.

The next issue to clarify is whether HFCS is actually the same as other refined sugars or if there is something even more harmful about it. Regular sucrose is a crystallized compound composed of 50% glucose and 50% fructose bound together chemically. The body has to break this chemical bond during the digestive process.

Corn syrup is a composed of a syrupy / liquefied version of sugar that is derived from corn that has been treated with enzymes to digest / break the chemical bond between the glucose and fructose. That’s why it is a syrup rather than a crystal. As with sugar, it is made up of 50% glucose and 50% fructose. So, the body doesn’t have to break any chemical bonds to digest it. This may or may not be significant, the jury is still out on that… however, I’d venture to guess that it does make a difference (especially considering the amount of HFCS being consumed).

HFCS is simply a blend of corn syrup with more fructose than glucose (typically 55% fructose and 45% glucose. The primary reason for this is that our taste buds recognize fructose as tasting sweeter than glucose. The big food companies are well aware of this as well as the fact that most everyone loves sweet tasting things. So, they add sugar and/or HFCS (that is cheaper and tastes even sweeter than sugar or regular corn syrup) to everything imaginable. That, in and of itself, really wouldn’t create a health problem. The problem has to do with the fact that we buy all those things that they’ve added all that sugar & HFCS to and eat it!

Fructose tastes sweeter than glucose. By modifying corn syrup to have a higher percentage of fructose, the food manufacturers are able to make their products taste sweeter at a lower cost which makes people like and crave the foods it is added to. Of course that leads to more sales and higher profits which has absolutely nothing to do with health or nutrition.

I should say a bit more about fructose which has also gotten a black eye by association with HFCS. Fructose is typically considered to be “fruit sugar” but that is not entirely correct. Fructose is a highly refined form of a naturally occurring simple sugar (monosaccharide) that primarily occurs in fruits. The name for it in its natural form is levulose. While levulose is fine when consumed as naturally occurring fruit sugar in whole fruits, once it has been refined into fructose, this is no longer the case.

Think of it this way; just as sucrose it the highly refined form of the naturally occurring sugar from sugar cane, beets, or other starchy plants, fructose is the highly refined form of the naturally occurring sugar from fruit (levulose). In their more natural whole food forms they are well recognized and metabolized by the body, but in their highly refined / processed forms they are treated more like drugs than as nutrients. Both are actually quite healthy when consumed in small amounts the way they naturally occur fruits & vegetables; when consumed as drugs, not so much.

The problem with most sweeteners occurs when they are refined and added to foods in large amounts. Their inherent food value and properties have been entirely changed yet they are presented (via advertising and other forms of misinformation) as being comparable to the original substance, they are not.

Another very interesting thing about fructose has to do with its property of being given a high priority for processing & metabolism by the liver during the digestive process. So, when it is taken in large amounts, this priority status causes it to overwhelm the liver’s metabolic pathways to the detriment of other processes and the liver itself. When consumed as nature intended, there is no such problem. Fructose is more rapidly metabolized in the liver than glucose. This can flood metabolic pathways leading to increased triglyceride synthesis and fat storage in the liver thereby causing a rise in serum triglycerides, promoting an atherogenic lipid profile and elevating cardiovascular risk. Increased fat storage in the liver may lead to an increased incidence in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and this is one of several links between HFCS consumption and obesity as well as the metabolic syndrome.

The last thing I’d like to touch upon is the underlying mechanism that makes all refined sweeteners harmful. This applies to all refined sweeteners with significant effects on blood sugar &/or insulin levels. This gets a tad bit complex so if you don’t totally follow it please excuse me. It really needs quite a bit longer explanation than I have room for here.

Concentrated sweeteners, that significantly elevate blood sugar levels, (anything above 100 in my opinion) leads to a physiological disruption of homeostasis (the balanced relationship between all the body’s thousands of metabolic reactions) via both a direct and indirect stress type responses. By disrupting blood sugar (first dramatically elevating it and then having it drop via the body’s counter-regulatory response) there is a linked / interdependent disruption of the body’s “mineral relationships.” The proper mineral relationships are essential to the 3,000+ enzymatic reactions that take place in our bodies on a continuous basis. When blood sugar is out of balance, all the mineral relationships are out of balance, this causes major disruptions in all of the body’s enzyme systems, which, in turn, disrupts the function and efficiency of every single cell in the body.

Summary & Conclusions:

I’m a bottom line kind of guy. I don’t always remember all the details about all the decisions & choices I make, but I do like to take the time to think things through and come to a decision regarding various issues at least initially. My take on the whole “refined sugar and HFCS” issue is very simple and hopefully the above explanation helps to make it simple for you as well.

My simple conclusions are as follows:

1. Refined sugars, including HFCS are not healthy, in fact, they are extremely harmful.
2. Generally speaking, it is healthiest to consume a food as close to the way it occurs in nature as possible.
3. The more refined a food is, the less healthy it is.
4. There are several exceptions to conclusion # 2 & 3 that I can think of but none that I can think of to #1.

One last related point: “Agave Nectar,” from all that I can tell (and I’m always open to being proven wrong) is a very harmful, highly refined sweetener that is being totally misrepresented as a healthier alternative. It is actually more appropriately named “Really High Fructose Agave Syrup” because that’s what it is. It has up to 80-90% fructose and was never previously used by any group in this form.

 Sign the Petition Today!

Teachers work VERY hard to do their part to teach, as parents, it’s YOUR responsibility to make sure the children are physically able to learn. If children have not eaten breakfast, they have been running without fuel for up to 19 hours before lunch! When that’s the case, the body is in starvation mode and cannot function properly. Then they go to a lunch room filled with fried food, sugar, processed carbs and beverages with more sugar than they should have in an entire DAY!

You chose to have children, your children did not simply show up. Regarding your children’s grades, your job is just as important as the teacher, if not more!

In order to make sure your children eat breakfast before they leave for school, create a schedule to help manage your time. Start by figuring out the time your children need to leave the house, then work your way back. Make sure you include time to prepare the food (it could be 5 minutes for a few hard boiled eggs and oatmeal). Remember, you can also prepare their breakfast and lunch the night before. Write the schedule down and hang it up until it becomes routine. And remember, depending on what you plan to eat, you can prepare some breakfasts the night before!)

After using the schedule for a week or so, talk with the family and see if any changes need to be made. You can do this!!!

Plan Ahead
1. Grab a weekly ad at your grocery store or go to their website to see the weekly specials. Make a shopping list accordingly and stick to it!
2. Only buy what you NEED…not what you WANT. Big difference! Your family needs eggs for breakfast, and vegetables for dinner. Don’t buy the “Buy one, get one free” $5 bag of Oreos because you want them. You’ll consume an insane amount of calories, as you’ll eat both bags, and you’ve spent an additional $5.
3. Plan your meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) for the week according to the items on sale.
4. If frozen (steamed) vegetables are on sale, STOCK UP! Keep them in your freezer and you’ll always have a healthy side dish or snack on hand.
5. Find a lean source of protein on sale (i.e. chicken breast, turkey breast, ?sh, lean ground beef) and keep in your freezer.

Resist Temptation
1. Beverages. Soft drinks, diet or regular, and powdered drinks are unhealthy, unnecessary, and expensive! Be careful on how much you spend. A case of Coke and a container of Crystal Light will cost over $10! That’s the same as 2 packages of chicken breasts!
2. Sugar. Sugar, whether in the form of cookies, cakes, ice creams, or cereals, are expensive! Substitute one “treat” with fruit or yogurt.
3. If you buy fresh fruit, eat it or freeze it before it spoils. Fruit can be cut up and frozen for smoothies, or blend it with milk or yogurt and freeze for a healthy ice cream!

Start to Cook
1. Reduce the amount of “instant” or 90 second meals. Hamburger Helper, Rice-A-Roni, and most prepared pastas have a ton of sodium and non-natural ingredients. Purchase brown rice in bulk and ?x it yourself (with salsa, or combine with vegetables).
2. Buy foods in bulk. When purchasing oatmeal, the packets are nice and easy but contain a great deal of sugar and cost at least twice as much as plain oatmeal. Buy the large container of quick oats and simply use 1/4 cup per bowl.
3. Lean protein. Lean protein is by far the most expensive item you’ll have on your plate, so only make enough for everyone, or if you’re going to prepare chicken for more than one day, put it aside immediately after cooking. If anyone wants seconds, make sure they opt for the green veggies ?rst. You should have a full freezer of them…so feel free to pass them out! =)

I taught high school and was amazed at the amount of girls without self-esteem, confidence or self-respect. They wore clothes that barely covered their ‘goods’, and what ‘goods’ they had were truly on display for all others to see. It was truly amazing.

Truth be told, I don’t believe they wanted negative attention, nor do I think they had ANY indication of the type of message they were sending to others. I simply thought they wanted to attract someone to love them. But in the age we live in, or shall I say, the age THEY live in. Everything is free and everyone is entitled to whatever they want. With that being said, a teenage relationship is no different. A young “man” (and I use the term loosely) believes he is entitled to sex if he has a girlfriend. If he doesn’t get it from her, he’ll move on.

It’s sad…very sad. But I ran into that situation more than any other, and I think it’s time for young ladies to not only LEARN how to be treated like a lady, but DEMAND to be treated as one.

Hence my Teen Girls Class! =) This class will be offered Mondays from 5:30-6:30 and Thursdays from 2:00-3:00pm. The cost will be an additional $10 per class for members. Non-member price will be $25 per class. The class will include a workout and a simple ‘lesson’ but I assure you, it will be well worth it!

Feel free to forward this to your friends with daughters and bring others with you!

Many more classes and ideas to come…and if you have any suggestions, please send them along!

Exercise
1. Set a good example. Be active as a family and have fun together. Play with the kids or pets
outside and go for a walk, to the park or play catch.
2. Establish a routine. Set aside time each day as activity time— walk, jog, skate, cycle, or swim.
Adults need at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week; children 60
minutes everyday or most days.
3. Have an activity party. Make the next birthday party centered on physical activity.  Try backyard Olympics, or relay races. Have a bowling or skating party.
4. Set up a home gym. Use household items, such as canned foods, as weights.  Stairs can substitute for stair machines.
5. Move it! Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and move.  When you talk on the phone, lift weights or walk around. Remember to limit TV watching and computer time.
6. Reward children with activities (i.e. take them to the park for a good report card). Give gifts that encourage physical exercise!

Summer is the time where we all like to get together. Kids are out of school and parents want to play together just as much as their children do. So we have picnics, we have play dates, we have swimming parties and beach parties. But here lies the question…what do we usually eat when we attend these parties?

Most people like to bring foods that are already prepared or prepackaged. We like to simply “pick up and go” from the grocery store on the way to the party. We tend to bring potato chips, cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, cookies, cakes, and top it all off with a few cases of beer and soda.

For a family trying to eat healthy, or watch their weight, these little gatherings can sabotage all efforts previously made as you’ll truly find yourself eating junk all day long. In trying to save your waistline and keep your family eating healthy, here are a few simply things you can do to stay healthy before an event:

1. Bring healthy foods your family enjoys. This will guarantee you have at least one healthy option to choose from.

2. If your children love fruit, bring it! Also, have the kids help you in making the fruit salad. They will love to tell everyone they helped make it and they will also want to eat it as they had a hand in preparing it. Keep in mind this could also be used as a dessert.

3. Burger salad. Burgers are a common party food, so if you find yourself at a cookout with a burger, make sure you skip the bun then attack the veggie tray. Build yourself a burger salad if you like. You may use a little veggie dip for the dressing, or a balsamic if they have it.

4. Bring veggies and hummus. It’s a great snack and it has a little protein so it will fill you up. You may also use it as a simple side dish to your meal.

5. Set the parameters before you walk into the party. Discuss ways you can all eat healthier in the car on the way to the event.

6. Reward your children for eating well. Tell them if they eat well during the entire event, you’ll take them to the movies, or to the park on the way home. Try not to reward them with sweets.

7. If having a glass of wine, or drinking beer, reduce the amount you consume by drinking a bottle of water in between each drink. Not only will this keep you hydrated, and reduce the amount of alcohol you consume, but it will also cut your calories in half.

8. Make sure you bring plenty of water, or make sure they have water at the party. You also want to make sure your children know that drinks are included in the unhealthy category.

9. If you find it difficult to resist your favorites, chew a piece of mint gum. The strong taste will deter you from eating most foods and you’ll simply find yourself drinking more water.

10. Drink plenty of fluids. We commonly mistake thirst for hunger, so before you attack the food table, attack the cooler and drink a bottle of water.

When looking for our ideal trainer we are extremely picky as we know, all trainers are not created equal. We analyze the cost, their experience, skill level, and training style then select the one we think will cater to our individual goals. Finding a personal trainer for a child is no different and requires thought and a little research as few trainers are truly qualified to train children.

1. Physical differences. Children are not simply “mini adults” nor should they be treated as such. As their bodies are still developing, they are much more fragile than adults until they hit puberty. Strength training can be a great exercise for younger children when using lighter weights and proper technique. Weightlifting, however, can put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and areas of cartilage that haven’t yet turned to bone.
2. Knowing limitations. Many high intensity trainers are wonderful for pushing adults, as adults know their limits. Children, on the other hand, are unaware of their body’s limitations and may injure themselves if they push too hard.
3. Nutritional differences. Children have different nutritional needs than adults and require a healthy balanced diet. Putting a child on a low-calorie, low-fat, or low-carb diet, which restricts any food group or nutrients may damage their bodies. If in doubt, a good place to start is looking at the Food Guide Pyramid and reading the ingredients on nutrition labels before purchasing food.
4. Emotional differences. Children sensitive when it comes to weight issues and will feel they’re being picked on if confronted on the topic. Their egos are fragile as is their self-esteem. Avoid words like: fat, weight, overweight, obese and diet as the words tend to be negative and harsh. Focus on terms like:  healthy lifestyle, better choices, fit, active, and proper nutrition.
5. Focus on the positive. When working with children be sure to use positive reinforcement to build their self-esteem. No matter what the outcome, always praise them for working hard and trying their best.
6. Children should not be weighed. A child is supposed to grow, that’s their job. BMI testing is not a true level of body composition as it is only based on averages of height and weight. Additionally, if a child gains weight due to a growth spurt, they may confuse it with becoming “fat”. This may lead to larger self-esteem problems and possibly eating disorders later on. To gauge a child’s weight, simply look at the shape of their body and their activity level. Do they appear to be overweight? Do they have difficulty running with their peers? Do they tire easily or complain while exercising? Do they frequently “quit” sports stating they simply don’t like it?
7. Kids sweat differently than adults and tend to have a higher body temperature than adults and need to hydrate differently and more frequently than adults.

I love eating healthy, but I also don’t want to spend my entire life in the kitchen! I’ve listed a few meals that your family will love to eat just as much as you love the little time it takes to prepare them!

Breakfast options

1. 1 piece of fruit, 1 slice whole-grain toast, 2 egg whites & 1 whole egg
2. 1 serving high fiber cereal, 2 egg whites & 1 whole egg
3. Fruit / Protein Smoothie
4. 1 egg white & 1 whole egg, and a slice of provolone on a multi-grain english muffin
5. Omelette with veggies (2 egg whites & 1 whole egg) and a slice of whole grain toast
6. Plain nonfat yogurt or nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/2 to 1 serving of lowfat granola, 1 banana, sliced Stir all ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
7. 1/2 cup (uncooked) oatmeal, 1 banana, 5-6 almonds
8. Mix 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese with 1 carton lowfat fruit flavored yogurt. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. slivered almonds.
9. 4 egg whites scrambled with 1/2 cup spinach. 1 apple.
10. Apple + string cheese + hard boiled egg

Choose a breakfast cereal with:

• at least 5 grams fiber
• less than 3 grams sugar per 100 calories
• no high fructose corn syrup
• no hydrogenated oil

Some healthy breakfast cereals:

• Barbara’s or Kellogg’s Shredded Wheat
• Kashi Cereals: Go Lean, Heart to Heart, Seven Whole Grain, Good Friends
• Nature’s Path Heritage Cereals
• Nature’s Path Optimum
• Post Shredded Wheat and Bran
• US Mills Uncle Sam’s
• Ezekiel multigrain cereals
• Health Valley Lowfat Granola

Lunch options

1. 4 oz meat, poultry, or fish, 2 slices whole-grain bread, lettuce, tomato, ½ cup baby carrots, ½ cup berries or 1 piece of fruit
2. 2 slices whole grain bread with tuna salad (tuna mixed with dried cranberries, celery, almonds and as little mayo or veganaise as possible), 2 slices tomato
3. Turkey sandwich: 2 slice whole wheat bread, 3 ounces sliced turkey breast lunch meat, 1/4 avocado, sliced, romaine lettuce leaves and tomato slices as desired. 1 small orange and 2 cups baby carrots.
4. Taco Salad: 2 cups greens, 1 cup additional veggies of choice: onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc., 3 ounces grilled chicken breast, 1/4 avocado diced, Use salsa as dressing. Crush 4 baked corn tortilla chips on top for some “crunch.”
5. Whole wheat English muffin + lowfat cream cheese or goat cheese + lox (smoked salmon) + onion slices + tomato slices.
6. Lean roast beef + lowfat coleslaw (make with plain nonfat yogurt or fat free mayo) on rye bread.
7. Turkey + hummus + roasted red bell peppers (jarred) + baby spinach. Roll in whole wheat tortilla.
8. Hummus pocket: spread hummus in whole wheat pita pocket. Stuff with grilled vegetables (zucchini, onions, bell peppers, eggplant, etc.)
9. Chicken Salad: diced chicken + chopped apples + celery + raisins. Mix with plain nonfat yogurt + mustard.
10. Romaine + tomato + cucumber + feta (+ sliced chicken). Drizzle with olive oil + lemon juice. Sprinkle with pepper.

Snack options

1. Veggies and hummus (red peppers, zucchini, celery, etc.)
2. Trail mix (1/4 cup almonds with dried cranberries & goji berries or dried blueberries)
3. 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese + 3/4 cup blueberries or a banana
4. 1 small apple, 10 almonds
5. 1 cup cherry tomatoes
6. Yogurt Parfait: Layer 1 cup plain nonfat (Greek) yogurt + 1 cup berries
7. 1/2 peanut butter sandwich (1 slice whole grain bread, 1 tbsp peanut butter)
8. 1 hard boiled egg, 6-8 whole grain crackers, 1 small apple
9. 140-160 calorie size granola bar/cereal bar (Example: Cliff Jr. Bar)
10. Spread 2 Tablespoons hummus down the center of 1 ounce sliced turkey. Wrap in Romaine lettuce leaf. Eat with 1 small apple.

Dinner options

1. 1 cup vegetable soup, 2 oz meat, poultry, or fish, 1 medium sweet potato or white potato, ½ cup broccoli
2. 1/2 cup pasta, 2.5 oz lean ground turkey or extra lean cooked ground beef, tomato sauce, mixed green salad with a tiny bit of olive oil and vinegar dressing, 1 cup mixed fruit
3. 4 ounces baked or grilled chicken, 1/2 cup brown rice, Garden Salad: 2 cups salad greens + 1 cup additional veggies (carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.) + 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
4. 4 ounces grilled chicken breast, 1/2 cup brown rice sprinkled with 1 Tablespoon slivered almonds, 1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli
5. 4 ounces grilled chicken or fish, 6 ounce baked sweet potato with cinnamon and a little Smart Balance or spray butter, 1 cup steamed green beans or broccoli
6. Sliced rotisserie chicken, veggies, dried cranberries and sliced almonds over bagged salad greens with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
7. Turkey burger over a salad with sun-dried tomatoes and asparagus.
8. Protein shake blended with frozen fruit and yogurt
9. Spinach Salad: rotisserie chicken, bagged baby spinach, hard boiled eggs, sliced strawberries and sprinkling of walnuts, topped with balsamic vinegar and/or extra virgin olive oil.
10. Frozen Entree and fruit for dessert.?Yes, a frozen entree can be part of a nutritious diet as long as you read the nutrition label for the following criteria:

• No hydrogenated oils
• No more than 1 gram of saturated fat per 100 calories
• No more than 3 grams of total fat per 100 calories
• No more than 200mg sodium per 100 calories
• Recommended brands: Amy’s, Cascadian Farms, Kashi, Seeds of Change

General Salad Formula

• 1-2 types of lettuce/salad greens
• 1-3 additional veggies (try to stay with green, red and orange veggies)
• 1 fruit
• 4 oz of protein
• 1 healthy fat

We use lack of free time as an excuse to eat poorly and to most of us, it’s completely acceptable. We never look down at a parent for having NO choice but to feed their children processed “chicken” parts, oil laden fake potatoes we like to call, “french fries”, and wash it all down with carbonated high fructose corn syrup. They’re in a hurry, how can it be their fault?

Selecting just one of these on the go meals can easily provide more fat, sugar and calories than one should consume in an entire day! When consuming these foods on a daily or weekly basis, they can add more health problems such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, you name it!

Am I saying fast food is the enemy? Nope. Most fast food restaurants offer healthier options, you simply have to know what they are and to order them when you can. It is possible to eat healthy…even at a fast food restaurant. Here are a few “tricks of the trade”

1. Fast foods are already higher in total fat and sodium as they tend to keep meat tender and juicy. Knowing this, please don’t add any additional salt or fat to the food.
2. Watch your portion sizes. An adult size portion of fast food is generally the size of a children’s order. Order yourself a kids meal, it will save you money as well as calories.
3. Order grilled. Grilled chicken at a fast food restaurant is better than fried, but keep in mind, just because it says “grilled chicken” doesn’t mean it’s grilled chicken “breast”
4. Pay attention to the descriptions on the menu. Dishes labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin or in cream sauce are usually high in calories, unhealthy fats or sodium.
5. Order items with more vegetables and choose leaner meats.
6. Drink water or unsweetened tea with your meal. One 32 ounce regular soda packs about 425 calories.
7. Stick with the basics. Salad dressings, mayonnaise, cheeses, and spreads tend to have a lot of extra fat and calories. Say no to the ‘white’ ones and add your own. Salsa, pesto, hummus, and mustard are much better options!
8. All vegetables are not created equal. When ordering vegetables, make sure you have them without the butter or cheese sauce they commonly come with.
9. Eat slowly. Chew your food slowly and enjoy a lot of smaller bites as opposed to a few larger ones.
10. Say no to greasy fingers! If you are eating with your hands, your fingers should never be greasy…if there is grease on your hands, there’s grease on your plate.

I work with Javier now, almost daily, and I’m so proud of him I decided to give him his own page. So here he is…meet Javier!

6/15 – Workout Fun! Hardest was running to the wall on the garage. The second hardest was walking lunges. FUN PART was jumping jacks on a trampoline. I liked it a lot and when I got tired, I pushed myself and kept going. I beat my mom sprinting by a lot. Great workout come and join me!

6/16 – Heather came and threw out a bunch of junk food from the pantry and fridge. I’m giving it to the homeless. she taught me what I should eat.

6/18 – It’s fun and hard work. You have to commit to it. If you go and eat cake at a birthday party, you will have to try really really hard.

6/21 – We had lots of fun then went to run in the garage three times. Then we went down a ramp and back up.