My Virtual Life

Busy busy busy goes life with children. I thought I would share some of my favorite extraordinary websites, blogs, and FB pages. They are a go to in my life and am hoping you will check them out. I have cooked meals, done a detox, found great gift ideas, created goals (made progress on them), gotten dish on celebs, shared health issues, and of course read great news articles and blogs written by such a variety of writers. So enjoy they are for everyone and especially all you parents. Here they are in no particular order:

All around great wellness information and a great on-line community:

http://crazysexylife.com//

How to stock your pantry--hit their UTube button and watch Pantry 911:

http://sporkonline.com//

Get your kids to eat better:

http://www.doitdelicious.com//

Again get your kids to eat better and make it easier for yourself:

http://www.dinneralovestory.com//

Set goals and achieve them:

http://giveme10.info//

If you loved Cookie magazine like I did you will love this:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Momfilter/112956725389529

Food, fashion, and much more:

http://goop.com

Get your celeb green dish here:

http://www.ecorazzi.com//

Blog about all things compassion-- great recipes too

http://www.thekindlife.com//

News, blogs, and everything else-- forwards to my sister originate from here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com//

Oh and of course our awesome website--soon to be relaunched

http://www.littlesttumorfoundation.com//

Give Me 10! Find Balance and Reach Your Goals.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to write on your blog. Your blog does all that is best about the internet -- unifying a far-reaching audience and creating a community. While I am not affected by NF, I will pass along a little about what I do, in the hopes that it is useful for you. I started a blog called Give Me 10! The 10-minute solution to find balance and reach your goals. The point of it is that we all have very busy days, pulled in countless directions, giving to so many. But there are ways to sneak in a little personal time into the brief (and all too infrequent!) free moments of the day.

In the midst of stressful times, it's easy to put personal time on the back burner. But we all deserve at least 10-minute for our own well-being -- 10 minutes isn't long enough to feel guilty, it's too short to feel frustrated, and it fits into the nooks and crannies of the day -- you don't miss a beat attending to the other obligations.

Too often, we feel guilty taking time for ourselves -- taking a bath, reading a book, laying down for a few minutes. But knowing that you're giving yourself a time limit makes it feel less like an indulgence. The same goes for the less savory tasks that are important to us but overwhelming -- cleaning the garage, getting our finances in order. We delay even taking these on because we know we feel like we need a whole weekend to handle them (and when do we have that?) and we don't know where to start. But if we wade into the job for just a few minutes, we realize it's not as bad as it seemed, and we can chip away at the project little by little.

The point of Give Me 10! is to simply "advance the ball" on our own personal goals just a little bit every day. Just getting out of our day-to-day for just a little while can really inspire calm, confidence, perspective. Somehow it soften the edges a bit on the rest of life.

If you want to get started, here's what I'd suggest...

- Pick a goal or two (think right brain/left brain; mind/body/spirit; think of the times you've said, "One day I'd like to..." or "I wish I had learned to..."; or tackle an item that's been on the to-do list forever)

- Write a mission statement for your goals (this is not meant to be work! It's just meant to help you clarify what you would like to happen -- it can and will change as you get into the work.)

- Think of what you'll do for 10 minutes on the goal today and tomorrow (this will help build momentum; and by the way, it doesn't have to be a big "to do" -- it can be "find the file" or "set up the card table" -- sometimes just finding the materials and creating the space is the hardest part)

I give some suggestions of ways to find the time for your goals on my website: http://www.GiveMe10.info/, and readers share their tips and tricks, too. I'd love to hear if you try it and how it works for you! Be well..."

Green Juice, Dharma Talks & California Beaches

This summer our family took a different approach to NF. The 6 months prior to the summer vacation were filled with PET scans, MRIs, surgery, pathology reports and needless to say STRESS. Stress on our NF child and his two siblings aged 5 & 9. So we rearranged some doctor appointments and took off for a month for CA beaches, Dharma talks and ultimately green juices. Packed tightly in the car we drove from the midwest to CA-- hitting Colorado mountain air with alpine slides and rock walls, Utah red rock hikes, and then SOCA beaches and the best thing cousins! We then headed to a family retreat at a Monastery in Escondido CA. There are no electronics, all vegan food, and some silence. This is a place where children blossom and parents get to connect ( I believe every parent on some level believes they are messing up). You get to listen to monks and nuns talk about the practice of compassion. Children sing, craft, nature hike and learn too about compassion. Panels of lay persons round out the dharma talks. You eat, clean and share with other families. We always leave with knowledge, calm and better prepared. In my case better prepared for the upcoming MRI. Tumors and MRIs tend to throw me into what feels like a tidal wave of worry that feels so gripping it is hard to breath. So I hope with my pack of dharma knowledge I will breath through the next one. Upon return to the Midwest I had a consult with none other than the ultimate positive healing junkie Kris Carr. I had to fess up our diet for a week. This was after a weekend in WI Dells land of hotdogs and french fries. We had a long discussion on tumor growth and nutritional therapies. She herself has stopped Stage 4 cancer from progressing for the past 7 years through a highly alkaline diet. She and a slew of others advocate upping alkaline foods to slow tumor growth and diminish inflammation. Stress being a big part of inflammation she too spoke of meditation as our monks in CA. So now I just need to put it all into practice this idea of creating balance while living with NF. MRI in two days small tidal wave-- a start. Oh and we drink our green juices (some of the time).

Community Involvement

Intro: Hello, my name is JuIie I am a student at FVTC and I am interested in neurofibromatosis also called NF because… I recently received an email about NF and I was surprised that I had never heard of it before and I want to take this opportunity to teach a little of what I learned through researching NF on the Internet.

I learned that it affects children.

What does NF cause: It causes tumors to grow anywhere in the body including the brain and spine. As the tumors increase in size, they can press on vital areas of the body, causing problems in the way the body functions such as serious skeletal abnormalities, amputation and deafness, and significant learning disorders

How it is DX: NF is dx by five or more dime-sized light brown spots on the child’s body. Usually these spots are not seen on the face. There is no cure for NF although an early diagnosis can save a child from becoming disabled.

Where can I find additional information about neurofibromatosis type 1?

Resources about neurofibromatosis type 1 helpful written for the general public.

MedlinePlus - Health information (2 links)

Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center - Information about genetic conditions and rare diseases (2 links)

Additional NIH Resources - National Institutes of Health (2 links)

Educational resources - Information pages (15 links)

Patient support - For patients and families (5 links)

Resources, which are designed for healthcare professionals and researchers.

Gene Reviews - Clinical summary

What other names do people use for neurofibromatosis type 1?

Neurofibromatosis 1/NF1/Peripheral Neurofibromatosis

Recklinghausen Disease, Nerve/von Recklinghausen Disease

I feel that public awareness of NF can possibly lead to a cure.

Thank you for your time,

Julie Oyen Nursing student

Dr. Kornberg and Nutrition.

By Allan Kornberg, MD

A groundbreaking new study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine made national headlines yesterday as mainstream media outlets like CNN reported on its findings and gave Americans plenty of food for thought. Following more than 85,000 female and roughly 44,500 male subjects without heart disease, cancer or diabetes over a span of 20 to 26 years, the study explored the correlation between low-carbohydrate diets based on either animal or plant-based proteins and mortality rates, ultimately revealing the positives of vegetarian alternatives.

According to the study, subjects who consumed low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets centered on meat and other animal products had a 14 percent increased risk of dying from heart disease and a 28 percent risk of dying of cancer, while those whose diets emphasized plant-based proteins and fats had a 23 percent lower risk of succumbing to heart disease, as well as a 20 percent lower mortality rate overall. While no study is perfect, and all are subject to certain limitations, these numbers speak volumes about the potential of healthy plant-based foods to improve our quality of life.

As a physician who has long been aware of the good plant foods can do, the results of this study come as no shock. Nonetheless, it is always encouraging for me, and doubtless many of you, to see such awareness grow and result in an ever-expanding body of research that compels us to reflect on the foods we consume and consider choices that not only more positively impact our own lives, but also the world at large. After all, we truly are what we eat and the time has never been riper to embrace the power of plants – not only to benefit our health, but billions of suffering farm animals and our ailing planet too.

Discussion with President Barack Obama about Neurofibromatosis

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

___________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release

September 22, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

IN A BACKYARD DISCUSSION ON HEALTH CARE REFORM

AND THE PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS

Brayshaw Residence

Falls Church, Virginia

11:59 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Anyone else? I know it’s warm out here, but I want to hear from as many people as I can. Go ahead.

Q Hi. Thank you so much, Mr. President, for having us here. I want to thank you. I just have a comment. My son, Sammy, who was here, is seven and he has neurofibromatosis. I don’t know, have you ever heard of it?

THE PRESIDENT: You know, I’ve heard of it. But you should describe for us what that means.

Q It means that he had a spontaneous mutation on his chromosome. And he was diagnosed two and a half years ago. And it just basically means your tumor suppressor doesn’t work properly, so every nerve cell has the potential of becoming a tumor.

THE PRESIDENT: Which is pretty nerve-wracking for mom.

Q Oh, it’s unbelievable. And there’s a wide spectrum, so some people end up with minor complications but others have serious problems. And he’s already had surgeries and things of that nature. So I just want to thank you and the Secretary and congressmen and senators, because it’s life changing for a parent.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Sammy looks terrific. I saw him running around here.

Q He is terrific.

THE PRESIDENT: And I’m just glad to give you peace of mind. Look, people ask me sort of how do I stay calm in my job. The reason I stay calm in my job is that every night at six-thirty, no matter how busy I am, I go upstairs -- I’ve got a very short commute -- (laughter) -- and I go upstairs and I have dinner with my wife and my daughters. And as long as they’re doing good, as long as they’re healthy and happy and running around and telling me stories about the crazy things that happened at school today, then there’s a certain baseline that just gives you that sense, well, I can take anything, right?

Now, the flipside is when Malia or Sasha get a sniffle, or an ear infection, or a scrape, or a bruise, I’m over there just miserable. And I still remember Sasha, when she was three months old, one night she just wasn’t crying right. As a parent, you start recognizing, that’s not how she cries. She wasn’t hungry, it wasn’t a diaper change. Something was going on.

So we called our pediatrician, and he said, “Well, why don’t you bring her down?” And this was in the middle of the night. This is like one o’clock in the morning. And he was willing to see her, and he pressed on top of her head, and he said, “You know, she may have meningitis; I want you to go to the emergency room.”

And it turned out she had meningitis, and she had to get a spinal tap, and they had to keep her there for three or four days. And the doctor was talking about if this didn’t -- if her temperature didn’t come down and if we didn’t solve this, she could have permanent damage to her hearing or other effects.

But I still remember that feeling of just desperation, watching the nurse take her away to provide treatment for her. But I was thinking, what if I hadn’t had insurance? What if I was looking at my bank account and I didn’t have the money to cover her? How would I be able to face my wife, and how would I be able to look in the mirror if I didn’t feel like I could somehow make sure they were okay?

And that’s what this is about, ultimately. I mean, we’ve got to make sure that health care -- our health care dollars are used smartly. We’ve got to make the system work better for consumers. We’ve got to make it more responsive. But ultimately, the thing that’s most important is, we’ve just got to give people some basic peace of mind. And I’m just so glad that I’m able to stand here before you and hear these stories, and hopefully it gives you a little more peace of mind. (Applause.)

So, all right, well, thank you, everybody. Appreciate you. And if anybody else has any questions, they can come up and we can chat in the shade here. (Laughter.) Because I don’t have to go right away, and maybe we can -- these guys will take some pictures. So thank you.

END 12:42 P.M. EDT

Juli Novotny --- Pure Mamas blogger--Smoothies and Popsicles.

Nutrition can be a very sticky subject when it comes to children and babies. They are some of the pickiest of eaters yet the most active {constantly learning new things, playing, running, swimming, jumping, falling, etc.}, and frustrated. Therefore proper nutrition is crucial for them.

Multiply the above by 10 and you have handicapped or ill child. These children are even more in need of nutrition and also that much pickier and more difficult to get to eat healthy food.

A really great way to pack in nutrition is with a blender and/or a popsicle stick. Fresh homemade smoothies are great because you can customize what goes into them. For instance you can add all kinds of local and organic fruits from the farmer's markets. You can make them really cold, really thick or not at all. You can also add very important supplements like Omega 3 oils, probiotics, even green powders and protein powders in small amounts so that the children won't even know it's in there.

If you child likes milk, add it. If your child is allergic or doesn't drink milk {mine don't} then add almond milk, lemonade or fresh squeezed orange juice and water as a base. You can also then add sweeteners or not, depending on your child's taste buds.

There are so many different kinds of things you can do with a blender that will amaze you AND your children. If you find a drink you and your child enjoys, then freeze it in a popsicle mold and eat it later while sitting in the sun.

I'm not going to go into which supplements are good for children with tumors or any other specific illness or disease because I'm not a doctor. But once you get the go-ahead for probiotics or algae or whatnot, ADD SOME DROPS OR TEASPOONS IT TO A SMOOTHIE.

MANGO PROTEIN RECIPE

- 2 cups Almond Milk

- 1 cup Frozen Mangos or any other fruit you enjoy.

- 1 Ripe Banana

- 1/2 c Green Juice {or greens powder}

- 1 Tbls Agave Nectar {optional}

- Rice Protein Powder {1/2 scoop}

- ADD PROBIOTICS OR FLAX OIL IF YOU'D LIKE

Mix in a blend until smooth. It should be REALLY creamy

tip: leave out the agave if you are giving it to little kids.

CANTALOUPE / WATERMELON FROZEN JUICE RECIPE

1 Cantaloupe {or watermelon}, ripe organic & in season

7 Ice cubes

1 Tbls agave nectar {optional}

Cut open the cantaloupe, remove the seeds and scoop out the fruit. Blend it on high for like 20 seconds. Then I put remained of ingredients in a blender and blended until it was smooth {with only a few ice chunks left}!

MY SON got mad at me and threw a tantrum when I told him to try it!!!! I said "just try it once and you'll be done" he tried it and then gulped the rest of it down. It was THAT good.

GREEN DRINK RECIPE

1 large slice (about 5 chunks) frozen pineapple
1/3c parsley or spinach
1/4 cucumber, peeled
1 juice of a lemon

1 sliver/chunk ginger root
1c fresh orange juice
1/2 dropper of liquid stevia OR 2 Tbls agave nectar

* any supplements you may need to add like say a protein powder?

BLEND TOGETHER IN BLENDER ON HIGH UNTIL REALLY SMOOTH WITHOUT CHUNKS.

If you can get your child to drink a small bit of this everyday you won't have to worry too much about "veggies" and eating their "green" foods. But of course it's always good to encourage eating vegetables and to get them used to eating "real" green foods.

POPSICLE RECIPE

2 large lemons
1/4 cucumber, peeled
3 Tbls agave nectar

1/4c water

BLEND TOGETHER IN BLENDER ON HIGH UNTIL REALLY SMOOTH WITHOUT ANY CHUNKS. Then add to popsicle mold and freeze. You can also do this with homemade fresh squeezed orange juice as well.

Have fun and remember to use fruits, vegetables and sweetners and liquids that your children already like to ensure they will drink it. You can easily add any greens like spinach or parsley or cilantro to a drink and mask it with the other dominate fruits or sweeteners or liquids.

Also remember to try new types of fruits. You never know, kids often don't like things the first time but then LOVE things the second or even third time around.

Good Luck!

Please check out Juli's blog at www.puremamas.com and her company at www.kookiekarma.com

No More Hiding--Guest Blogger Kristi Hopkins

No More Hiding I had a good friend of mine tell me that they had no idea our family had the NF diagnoses...she felt bad because she thought she was living in some bubble, or just not paying attention. Neither are true...She didn't know because I was doing my job in hiding it. I felt I was succeeding, because those around me, couldn't see it. Even Drs. couldn't see it, or recognize it. I had gone through countless physicals, and 5 pregnancies before NF would ever be brought up. I had the bumps, but somehow, the NF got overlooked. It was like I'd hold my breath and just wait, then let out a sigh of relief, when I'd make through yet another appointment. I hated “hiding” my NF, but I felt that if I was fooling others, especially doctors, maybe I could fool myself. It turns out, that's the only person, I was really truly fooling....Me. This hiding did catch up to me...In a huge way. One doctor would recognize Neurofibromatosis on my body, then shame me for bringing children into the world. I laid there exposed as the doctor ran the doppler over my 38 wk pregnant belly. “This looks like Neurofibromatosis” she said. When she saw the bumps. I closed my eyes, not wanting to hear that word, directed at me, but I had no where to run. No covers to hide under. The doctors next words would crush me. “Well, it's too late to do anything about this now...You're 38 wks pregnant.” I knew exactly where she was going with this. I just closed my eyes, and told her about my 5 happy and healthy children at home, and that I expected no different outcome from this pregnancy. But as I left the doctors office that day, a crushing realization hit me so hard, I could barely drive home. Shaking and crying, I began realizing that I had hid for 33 yrs. In some way or another, part of me died during that ride home....but another part of me became alive. I was scared to accept my reality, but this was the time to do it. No more running, no more hiding. I had brought real people into this world, who needed a voice. Three of my children already had the earmarkings for a diagnoses (cafe au laits and freckling under the arms and around the neck) but I didn't take them into be “officially” diagnosed by a geneticist. After Brooklyn was born, I examined her immediately. I know that with my other children, NF wouldn't show itself until a few weeks after their birth, but each day, I would get my baby undressed and scan every inch of her. She doesn't have NF, and I thank God everyday for that. But 3 of my children do. And I have to work hard, so that THEY never feel like they have to run and hide and feel ashamed. I teach them to love who they are, and not to be defined but what they have. In truth, I was hiding NF from ME more than anyone else. If nobody could see it, if it wasn't showing up on the outside, maybe it didn't really exist on the inside. Even after 'outing' myself, my friend is still my friend, and I've found many, many more friends since accepting, embracing, and choosing to Thrive with NF. I've also reconnected with my best friend, one who I spent years never trusting with the truth: Myself. -Kristi Krisit's blog and website: www.thrivingwithnf.com

Sam i am ... love that sam

It has been a very busy time in our lives. Our Sami did indeed have surgery. He actually had PET, MRI, 1st opinion, 2nd opinion, surgery, post-op, pathology, post-op. We now wait for the next MRI coming up next month. We will stay positive that this tumor never returns and the ones on his spine do not grow. But if they do there will already be a treatment developed to deal with them. It can be done. I thought I would write a little from his perspective. He awoke from surgery and asked the surgeon, " Did you get the tumor out?" He then asked to see it. He very much wanted to bring the tumor to his science class as he just knew his teacher Miss Becky would really want to see it. Sami has such an energy about him it is infectious. He later told me he no longer has NF he only has N because the surgery got rid of the F. He is very happy this tumor is out and put away his special blanket my aunt sent him. He wrapped himself in it during the whole ordeal nightly saying it protected him and was healing him. Afterwards, he said he does not need it now but will use it again if he gets another tumor. So, our Sami does at the young age of seven understands what NF means. We his family are amazed by his spirit.

Special Guest Blogger Maureen Hotchkiss

Your Kitchen - mix up more than just good food!

By Maureen Hotchkiss,

Kids Central Kitchen, LLC

School isn’t the only place where your kids can go to learn. You may not have thought about it before, but you have an outstanding learning center right in your own home. Your kitchen!

Baking with your kids can be an excellent learning opportunity! Enhance reading skills by encouraging your children to read and follow simple recipe instructions. Exercise math skills through the measuring and weighing of ingredients. Setting a timer helps with the concept of time. Waiting helps develop the virtue of patience. Creating is important for boosting self confidence. Pride comes from a job well done. Don’t forget to include them in the clean-up process. This is an important life skill that you will certainly find helpful for many years to come! Spending time together in the kitchen also provides excellent bonding experiences for children and parents. And, have you ever noticed that kids are more apt to eat something they’ve helped prepare?

As great as this may sound, the reality is, life gets busy and can throw curve balls now and then. Even on those days when you may find extra time to bake with your kids, you may realize you don’t have all the necessary ingredients. As parents of three active kids, we often found such reasons for not taking the time to bake with them. At the same time, we were becoming increasingly concerned about what they were eating. The alarms went off one day when I looked over the ingredient list and nutrition statement on a name brand oatmeal bar that was supposed to be “healthy.” Here I had been offering my children something with ingredients I didn’t recognize (was this a science project?) and 25 grams of sugar per bar. It pushed me over the edge!

This aha moment made us realize we had to commit to creating healthier snack options. Lack of time could not be an excuse any longer. We experimented for months in our kitchen to create healthier versions to some of their favorite snacks. In our ongoing quest, we noticed the enthusiasm of children grow as they helped us measure, mix, bake and eat our creations. Every time we began rooting around the kitchen, all three children would stop whatever they were doing to come join us.

Eventually we turned our recipes into dry baking mixes we could have on hand to use as needed. We began sharing them with family and friends to enjoy as well. This idea eventually evolved into our family business, Kids Central Kitchen (www.kidscentralkitchen.com). We offer natural, whole grain baking mixes for active kids and their families. We left out all the yucky stuff like trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, artificial flavors, artificial colors and preservatives. Simply add the wholesome wet ingredients (like applesauce and yogurt), mix and bake. It’s fun, easy, healthy and educational! Perfect for those times when you don’t have a lot of time, a lot of ingredients or both! We also offer a new gluten-free baking mix.

Next time you’re looking for an activity for your children, grab a big bowl and spoon and mix up some healthy (and educational) family fun!

NF KIds

Our blog is about wellness, but today we will add a bit about what NF kids go through. Our guest blogger is an NF mom Amie Broeniman her 7 year old Emma has NF. Life had been fairly routine with Thursday Chemo's until an eye exam about 2 weeks ago when suddenly we came to the realization that Emma was seeing NOTHING out of her left eye. Time to move the the MRI up and change course. So we had an MRI in 2 days and the tumor has changed a little and with the clinical changes we were on to chemo #3! This is where I wanted to be 5 months ago I am trying hard not to think about all the time, gas and energy was wasted in the past 5 months.

We started the new chemo which is called Avastin/CPT11 yesterday, 2 years after we started the first chemo. The oncologist said to us "The protocol is 2 years but if things are going well we will keep going after the 2 years!" I can't even let my mind go to the fact that by time she is 10 she will have spent almost half of her life in chemo. I feel strongly though this chemo will work and the tumor will shrink..
The good thing with this new chemo is the fact that it is every other week so we will get a break from our travels. The side effects or potential side effects are a bit scary but we will deal with them if we have to and hopefully other then the sickiness ones we wont have any and I will gladly clean up vomit poop what ever if this %#@#$ would just stabilize.
So I am hoping with a break here and there I will have a little more inspiration to write.

Plexiform Tumor Treatment

,I met with researcher Dr. Whalen at Children's Hospital Milwaukee. He took the time to talk to me about his research that is close to entering human trials. He has been working on Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). He described the therapy as a chemo drug with a light switch. It is tumor cell specific. A heme designed infer red sensitive chemo drug will only activate with a light source. His colleague at the University of Florida has had great success in animal models. They have implanted dermal and plexiform neurofibromas from humans and had great success with the PDT. He described it as tumors melting away. They have had great success with chemical, cell and animal trials. The pilot will focus on dermal superficial tumors and if successful will then move onto deeper plexiform neurofibromas. Systemic side effects have been minimal and the treatment is minimally invasive. This will be an exciting undertaking if this project gets funded and off the ground. As a parent of a child with Neurofibromatosis, it gives me such hope new therapies are on the horizon for a disease with no treatment. There are other new promising therapies which we will report on in June after the big Children's Tumor Foundation conference focused on research. Stay tuned.

Guest Blogger Stefanie Sacks

Stefanie Bryn Sacks, M.S.





Shop ‘Til Ya Drop, Literally: How to Navigate the Grocery Store
It is not often that I find time to read. Typically I put books, magazines and newsletters in a pile and throw a few in my bag wherever I go thinking that I may catch a moment to read while waiting for one son while at a swim lesson, while the little one naps or perhaps at a red light!

So, excuse me if you have all heard about this before me, but I recently found out that our trusty supermarkets have now decided to implement their own nutrition profiling system—in the form of shelf-tag programs—to help shoppers identify healthy foods. What a great idea! NOT!!! There are several (five so far) different profiling systems and each is using different criteria to determine how healthy a food is (there are no regulations for these systems as of yet). Like we weren’t confused enough! And according to one system, Frosted Flakes is considered a smart choice. What?!

Is this going to make shopping easier for American’s (no need to read ingredient lists or nutrition facts labels anymore) or more confusing? Because each system has different criteria, I believe it will be far more confusing for a person to navigate the grocery store. My advice: stick to the ingredient lists and nutrition facts labels.

To make myself totally clear, we are talking specifically about packaged foods from bags to cans and everything in between.

Ingredient Lists
Let’s first talk about ingredient lists. The longer the list, the more processed the food is (less whole). So go for the shorter list. And, keep in mind that the first ingredient is of the highest quantity in the food product and the last ingredient is of the least. So if sugar (or some form of like corn syrup) is number one or two, the food has tons of sugar! Make sense? When it comes down to the actual ingredients, I tell my clients to lookout for the following:

Artificial Colors
FD&C Colors (Food Drug and Cosmetic Colors) are a wide variety of artificial colors used to color food (as well as drugs and cosmetics). Colors are typically a derivative of coal tar, a thick liquid or semi-solid tar obtained from coal. Main concern about coal tar derivatives is that they cause cancer in animals as well as allergic reactions. Found primarily in processed foods (candy, confections, cereals, puddings, jelly, hot dogs, imitation foods, condiments, soft drinks, etc.).
• FD&C blue no. 1/FD&C blue no. 2
• FD&C citrus red no. 2
• FD&C green no. 3
• FD&C red no. 2 (in Canada and Europe ONLY)/FD&C red no. 3/FD&C red no. 40
• FD&C violet no. 1
• FD&C yellow no. 5/FD&C yellow no. 6

Although all colors are permanently listed for use in foods and drugs with the FDA, their safety is not fully proven (inconclusive data).

Artificial Flavors/Flavor Enhancers
There are approximately 1500 synthetic flavorings added to foods. Most often food labels say “artificial flavors” rather than listing the individual synthetic flavorings (because they are typically flavoring compounds that are proprietary “recipes”). Flavor enhancers, such as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), common in Chinese food and many processed soups and sauces, can cause headaches, chest pain and numbness. Although MSG is on the list of additives needing further study it is still considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA. Just as MSG is GRAS so are all of the 1500 synthetic flavorings.

Artificial (and not so artifical) Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners refer to a group of non-nutritive, low-calorie sweeteners all with individual properties and concerns (see article in Articles of Interest on subject). Included are:
• Aspartame
• Acesulfame K
• Neotame
• Sucralose (Splenda)
• Saccharin
• Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol…)
• Tagatose

High Fructose Corn Syrup
Also called dextrose, this sugar is a sweet syrup derived from corn and highly processed. Most commonly comes from genetically modified corn. It is cheaper than natural sugar. Contained in large amounts in processed food and thought to contribute to the obesity epidemic in our country.

Preservatives
Preservatives, unless natural (such as vinegar, citrus and salt), are synthetic chemicals used to preserve food and beverages. Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, these substances do not need pre-market approval:
• Calcium Propionate
• Disodium EDTA
• Nitrates/Nitrites
• Potassium Benzoate
• Potassium Sorbate
• Sulfur Dioxide
• Sodium Propionate

Trans-Fat
Also called hydrogenated oil, trans fat is liquid oil made partially solid by adding hydrogen gas under high pressure to liquid oils. Trans fat is cheap and increases the shelf life of food (that is why the processed food industry loves it) yet, it has been found to greatly contribute to raising the levels of fat in the blood thus raising cholesterol.

*Information taken from A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives by Ruth Winter, M.S.


A pretty long list, I know. But, put your antenna up and leave it up. Soon the label looker outer in you will be second nature!


Nutrition Facts Labels
This is that chart-like thing on the back of all packaged foods. What is critically important to know is that to make any sense of the label you must first look at:

• Serving size (like how many cookies are considered ONE serving!)
• How many servings in package

If you don’t get that down first, nothing else will make any sense. So, once you know the serving size then you can better understand the calorie, fat, carbohydrate, sodium and fiber distribution. And, why is all of this important? Well, some information may be important to one person but not to another. You can visit http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html#twoparts
to get finer details on the nutrition facts labels.

What do I concern myself with? Mostly the ingredient list—I don’t want to put junk in my body; and from the nutrition facts label I always lookout for the salt content (I have to manage a kidney disease) and whether or not a food has trans fat (see above). Sometimes when I am feeling a little “over my normal weight” (as in trying to lose my baby weight) I keep the calories and fat in mind.

That being said, I like to think of myself as a “food product watchdog”. There are over 15,000 new food products introduced yearly. It is utterly exhausting to keep the pace as a consumer. So, keep this information in mind as you try to navigate your way through the maze we call a grocery store.

If you have specific questions, feel free to e mail me at sbs@stefaniesacks.com.

Neurofibromatosis

Neurofibromatosis I had never even heard of this word until a doctor told me I needed to have my then 4 year old see a specialist. I asked him to repeat the word a few more times. Our lives have never been the same as our Sami does indeed have Neurofibromatosis. This genetic disorder (his caused by spontaneous mutation) not only causes tumors to grow anywhere in the body including the brain and spine but also causes bone and endocrine issues, and learning disabilities. Every cell in the body has the potential to become a tumor. So, we have created this foundation to raise research dollars for a disorder with NO CURE and NO treatment. We just recently found out our Sami has six tumors growing inside him. One is fast growing and called disfiguring (doctors words)-- we are headed for surgery the end of this month. It has been a crazy time. We really thought we would raise money for research and a preventative drug would be found before he started growing tumors. THis thought in the past 5 weeks has been replaced as we now will be cutting tumors out of him and watching the others every six months via MRI. We will continue to raise research dollars and focus on wellness and prevention. Join us in our efforts and check back for our weekly guest bloggers who will blog about wellness. "I gotta feeling" is my daughters favorite song and I will leave with that --I gotta feeling together we will find a preventative drug and create wellness.