Healthy eating, nutrition, and understanding what food labels are REALLY saying were all topics covered in our grocery shopping tour with guest, Kimberly Lord Stewart.

Ms. Stewart is the author of Eating Between the Lines: The Supermarket Shopper’s Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels.  She is the recipient of two 2004 Association of Food Journalist awards for food news reporting on hunger and fraud in the olive oil industry and a 2001 Jesse Neal Business Journalism Award.

Kimberly is a former editor of Dining Out, Natural Foods Merchandiser,Healthwell, Functional Ingredients and Nutrition Science News.  Her articles and her book have been in numerous publications and media including NPR, Eating Well, Shape Magazine, USAToday Weekend, Dr. Roizen’s You the Owner’s Manual radio, WGN and CBS, ABC and NBC television and radio affiliates.

Join us as Kimberly Lord Stewart takes us around the grocery store on a virtual grocery shopping trip where we discuss how to understand what food labels really mean, organics, healthy eating, fish and mercury, yogurt, raw food and how to fix truly affordable, healthy meals for your family.

This is one of the rare times we’ve reinterviewed a guest and is easily one of Staci’s favorites.  Not only is this interview with Kimberly very helpful for the next trip to your grocery store but we also highly recommend her book too – Eating Between the Lines: The Supermarket Shopper’s Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels :
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More about the book ….

So many labels, so little time—just tell me what to buy!

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Not sure how I missed this story last month but wanted to make sure that you didn’t ….

Millions of Michigan consumers have paid higher health insurance premiums over the last three years because Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan forced at least 70 hospitals statewide to charge its competitors more, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by the U.S. Justice Department and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox

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Came across a product – aptly named – “Smelly Washer” that I saw recommended in our local Metro Parent magazine. Not that it’s a problem at OUR house …. but I might go out and pick up a bottle of this product tonight … you know to test, for research reasons but NOT because it’s a problem we have.

However, it did lead me to wonder – “Why would a WASHER (a product regularly using soap + water to CLEAN things) smell bad?  Fortunately, I was able to find some answers to this question:

There are a number of causes of mold odor in clothes washers.

• The main cause of front load or top load stink is overuse of detergents because the user is following directions for amount used.  If detergent has nothing to react against it will leave a residue on the inside of the washer that is a food source for mold and bacteria to grow.  A dark, moist clothes washer is the perfect environment for them to flourish so we need to control their food source.  Generally speaking, we’re washing only perfume and sweat from our clothing so we don’t need so much detergent.  Unless washing soiled clothing, no more than 1 tbsp of any detergent should be used.  This is especially important if using liquid detergent, if there is a water softener in the home or if using a municipal water supply.  For high efficiency washers it’s abosolutely necessary to use HE detergent (low sudsing).  Suds affect both the operation and longevity of high efficiency washing machines.

• Running a close second is fabric softener use.  Softener is dispensed in the rinse cycle and is also a food source for mold and bacteria to grow.  We recommend switching to dryer sheets or dryer balls.  Keep in mind that dryer sheets can also be overused and cause towels to be less absorbent and retain odor.  The sheets can be cut into halves or thirds and can even be reused.  Dryer balls are another option.  Click here to read more advice on the subject.

• The third not-so-common reason for clothes washer smells is using mainly cold water for washing.  Using mainly cold water for washing is fine… but it makes preventive maintenance very important.  Do your hottest wash or soak cycle as your last cycle on wash day or as preventive maintenance to dissolve residue.  If soaking very soiled articles do an extra rinse cycle.  Ensure the water supply hoses to your washer are properly connected so you’re getting hot washes and cold rinses when you want.  This problem is more common that you’d realize!

• Another cause of washing machine odor is non-use of the appliance.  If you are not going to use the washer for an extended period it’s a good idea to do a cleaning with a washing machine cleaner.  If leaving for a vacation shut the supply hoses off in case of a hose break.  Bleach or vinegar spilled on rubber water hoses will cause deterioration and eventually a ruptured hose to flood the laundry area.

• Obstructions in drain pumps can cause mold odor by reducing the flow of water when draining.  Almost all front load washers have a filter “trap” that is accessible to the owner.  Rather than immediately calling for appliance repair service consult your owners manual for instructions on accessing this trap.  (ALWAYS UNPLUG YOUR MACHINE OR SHUT OFF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER BEFORE REPAIR also have several towels nearby when working on a drain pump because there is always 1-2 gallons of water left in all washers even after draining.  It’s surprising what can make it through the washer and into the trap.  Bra wires, toys, coins and screws are common items that can cause the pump to jam or catch lint to cause draining problems to make your washer smell.  Go tohttp://www.ehow.com/how_6161420_clean-front-load-washing-machine.html for good instructions on how to clean the filter.  These instructions are for a Whirlpool or Maytag.  The procedure varies for other brands. Even though they don’t have filter traps objects can also jam pumps in top loading washers.  These objects can very often be removed and the pump can be saved rather than buying a new pump.

Source: click here

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In our inaugural show on 1310 WDTW we had the great opportunity to interview Chef Ann Cooper – The Renegade Lunch Lady (this was after the unfortunate incident where I accidentally stuck my foot in the urinal which we discussed in the beginning of this same show – sorry Chef Ann).  Now I’ll admit, at first blush when Staci brought me the idea of interviewing a lunch lady it wasn’t very exciting to me ….

Sure, we talk about education and the importance of education and sure ….. the lunch lady is a part of the school/education team at our schools but let’s be honest when we think of raising our kids Reading and Math scores the mystery meat selection at lunch isn’t the first thing that springs to mind.

But, maybe it should be…..

After all, we all know how important nutrition is for our kids and the lunch (and for many kids even the their breakfast) being served at school is for some, their biggest, healthiest meal of the day.  Beyond that it’s also critical to their energy levels in the afternoon and a regular opportunity to expose kids to different foods. Not to mention the frequently missed opportunity to expand their understanding of nutrition and how that food impacts everything else in their lives.

Basic stuff? Sure.

Important lessons to understand? Sure.

Something we really need being passed along by the lunch lady? After talking a look at the high obesity levels in our country and poor nutrition in our country – maybe.

Especially if that lunch lady has the credentials, mission and high level of passion for food and nutrition that Chef  Ann has ….

Click the link above to check out her blog

Check out some of Chef Ann’s cool recipes (including snack recipes for “Pizza Wheels”, “Granola”, “Apple Date Bars and “Congee”)

Chef Ann isn’t a fan of the USDA Food Pyramid so she came up with her own resource – The Food Wheel. Click the pic above for more details.  I have to admit, I think her wheel is easier to understand and better laid out than the pyramid.

Learn more about the school lunch programs, how they work and how you can make changes within the system ~ here’s three GREAT resources!

Click the picture above to check it out for yourself ..

Click above….for details

Click above to read the guide

Salad Bars at schools.  Ridiculous?  Maybe so … except in the schools that have tried it and are getting great results.

Click the link below to listen to our interview with Chef Ann Cooper on the “My Great Kid Radio Program”!

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Tried out the new McDonald’s smoothie the other night and fell in love with it.  I’d spent a couple of hours moving furniture and a variety of boxes in the heat and was feeling pretty whipped. I was looking for a quick cold, sweet drink to kind of recharge my battery and figured I’d worked hard enough to earn at least a small treat.  I asked Staci if she knew anyone around who made a good smoothie.  She told me that McDonald’s had some new smoothies that were good and not too expensive.

(I know this is sounding like a commercial but I swear it’s actually what happened)

That was enough for me.

Now, honestly a smoothie simply sounded great but of course a Dairy Queen Blizzard,  Wendy’s Frosty or McDonald’s Shake sounded good too.  I was thinking the smoothie route though because I was looking for something with less milk and hopefully a little bit healthier.

I tried it and LOVED it.  It tasted great, was only a couple of bucks and felt like a healthier choice.  I actually liked it so much that I’ve gotten to more in the last couple of days and that’s when I started to worry.  I’d tried it, fallen in love with it and was drinking them down without looking up the nutritional information and since I loved them so much I was sure that like so many tasty treats ….. it probably wasn’t going to be a healthy choice.

Unfortunately, this thought hit me as I was drinking one and it kind of ruined the last couple of sips.

So today I figured I’d bite the bullet and check it out, hoping that the verdict wouldn’t mean I’d drained my last smoothie.

The verdict?

Actually, it wasn’t too bad.

The sugars were high (lots of fruit in there really boosts those sugar numbers) and the calories were more than a normal drink BUT no HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and a lot of the other artificials that make most snacks, foods and drinks taste great but aren’t too healthy for us or our kids.

So I figured I’d take it the next step and do an ounce to ounce comparison to see how it really stacks up.

#  Per Ounce             Calories           Carbs         Sugar
Wild Berry                        17.5                     4                  3.7
Strawberry Banana       17.5                  4.1                 3.7
Coke                                    10                      2.8                 2.8
Sprite                                  10                     2.7                 2.7
OJ                                         11.9                  2.4                 2.4
Milk                                     12.5                  1.5                 1.5
Powerade                          7.1                    1.9                 1.5
Sweet Tea                          7.5                   1.9                 1.9
Apple Juice                     14.7                 3.4                 3.2

Kiddie Cone                     45                       8                      6

So what’s it all mean?

• They’re delicious and not to expensive.
• They’re a big higher sugar and calorie wise than a soda pop or juice but they’ve got more natural ingredients and more of that sugar comes from fruit
• They’ve got fewer of the bad things (HFCS and preservatives, etc.)
• Ounce for ounce they’re still better than the dessert items

So I’ll still drink them them but likely wouldn’t add it on top of a meal.  However,  as a quick occasional snack or meal replacement in a pinch they work pretty good and they’re definitely a better (and by better I mean healthier) alternative to the shake or ice cream that I was debating at the end of a long hot summer day.

So all in all I still give it two thumbs up but I’ll probably wait a couple of days before my next one.

Anybody else tried these?  What did you think?

(Note / Disclaimer : No, McDonald’s didn’t pay me for this post though if they’d like to send me a coupon for a free smoothie … I wouldn’t argue with them.)

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In the game of chess the most abundant, least powerful, most easily sacrificed and least valuable piece is the pawn.

Unlike the King (who’s protection is the key to the game) the pawn is not a piece you really worry too much about losing.  In fact, the pawn’s real value comes from the fact that it can be strategically sacrificed in such a way as to allow you the ability to trap and manipulate your opponents larger, more powerful pieces and thus, control the game.

For a number of insurance companies our children have become their pawns.

Why say something so mean?

"They're doing WHAT?"

Well, because a number of insurance companies are deciding that children are simply too expensive to insure … so they’re not going to cover them any longer.

Based, in part, on the increased costs they think the upcoming health care reform will bring them they’ve decided to stop offering individual policies to children altogether.

What does this mean?

The major types of coverage for children — employer plans and government programs — are not (to) be affected by the disruption. But a subset of policies — those that cover children as individuals — may run into problems. Even so, insurers are not canceling children’s coverage already issued, but refusing to write new policies.

“The disruption” … I like that.

Rather than saying “let the sick kids and their parents fend for themselves” make it sound like a bad iPhone antennae issue a ….. “disruption”.

How big of a “disruption” would this be in Florida were Blue Cross Blue Shield is initiating this “disruption”?

Industry officials estimate that children’s policies account for 8 percent of single coverage plans sold directly to consumers.

and it goes on to say:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida issues about 9,000 to 10,000 new policies a year that only cover children. Vice president Randy Kammer said the company’s experts calculated that guaranteeing coverage for children could raise premiums for other individual policy holders by as much as 20 percent.

So, this new policy could lead to as many as 10,000 NEW CHILDREN PER YEAR (wanna bet BCBS is estimating low on this one) not having health insurance.  That’s 10,000 babies, toddlers and older kids without insurance.

Let ‘em go without.

Let ‘em suffer.

Let ‘em die.

It’s not their kids so it’s not their problem.  Right?

But wait.  Let’s not be mean.

We don’t want to make the mistake of thinking this is a cold hearted thing.  Oh no, you see BCBS and their brethern have to do it to help the rest of us.  Why without their gallant efforts we’d all have to pay premiums of 20% more (wanna bet this estimate is high?).

Ah yes, it’s the “skyrocketing premiums” argument that we hear from the insurance companies all of the time (see Autism Insurance coverage).

“If we covered (those kids / that condition) we’d go broke or have to raise your premiums by (fill in big scary increase)!”

Of course, their multi-billion dollar reserves might hurt this argument a bit.  As could the fact that they’re covering children now and not on the verge of insolvency.

Look,  I don’t like a lot of the elements of the new Health Reform either.  I’d agree that it will put burdens on the system including these health insurance companies.  The problem is that decisions like not covering children doesn’t help the cause for changing bad reforms, it reinforces the argument for stricter reforms.

Don’t forget that without without the boost from the idiotic insurance companies unnecessarily jacking rates up late last and early this year the reform these insurances companies are currently fighting wouldn’t have survived in the first place.

So, while insurance companies are fighting to change how much of their money they REALLY have to spend on you (a.k.a. their customers)  they decide now would be a good time to start dropping coverage for children.

On the surface it’s easy to argue “hey, it’s just politics”.

But it’s not “just politics”.

When large “nonprofits” (we’re gonna use that phrase REALLY loosely here) who enjoy many special interest protections start throwing children out so they can make a statement and a buck (or a couple of billion bucks) it’s not politics …. it’s criminal.

I mean come on … even Scrooge changed his ways when he realized he was hurting sick little Tiny Tim.  Is it really possible that the insurance companies are even more heartless than Scrooge?

• Health Insurance Companies Dump Kids Because They’re Too Expensive

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In January there was a recall of Tylenol products.

In April there was a recall of Tylenol products

In July we have ….. (drum roll please) ANOTHER recall of Tylenol products.

I’m not sure but this is starting to look like a quarterly action for Johnson and Johnson.

Actually it’s worse than a quarterly occurrence because this is actually the EIGHTH product recall in the past year.

Eight!

Eight times in the past year Johnson & Johnson has had to come to us and tell us “ooops, that stuff you bought from us to make your life better …. yeah, it turns out it’s not so safe…. sorry about that!”

(Legal Disclaimer: The above is not an actual quote because as we know they would never say it’s unsafe …. it’s always for “pre-cautionary measures” instead)

Yikes!

The January recall was for “moldy” smells caused by contamination from the pallets that the product was stored on.  They go on to explain that again, it’s not really anything to worry about (but then give information in case you have an adverse reaction) but remember they said the same thing about the little bits of metal and the superdoses that lead to earlier recalls so MAYBE they’re not the best judges of safe or not safe.  Supposedly, the worse thing to worry about from this “moldy smell” is a headache ….ironic of course since you probably bought the Motrin or Tylenol to address things like headaches.

Here’s some links to find out more about the recalls, what you should do and if your product is included :

• MCNEIL PRODUCT RECALL – Current Recall Information
• Specific product information related to the Jan 15th, June 15th and July 8th recalls - MCNEIL PRODUCT RECALL
• Product Refund or Coupon Request Form - MCNEIL PRODUCT RECALL
• Recall FAQ’s - MCNEIL PRODUCT RECALL
• If you’re losing track of all of the recalls here’s a link with more information: MCNEIL PRODUCT RECALL
• Johnson & Johnson Widens Recall To 21 Lots Of OTC Medications
• Tylenol Recalls More Products for 8th Time This Year

Look, we all make mistakes and nobody’s perfect but when you make a drug or something directly related to a person’s health …. you’ve got to be setting the bar higher than the folks at Johnson & Johnson:

• Dirty equipment
• Contamination from pallets
• Super-doses
• Metal Shards in the medication
• More contamination from pallets

Doesn’t it seem like they could be trying a little harder?

On Thursday of this week Johnson and Johnson will be submitting a pla to the FDA for improving the qulaity of it’s medications … I’m guessing after the recall this past week some folks overat J&J might be working throught the weekend.

• The Earlier Recall - Tylenol – Pieces Of Metal & Extra Ingredients

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SpaghettiOs, frozen dinners pulled from shelves

15 Million Pounds Of SpaghettiO’s are being recalled (some frozen dinners from Marie Callender too) because somebody screwed up and didn’t realize that a cooker wasn’t working correctly.

Okay, the fact that they noticed this and announced the recall is great.  However, they’re not sure exactly when the cooker went bad so the recall covers made as far back as 2008.

2008?

That’s like two years worth of product and their not sure if it was cooked right?

Wouldn’t you think that somebody would be checking something like ….. THE COOKING of the food when you’re selling food?

I grew up loving this stuff but even I have to admit that these recalls really just add momentum to the “No Processed Food” movement ….

Consumers with questions about the recall can call Campbell’s Hotline at (866) 495-3774.

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This weekend we’re doing a show that Staci has really been wanting to do for a while and is really excited to share with you.  In the summer we’re bombarded with the suntan, sunblock, sun lotion argument …

• So what’s a parent to do when it comes to keeping their family safe in the sun?
• What lotions may be more dangerous for your health than the sun?
• What is actually IN those lotions that you’re rubbing on your child’s face?
• What lotions should you absolutely NOT USE (regardless of what their cute packaging says)?
• What lotions are GOOD choices for your family?
• What ingredients should you look for in your lotions and skincare products (both for the good and the bad)?

If you’d like to get a jump start on the show please feel free to check these great links below:

EWG’s 2010 Sunscreen Guide

And as proof again that we’re on the cutting edge with what we’re talking about here’s an article from Friday’s Washington Post that’s a nice preview of some of what we’ll be covering this Sunday (and no that’s not a typo in the headline after 30 YEARS the FDA has still not finalized their regulations for the sunscreens your family is using).

I’ve heard of procrastination but 30 years ?????

• After more than 30 years, FDA has yet to issue final regulations for sunscreens

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Radiation is all around us in our techno world. Reducing our exposure to it is obviously a goal for all of us – especially for those little ones around us that we’re trying to protect.

Turns out the biggest source isn’t that tv, cell phone, video game or microwave it’s …. our doctors ?

Americans get most radiation from medical testing

Good food for thought the next time you get that recommendation for another test … just to be safe, huh?

The scariest quote for me was this ….

Doctors don’t keep track of radiation given patients — they order a test, not a dose. Except for mammograms, there are no federal rules on radiation dose. Children and young women sometimes get too much at busy imaging centers that don’t adjust doses for each patient’s size.

If only he'd opted out of that last CT scan

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