3 Safety Tips for Healthy Eating

A special thanks to AllergyKids for providing this great information.

1) Eat Organic Popcorn: Because new insecticidal proteins have recently been added to corn, consider switching to organic corn products to avoid eating insecticide with that next batch of popcorn!

By law, conventional corn and corn products like popcorn and high fructose corn syrup are actually allowed to have insecticidal proteins engineered into them (while, by law, organic corn can not contain these insecticidal proteins).

These new proteins were recently introduced to ensure corn’s profitability for ethanol crops, though no human trials were ever conducted to test their safety. Given that the Europeans don’t even allow their cattle and livestock to eat this new corn, we probably shouldn’t be feeding it to our little ones!

2) Drink "Clean" Milk: If you don’t have a milk allergy (symptoms include eczema, chronic ear infections, bronchial-like coughs, acne), then look for milk labeled "rBGH-free" which does not contain the recent addition of chemically engineered milk proteins and hormones.

Most milk in the US contains a synthetic milk protein genetically created from the growth hormone of a cow. This protein, rBGH, is injected into American cows, but not allowed in milk in Europe, Australia and around the world because of its health risks.

To avoid rBGH, look for milk cartons that say "rBGH-free" in order to avoid exposing your family to these hidden chemical milk proteins.

3) Drink Filtered Water: Drinking filtered water helps to eliminate and reduce your family’s exposure to bug sprays, hidden allergens, chemicals and pesticides that have recently found their way into our water supply.

Reducing your exposure to chemicals and toxins is a great way to help strengthen your family’s digestive tract where autoimmune conditions like food allergies can originate.

Want to go a step further? Install a water filter on your kitchen sink over the holidays. Just visit your local home improvement store to learn how easy it is to do!

Until the next nap time...

Holiday Cooking & Breakfast with Elmo

Cooking during the holidays is a big part of many families' agenda. Don't let this stress you out. Encourage the kids to help you. We get together with my parents, sister and cousin for the "Annual Bake Off," when we bake our favorite holiday treats and wrap them up to give to friends and co-workers. Little K loved frosting the cookies with her relatives. She also proved to be a great taster -- the ever important job. Don't let cooking stress you out. It can be a great bonding opportunity. You'll have to clean up regardless, so enjoy your time together.

Looking for a fun holiday treat this weekend? Enjoy breakfast with Elmo. Breakfast is served on Saturday, December 22 from 7:30 am - 9am at the Health Museum, located at 1515 Hermann Drive at the corner of Hermann and La Branch. This breakfast has been organized in conjunction with the museum's current exhibition, "Sesame Street Presents: The Body" so you'll be able to sneak in the educational aspects, too.

Elmo will also be visiting the museum on Mondays at 2 pm and 3 pm (excluding Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve); on Thursdays at 3 pm and 4 pm; on Saturdays at noon and 2 pm and on Sundays at 1:15 pm and 2:15 pm. For more information, call 713.521.1515 or visit http://www.thehealthmuseum.org/.

Happy Holidays! Until the next nap time...