Healthy Tips for Child Nutrition

As a mom of an eleven year old son I struggle with the dreaded question of what’s for dinner? He never wants to eat what I cook which usually includes some variation of a lean meat like chicken, veggies or salad, wild rice, and fruit. I vary it of course but he still pushes the food around on his plate and I find myself gently encouraging him to finish his dinner.

I began my quest to find healthy tips on kid friendly recipes. I found a great website at http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org that provided receipe tips, shopping and planning, a mom2mom forum and more! It also mentioned that March is National Nutrition Month. Because A large percent of Amercian’s fail to eat the daily recommended fruits and veggies the PBH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are introducing strategies and tips called Get Smart! Fruits & Veggies–More Matters. Glad to see it’s a whole nation of picky eaters and not just my family:0) I can not wait to try some of there receipes like Vegetable Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes.

Thick it

Thick it was introduced in 1987 and was the first instant food thickener on the market. It was joined in 2005 by Thick-It Purees; a line of great-tasting, shelf-stable pureed foods. Thick-It Purees are ideal for operators needing the convenience of “heat and serve” pureed foods and/or for emergency needs. Their development, carefully overseen by Precision Foods’ Registered Dietitian, was driven by a passionate commitment to deliver pureed food with reliable consistency, proper nutrition and superior flavor. For nearly 20 years, foodservice directors, dietitians, speech pathologists and home care-givers across the country have relied on the Thick-It brand for quality products they can count on to treat people dealing with dysphagia. Thick it and all your swallowing disorder products can be found at Allegro Medical.

Living Heart Healthy:

February’s national health observance is American heart month. The American heart association provides some pointers on there website on living a better lifestyle and incorporating habits that can reduce your risk for heart attack. The website indicates that you are what you eat and points out other factors that people should be paying attention to like exercise and fitness and managing your weight. Live healthy and be good to your heart!

Healthy Alternatives!

I am constantly looking for healthy alternatives to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings and found that fruit is a great alternative to candy and cookies. Eating a banana or apple helps satisfy my cravings and helps me manage my weight. Yogurt & smoothies are also a great substitute for ice cream. Check out this link for other healthy alternatives called Alternatives to Junk Food Snacks.

Control Your Finances Don’t let it Control You!

If you have found that your financial disposition is less then you desire then take control over your finances. Many people overcharge and live off of there credit cards, over leasing, or are buying luxury items that they have no business purchasing.

A few steps to help you manage your money & eliminate debt are to first find out how much debt you really have. Then track just how much money you are spending and on what. Create set budgeted amounts to pay off your credit cards. Remember to stop spending money! Even something as little as $10 on frivolous items a day could have been better spent if it was applied to your debt. Once you have this down take the time to create a spending plan for each month. And don’t forget to save money even if it is a small amount in the beginning it will eventually add up!

If you follow these simple steps you will be on your way to financial freedom! It will feel as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. For more information on money management check out Oprah’s debt diet.

Cleaning Up Your Life!

Clutter is your enemy. It leads to disorganization, messiness and a frazzled mind. Simple habits can eliminate clutter and keep it from coming back. I found a great article to check out on how to manage clutter in your life called Declutter 101: Where Do I Start?

Once you take the time to declutter your life you will see a notable difference in your stress level!

Time Slipped Away

Do you find yourself looking up at the clock at the end of the day and wonder where has the time gone? Nothing was accomplished yet your wheels were spinning all day. It’s important to apply time management tips to help reduce unnecessary stress & maximize the time you do have to accomplishing set goals.

Many of the time management tips I found were common sense like learning to say no to projects when you have more then you can already follow up on. Making a time based to do list will increase the likelihood of you actually following through on the task. And my other favorite tip was, don’t be a perfectionist as it is a form of procrastination. It’s good to strive to be the best but not to the point where nothing is accomplished.

By applying the time management tips and skills you can optimize your effort to ensure that you concentrate as much of your time and energy as possible on the high payoff tasks. This ensures that you achieve the greatest benefit possible with the limited amount of time available to you.

Life-saving technology at your fingertips – AED

Be your own medic for your family in case of cardiac arrest by having accessibility to an Automatic Electronic Defibrillator in your home. If you find that you need more information about the basic use of AED’s there is a DVD that can be found on Allegro Medical website called AEDs: Understanding the Basics.

Allegro Medical also has a variety of AED’s to choose from. For home use they recommended the Philips Heart Start Home AED Defibrillator. The features of the unit include:

• Adult SMART Pads cartridge* (lasts 2 years)
• Battery (lasts 4 years)
• Training video
• Red carry case
• 5-year warranty

Having this Life-saving technology at your fingertips provides peace of mind for you and your loved one!

Flexibility

Stretching can prepare your muscles for exercise and improve your flexibility, balance and coordination. Be sure to use proper techniques to avoid sustaining an injury. It is a powerful part of any exercise program. There are a variety of instruments that can be used to help you maximize the benefits of stretching. The following will list a few products specifically designed to help you stretch.

• The Unilateral Pro-Stretch offers a unique stretching system that enables you to stretch and condition the lower leg muscles.

• The ProStretch’s Motion Enhancement System Complete (MESC) allows anyone to safely add resistance while performing lower extremity stretching, strengthening and range of motion exercise.

• The CoreStretch Back and Core Stretcher is designed to stretch the back, shoulders, hips, hamstrings and shins.

You can stretch anytime, anywhere — in your home, at work or when you’re traveling. How often to stretch is up to you. As a general rule, stretch whenever you exercise. If you don’t exercise regularly, you might want to stretch at least three times a week to maintain flexibility. If you have a problem area, such as tightness in the back of your leg, you might want to stretch every day or even twice a day.

Sleep Deprevation…

Sleep Deprived?

There are a variety of reasons why you can’t sleep at night. It could be that your dog is right outside your bedroom window barking all night long, or your cat suddenly has the urge to lie against your side and paw you with his claws purring, or the number one reason you can’t sleep is because your husband is snoring louder then a fog horn in the middle of the night.

So what can you do if your loved one’s snoring is the reason you can’t sleep? Some things come to mind like pushing them off the bed or plugging their nose but those things aren’t going to help in the long run. After scouring a variety of websites I found an interesting device used for treatment of snoring called the Snore Wizard.

The Snore Wizard is simple and it works! It’s made of soft plastic and fits in your mouth. The Snore Wizard keeps the mouth partially open which improves air flow and stops snoring.

I encourage you to go to Allegro Medical and buy the Snore Wizard. Stop sleep deprivation and reclaim having a peaceful night’s sleep.