According to Kellogg’s, their kid’s cereals contain vitamins that “help support immunity” …AKA says NO WAY!

Whether it’s gummy candies fortified with vitamins or cereals done the same way – the KEY ISSUE is the SUGAR.

We know that while vitamins MAY help – and this depends on quality and dosage – support the immune system, we know for CERTAIN that SUGAR suppresses the immune system and feeds the bad bacteria often responsible for colds (not a virus).

Parents who want sure fire immune supportive solutions should look to Nature’s Candy bowl – fruits in a variety of colors, nuts and seeds – as well as limiting the amount of sugar their child consumes…think Apples vs Apple Jacks!

The question of to Agave or Not continues to come up -and while the official
verdict may not be out there yet, I wanted to weigh-in beyond my original
blog. The most important things to take from this article and the issue:

1. know where your ingredient comes from – Organic (USDA logo)…with AKA I investigate not just “what” the ingredients are but where’s their source so my list should be a useful tool when choosing agave containing products.
2. blends do not confer the same nutritional benefits as the single ingredient – for example, if something contains organic agave but also maple syrup or additional fructose or a sugar alcohol (ie sorbitol) the product does NOT have the same glycemic load as organic agave alone
3. quantity is still the key concept. If we over consume agave at an eating occasion or during the week, we have over consumed bringing up issues such as imbalanced blood sugar, extra weight, higher fat mass, insulin resistance.

1. It’s a HoliDAY
   A) trick: Despite what the stores say, Halloween is just 1 DAY – and Halloween shouldn’t start CANDY / TREAT week, or season
   B) treat: if you make it one day you can TREAT yourself – enjoy your favorite candy and / or baked goods
2. “Better For You” Sugar
   A) trick: “sugar-free” but made with artificial sweeteners; often time they don’t even taste as good. Or what about when it says “No Sugar Added” (there’s already enough sugar in there, they didn’t need to add more) or “Naturally Fat-Free” (hint hint, there never was any fat in Twizzlers – where this label comes from — but there’s also no Twizzler tree in Nature – nothing natural about it — and it has enough sugar to make a lot of fat in the body if we eat it beyond our 1 day HoliDAY).
   B) treat: naturally sweet (organic fruit), organic fruit-juice sweetened, organic sugar…I like Yummy Earth and Surf Sweets as well as mini-Glee Gums
3. A Scary Environment
   A) trick: buying costumes, plastic bag and decorations that are used once and non-recyclable
   B) treat: recyclable bags – Blueavocado and  use household goods (pillowcases for bags, giveaway clothes for costumes, food for decorations – pumpkins, apples, cereal and toilet paper / paper towel tubes)
4. What’s the Main Activity?
   A) trick: eating candy? Driving around to houses?
   B) treat: walk, bike, roller blade, games for trick-or-treating and parties
5. What’s Sweeter than Candy?
   A) trick: Using candy as a reward for doing chores, good behavior, and good grades – now there’s a huge negative health trade-off!
   B) treat: A game or toy they want (they can give you candy for it on Halloween night), you can also get them a new toothbrush (radius.com) and use this as a time to discuss how important teeth brushing is on HoliDAYS as well as regular days
6. All the Colors of the Rainbow Provide Health?
   A) trick: Froot Loops? Skittles? This is not what I mean when I say that nature gave us all our health needs with all the different colors – candies made from artificial dyes? our bodies don’t know what to do with Blue #7 but they know what a blueberry provides.
   B) treat: dyes made from vegetables and fruit
7. Donations “help” Others
   A) trick: taking the fake food (“bad” candy) to hospitals or homeless shelters – this isn’t really “helping”
   B) treat: make a costume or decoration for a less-fortunate family or donate yours; write / read a “haunted” story at a school (there is that non-profit for entertainment industry)

WSJ: FDA Targets Nutritional Claims on food packaging

Finally! Is all I can say.

Finally! Is all I can say. The above Wall Street Journal article examines the issue that led to a “Smart Choice” labeling on a box of Froot Loops (Thank you folks like Bill Mahrer for publicly outing this ridiculousness).

My take? I have a long history with food packaging claims -12 years ago, I sat in my first packaging development meeting (I worked for an ad agency whose client was a global cereal company). I learned quickly that what appears on the package results from hours of analysis and dollars spent to determine what will BEST attract the buyer.  What I also realized is that many of the 3rd party endorsement logos (even from “non-profits”) were “for sale,” and further more that some food companies helped in the development of the criteria for these logos – not very 3rd party, eh?

As a student of nutrition, I struggled with understanding these same criteria, which often represented one aspect of the nutrition picture. For example, “fat-free” =heart healthiest – but don’t we know that certain fats are very heart healthy, and that some “naturally fat-free” (like the statement that appears on Twizzlers) products contain much sugar so that they likely wouldn’t be heart healthy for anyone and certainly not overall body healthy.

Years later, after helping countless clients navigate the grocery store aisles and teaching them how to interpret a package (only one part label reading, the other parts were what specific claims did and did not mean), I was further convinced that we needed something to help, TRULY HELP, the consumer navigate the world in which thousands of new products enter each year. Because while it may be a bit of naivete and even as some have said, a touch of laziness, that has us turning to logos and claims to influence our purchase. Isn’t it really we just want to look up and be able to TRUST what we see is truth?

To this end, last year, I launched the AKA stamp of approval.  AKA  stamp of approval Can NOT BE BOUGHT, It’s EARNED. This is a critical distinction.  AKA rewards companies for transparency of information, for quality ingredients, for clear and truthful marketing messages, and for making the kind of food they would eat themselves and feed to their family. To determine whether a product or company is AKA, I audit the company for information on ingredient sourcing, marketing messages, target audience etc.

It is my hope that AKA can be an example for the FDA and other groups seeking to “help” consumers shop healthier. To borrow from an icon in advertising history: We CAN come a long way, baby…let’s demand such change.

I get a lot of questions about plastic – and until recently I struggled to find a great resource, but I love Renee Loux’s Easy Green Living (pg 120) for its plastic safety information (as well as just about everything else!).

So check it out and learn that 1,2,4,5,7* (asterisk is important here) seem to be safer.

That said, reusing non-plastic bags, mugs, and steel containers present great options for skipping the whole debate (check out company listings on the AKA recommended accessories on www.ashleykoffapproved.com)!

When it comes to satisfaction, a lot of times all we need is a good crunch. Yet keeping the “good” in ‘good crunch’ can be challenging in stores and often cupboards stocked with less good quality crunch options.

Here are some ideas for Crunch Time:

1. Jicama – toss it in lime juice and cayenne pepper (for a metabolic boost as well)
2. Celery and cucumber - these water-based veggies help hydrate and are great scoopers for everything from hummus, pesto, salsa, guacamole, mustard, egg salad etc
3. Radishes – great for you, these tart tasties are also crunchy when made into chips
4. Popcorn – DIY (do-it-yourself) and add oil after its popped (shake it up in a paper bag so excess gets soaked off the corn), and spices or even parmesan cheese. Practice portion control with 2 handfuls being a good portion
5. Apple and Pear slices: Fall is there season and if you top them with nut butters like Nuttzo you get a complete eating occasion as well as a high fiber snack.

Recently, I’ve been asked frequently about agave – is it the greatest thing ever or as bad as that HFCS stuff?? So,I thought I would share some thoughts to help you make an informed decision.

When it comes to assessing the benefits / potential risks of agave syrup today there are two key issues to explore: 1)quality of product, 2) quantity consumed.

First, quality of product is critical to explore because, as with any manufactured  product, there is the potential for contaminants, and intentionally added ingredients which would jeopardize the quality of the end product thereby potentially creating health risks. For Nature’s Path cereals, I recently reviewed their agave suppliers product, and my review included the stated ingredients, the HAACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points) review, a review of their glycemic index test, the organic standards labeling laws (their product is organic), and a third party laboratory test for contaminants. Based on this information [specifically noting that the product does not contain anything other than the agave juice, that it is not heated above 115 degrees F, that its Glyemic Index test number is 17 (qualifying as a low GI food), and that the product is approved for use not just in the US as organic but also in Europ and Canada], I concluded that I am extremely comfortable with this product, as opposed to other sweeteners can provide GMO ingredients, pesticides, or be artificial.

Second, the issue of quantity with any food is significant, but it seems to be the key piece with sweeteners and their negative impact on one’s health. The core difference between sugar and agave, is a higher content of fructose (commonly known as “fruit sugar”). A higher fructose content helps lower the glycemic index of agave nectar versus table sugar. A lower GI is good right? Well, yes and no; and here we return to the issue of quantity. High amounts of fructose have been shown to increase triglycerides (a part of blood cholesterol) in individuals with insulin resistance, and it may also be implicated in non-alcohol fatty liver disease. High amounts of glucose are implicated in insulin resistance, obesity, heart disease and challenging the immune system. From where I stand, neither one of these then sounds all that great, right? And yet, their is no evidence that small amounts of glucose or small amounts of fructose present these risks. One other food development issue may tip the balance in favor of agave and that is that it is sweeter than sugar so we are able to achieve a higher sweetness profile using less. So that net’s us out at small amounts of agave syrup which is lower GI than table sugar is not a health risk, and indeed may be better for many.

To conclude, I want to share my advice to clients seeking nutrition for optimal health. First, do your research on any ingredient that sounds to good to be true to identify best quality ingredients (I can help you with these types of investigations as that is what the AKA seal signifies a product or ingredient has undergone). Second, balance your sweet eats and drinks with sour, savory, and bitter as nature intended and that way you will keep your intake of sugars appropriate. And to that end, third, keep your intake of sugars appropriate by eating a diet of mostly foods as they are found in nature; when you eat a food product look for one with low amounts of added sugar, and abstain from adding your own. I often tell clients if you have to order a vanilla latte with agave or sugar or an artificial sweetener to enjoy the taste – guess what? you don’t really like the taste of coffee! Skip it, move on and have a vanilla tea and a piece of dark chocolate instead or another of nature’s treats and you will improve your health while still being satisfied.

Originally posted on The Huffington Post.

For many parents, back-to-school presents mixed emotions tipping the balance in favor of anxiety ….There’s one part Elation: Yeah, they are back in school! But two parts Concern- 1)What do I send them that they will eat (and enjoy) and 2)How do I prevent them from getting the colds and flus that run through the classroom?

Here are some tips to tip the Back-to-School recipe in favor of Elation:

A) Immune Support: rather than try to cover them with anti-bacterial everything, work now to support their immune system.

1. Keeping added-sugar intake low (for example, add sliced strawberries to a waffle with nut butter vs jelly),
2. Aim for daily intake of all the different colors nature provides (you can make this a game with the kids using a color calendar on the fridge to see if they eat a “rainbow” each day) by making kid-friendly snacks such as baked sweet potato cubes, a Gorilla sandwich (hummus in a hollowed out cucumber or zucchini), and fruit / vegetable skewers (using straws).
3. Eat Organically: whereas chemicals can interfere with the body’s immune system, organic food does the exact opposite making sure we get as much of nature’s intended immune-supporting phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamins as possible.
4. Consider supplementation of vitamin D and a probiotic. Typically my recommendations are food first, but in these two instances I recommend supplementation to ensure adequate levels in the body.

B) When it comes to what kids will like and what they need, the two really aren’t as far apart as it sometimes may seem.

The goal is to get a nutrient-balanced eating occasion in about every 3 hours (I teach kids using the “race car” analogy – we need “pit stops” where we get gas (carbs), air in the tires (protein), and clean the windshield (healthy fats).

With school schedules and after school activities this can seem daunting especially if we follow a traditional “meal” and “snack” plan, where challenges arise from concern about what makes a meal and what is a healthy snack they will like.

My advice: pack a bag of goodies for the day and you will likely find greater success in terms of their liking it, eating it, and resulting optimal energy.

Some ideas that pack well:
Hummus or a bean dip with crunchy veggies; baggies of cereal mixed with nuts  and coconut pieces OR organic granola (make sure to portion control); leftover pita pizza made into little roll-ups; mini-nut butter or pesto sandwiches on manna bread; organic fruit crisp – use your favorite cereal as a topping; crunchy veggies with a honey mustard or favorite dressing; chocolate pieces and nut butter to dip; popcorn with nuts and seeds; a necklace strand of cereal O’s (a great weekend or after school project).

Since helping with the launch of coconut water here in the US, I’ve wanted everyone to know about the benefits of this “Nature’s Gatorade.” And just last week the Wall Street Journal covered the growth and popularity of the product.

Thus, you can imagine how SAD and MAD I became when I recently saw the new product launches by ONE coconut water. Are these just naturally flavored coconut waters? No!

Soooo NOT-AKA.

These new products now contain Cane Juice – a fancy name for sugar. What was always good about coconut water was that it was a diluted source of natural sugar – we only got what nature intended for us, natural sugar plus electrolytes. With these new products, ONE enters the world of sugared beverages, a definite NO on the path of nutrition for optimal health. So much research and medical anecdotal evidence today points to the fact that added sugar, especially in the beverage form puts us at risk for obesity, is negative for our immune system, negatively effects triglyceride levels as well as insulin sensitivity, and may irritate the digestive system.

AKA recommends skipping these beverages and sticking with the original, plain coconut water. You can always add your own frozen (so they are like ice cubes) organic berries or fruit to it for some extra sweetness and antioxidants- from nature.

My friend, a nanny, recounted a story for me the other day. She took her charges (two boys 5 and 2) to the grocery store for a snack and they stopped in front of the frozen aisle and said “Seeeweeed, we want the seeeeeweeeed.” She stopped, confused, knowing that the snack pack of Sea’s Gift seaweed on the head of the aisle was a favorite of mine, hers, and other adults, but were these kids, at the edge of the ice cream aisle crying out for seaweed, truly?? Indeed, they were. They like many other kids from ages 3 to 16 are discovering seaweed – not just at the sushi bar – but in a convenient little snack pack and clamoring for it in place of other favorite snacks. I recently helped a mother send 2 cases of it to her daughter at camp because her friends were eating the ones she brought for herself as a potato chip alternative.

Lightly sweetened or salted, Sea’s Gift (soon launching in larger packs to satisfy the growing demand) delights the tastes of my clients on the sets of movies and TV shows (HBO’s Big Love is the latest). I’ve recommended it for travel packs, school snacks, as well as for the house (I like to top my salads with it or I crinkle it on top of my cultured vegetables for a nutrition / digestion powerhouse snack (www.healingmovements.net).

Seaweed, a staple of longevity diets such as the Okinawans, offers an array of nutrients that makes it top the list of many healthiest foods lists. It’s rich in iodine (critical for thyroid hormones), vitamin K (bone health), and very good sources of folate (heart health, fetus brain development), magnesium (motility, relaxation, bone health), as well as providing other B vitamins, calcium, and iron. Seaweed also contains lignans which plays a role in appropriate estrogen metabolism and cancer prevention.

There are many types of seaweed, and I recommend adding them daily to soup, stir fry, and salad, but if you are a little shy of the taste, starting out with Sea’s Gift as a snack is a delicious, nutritious and easy way to get some of the sea’s nutrients into your day.