Birthday party! Cowboy up!

We had an awesome natural Feingold birthday party today! We had a cowboy theme and these were the cute cupcakes I made. Chocolate on Chocolate with Newman O's crushed up for the dirt. The little horses were at the party store. We served hot chocolate with the cupcakes. It was such a great day to do the party, 55 degrees which was warmer than normal. The kids rode the horses in the back pasture, practiced roping, and built a tipi. Then we had the food, and watched our friend perform in a little rodeo. All in all it was a great day!

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.

Doctors want FDA regulation of "food" coloring

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/forget-sugar-doctor-screams-for-fda-regulation-of-food-coloring/

More on neurotoxic scents

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/neurotoxins_and_adhd_connecting_the_dots/

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ban on flavored milks in DC schools!

YAY! One baby step ahead! Let's hope other schools follow.

"By Ed Bruske
aka The Slow Cook

Jeffrey Mills, director of food services for D.C. Public Schools, told parents at H.D. Cooke Elementary school yesterday that the city's schools beginning in the fall would no longer serve flavored milk or sugary cereals.

Mills made the remarks at a meeting to discuss staffing changes in the H.D. Cook cafeteria and further details could not be obtained. A PTA officer at the meeting said Mills told the parents that other positive changes in cafeteria menus would be made by the time school resumes in August.

Chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milk, as well as sugary cereals such as Apple Jacks, Raisin Bran and chocolate-flavored Little Bite Mini-Wheats, have been standard fare for breakfast in D.C. schools. Flavored milks contain nearly as much sugar as Classic Coke or Mountain Dew, and when served alongside sugary cereals and breakfast treats such as Pop-Tarts. Giant Goldfish Grahams and orange juice, consitute meals containing 60 grams of sugar before classes even begin. That's the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of sugar, more than a quarter cup.

Some experts argue that the empty calories from sugar cause behavorial problems in school and prime children for health problems ranging from tooth decay to obesity and early onset of diabetes. Flavored milks also cause a drain on school food budgets because they are more expensive than plain milk. But the dairy industry has fought hard to keep flavored milk in school, fearing that children would drink less milk if it did not contain the added sugar.

Many D.C. students drink flavored milk at least twice a day in school, both at breakfast and at lunch, even though other sugary beverages such as sodas, sport drinks and teas have been banned from schools since 2006.

Low-fat milk typically contains 12 grams of naturally occurring sugar as lactose in an 8-ounce service. The chocolate-flavored milk in D.C. schools, from Cloverland Dairy, lists 24 grams of sugar, the added sugar coming from high-fructose corn syrup. Strawberry-flavored milk from Cloverland Dairy contains 28 grams of sugar, or seven teaspoons.

Apple Jacks cereal lists 9 grams of sugar in a 1-ounce serving, or a bit more than two teaspoons, compared to just 1 gram of sugar in a similar serving of regular Cheerios. Cereals with higher sugar content, served aggressively by the D.C. Public Schools' hired food service contractor, Chartwells, are seen as a vehicle for imprinting on vulnerable children the popular kids' brands of corporate food companies such as Kellogg's, which pays hefty rebates to have its products promoted in schools.

The move to reduce sugar in D.C. school food would be significant, since neither U.S. Department of Agriculture standards nor the District's recently adopted "Healthy Schools" act regulate the amount of sugar in school meals. It would bring the District in line with other progressive jurisdicitions that have eliminated flavored milk as a health measure. Typically, milk sales drop after flavored milk is removed, but eventually rebound once students get used to the idea of drinking plain milk.

Mills, who previously worked developing restuarant concepts in New York City, took the DCPS food services job six months ago after the positioin had gone unfilled for a year. He has promised to act aggressively to improve D.C. school food quality. We will certainly report further details as they become available."

school tacos

I was just looking through our local district's ingredients...here's a sample

Totally Taco
MaxSnax-ConAgra
Nutrient Facts
Serving Size: 1 taco (4.09oz, 3 triangles)
Amount per serving
Calories 250
Total fat 9g
Saturated fat 2.5g
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg
Sodium 630mg
Total Carbohydrate 28g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Protein 15g
Vitamin A 2%
Vitamin C 0%
Iron 15%
Calcium 20%
Ingredients:
Crust: (enriched wheat flour [bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], water, soy flour, dextrose, baking powder [sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum sulfate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate], soybean oil, salt, wheat gluten, calcium propionate, dough conditioners [wheat flour, salt, soy oil, l-cysteine, ascorbic acid, fungal enzyme]). Sauce: (water, enchilada/taco sauce seasoning mix [tomato powder, modified food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, maltodextrin, salt, chili powder, sodium diacetate, spices, onion, garlic, silicon dioxide, paprika, xanthan gum, disodium inosinate and spice extractives], modified food starch). Beef pizza topping: (hamburger [ground beef {not more than 30% fat}, salt, spice, hydrolyzed corn protein, natural grill flavor {maltodextrin, flavor (from corn oil), modified food starch, corn syrup solids}, flavorings], water, textured vegetable protein [soy protein concentrate, caramel color]). Shredded mozzarella cheese: (pasteurized part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt,
enzymes). Shredded cheddar flavored mozzarella cheese substitute: (water, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil with citric acid, casein, milk protein concentrate, modified food starch, contains 2% or less of the following: sodium aluminum phosphate, salt, cheese blend [cheddar, blue, and semisoft cheese
{pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes}, water, whey, salt, citric acid], lactic acid, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, romano cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], mozzarella cheese type flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], provolone cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate, sodium glutaminate, salt, cheese flavor {maltodextrin, acacia gum, 1,2-propylene glycol, trisodium diphosphate, sodium polyphosphate}], nutrient blend [magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin and vitamin b-12], paprika annatto blend [natural extractives of annatto seeds and paprika with soybean oil, mono-, di-, and triglycerides, other flavors, tocopherol, and potassium hydroxide], vitamin a palmitate). Shredded mozzarella cheese substitute: (water, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil with citric acid, casein, milk protein concentrate, modified food starch, contains 2% or less of the following: sodium aluminum phosphate, salt, lactic acid, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, romano cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], mozzarella cheese type flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], provolone cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate, sodium glutaminate, salt, cheese flavor {maltodextrin, acacia gum, 1,2-propylene glycol, trisodium diphosphate, sodium polyphosphate}], nutrient blend [magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin and vitamin b-12], vitamin a palmitate). Releasing agent: (water, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60 and soy lecithin, acetic acid, citric acid, potassium sorbate, propyl gallate, sodium benzoate and polydimethylsiloxane). Cellulose gum. Contains: wheat, milk, and soy.