I like to be positive, and talk about what you should eat when you’re pregnant. To be honest, there are a lot of foods and beverages to avoid when you’re expecting a child. Here’s my latest article on the topic: http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/foods-to-avoid-when-youre-pregnant.
June 23, 2010
June 9, 2010
Healthy Snacks for Kids on The Today Show
Elizabeth Ward on the Today Show
Yesterday, I talked about healthy snacking for kids on the Today Show. Here’s my philosophy in a nutshell: Snacks should be mini meals, not meal wreckers.
Mom, forget about the Goldfish, pretzels, and crackers. Kids are snacking so much now - they get about 25% of their calories from between-meal noshing - that snacks should be packed with good nutrition.
You wouldn’t serve your child a pile of orange-colored crackers and a juice drink for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, would you? I knew you would say no!
When you feed your kids foods you’d serve at a healthy meal for snacks, you don’t need to worry about taking the edge of their appetite, and chances are, children will get the nutrients they need.
Check out the segment here. I had a lot of fun with Hoda and Mark!
June 1, 2010
Banana Smoothie: A Cool Treat to Beat the Heat
When I was a child, my mother was the Queen of Smoothies. Well, OK, maybe just the Queen of Banana Smoothies!
Long before smoothies were so cool, she would whip up her banana concoction whenever I was hankering for something sweet. Come to think of it, she might also be the High Priestess of Stealth Nutrition because she managed to work in a serving of low-fat dairy AND a fruit, and convince me that it was a treat. Maybe that’s where my dietitian tendencies come from!
Anyway, I just made my twist on my mom’s simple recipe: the chocolate banana smoothie. It’s delicious, filling, offers a fix for your chocolate craving, and cools you off, to boot. Moms, and moms-to- be, this smoothie is loaded with calcium, fluid, fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals - and it’s minus the guilt.
Here’s how to make it. Place 1 cup low-fat or fat-free milk, 1 medium banana, 1 or 2 ice cubes, and a “squeeze” of fat-free chocolate syrup in a blender or food processor and blend well. Drink up immediately, and enjoy thoroughly!
Have you seen my other blog at USATODAY.com? It features tips for feeding your family healthy foods, and offers a weekly recipe that I prepare with my children as part of Cooking With My Kids. This week’s recipe is Dilled White Bean and Grape Tomato Salad.