Healthy Lunch Ideas

A healthy lunch can help you and your child stay focused and full of energy throughout the afternoon. Here are some ideas you may consider:

Nut butter (organic and unsalted) sandwiches - peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter - on whole grain bread are always a winner. You can add a bit of no sugar added organic jam or jelly or slice up a banana. You can make a "faux" peanut butter if your child has an allergy to nuts. Mix Aktivated Barley, Rice Bran Solubles and Organic Tropic Coconut Oil (from Purium Health Product) and spread just as you would nut butter. Cut out with cookie cutters and they're irresistable.

Instead of bread try whole grain english muffins; put spread on and make a face by decorating with fruit slices, raisins or whatever your child likes. My only caution here is to be sure whatever brand of Rice Bran Solubles you use does not contain arsenic. Some brands do.

Yogurt is always a great choice. Stoneyfield Farms and Horizon Organic have yogurt in a tube the kids will love. Pair this with fruit and some nuts or seeds.

Other good lunch choices are hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, hummus and raw vegetables (try jicama sticks, Jerusalem artichoke, celery, bell peppers, baby carrots); whole grain crackers (look at the ingredients - the shortest list wins - Original Triscuit are good) and guacamole or salsa; cottage cheese and vegetables; some mini high protein muffins, a handful of nuts and seeds and a small piece of dark chocolate (what a treat!).

Any left-overs from dinner work well. Something as simple as a turkey, chicken, tuna or salmon sandwich on whole grain bread and some baby carrots, celery sticks or sliced peppers provides protein and fiber. An egg sandwich or burrito are also excellent choices. Just be sure the wraps you choose are whole grain. A thermos of soup (lentil, vegetable, split pea) and whole grain crackers is a great option. You can puree cauliflower and add it to soup to bump up the nutritional value even more.

Salad is another great lunch (or dinner) idea. Top lettuce and whatever sliced or chopped fresh veges your child especially likes (cucumbers, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, shredded carrots) with chick peas (or any other bean), peas, sunflower or pumpkin seeds and provide a healthy dressing. You can purchase a container especially made for salads that even has a reservoir on top to store the dressing so the salad doesn't get soggy and has it's own ice pack in the lid to keep everything fresh. They're sold in supermarkets and make it easy to carry a salad to school or work.

Take a Step:

Get creative. Gradually introduce some different foods presented in a different way to allow your children the opportunity to try them. You may be surprised at how adventurous they truly are!

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health. Ann

Proper Food Preparation Strategies – Part One

If you think buying, cooking and eating fresh, natural, organic whole foods would be adequate to get the most nutrition, you would only be partially correct. Using the highest quality raw ingredients is step one. The second part of the equation is learning a few strategies that enable you to prepare those foods in a way that unlocks every bit of their nutritional value. Here are some simple things you can do:

1. Eat some of your food raw daily. Cooking destroys enzymes in the food that assist in digestion and absorption of nutrients. Raw food enthusiasts avoid cooking food above 114 degrees, the point at which they believe enzymes are destroyed. Studies have also shown that eating a raw food diet lowers total cholesterol and triglycerides, increases energy, improves overall health, and may even help with weight loss. At the very least, shoot for one raw salad consisting of a variety of fresh vegetables, sprouts, some fresh fruit, and raw nuts and seeds daily.

2. While eating vegetables raw preserves enzyme activity, some vegetables are better when cooked. For example the lycopene, a phytochemical, in tomatoes and carrots, is actually made more bioavailable when these vegetables are cooked. Lycopene makes up about 50% of the carotenoids in the body, along with alpha and beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. You can try stir frying or lightly steaming to fully release their nutrients. Combining them with a small amount of healthy fat, such as extra virgin olive oil also enables your body to absorb those nutrients more fully. You get the most nutritional value from cooked tomato products such as pasta sauce and tomato soup.

3. Cruciferous vegetables that are part of the Brassica family such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels Sprouts can actually be eaten either raw or cooked. However, they contain goitrogenic compounds that, when eaten raw depress thyroid function in sensitive people. If you have an underactive thyroid, you do not have to totally avoid those vegetables. Simply cook them. Parboiling them for several minutes will deactivate the compounds and make them safe for you to eat.

4. It is recommended that regardless of your method of cooking you cook your food at lower temperatures. Cooking at very high temperatures, which would include grilling and broiling, not only destroys vital nutrients, but also produces advanced glycation end products (AGES). That acronym says it all because these substances cause inflammation and aging. If you are roasting or baking your food, simply extend the cooking time and lower the temperature.

Take a Step:

Probably the easiest thing to begin with is to include a fresh, healthy, raw salad each day for either lunch or dinner. And don't forget to top it with a healthy fat to unlock all the antioxidant power in it!

I'll share a few more tips next time.

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health!