From My Healthy Home to Yours

Its AUGUST!!! Welcome back!!  Its August and for my Florida subscribers, that means its back to school time!!  HOORAY!!   Summer has just flown by!!  I was sitting with my husband this past weekend reflecting on our past year.  We have grown so much as a family just since last summer in so many ways.  Obviously the girls have grown in size, but as great little contributions to the world as well!  My oldest is 8 going on 25 and she is such a "green" and eco- conscious activist!  She will teach everyone she comes in contact with about being earth friendly and recycling.  Don't let her catch you throwing a bottle in the garbage!  The littlest being 4 is just a social butterfly who wants to see a smile on everyone's face. She genuinely cares what is going on in your world and how she can be a part of making your day a happy and healthy day! She never misses an opportunity to give a hug away!  Mainly for her friends and teachers at school of course but it is just too cute to watch her in action and I can only imagine the difference she will make in the lives she touches as she grows. As for Curtis and I, every aspect of our lives have changed significantly over the past year.  As we walk through our lives its not like we realize all that we do, but to sit down and reflect it is incredibly rewarding to look at all that has been accomplished. I urge you all to sit and look back at your past year or even 6 months and make a plan for what will come next and what you will do over the next  year in your own life!  So with that said I decided to write about Healthy smiles this month!  As you all know I am also passionate about changing the nutrition habits of little ones so I will also talk (once again!!) about sending the kids off to another school year with healthy snacks and lunches! Have a wonderful Month!

Foods for a Healthier Smile You brush and floss regularly. But did you know that certain foods can affect your tooth enamel? Here’s what you need to know to keep your smile healthy. Move Out Bacteria The mouth, with its warm and wet environment, makes a great home for bacteria—which can lead to cavities, especially when you regularly dine on certain foods. Carbohydrate foods contain sugars. And sugars are mouth bacteria’s favorite fuel. Bacteria use sugars to produce acids that can destroy the hard surface of the tooth, called enamel. Over time, tooth decay can occur. Carbohydrate-rich foods, sticky candy, and some dried fruits can cling to the teeth, making them easy targets for bacteria to go to work and posing a cavity risk, says Riva Touger-Decker, PhD, a professor and director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the New Jersey Dental School, in Newark. That’s not to say you shouldn’t enjoy all kinds of foods—just be sure to brush your teeth or chew sugarless gum after eating something that clings to your teeth. Ponder pH. The pH level refers to how acid or alkaline a food is. Eating lots of acidic foods—including citrus fruits and tomatoes—may increase the risk of damage to tooth enamel, making cavities a greater possibility. Acidic foods don’t inhibit bacteria growth but alkaline foods, such as cheese, can help lessen bacterial growth by reducing acid in the mouth and, therefore, lessening the risk of cavities, says Touger-Decker. Since cheese can be high in fat, enjoy small amounts as a snack or with meals. Just be sure to choose low-fat cheese varieties and watch portions. Make wise food choices and try to pair acidic foods with alkaline counterparts such as cheese and nuts. Here are some tooth-friendly snack ideas: Pick light popcorn over pretzels. Select small amounts of nuts instead of chips. Choose carrots or other veggies with low-fat dip. Opt for low-fat cheese to accompany crackers made with whole grain. Time It Right How, when, and with what you eat matters when it comes to keeping your teeth healthy. Eat foods as part of a meal. The effects of less smile-friendly foods are reduced when they are consumed as a part of a larger meal. For example: Enjoy orange juice with a cereal and milk breakfast. Add grapefruit slices to a salad with sunflower seeds or avocado. Top tomato-rich dishes with small amounts of low-fat cheese. Combine nuts with dried fruits and light popcorn for a take-along snack. Scale back sweet sips. Sweetened beverages, like sweet teas and coffees, juices, and soft drinks, sipped over the course of an hour or throughout the day, provide a continual influx of fuel for your mouth’s bacteria. Instead, drink these beverages with a meal, and choose water as your between-meal beverage. Thank you to www.Eatbetteramerica.com for the above information

Fuel for A Healthy Day at School Another school year about to begin!!    What you pack for lunch and feed your children is the most important part of their day in more ways than one!  Those famous chocolate cookies with cream in the center are loaded with hydrogenated oils and sugar and are in no way a healthy snack yet they are in over half of the lunch boxes at any given school.  How can we expect our kids to stay alert and energized throughout the day on sugar and  junk with a side of purple "juice"?   Start  their day with a healthy Breakfast like whole grain toast with almond butter or an omelet or a whole grain bowl of cereal with soy milk.  For lunch, if you care about your kids and their well being PACK THEIR LUNCH!  Sorry to be so harsh but you cannot rely on the school system to feed your child a healthy lunch.  It just wont happen.  Pack them Nutritious snacks like fruit, granola, organic yogurt, whole grain crackers, veggies with dip, home made muffins (carrot, zucchini etc.) or make your own peanut butter crackers.  As for lunch pack things like home made soups in a thermos, brown rice and black beans, whole wheat sandwich, or pita, whole wheat pasta with sauce and veggies, salads, or hard boiled eggs.  Always pack water for them.  sugary juice is just not necessary for school unless you juice it yourself and water it down.    It is important for kids to understand why they eat healthy and what the sugar and bad snacks are doing to their little bodies, so do a little research and help them to understand what good choices are and why!!  They are hungry for this knowledge and understand the concept more than you might think!!  For tips on getting your kids to eat healthy foods or to sign up for my 8 week coaching sessions please contact me by phone or email to set up a consultation!

Recipes Visit www.NutritiousFamily.com for this months recipes! Spicy Chili Bean Burger Tilapia VeraCruz Style White Bean and Spinach Pizza Peachy Pops

End Notes I wish you all a wonderful August!!  Thank you to all of my subscribers and  there  have been quite a few new subscribers over the past weeks, so welcome!!  Please continue to pass the word and forward my newsletters to all of your friends and family!  For September I will be including your stories about sending your kids off to school and anything you want share about making healthy choices at home so please email those stories to me at StaciSmith7@yahoo.com ! Hugs, Staci Smith www.NutritiousFamily.com