read the full article here.
U.S. Version of Kraft Mac & Cheese:
Enriched Macaroni Product (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron], Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Cheese Sauce Mix (Whey, Modified Food Starch, Whey Protein Concentrate, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Contains Less Than 2% of Parmesan Cheese [Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Dried Buttermilk, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Blue Cheese [Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Sodium Phosphate, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Cream, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Enzymes, Yellow 5, Yellow 6).
U.K. Version of Kraft Mac & Cheese:
Macaroni (Durum Wheat Semolina), Cheese (10%), Whey Powder (from milk), Lactose, Salt, Emulsifying Salts (E339, E341), Colours (Paprika Extract, Beta-Carotene)
Showing posts with label information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label information. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Carly's voice
http://carlysvoice.com/
Wow! This was such a great surprise this morning. I loved hearing Carly speak as a teenager without oral verbal ability but plenty to say.
Wow! This was such a great surprise this morning. I loved hearing Carly speak as a teenager without oral verbal ability but plenty to say.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
msnbc review on the FDA trial of food dyes
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Washington Post
I got this in my email today and don't have a link. Please post a comment if you have one. :.)
The rainbow of food dyes in our grocery aisles has a dark side
By David W. Schab and Michael F. Jacobson, Friday, March 25, 8:51 PM
Today’s supermarket is a fun house of hues. Its aisles feature a kaleidoscope of processed foods perfectly engineered to appeal to the part of your brain that says “yum”: Technicolor Starburst candy. Polychromatic Froot Loops. A rainbow of flavored juices.
Those hyper-saturated colors have come to seem normal, even natural, like the come-ons of tropical fruits. But they are increasingly produced through the magic of artificial food dyes, applied not just to candies and snack foods but to such seemingly all-natural products as pickles, salad dressing and some oranges.
Artificial dyes aren’t just making your Yoplait Light Red Raspberry yogurt blush and your Kraft Macaroni and Cheese glow in the dark. They are causing behavioral problems and disrupting children’s attention, according to a growing number of scientific studies. On Wednesday, following the lead of European regulators, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will begin a review of research on the behavioral effects of artificial dyes. In a significant turn from the agency’s previous denials that dyes have any influence on children’s behavior, an FDA staff report released last week concluded that synthetic food colorings do affect some children.
The agency should take action. Allowing the use of artificial dyes violates the FDA’s mandate to protect consumers from unsafe products. It also runs afoul of the agency’s mandate to crack down on food that has been made “to appear better or of greater value than it is.”
Concern about food dye is long-standing. In the 1800s, American food manufacturers began doctoring their wares with toxic pigments made from lead and copper. In the second half of that century, a revolution in organic chemistry brought artificial dyes made from coal tar — a relative advance over lead.
At the turn of the 20th century, margarine producers were making the most of the technology: They added new yellow dyes to their colorless product to better compete with butter. But the dairy industry lobbied for bans and taxes on colored margarine, and state legislatures and Congress obliged. Consumers who wanted their margarine yellow could open a separate packet of dye and mix it in themselves.
In 1906, Congress took up the question of whether artificial dyes were bad for consumers, with the first of several major acts. The most recent and stringent of them, passed in 1960, banned color additives that caused cancer in humans or animals. But the fate of one such additive, Red 3, illustrates how even strong legislation can be thwarted. Lab rats that were fed large amounts of the dye developed thyroid cancer, so in 1984 the acting FDA commissioner recommended banning it. However, fruit-cocktail producers, who relied on the dye to brighten maraschino cherries, pleaded with the Department of Agriculture to block the move. As a result, the FDA banned Red 3 only in cosmetics and topical drugs.
In the early 1990s, FDA and Canadian scientists found that Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, the three most widely used dyes, were contaminated with likely human carcinogens. And while many foods, such as M&M’s and Kellogg’s Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts, include as many as five different dyes, even today the carcinogenic potential of such combinations has not been tested.
Despite those concerns, parents continued to serve up meals and stuff their children’s lunchboxes with more and more processed foods colored with dyes, stoking a five-fold increase in the per-capita production of food dyes over the past 50 years.
Over the same period, psychiatrists and teachers were seeing more attention and behavioral problems, while allergists were raising concerns about Yellow 5. Physician Benjamin Feingold’s 1975 book, “Why Your Child Is Hyperactive,” along with the additive-free diet it promoted, spawned numerous studies on the effect of additives on attention-deficit disorders.
In 2004, one of us co-authored an analysis of the best studies of food dyes’ effects on behavior. That analysis found striking evidence that hyperactive children who consumed dyes became significantly more hyperactive than children who got a placebo.
At the same time, the British government funded two studies, each involving almost 300 children. Their results were even more startling: Artificial food dyes (in combination with a common preservative) could make even children with no known behavioral problems hyperactive and inattentive.
Health officials in the United Kingdom urged manufacturers to stop using the six dyes — including Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 — involved in those studies. Next, the European Parliament required that foods containing those chemicals bear a label warning that the dyes “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” That is seen by some as the death knell for artificial dyes throughout Europe.
Beyond the behavioral problems and cancer risks, the greatest hazard that dyes pose for children may also be the most obvious: They draw kids away from nutritious foods and toward brightly colored processed products that are high in calories but low in nutrients, such as fruit-flavored drinks and snack foods. Those types of foods are a major force in America’s obesity epidemic, which, according to the Society of Actuaries, costs the nation $270 billion a year.
Artificial colorings are explicitly meant to manipulate consumers’ perceptions. Manufacturers tout research showing that redness enhances the impression of sweetness, and that in tests with beverages and sherbets, the color of the product did more to influence consumers’ perception of the flavor than the flavor itself. One dye marketer states that its colorings offer “a limitless palette, unmatched technology and the emotional connection between people and color.”
A world without harmful dyes does not mean a future of blandly beige snacks. A range of vivid natural colorings, made largely from plant extracts, is already in use in Europe and to a lesser extent in the United States. In Britain, for example, McDonald’s Strawberry Sundaes are made without artificial coloring; here, Red 40 adds to the strawberry color. Both the British and American formulations of Nutri-Grain Strawberry cereal bars contain strawberries, but in Britain plant-based colorings add extra color, while in the United States Red 40 does the job.
Fortunately, some U.S. companies are switching to colorings found in nature. The bountiful shelves of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are devoid of dyes, Necco has dropped artificial dyes from its iconic wafers, and Starbucks has banned dyes from its baked goods and drinks. Most companies will resist, because artificial dyes are brighter, cheaper and more stable than natural colorings. It’s also a nuisance for them to reformulate their dyed products — and the government has given them no incentive to change.
Today, Britons enjoy all the colorful foods they have come to expect without many of the health risks they learned to avoid. Here, we get the same foods — but until the FDA bans synthetic dyes, we get them with a side order of dangerous and unnecessary chemicals.
aspand@cspinet.org
David W. Schab is a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. Michael F. Jacobson is the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Read more from Outlook, friend us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
The rainbow of food dyes in our grocery aisles has a dark side
By David W. Schab and Michael F. Jacobson, Friday, March 25, 8:51 PM
Today’s supermarket is a fun house of hues. Its aisles feature a kaleidoscope of processed foods perfectly engineered to appeal to the part of your brain that says “yum”: Technicolor Starburst candy. Polychromatic Froot Loops. A rainbow of flavored juices.
Those hyper-saturated colors have come to seem normal, even natural, like the come-ons of tropical fruits. But they are increasingly produced through the magic of artificial food dyes, applied not just to candies and snack foods but to such seemingly all-natural products as pickles, salad dressing and some oranges.
Artificial dyes aren’t just making your Yoplait Light Red Raspberry yogurt blush and your Kraft Macaroni and Cheese glow in the dark. They are causing behavioral problems and disrupting children’s attention, according to a growing number of scientific studies. On Wednesday, following the lead of European regulators, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will begin a review of research on the behavioral effects of artificial dyes. In a significant turn from the agency’s previous denials that dyes have any influence on children’s behavior, an FDA staff report released last week concluded that synthetic food colorings do affect some children.
The agency should take action. Allowing the use of artificial dyes violates the FDA’s mandate to protect consumers from unsafe products. It also runs afoul of the agency’s mandate to crack down on food that has been made “to appear better or of greater value than it is.”
Concern about food dye is long-standing. In the 1800s, American food manufacturers began doctoring their wares with toxic pigments made from lead and copper. In the second half of that century, a revolution in organic chemistry brought artificial dyes made from coal tar — a relative advance over lead.
At the turn of the 20th century, margarine producers were making the most of the technology: They added new yellow dyes to their colorless product to better compete with butter. But the dairy industry lobbied for bans and taxes on colored margarine, and state legislatures and Congress obliged. Consumers who wanted their margarine yellow could open a separate packet of dye and mix it in themselves.
In 1906, Congress took up the question of whether artificial dyes were bad for consumers, with the first of several major acts. The most recent and stringent of them, passed in 1960, banned color additives that caused cancer in humans or animals. But the fate of one such additive, Red 3, illustrates how even strong legislation can be thwarted. Lab rats that were fed large amounts of the dye developed thyroid cancer, so in 1984 the acting FDA commissioner recommended banning it. However, fruit-cocktail producers, who relied on the dye to brighten maraschino cherries, pleaded with the Department of Agriculture to block the move. As a result, the FDA banned Red 3 only in cosmetics and topical drugs.
In the early 1990s, FDA and Canadian scientists found that Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, the three most widely used dyes, were contaminated with likely human carcinogens. And while many foods, such as M&M’s and Kellogg’s Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts, include as many as five different dyes, even today the carcinogenic potential of such combinations has not been tested.
Despite those concerns, parents continued to serve up meals and stuff their children’s lunchboxes with more and more processed foods colored with dyes, stoking a five-fold increase in the per-capita production of food dyes over the past 50 years.
Over the same period, psychiatrists and teachers were seeing more attention and behavioral problems, while allergists were raising concerns about Yellow 5. Physician Benjamin Feingold’s 1975 book, “Why Your Child Is Hyperactive,” along with the additive-free diet it promoted, spawned numerous studies on the effect of additives on attention-deficit disorders.
In 2004, one of us co-authored an analysis of the best studies of food dyes’ effects on behavior. That analysis found striking evidence that hyperactive children who consumed dyes became significantly more hyperactive than children who got a placebo.
At the same time, the British government funded two studies, each involving almost 300 children. Their results were even more startling: Artificial food dyes (in combination with a common preservative) could make even children with no known behavioral problems hyperactive and inattentive.
Health officials in the United Kingdom urged manufacturers to stop using the six dyes — including Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 — involved in those studies. Next, the European Parliament required that foods containing those chemicals bear a label warning that the dyes “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” That is seen by some as the death knell for artificial dyes throughout Europe.
Beyond the behavioral problems and cancer risks, the greatest hazard that dyes pose for children may also be the most obvious: They draw kids away from nutritious foods and toward brightly colored processed products that are high in calories but low in nutrients, such as fruit-flavored drinks and snack foods. Those types of foods are a major force in America’s obesity epidemic, which, according to the Society of Actuaries, costs the nation $270 billion a year.
Artificial colorings are explicitly meant to manipulate consumers’ perceptions. Manufacturers tout research showing that redness enhances the impression of sweetness, and that in tests with beverages and sherbets, the color of the product did more to influence consumers’ perception of the flavor than the flavor itself. One dye marketer states that its colorings offer “a limitless palette, unmatched technology and the emotional connection between people and color.”
A world without harmful dyes does not mean a future of blandly beige snacks. A range of vivid natural colorings, made largely from plant extracts, is already in use in Europe and to a lesser extent in the United States. In Britain, for example, McDonald’s Strawberry Sundaes are made without artificial coloring; here, Red 40 adds to the strawberry color. Both the British and American formulations of Nutri-Grain Strawberry cereal bars contain strawberries, but in Britain plant-based colorings add extra color, while in the United States Red 40 does the job.
Fortunately, some U.S. companies are switching to colorings found in nature. The bountiful shelves of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are devoid of dyes, Necco has dropped artificial dyes from its iconic wafers, and Starbucks has banned dyes from its baked goods and drinks. Most companies will resist, because artificial dyes are brighter, cheaper and more stable than natural colorings. It’s also a nuisance for them to reformulate their dyed products — and the government has given them no incentive to change.
Today, Britons enjoy all the colorful foods they have come to expect without many of the health risks they learned to avoid. Here, we get the same foods — but until the FDA bans synthetic dyes, we get them with a side order of dangerous and unnecessary chemicals.
aspand@cspinet.org
David W. Schab is a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. Michael F. Jacobson is the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Read more from Outlook, friend us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
Friday, March 18, 2011
new research confirms adhd caused by food
http://www.foodrenegade.com/new-research-confirms-adhd-caused-by-food/
I wonder if the study was just about food or about "food" as in chemicals in food.
I wonder if the study was just about food or about "food" as in chemicals in food.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
SCREAMS recommends a diet free of additives
http://come-over.to/FAS/brochures/SCREAMSbroch.pdf
My 3 year old's therapist gave me a handout today. I was happy to see that it mentioned how much an additive free diet can help. This particular handout is for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome but I see so many similarities between FAS and Autism. I appreciate any FAS literature for Ana, then I use it to apply to Andrew also.
My 3 year old's therapist gave me a handout today. I was happy to see that it mentioned how much an additive free diet can help. This particular handout is for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome but I see so many similarities between FAS and Autism. I appreciate any FAS literature for Ana, then I use it to apply to Andrew also.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Cost of healthy foods
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket
This was an awesome article about the cost of eating healthy foods. I loved it. I did notice a few comments about the unrealistic prices of their healthy foods so I have to say that I love living in Utah. I was thinking their healthy food prices were way too high and they could go lower. :.) We have great prices on produce at places like Winco or Reams.
This was an awesome article about the cost of eating healthy foods. I loved it. I did notice a few comments about the unrealistic prices of their healthy foods so I have to say that I love living in Utah. I was thinking their healthy food prices were way too high and they could go lower. :.) We have great prices on produce at places like Winco or Reams.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Difficult Children Nutrition Cure!
This was a great article from a great woman. Note my comment at the end, out of all of our foster children we saw dramatic improvements in all when following a natural diet. I didn't elaborate much on this blog about it because we're supposed to keep the fostering to a minimum on our blogs.
http://www.teachingselfgovernment.com/difficult-children-nutrition-cure-646
http://www.teachingselfgovernment.com/difficult-children-nutrition-cure-646
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I was like you once
I WAS LIKE YOU.......ONCE
if you see me
at the supermarket,
and my child is
screaming,
rolling on the floor
with anger seeping from his pores.
please don't blame me,
I was like you once,
If you are in a restuarant
and my child
throws food and it
hits you in the face,
please, don't be angry,
I can't handle any more rage.
If you see my child
climbing over
a very tall fence
with nothing on
except his hat.
Please don't call the police,
I only looked away for a minute.
If you see me
crying, as you
pull up next to me
at a stop light.
at a busy intersection.
Honk and smile, I need a friend.
If you see me,
running down the street
with curlers in my hair
chasing a small child
who runs so fast, I can't catch him
Help me chase him down.
If my child grabs
your child, or pushes him
or bites or
kicks him, or
says words that make your hair curl.
Please forgive him, and me too.
If you happen to
see us, walking
in your neighbourhood,
or in the malls,
or at the park
Please don't turn away,
I was like you once.
copyright 1999
Sally Meyer
if you see me
at the supermarket,
and my child is
screaming,
rolling on the floor
with anger seeping from his pores.
please don't blame me,
I was like you once,
If you are in a restuarant
and my child
throws food and it
hits you in the face,
please, don't be angry,
I can't handle any more rage.
If you see my child
climbing over
a very tall fence
with nothing on
except his hat.
Please don't call the police,
I only looked away for a minute.
If you see me
crying, as you
pull up next to me
at a stop light.
at a busy intersection.
Honk and smile, I need a friend.
If you see me,
running down the street
with curlers in my hair
chasing a small child
who runs so fast, I can't catch him
Help me chase him down.
If my child grabs
your child, or pushes him
or bites or
kicks him, or
says words that make your hair curl.
Please forgive him, and me too.
If you happen to
see us, walking
in your neighbourhood,
or in the malls,
or at the park
Please don't turn away,
I was like you once.
copyright 1999
Sally Meyer
Sunday, January 2, 2011
It's official
I just realized that I never blogged about our official diagnosis. We've "known" for years but there were so many things that convinced me otherwise and we just didn't really want to hear it. My little guy (10 now) had his full battery of private testing last month and got a diagnosis of Autism-Aspergers, and Anxiety disorder. I hear that's about the age a lot of high functioning kids are diagnosed because the world starts to become more abstract and while others are growing up emotionally, these kids aren't. We've been going through a mourning of sorts because the words are hard to hear. That's why I didn't put this on the blog for a while. But, if the purpose is to help others who have the same issues, it should be made known. Who knows what great people will find help through natural foods when googling aspergers-diet or aspergers-food. As I've said many times before, it doesn't take everything away and it's not going to "cure" everyone with autism but it does make a dramatic difference in the level of symptoms. I know that a lot of people talk about gluten free/casein free but so many try that diet while still including petroleum. PLEASE try both together first! I have heard of so many failures to improve with only gluten/casein free but I rarely hear of a failure to improve with petroleum free (when actually following Feingold).
Thanks to everyone for your support and I'd love any comments or suggestions. I've written so much about our life that the blog has been super slow and I just post articles here and there. Love you all, Danika
Thanks to everyone for your support and I'd love any comments or suggestions. I've written so much about our life that the blog has been super slow and I just post articles here and there. Love you all, Danika
An article from the Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-food-dyes-20110101,0,1972784.story?page=1
Friday, October 1, 2010
candy experiments
http://www.candyexperiments.com
I've only had time to look at a few of these but they sure seem like fun. At least it's a good way to use up some Halloween candy.
I've only had time to look at a few of these but they sure seem like fun. At least it's a good way to use up some Halloween candy.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
More on neurotoxic scents
http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/neurotoxins_and_adhd_connecting_the_dots/
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
What's that smell?
I've been thinking of chemical smells a lot this school year. We switched schools and are now going to a charter school for the arts. Apparently artsy people also love artsy smells...a palate for the nose. The entrance and many of the classrooms are very heavily scented. Andrew and Adam's main teachers have thankfully not used chemical fragrances inside the classroom but they do switch classrooms for different activities in which I notice strong smells.
I visited a class for science and thought I was fine. After about 5 minutes I started having an asthma attack and coughing. I left quickly and turned around to glance at my spot and found that I was sitting next to an automatic spray glade plug in. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Those little things are sneaky if you get there when they haven't gone off for a while. Fragrances are bad enough but aerosol fragrances just about kill me. I left and nursed my asthma and headache.
On a side note, since I had my gal bladder out my stomach has not hurt with fragrances at all. Remember when we joked last year about the poor kids pooping on the floor if they smelled a candle? I have no idea what connection the gal bladder would have to the fragrances but it will definitely be researched. It took about 5 times of coming in contact with an aerosol, having asthma, and realizing no diarrhea effect followed to figure out that I'm fine now. hmmmmmmmmmm
Poor Alyssa has headaches and tummy aches all day, gets really tired also. She's too embarrassed to ask 6 whole teachers to do without their smellies. I guess in 9th grade you actually have to care what people think. I have to admit that I'm nervous too. I know that it affects many more people than my family but it's still embarrassing to be the weird one. It's funny how people know that cigarette smoke is bad for you but since we don't see yummy smelling chemical droplets of petroleum floating in the air it seems very harmless.
I visited a class for science and thought I was fine. After about 5 minutes I started having an asthma attack and coughing. I left quickly and turned around to glance at my spot and found that I was sitting next to an automatic spray glade plug in. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Those little things are sneaky if you get there when they haven't gone off for a while. Fragrances are bad enough but aerosol fragrances just about kill me. I left and nursed my asthma and headache.
On a side note, since I had my gal bladder out my stomach has not hurt with fragrances at all. Remember when we joked last year about the poor kids pooping on the floor if they smelled a candle? I have no idea what connection the gal bladder would have to the fragrances but it will definitely be researched. It took about 5 times of coming in contact with an aerosol, having asthma, and realizing no diarrhea effect followed to figure out that I'm fine now. hmmmmmmmmmm
Poor Alyssa has headaches and tummy aches all day, gets really tired also. She's too embarrassed to ask 6 whole teachers to do without their smellies. I guess in 9th grade you actually have to care what people think. I have to admit that I'm nervous too. I know that it affects many more people than my family but it's still embarrassing to be the weird one. It's funny how people know that cigarette smoke is bad for you but since we don't see yummy smelling chemical droplets of petroleum floating in the air it seems very harmless.
Whole milk is no longer always acceptable :.(
"Until now, any brand of plain whole milk was acceptable, as you wrote. However, the Feingold Association has recently been receiving reports of reactions to milk from people who previously tolerated it. We can no longer consider "any whole milk" acceptable and are researching milks one brand at a time, according to an alert we sent out August 25, 2010. A reader wanting to use the Feingold Program to treat any sort of symptoms really needs to become a member and get the Foodlist and other materials."
This was a comment from Sheila and I'm reposting it as a blog post to make sure readers see it. I'll also be changing the always acceptable list. It's always sad when something as used as whole milk is no longer always acceptable. We buy our milk raw and unadulterated from a local dairy. I would suggest calling around to your local dairies or finding their numbers to read the codes at your local store if you need something acceptable.
And, as I've said several times, please consider joining the Feingold association. I feel like I know what I'm doing but when I stray from the list, I see infractions. I'll be a lifetime member. At less than $7 per month for the whole family, a food guide, fast food guide, and suppliment guide, monthly newsletters with updates on foods and current issues, and a very active chat room, I feel like it's a very good choice for most families.
This was a comment from Sheila and I'm reposting it as a blog post to make sure readers see it. I'll also be changing the always acceptable list. It's always sad when something as used as whole milk is no longer always acceptable. We buy our milk raw and unadulterated from a local dairy. I would suggest calling around to your local dairies or finding their numbers to read the codes at your local store if you need something acceptable.
And, as I've said several times, please consider joining the Feingold association. I feel like I know what I'm doing but when I stray from the list, I see infractions. I'll be a lifetime member. At less than $7 per month for the whole family, a food guide, fast food guide, and suppliment guide, monthly newsletters with updates on foods and current issues, and a very active chat room, I feel like it's a very good choice for most families.
Monday, August 23, 2010
New websites for lunches
http://www.freshforkids.com.au/lunch_box/lunch_box.html
http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/
Someone just mentioned that in Australia it's against the law to send unhealthy lunches to school. I don't know the truth of that or who defines what "healthy" is but nevertheless, I really liked these websites. Toward the end of the Fresh for Kids website there are 3 booklets to download that have a lot of great ideas and pictures.
http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/
Someone just mentioned that in Australia it's against the law to send unhealthy lunches to school. I don't know the truth of that or who defines what "healthy" is but nevertheless, I really liked these websites. Toward the end of the Fresh for Kids website there are 3 booklets to download that have a lot of great ideas and pictures.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Packing School Lunches
I just responded on a list and decided I'd throw this on here also.
One of the biggest things we've figured out is that equipment really helps. As
long as we have a thermos or an insulating lunchbox we can pack just about
anything, hot or cold. It took a while to get it down to what we really liked
and learning how to keep the foods hot or cold.
My favorite equipment is a short stainless thermos. If
we pair the hot thermos food with normal temp foods in an insulating lunchbox it
stays perfectly hot till lunchtime. If it's more of a casserole type food that
can taste ok just warm I like my lock n lock glass containers in an insulating
box.
If we have a cold drink or salad at the same time, I send it in a different
container than the lunchbox with the hot stuff or I just send it with other cool
things.
We've found that a hot thermos of soup along with a cool smoothie and jello
don't mix well in the lunchbox.
Some other favorites that make it easy...
Make lots of sandwiches (minus lettuce and veggies) and freeze them. They'll
thaw for lunch. If you do tuna or other soggy fillings butter the bread first.
I actually LOVE soggy bread when stuff like that thaws.
Make super healthy muffins loaded with flax, oatmeal, whole grains, veggies,
etc. Freeze a couple in a baggie and pop these in instead of a sandwich. I'll
make a quadruple batch at a time.
Hummus freezes well if your kids will eat it with a bread, chips, or veggies
Use the bento box idea and put dinner leftovers in the freezer to space out in
boxes later or just pack it into the lunchbox and stick it in the fridge.
Learn what dinner tastes good cold later if you don't want to heat...spaghetti
and rice taste great with a bit of dressing or sauce on top to refresh it.
Salad with dressing on the side. Any dessert. Even ice cream in a thermos can
work if they're ok with a milkshake by lunch.
One of the biggest things we've figured out is that equipment really helps. As
long as we have a thermos or an insulating lunchbox we can pack just about
anything, hot or cold. It took a while to get it down to what we really liked
and learning how to keep the foods hot or cold.
My favorite equipment is a short stainless thermos. If
we pair the hot thermos food with normal temp foods in an insulating lunchbox it
stays perfectly hot till lunchtime. If it's more of a casserole type food that
can taste ok just warm I like my lock n lock glass containers in an insulating
box.
If we have a cold drink or salad at the same time, I send it in a different
container than the lunchbox with the hot stuff or I just send it with other cool
things.
We've found that a hot thermos of soup along with a cool smoothie and jello
don't mix well in the lunchbox.
Some other favorites that make it easy...
Make lots of sandwiches (minus lettuce and veggies) and freeze them. They'll
thaw for lunch. If you do tuna or other soggy fillings butter the bread first.
I actually LOVE soggy bread when stuff like that thaws.
Make super healthy muffins loaded with flax, oatmeal, whole grains, veggies,
etc. Freeze a couple in a baggie and pop these in instead of a sandwich. I'll
make a quadruple batch at a time.
Hummus freezes well if your kids will eat it with a bread, chips, or veggies
Use the bento box idea and put dinner leftovers in the freezer to space out in
boxes later or just pack it into the lunchbox and stick it in the fridge.
Learn what dinner tastes good cold later if you don't want to heat...spaghetti
and rice taste great with a bit of dressing or sauce on top to refresh it.
Salad with dressing on the side. Any dessert. Even ice cream in a thermos can
work if they're ok with a milkshake by lunch.
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