Parenting Children

Why Milk? Why Not Milk? Milk is one of those beverages that goes fast in my house, the baby and my son LOVE milk. My daughter? Not so much. To get more calcium in her diet we have chocolate milk, atmeal made with milk or make smoothies which is my kid’s favorite drinks.

Did you know a standard 8-oz. serving of milk provides:
30% Calcium - Helps build strong bones and teeth; reduces the risk of stress fractures and osteoporosis. Plays a role in promoting normal blood pressure.
25% Vitamin D - New and emerging research reveals that vitamin D, nicknamed the “sunshine vitamin,” may help support a healthy heart, normal blood pressure, healthy aging and help regulate the immune system.
20% Phosphorus - Works with calcium and vitamin D to help keep bones strong.
20% Riboflavin - Helps convert food into energy. Plays a vital role in the development of the nervous system.
16% Protein - Helps build and maintain lean muscle; the high quality protein in milk contains all of the essential amino acids (the building blocks for protein).
13% Vitamin B-12 - Works closely with folate to make red blood cells. Helps maintain the central nervous system.
11% Potassium - Helps regulate the balance of fluids in your body. Plays a role in maintaining normal blood pressure
10% Vitamin A - Supports good vision, healthy skin and maintains integrity of immune system.
10% Niacin - Helps enzymes function normally in your body.

Check out the Why Milk website for recipes like pudding, smoothies and soups.
Thanks to Mom Central for getting the word out!

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When my son was about three months old my mother finally said to me “his head is very misshapen on this one side, do you think you should check with the doctor?” I had not noticed it, whether it was because I was a new mom living 100 miles away from all of our family, or because I was overwhelmed with twins, I felt like a terrible mother. I still do, because how do you not notice your son’s head is misshapen especially because it was causing facial asymmetry?

I took him to his pediatrician and he was diagnosed with torticollis and positional plagiocephaly. Plagiocephaly is the flattening of one part of the head. Maybe you have noticed many more children with flat heads as of the last few years, I know I see kids with it every day. The most common is braciocephaly, the flattening of the back of the head. This rise in braciocephaly is due to the back to sleep campaign to get parents to put kids on their backs to sleep to help ease the SIDS risk. The campaign worked but far too many babies are spending too much time on their back and their soft skulls are paying for it.

In my son’s case his flattening was due to his torticollis (a shortening of the muscles on one side of his neck) which we know was caused by his womb conditions. He wasn’t a very large baby at 7lbs 2 oz but he was sharing the womb with his 8lbs 2 oz sister. That is not a lot of room!
Boys for some reason seem to have plagiocephaly more then girls and twins are a common risk group. He had all the markers.

We had to fit him with a specially made helmet, made form a mold of his head. It applied pressure on the parts of his head that were moving and left space for the places of his skull that needed to be more formed. He had to wear that helmet for a total of six months, 23 hours a day and he started wearing it in the summer.
It was brutal, but not as brutal as his physical therapy. We were taught exercises to do at home, to help stregthen his neck muscles. It hurt him to do it but not as much as it killed me to be the one who was hurting my little baby.

What should you do if you think your child has plagiocephaly?
First go to your pediatrician, he may help you or direct you to a specialist who deals with these issues. They will want to rule out that your child does not have craniosynostosis which restricts brain growth. Many professionals can do this with you answering some questions and examining the child, maybe even get an x-ray. Then they will either recommend physical therapy (repostional therapy) in some not-so-severe cases, or as a first line treatment or recommend a helmet (cranial orthotic) for your child. This would require many back and forth appointments to check on the progress, and get PT, but of course it is worth it. I know people who have to travel hundreds of miles every week to get treatment because there isn’t a facility in their area.

What can I do to prevent this in my baby?
First of all there might not be anything you can do to prevent it, but following these steps can help:
* Make sure you get a side sleeper or roll up a towel and put it behind the baby so your child can sleep on his or her side, not just his back and then rotate the sides.
* Put toys or something that will catch his eyes on the sides of the crib, not just a mobile overhead.
* Rotate which side you breast or bottle feed on and switch each time you feed.
* Watch how much time your child spends in a bouncy chair, stroller or swing.
*Most importantly, give your child tummy time! Every day put your baby on his stomach to get some tummy time, start at 5 minutes and add time every week. Take this time to play with him, introduce a mirror for him to look at and give him time to strenghten his chest, arms and neck!

Is treatment covered by insurance?
That is a sore spot. Some insurance covers any and all treatment. Mine did, but not from the place I wanted to go, the leaders in plagiocephaly, and it was too expensive to pay for on our own.
After appeals and fighting with the insurance company I relented and went to a place they would cover, after all I was losing time every day my son went without a helmet was a day his skull was hardening.

Some insurance carriers think this condition is only a cosmetic issue and therefore should not be covered. Of course, we know this is not only the case. There are many places you can get help from and advice on getting this covered by you insurance company. Much more then was out there when my husband and I were going through this.

You have a small window of time for this to be helped, some doctors believe after a year the skull has formed too much to have any effect from the helmet, but others believe you have until 18 months. The later you wait the longer the child will have to wear the orthotic device.

Today my son is 6 years old and has little signs of plagiocephaly. I can still see a small bit of asymmetry on his head if his hair is wet, other than that he is perfect.
His facial asymmetry was fixed and he is a smart, healthy, happy young boy.

Going out in public with my son wearing his band or “helmet” was hard. Adults would stare and ask terrible questions. People wouldn’t talk to us at Gymboree. After reading this article, you can consider yourself informed and may not ask questions such as “is he retarded?” “does he have seizures” or “you are overly cautious, kids do get hurt you can take off that helmet!”.
All things that have been said to me.

If you are someone you know has questions about plagiocephaly, torticollis or orthodic devices, leave a comment or email me. I would be glad to help in any way I can, and prevent other infants from wearing a smelly, hot, but well decorated helmet!

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I had no idea that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, vision disorders are the fourth most common disability among children in the US. I do not know anyone with kids with vision disorders, so it is not something I think about- but I should.

There is a new vision testing system that can be used on pre-verbal children as young as 6 months old for visual defects.
The Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System is the first and only of its kind and is a non-invasive medical device that tests for visual defects such as optic nerve disorders, refractive errors, and amblyopia.
The test is great for kids-it does not require dilation or sedation and is painless.

The Enfant uses technology known as Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) that evaluates the response of an external stimulant from the lens of the eye to the visual cortex of the brain. The Enfant is able to identify vision defects that physicians might not detect using normal vision tests. Since the Enfant does not require a response from the patient, it can be used on very young children.

Here are some thought provoking facts:
-An estimated 200,000 children are born each year with visual deficits.
-According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), vision disorders are the number one childhood handicap.
-Only 21 percent of children in the United States have their vision screened before kindergarten.
-72 percent of children with vision deficits go undetected until after the window for effective treatment expires.
-More than one in 50 children have amblyopia, a serious vision disorder, which can lead to blindness in one eye.
-Amblyopia is poor vision in an eye that otherwise appears normal. It occurs when the brain does not recognize the sight from that eye.
-It is very difficult to detect Amblyopia.
-3.8 million adults are legally blind in one eye or visually incapacitated due to amblyopia.

For additional information about the Enfant, the importance of early vision testing, and to see if a pediatrician in your area offers the test, visit Enfant Vision.

I would love to hear from you if your child has a vision disorder or if you have used the Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System.

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New research finds that stimulant medications commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children are associated with an increased risk of sudden death. Although rare the researchers in this study sifted through mortality data from 1985 through 1996, and found 564 cases of sudden death that occurred in children aged 7 to 19 and they found 10 sudden, unexplained deaths in children taking stimulant medications.
The study found that children and teens taking ADHD stimulant medications were seven times more likely to die suddenly than their peers.

“What we found — to our surprise — is that even if you take out confounding factors, the association between stimulant use and sudden death was still significant,” said study author, Madelyn Gould, a professor of clinical epidemiology in psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. “I’m confident the association is real and significant, but it’s very rare. I don’t want our findings to change prescribing patterns or for a parent to change their willingness to use stimulant medications if they’re called for, but physicians should monitor patients with any new medication you give a young person.”

Results of the study were published in the June 15 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
As many as 2.5 million children in the United States take ADHD stimulant medications, such as amphetamine, dextroamphetamine (Adderall), methamphetamine or methylphenidate (Ritalin).
reserchers say that if your child has been on a stimulant for awhile there may be no need to worry and parents should not abruptly stop their child’s medications,. If you are concerned call your pediatrician and go over the risks and side effects of the medication and if necessary have a full physical of your child before taking these types of medications.

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I am one of those people who get bitten by mosquitoes all the time. Not as much as my husband though, they LOVE him. Two of my Aunt’s have never had mosquito bites, I guess it is their skin type, and I am very jealous.
Let’s talk today about how to prevent bug bites and how to make the hurt less when you do get them.

Stop Them
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Just a little bit of water is all it takes too, so check around your house for buckets, clogged gutters, pools or water tables and change the water in those frequently.
Mosquitoes like dark colors so dress in light colors and (common sense) wear long pants and shirts.

Repel Them
DEET is the most effective insect repellent, hands down. The AAP says it is safe to use on children and babies over 2 months old.
Do I think it is safe? Not really.
I use more natural repellents like Bug Bam or Don’t Bite Me.
If you do use DEET, you can spray it on clothing, but should not be used under clothing, over broken skin, or on the hands of children who may put their hands in their mouths.

Soothe Them
Hydrocortisone cream is what is the go to in standard bug bite treatments. There are other home remedies that I have heard work such as rubbing and ice cube on the bite, using toothpaste or a paste made from water and baking soda.

Tell me what your go-to bug repellent or bug bite treatment is.

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In our household we try and be as “green” as we can. From recycling to buying organic and local to buying energy star efficient appliances. We also are culling our cabinets from non eco-friendly cleaning products and bath and body products. One thing I never thought about was my toothpaste. I know the dangers of fluoride like the association of significant health conditions including cancer or dental fluorosis but really only thought about it as it pertained to our children.

CoralWhite toothpaste is the world’s cleanest, natural toothpaste. CoralWhite is free of fluoride, SLS, and all other toxic preservatives, artificial flavors, colors and additives. The structure of the enamel is actually a fine matrix of tubules conveying nutrients from the outside to the inside of the tooth and visa versa. Brushing your teeth with CoralWhite not only helps to prevent cavities, but it also whitens teeth and freshens breath.
Coral is a sea animal that secretes a highly mineralized casing made from ocean minerals. Coral naturally contains every mineral the human body needs to function – in almost the identical proportions found within the human body. The company harvests coral only from above the sea, using ecologically sound practices, which does not harm the ocean or any reefs.

It took my kids some time to get used to the taste as opposed to their sickly sweet, artificially colored and flavored regular toothpaste. They didn’t like the taste and I have to agree, it is not the best tasting toothpaste, but it works. It works without the chemicals and artificial additives and what could be better than that?

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When Mom Central had a blog tour about the American Heart Association and CPR Anytime, I wanted to participate. I am CPR certified but I wanted to brush up on my skills as well as have my husband brush up on his. You never know when or where you will need it, but it is great to know you are ready anytime.

With summer creeping up on us, I know my children will be around pools, lakes and oceans very soon. It makes brushing up on my CPR that more important. I received a CPR anytime kit which contains:
Practice DVD
Mini Anne CPR learning manikin
Choking and child CPR reminder card
Various spare parts and cleansing wipes

The DVD is very thorough and it taught us the Hands only CPR method. The DVD took us step by step through the CPR hands only method, the breathing and hands-on method, The CPR of both an adult and child, how to help choking victims and the use of AEDs.

The first week in June begins National CPR and AED Awareness Week, You can go to their site and find local CPR or emergency aid classes. You ca also order their CPR anytime kit for your home. I think this is great to get for Grandparents, caregivers or even your local church groups. The information you learn may save someone’s life and that someone could be me, or my loved ones.

You can also check them out on Facebook.

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All you hear about when you turn on the television or open a newspaper is the swine flu, H1N1. This week, I received an email from our town about swine flu, how to try and prevent it, and what will happen if it appears in any local schools. What I did think was funny was the recommendation, that in addition to handwashing, to use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.

I do not use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in my house because it can be dangerous with small children if ingested. A main ingredient in these sanitizers, Triclosan, is even considered a pesticide by the EPA. There is even a link to Triclosan and cancer- scary stuff!
There are other products that will help you, like CleanWell products- which I LOVE.

CleanWell products kill 99.99% of harmful germs inluding salmonella and MRSA. It is 100% green and 100% poison free. There is NO ingestion risk with small children. It also contains no synthetic chemicals. It can be found easily at shops like Target, Amazon and Whole Foods. The offer hand soaps as well as hand santizers and it will not dry your skin out like alcohol based sanitizers will.

You can check out the FAQ on swine flu here on WebMD. Please refer to the CDC website for daily updates on the outbreak and publication of interim guidance at: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

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I have been writing about spring cleaning a lot lately, can you guess what we have been doing in this house? I have to clean well since I have allergies and dust does not work well with allergies. Today I want to tell you about an amazing product I got to try out in my home, Protect-A-Bed.

Protect-A-Bed is the world’s first ultra thin mattress protector. Their mattress protectors are made from natural cotton Terry toweling with a polyurethane Miracle membrane backing. It’s 100% waterproof, breathable, allergy free, easy to care for and helps make your sleep environment more comfortable.
I know you have seen some story about bed bugs and dust mites and how they are all over our mattresses. Did you know that the human body loses at least a half-litre of body fluids through the skin pores and mouth as well as millions of skin flakes? Well that is what dust mites and bed bugs feed on!
Gross, I know.

The Protect-A-Bed mattress protector helps you fight against these gross creatures. I tried out the Premium Mattress Protector which is their popular mid market model. It’s completely waterproof and repels liquid like urine or sweat. It’s also breathable and allows airflow through the mattress and bedding.

These are the first mattress covers I’ve found to provide waterproof protection that doesn’t make you feel like you are sleeping on a plastic, baby mattress protector. The expandable skirt will ensure they easily fit any mattress depth from 8″ to 20″ and I’m happy to say that all Protect-a-Bed items are tested for harmful substances according to strict Oeko-Tex Standard 100 which makes me feel great about what I am putting on my bed.
Check them out for mattress protectors, crib protectors, pillow protectors and more!

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I was so excited to try the E-cloth and I was skeptical at first. I have tried microfiber cloths before and they were okay, but not great. They seemed to hold smells and cleaned well, but not great. I am trying to keep my house as green as possible with as little cost as possible- we are all hurting in this economy. The E-cloth is better than any other microfiber cloth I have ever used in the past!

The difference that allows E-cloth to deliver an exceptional level of clean with just water and retain this ability over a lifespan of 300+ washes is derived from using only the highest grades of raw materials and a state-of-the-art manufacturing process.
There are many factories producing microfiber using lower grades of material, especially in China, where up to 75% of inexpensive microfiber are unprocessed resulting in poor cleaning qualities. The E-cloth is woven by proprietary machinery into fabric of 80% polyester and 20% polyamide.
The E-cloth worked wonders on my stainless appliances, the glass shower door, counter tops and windows. It cleaned and left everything streak free! Better yet, I did it all with the E-cloth and just water! No harsh chemicals to breathe in, or left on my countertops.
(more…)

I have to admit, I am in a snack rut. Even with my own archives of snacks for kids, we get bored of them. Now with summer coming up, the kids will be snacking more and their will be much more fresh fruit which is awesome, but I am looking for something new for the meantime. If I share mine, will you share your ideas?
Here are some of our recent favorite snacks:

Peanut Butter Snack Mix

3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons peanut butter
4 cups Chex cereal assorted
2 cups mini pretzels
1/3 cup peanuts or any kind of nuts you would like

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 175F.

2. Combine honey, butter and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until smooth. Combine cereal, pretzels and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture and toss to coat. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Watermelon-Cucumber SalsaI

1 1/2 cups diced and seeded watermelon
1 cup diced, peeled cucumber
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and serve!

Apple Chips

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
1 large crisp apple, such as Braeburn or Granny Smith
Preheat oven to 200 degrees, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1)Stir together the dry ingredients in a small bowl, then sprinkle half the mixture onto the baking sheet.

2)Cut the apple into slices as thin as possible, up to 1/8 inch. (You don’t need to peel or core it; the seeds will just fall off.) If you have a mandoline, cut the apple vertically into rounds.

3)Arrange the slices on the baking sheet in one layer. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the apples, then bake in the middle of the oven for 11/2 hours. Rotate the pan and bake for another hour, or until the apples are crisp. (If yours aren’t getting crisp enough, try turning off the heat and leaving them in the oven overnight.)

4)Loosen the chips with a spatula, then cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the parchment. They’ll keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

What are your children’s favorite snacks?

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When a representative from Ecostore contacted me and asked if I would like to try out their products, I was excited. I love finding new Earth-friendly cleaners and soaps. I decided to try the automatic dishwasher powder and the lemon rinse aid. I had not found an environmentally friendly dishwasher soap that cleaned well at all, and it makes me sick thinking about what chemicals were in traditional soaps, so I was eager to give this one a try.

The Auto Dish Powder is a high performance blend of simple mineral salts, citrus and Coconut oils. Stuck on food and grease won’t stand a chance when it comes to the NO NASTY CHEMICAL products from Ecostore USA.
I LOVE this product. I am raving about it to everyone I know, it cleans even better that my regular, chemical ridden soap and doesn’t leave food deposits or streaks. You need so little of the product too, like a tablespoon. Of course I read this only after the bottle was 1/4 gone already and I was putting in at least 2x that!
I will never buy another dishwasher soap again!
My only complaint is the container, I wish it had a different spout. More than one time I have poured out too much and had to scoop some back in.

The lemon rinse aid is a dream, not too fragrant, it leaves my dishes sparkly and no spots! It is the same price as traditional rinse aids too.

I loved these products so much I am excited to try the baby care line, pet lineand other cleaners! Buy now, April is Earth Month - All Orders of $25 or more qualify for FREE Shipping!

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When Connie and Donald McCracken heard about the tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury, they thought of their daughter, 7-year-old Morgan.
Two days earlier, Morgan, her father, and brother had been playing baseball in their yard when her father hit a line drive that landed just above Morgan’s left temple. She had a big lump formed, but her parents iced it down and the swelling went down within an hour.
Then for two days she was fine.

But after hearing about Richardson’s death, the McCrackens wondered if Morgan was really okaylike Natasha was immediately after her fatal injury.

That night Morgan complained of a headache. “Because of Natasha, we called the pediatrician immediately. And by the time I got off the phone with him, Morgan was sobbing, her head hurt so much,” McCracken says.
The McCrackens took Morgan to the emergency room and after a CT scan immediately put Morgan on a helicopter to another hospital.

She was whisked into the operating room and her parents were told she had the very same injury as Richardson: an epidural hematoma.

After surgery and five days in the hospital, she’s at home and doing fine. “Dr. Cohen told us that if we hadn’t brought her in Thursday night, she never would have woken up,” McCracken says.

So what does that mean for our kids who fall down, get hit by stuff and hurt themselves all the time? In most cases, it’s pretty clear when someone needs medical attention after a head injury, says Greg Ayotte, a spokesperson for the Brain Injury Association of America and a cognitive rehabilitation therapist. “They’re confused, they’re agitated, or they might be dizzy or unresponsive,” he says.

Here is what you should do after someone has suffered a blow to the head:

Keep an eye on someone who has hit his head, even if the person never lost consciousness
They say even if you are not knocked out, you still need to watch them and look for dizziness, vomiting, headache and confusion.
Look for changes in symptoms and behavior, any change like suddenly being sleepy or a migraine that just appears, should be taken seriously and that person should be taken to the hospital.

Use these precautions when anyone has a bad fall or gets a blow to the head, old or young!

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We all know high fructose corn syrup is not good for anyone. Of course it is back in the news with the admission that there is mercury in the HFCS. Here is a list of foods that are not known to contain any HFCP:

Baking
· Betty Crocker 7-Layer Bar (mix)
-Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Brownie mix
-Betty Crocker cake icing
-Bisquick
Beverages· Bolthouse Farms C-Boost Smoothie
· Accellerate Sports Drinnk
· Archer Farms brand Natural Italian soda
· Bawls Guarana Soda (most varieties)
· Blue Sky Soft Drinks
· Bolthouse Farms Vegetable Juice
· Boylan’s Sodas
· Calistoga Juice Squeeze
· Capri Sun ALL NATURAL 100% Juice
· Cheerwine (the glass bottle varieties)
· China Cola
· Cytomax Sports Drinks
· Diet 7up
· Dublin Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper from a bottling plant in Dublin, Texas)
· Goose Island
· Hansens Natural Soda
· Honest Kids Juice Pouches
· Horizon Flavored Milks (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry)
· Jones Pure Cane Soda
· Minute Maid Orange Juice
· Nantucket Nectars
· Nestle NesQuik Chocolate Milk Mix
· Northland Cranberry Juice
· Ocean Spray Grapefruit Juice
· Ovaltine (dry chocolate drink mix)
· Simply Juices
· Slimfast Optima Creamy Chocolate shake
· Sobe Life Water
· Sweet Leaf Tea
· Tropicana OJ
· Virgil’s Sodas (the cream, cherry and root beer varieties)
Bread
· Amana Multi Grain Bread
· Aunt Millie’s Old Fashioned Butter-Top Wheat
· Brownberry’s Arnold Natural Health Nut Bread
· Country Hearth 12-Grain Bread
· Earth Grains 100% Natural 7-Grain Bread
· Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain breads (in freezer section)
· Francisco Sour Dough bread
· Franz “McKenzie Farms” Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread
· Martin’s Breads & Rolls
· Milton’s Wheat and Multi-grain bread
· Nature’s Own -Healthline SugarFree · Nature’s Own -Honey 7 Grain
· Natures Own 100% Whole Wheat bread
· Oroweat Mult-Grain Bread
· Oroweat Whole-Grain White Bread
· Pepperidge Farm Honey Wheatberry
· Pepperidge Farms 100% Natural Breads
· Pepperidge Farms whole grain honey oat
· Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Wheat Bread
· Rudi’s Organic Bakery Buns
· Thomas Hearty Grain Honey Wheat English Muffins
· Thomas’ “light” english muffins
· Thomas’s Low Carb English Muffins
· Vermont Bread Company breads
· Wheat Montana breads/rolls
Breakfast Cereals
· albertsons brand cheerios
· albertsons brand rice chex
· Cheerios
· Giant brand Instant Oatmeal - most flavors
· Honey Nut Cheerios
· Kashi (most, if not all)
· Kellogg’s Reduced Sugar Froot Loops
· Kix
· Life ceral (regular and cinnamon)
· Life Cereal/Cinnamon Life
· Nature’s Pride Organic (most, if not all, varieties)
· Post Grape-Nuts
· Quaker Oatmeal
· Trader Joe’s Graham Bites Cereal
Candy
· Cadbury - Most Varieties
· Dove - Most varieties
· Hershey’s 100 Calorie Wafer Bar
· Hershey Skor Candy Bar
· Hershey Special Dark Candy Bar
· Hershey’s Symphony
· Lindt Lindor truffles (balls)
Condiments
· Annie’s Naturals Organic Ketchup
· Annie’s Naturals Organic Honey Mustard
· Annie’s Naturals Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce
· Cascadian Farms Sweet Pickle Relish
· Consorzio Bbq Sauce Organic Original
· Farman’s pickle relish
· French’s Mustard
· French’s Worcestershire
· Frenchs Honey Dijon Mustard
· Frontera BBQ Sauce
· Gates BBQ Sauce
· Heinz Organic Ketchup
· Heinz organic tomato ketchup
· Hellman’s Mayonaise
· Meijer Organic Sweet Relish
· Mt. Olive Hamburger dill chips
· Nature’s Best Organic Tomato Ketchup
· Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Mustard
· Vlasic Sweet Gherkins
· Woeber Sweet And Spicy Mustard
Cookies and Cakes
· Archway’s Molasses Cookies
· Destrooper Almond Thins Cookie
· Destrooper Butter Crisp Cookies
· Keebler Pecan Sandies Cookies
· Keebler Simply Sandies Cookies
· Lu Le Petit Beurre Cookies
· Lu Scottish Recipe Shortbread
· Mi-Del Snaps Ginger
· Nature’s Best Chocolate Sandwich Creme Cookies
· Newmans Wheat Free Fig Newton Cookies
· Newmans Own Ginger Os Ginger N Creme Cookies
· Newmans Own Alphabet Cookies
· Pepperidge Farms Butter Chessman Cookies
· Pepperidge Farm 100% Natural Varieties
· Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
· Voortman’s Vanilla Wafer Cookies
Crackers
· Dare Vinta Crackers
· Milton’s (most, if not all)
· Nabisco Original Triscuits
· Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
· WalMart Great Value Saltines
Dairy· Breyer’s
· Brown Cow
· Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
· Cool Whip Sugar Free
· Dannon Activa Yogurt
· Dannon All Natural Coffee Yogurt
· Dannon All Natural Vanilla Yogurt
· Dannon Lite & Fit Vanilla Yogurt
· Dannon Plain Yogurt*
· Great Value Light Nonfat Yogurt (most varieties, if not all)
· Horizon Organic Fat Free Yogurt
· Nancy’s Whole Milk Honey Yogurt
· Nancys Reduced Fat Plain
· Southern Home Nonfat Plain Yogurt
· Stoneyfield Farm Yobaby Yogurt
· Stoneyfield Farm Yogurt
Fruits and Vegetables - Canned
· Motts Natural (No Sugar Added)Apple Sauce
Frozen Dinners
· Lean Pockets Philly Steak and Cheese
Ice Cream
· Ben & Jerry’s (most, if not all, varieties)
· Breyer’s All Natural Ice Cream
· Breyers - All Natural Cherry Vanilla
· Breyers - All Natural Coffee
· Breyers - All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip
· Breyers Pure Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars
· Dreyers/Edys Strawberry Fruit Ice Cream Bars
· Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
· Luigi Italian Ice
· Stoneyfield Farms
Jam, Jelly, Syrup, Spreads
· Bonne Maman Preserves
· Hero Jams & Jellies
· Jif Peanut Butter
· Karo Brown Sugar syrup
· Karo Dark (with Blue label)
· Pretty much any actual maple syrup is devoid of hfcs
· Skippy Peanut Butter
· Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter
· Smuckers Organic Strawberry Preserves
· St Dalfour Preserves
· Trader Joe’s Creamy, Unsalted Peanut Butter
· Trader Joe’s Organic Maple Syrup
· Trader Joe’s Reduced Sugar Organic Strawberry Preserves
Salad Dressings
· Annie’s Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
· Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing
· Blanchard & Blanchard (Country Italian & Caeser Parmesan)
· Blue Plate Mayonnaise
· Brianna’s Blush Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
· Double Dave’s (restaurant) Ranch Dressing
· Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise
· HIdden Valley Ranch Old Fash.Buttermilk
· Ken’s Sweet Vidalia Onion dressing
· Olde Cape Cod Traditional Caeser Lite
Sauces
· Acadia Naturals Tuscan Grill Marinade
· Classico (Most varieties)
· Consorzio Brand Marinades
· Ken’s Steak House Honey Teriyaki Marinade
· Kikkoman Soy Sauce
· Ragu OldWorld Traditional Spaghetti Sauce
Snacks
· Kashi Granola Bars
· Quaker Simple Harvest Bar
Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch bars
-Odwalla Bars
· Frito’s corn chips
· Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Cakes Caramel
Soups
· Campbell’s 25% Less Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup

high fructose corn syrup, HFCS, foods, feeding your family, children, foods without HFCS, foods with no HFCS, eating healthy

Mercury is in the news all the time. Whether it is about staying away from mercury-laden foods like Swordfish when you are pregnant or Jeremy Piven’s mercury poisoning. We know that this chemical is one that is toxic to people especially developing infants.
Then why are you probably giving it to your child every day?

Mercury is in high fructose corn syrup according to the results of a new study released by the Institute for Agriculture and Trace Policy (IATP). According to the IATP study, over 30% of products containing high fructose corn syrup tested positive for mercury!
Think it is easy to just take high fructose corn syrup out of you or your child’s diet? Just try to, if you eat processed foods at all it is pretty much all of it. Try finding a wheat bread that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it, I have spent way to much time in bread aisles reading all the ingredients before I could find bread that was acceptable to feed to my kids.

Nutritionists have been telling people to avoid this substance for years, everyone knows that sugar, in any form, is not part of a healthy diet. What is surprising to some people though is that the Food and Drug Administration has known that mercury would put consumers’ health at risk and that it is in high fructose corn syrup since 2005.

The IATP study comes on the heels of another study, conducted in 2005 but only recently published by the scientific journal, Environmental Health, which revealed that nearly 50 percent of commercial HFCS samples tested positive for the heavy metal. Renee Dufault, who was working for the FDA at the time, was among the 2005 study’s authors. In spite of Dufault’s involvement in the study, the FDA sat silent on this one for three years, and in fact last August, allowed manufacturers to call the sweetener “natural.”
How does the mercury get in the HFCS? Caustic soda is one ingredient used to separate corn starch from the corn kernel and most caustic soda has been produced in industrial chlorine plants, where it can be contaminated with mercury then it gets into our HFCS and in turn, into our foods.

When do we parents unite and stand up for our children and demand the government take these poisons out of our vaccinations, our children’s toys and our foods?
When is enough, enough?

[tags] vaccinations, mercury, mercury in our food, mercury poisoning, children’s health, FDA,
Corn Syrup Mercury, Environmental Health, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Institute For Agriculture And Trade Policy, Mecury Corn Syrup, parenting, parenting children [/tags]