10 Tips to Bring Relaxation and Calm to Your Family During the Holidays

Keeping the peace at home takes on an extra level of importance during the uber-crazy holiday season. Today, Gooseberry Farms guest blogger Karen Ranzi shares her top tips for keeping things calm in your home this December. 

1. EXERCISE daily. Moving your body burns up stress hormones, leaving you feeling relaxed

    and refreshed.

2. SEEK support in your life by reaching out to others. Get the help you need especially at

    holiday time when daily life can be more stressful.

3. EAT an abundance of nutrient-dense raw vegan foods to energize and keep spirits up.

4. GET adequate sleep to feel more relaxed. When overwhelmed with chores and shopping to do,

    this is most important.

5. BREATHE deeply. Inhale slowly, letting your stomach rise for five seconds. Hold, and exhale

    slowly for five seconds. Practice five times each day for a total of five minutes.

6. DEVELOP acceptance – “Accepting whatever you cannot change” will provide a peaceful feeling

    in dealing with the world.

7. LOVE. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation of your life. When you and your loved

    ones have a disagreement, focus only on the current situation. Do not bring up the past.

8. LISTEN to music. Pleasing melodies, especially Mozart, have great value for the entire family, a form of

    meditation that calms as well as uplifts the spirit.

9. MEDITATE. Sitting in quiet meditation even for 15 minutes a day will create a more focused and

    rested mind. Silence creates an avenue for dealing with all of life’s situations.

10. HAVE FUN! Make sure the preparations and stress that come along with the holidays don’t affect

    your family life. The wellbeing of each individual is a more important focus than the preparations

    involved for a beautiful holiday table. If the preparations are easy and fun then even the youngest

    child will want to be involved.

How do you keep your family calm during the holidays—and beyond? Share away!

Kid Friendly Recipe to make and eat

Gooseberry Farms welcomes Meredith Geller, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Consultant and her friend Gena Hamshaw from Choosingraw.com to our Thanksgiving Table.  Yes, we are thinking ahead. There is no time like the present to start planning the BIG meal.  Meredith will start the count down to Turkey day by showcasing a kid friendly recipe.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and another great reason to get the kids cookin’  in the kitchen. One way to do this is to create something delicious that kids love: CARROT FRIES!  It’s a perfect Thanksgiving side dish for adults, too.  My friend Gena Hamshaw is the creator of this simple and delightful dish. She posts the most amazing recipes and information about healthy living on her site so I recommend checking her out at Choosingraw.com in addition to trying her carrot fries.  Wishing everyone an early Happy Thanksgiving filled with gratitude and love.

CARROT FRIES by Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients:  Carrots, RAW Coconut oil, Sea Salt, black pepper, spices (see below for options).

Directions:  Cut 2-3 large carrots into “fry” shapes. You can use the larger shredder setting on a mandolin for this, or simply cut large carrots until they’re thin enough (or if short most delis sell pre-cut carrots). Next, toss the fries in 1-2 tbsps of coconut oil (which is my oil of choice for high-temperature cooking), sea salt, and pepper. Toss them in a 450 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or so, till they’re slightly browned.

Spice options:  Dust them with cinnamon and nutmeg for an autumnal treat; or with chili powder or cayenne for a Southwestern twist; or with Garam Masala and curry powder for an Indian-inspired variation. Or, you can do as I did, and keep the seasonings simple.

What’s on your menu for Thanksgiving?  Dining out, in, at a friends or with family?  What’s the centerpiece of the meal or sides?  You name it.  We want to know what’s cookin’.

Fuel that Nurtures – Eating Right to Feel Better

Thank you to the folks at Daily OM for their clarity on food as fuel for the body AND mind:

“What we eat and drink can have a powerful effect on our ability to focus, mental clarity, mood, and stress levels.

At its simplest, food is fuel. Though our preferences regarding taste and texture can vary widely, we all rely on the foods we eat for energy. Most people are aware that it is vital we consume a diverse assortment of foods if we aspire to maintain a state of physical well-being. However, the intimate connection between diet and our mental well-being is less understood. Just as the nutritional components in food power the body, so too do they power the mind. Some foods can impair cognitive functioning and sap our energy while others heighten our intellectual prowess and make us feel vigorous. What we eat and drink can have a powerful effect on our ability to focus, mental clarity, mood, and stress levels.

Food allergies, which don’t always manifest themselves in forms we recognize, can also play a significant role in the maintenance of mental health. Thus, for most of us, even a simple change in diet can have a profoundly positive impact on our lives. Taking the time to explore whether anxiety, muddled thoughts, or inexplicable tension can be linked to a food allergy or food sensitivity can empower you to treat your symptoms naturally. The benefits of a healthier, more personalized diet are often felt immediately. Sugar, saturated fats, wheat, and dairy products are frequently allergens and can stress the body. For people that are allergic, consuming them can cause imbalances in the physical self that have a negative effect on the body’s ability to nourish the brain. Water, fiber, nuts, unprocessed seeds, raw fruits and vegetables, and vegetable proteins, on the other hand, support physical and mental functioning by providing those nutrients we do need without additional substances we don’t.

A balanced, natural diet can ease mood swings, panic attacks, anxiety, and mild depression. Intellectual clarity and agility is improved when the mind receives proper nourishment. Even those individuals who are blessed with the ability to consume almost any food can benefit from a healthier and simpler diet. Since the mental and physical selves are closely bound to one another, we must feed each the foods upon which they thrive.”

What have you been eating this week and how do you feel?

The Right Start? Think again.

Good morning Gooseberry Moms, Dads and Friends, Today’s topic is about breakfast.  What was yours?  Why do we ask?  Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and yet many kids go to school hungry in the US.  A good breakfast is key to starting the day off right.  Kids who skip this meal can suffer.  Studies have shown that students who ate breakfast before school had better attention spans, improved attendance, reduced nurse visits, and improved behavior (Minnesota School District Study).  Do kids from other cultures, who live in the US, eat a healthy breakfast? Read what Julie Nariman, principle of  the Pelham High School of Language and Innovation, found out about her students who come primarily from outside the US. Are they starting their day off right?

As the principal of Pelham High School of Language and Innovation, I asked a cross-section of students at  to write down what they eat for breakfast.  The majority of our students are newcomers from other countries, and so they have extremely diverse eating habits.  The cafeteria staff in our building has complemented us that many of our students partake of salad and vegetables, and don’t skip lunch, unlike a lot of American students. So I was shocked when I saw what they eat for breakfast! Here it is:

Carmine Born in New York, 15: I drink one can of Red Bull, and Arizona iced tea and a water.  I don’t eat anything. 

Sunny Born in New York, 14: What I eat for breakfast was cereal sometimes.

Alex Born in Dominican Republic, 14: I eat eggs and bread for breakfast.

Malik New York, 14:  I eat nothing for breakfast every morning.

Luis Born in Dominican Republic., 15:  I drink Red Bull, monster and eat cereal for breakfast.

Sulaiman, Born in Yemen, 16:  for breakfast I sometimes eat peanut butter and bread or just nothing at all.

Leo, Born in New York, 14: I eat nothing in the morning.

Michael, I was born in Ghana, 16: Nothing.

Rei, Born in Albania, 15:  Nothing.

Taina, Born in Haiti, 15: For breakfast I eat cereal and eggs. I drink juice.

Blendi, Born in Kosovo, 14: for breakfast I eat cookies and I drink chocolate milk or juice.

Agnesa, Born in Kosovo, 14: For breakfast I eat nothing.

Besare, Born in Kosovo, 15: Nothing.

Jidel, Born in New York, 15: Sometimes I eat cereal.

Johan, Born in Dominican Republic, age:?: Cereal and a cup of chocolate-milk.

How do we do a better job about communicating the importance of breakfast to families regardless of where they come from?  It’s so obvious and yet can be overlooked for families who struggle just to get their kids to school on time. Chime in with your strategy to educate families on “THE RIGHT START”.

Is junk food really that bad for kids? A raw foodie’s perspective

Greetings, Gooseberry Moms, Dads, and friends! Have you ever wondered why some kids can eat nothing but pasta and bagels and seem perfectly healthy? Or why your daughter subsisted on mac and cheese for three months straight with no noticeable damage? Today, our resident raw food advocate Karen Ranzi gives us her take on the question “why do some kids seem to thrive on junk food?”

 

Last year Raw Mom Team Leader Fiona Hollis had asked me for Raw Mom Wisdom Nuggets: “Why do many kids seem to thrive on junk food? Is it just a time delay reaction that kicks in when they’re older?” Here is my response–

From 17 years of researching the benefits of diets high in fresh unprocessed foods, the one thing I have learned that truly explains the phenomenon that you have observed is that our human bodies are innately intelligent and want to survive. We store toxic ingredients that the body is unable to utilize but when it gets to a level when the cells can no longer handle it, it results in the toxemia toleration level. This is when the body begins to react to the toxins taken in over many years. There are some who react at a young age, as my own son did, and some who react much later in life. There are many influences, such as the foods and lifestyles of our ancestors. There are also other variables that come into play, such as stress level, exercise, sleep, amount of food eaten, etc.

For those who don’t overeat, get plenty of exercise, enjoy life and know how to de-stress, and get sufficient sleep and rest, I think the body can handle poor food choices for a longer period. That certainly does not mean I recommend processed and refined foods but demonstrates that there are other aspects to a healthy lifestyle. I believe that “we are what we eat” and that fresh unprocessed food is one of the strongest parts of a healthy lifestyle even if it is not always dramatically clear to those around us who continue to feel well eating foods that may eventually harm the body.

–Karen Ranzi, M.A., http://superhealthychildren.com

So what do you think? Are your kids “what they eat” (this Halloween week that may have been a few too many mini Kit-Kat bars)? Or does a less-than-stellar diet not seem to impact them in the short term?

Dr. Ostfeld’s Factoid of the Week!

In the Nurses Health Study each one serving per day increase of fruits
or vegetables was associated with a 4% lower risk for coronary heart
disease.

Ann Intern Med. 2001 Jun 19;134(12):1106-14.

Robert Ostfeld, M.D., M.Sc., FACC
Attending Cardiologist
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Montefiore Medical Center

Occupy Breakast

20 October

Leslie Rioux — Gooseberry Mom

Whether you agree with Occupy Wall Street or not, you have to agree that when you are not satisfied with something in this country you have the right to say so. Ironically, my four and half-year old twins have figured out what those in cities all over the country are feeling — anger. In their case, their anger comes out when the breakfast plate arrives at the table and they are unhappy with the chef’s choice. As the chef herself, I find it a constant battle to create a well-balanced meal that will fill my kids bellies and send them off “powered up” for the day. Yes, I see food as power. So powerful in fact that when you don’t have enough or the right combination, your body can be off for hours or an entire day. So how do I work with finicky preschoolers that want to express their opinion and independence starting with breakfast and make sure they get enough power for the day? My mother’s choice was a jug of whole milk placed in the middle of a family of five and two boxes of Captain Crunch or Coco Pebbles. I am SURE my kids would adore this and be sufficiently wired! Would their teachers? I think not. So back to what to serve? For the main course I have tried eggs, oatmeal, waffles, humus, avocado, pancakes, toast, bagels, and yes cereal with a side of a meat and a fruit. And the verdict from the crowd — give us a breakfast bar mom! I am held hostage to what the girls see daily with kids on the go. Strollers with kids noshing on a bagel or bar as they head out to their morning destination.  They want what the other kids have.  So for now we are in a breakfast bar rut. I am going to try to crack this case by making my own bars filled with more protein than the store bought brands and by Sunday get really adventurous and try frittata with ham and broccoli (two of their faves) and cut it in bar like shapes. Wish me luck. It’s a tough crowd and they have only just begun to gather their demands.  Have you ever been in a breakfast rut?  Share your secrets — please!

EAT NYC a Benefit for National Food Day

October 24, 2011
Cost:
10.00-25.00
Venue:
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School
Address:
5 West 93rd Street, New York, NY, United States
Celebrate the 1st National Food Day at EAT NYC! The goal of National Food Day is to get local citizens throughout the country involved in efforts to raise awareness for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane manner.

The event, running from 6:30-9pm, will feature The Food Network’s Sandra Lee as a keynote speaker and journalist Paula Zahn who will address guests in a specially prerecorded speech on childhood obesity. There will be tastings from over 25 New York City restaurants, including Candle 79, GustOrganics, Greensquare Tavern and Henry’s Restaurant.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.eatnyc.eventbrite.com, at the Columbia Grammar and Prep School’s reception desk, or a purchase request can be submitted to Veggiecation Program at info@veggiecation.com. They are $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.

Youth Art & Food Activities

Union Square Pavilion
North End of Union Square, along 17th Street btw Union Square West & Park 

All activities and events free and open to the public 

Saturdays
11am-3pm

Greenmarket’s Youth Education Project and its partners Studio in a School and Columbia Teachers College host free Art & Healthy Living food, art and farming activities for children in the Union Square Pavilion on Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Taste farm fresh produce, participate in interactive kid-friendly cooking demos, and take home seasonal recipes and activity sheets from the Greenmarket Education Station. Make art inspired by Greenmarket’s bounty of beautiful fruits and vegetables with Studio in a School’s teen art instructors. Columbia Teacher’s College Center for Food and the Environment offers nutrition games and puzzles, cooking classes, and more. Visit often, new activities will take place each week.

Healthy Halloween

By Rachel Meltzer Warren, MS, RD, nutritionist for Gooseberry Farms

You probably did a double take when you saw that headline. If there’s one thing Halloween is not, it’s healthy. But it is my firm belief that a most gluttonous occasion like All Hallows Eve is the prime opportunity to teach kids about healthy living.

Think about the television show The Biggest Loser. Contestants live on a ranch stocked with healthful food, personal trainers, opportunities to exercise at every turn (not to mention no jobs, spouses, or kids). As a result they generally drop extreme amounts of weight each week. But continuing or maintaing their weight loss back home is another story. They often find that the changes they made are not sustainable in the real world, and the weight for many comes back on.

As parents, you are the producers, controlling much of your children’s world. You buy and prepare their food and have the power to veto, well, anything. And of course, they eat safely and healthfully when you set their meals in front of them each day. But how are your kids going to fare when they leave the ranch? Are you giving them the tools they need to stay safe and healthy in the real world?

Thankfully, Halloween is not exactly the real world. But it’s a great learning tool. You might buy your celiac daughter gluten-free chocolate covered wafer cookies. Does she know that a Kit Kat is not the same thing? Don’t get me wrong—it is wonderful that there are so many foods available that cater to the needs of the community so that kids with allergies rarely have to feel excluded as they would have been in years past. But I worry that as a result, many haven’t really learned look out for themselves. A holiday like Halloween throws these kids into the deep end of the pool. As a parent, this is a prime opportunity to help them learn to swim—reading labels together, waiting until you’ve arrived at home to thoroughly evaluate each piece of candy, and so on. Scary, yes. But your child will need those skills to live in the real world.

And for all parents, allergies or not: Halloween is a kooky holiday. We dress up in silly costumes. We knock on strangers’ doors and they give us candy. Nothing about this, particularly the excess of candy, is normal. Make that clear to your kids. Now, I would be thrilled if, in support of Michelle’s Let’s Move! campaign, President Obama banned Halloween candy and required each American to give out something productive like compostable packets of pumpkin seeds for planting (then again, I’m a little crazy). But until that happens, candy on Halloween is the norm. Below, my suggestions for making the day a bit more balanced for your family.

Real food first. If your kids are nighttime trick or treaters, insist they eat dinner before they head out. Serve them something that is nutritious and rich in fiber and protein, which will help them feel satiated for longer than a carb-heavy meal. Hunger + bag full o’ candy = candy for dinner. We want to avoid that.

Have fun with whole ingredients. Why put all of the focus on candy? Make each meal of the day a spooky event. Turn oatmeal orange by stirring some mashed or canned pumpkin into a prepared bowl. Have your child make a face with raisins for a breakfast jack o’lantern. And I love Karen Ranzi’s banana ghost idea as a snack.

Set limits. For some families (particularly those with serious allergies) it makes sense to say “no candy until we get home” so that each label can be read carefully. Leslie Rioux uses a “sorting hat” to separate safe from unsafe foods for her dairy-allergic daughter. If it is safe for your kids to eat on the road, decide how many pieces they are entitled to over the course of the night. Tell them in advance and assist them in making these decisions. Who says you can’t learn about budgeting on Halloween?

Explain yourself. Play up the benefits of the whole foods they eat throughout the day (“these carrots will help you have super x-ray vision!”). Remind them that candy doesn’t do anything to boost their bodies, and that it can also give them belly aches. They might not care right now, but respecting them enough to put your rules into context tends to work better than “because I said so.”

Toss it. Decide beforehand—possibly with the help of your children—how much candy you are going to keep. Perhaps each child gets a small bowl or dish to fill up. The rest goes away. To work with a parent, to a neighbor, I don’t care (into the garbage even). Moderation? Check! Sharing? Check!

What strategies will you use to keep Halloween safe, fun, and under control this year?