SWEET POTATO

Here’s how the Sweet Potatoes swept the Zucchinis..

The Sweet Potatoes – the Vitamin A powerhouse was just too much for the out of season zucchini.  Vitamin A had an outstanding game providing 438% of the daily value.  Lights out for Houdini!

Once again, the fan support swayed the game.  By the looks of  it, 75% of the fans in attendance were cheering for the Sweet Potatoes, while only 25%  were rooting for the Zucchinis.

Our FanCam spotted these Standout Supporters!

“How can you go wrong with sweet potatoes! Their current popularity alone gives them the fan base needed to defeat zucchini.”

“Sweat potato baby!!!! Yummy and so ver versatile l!!! The best!”

“While I think Sweet Potato will get the W, I’d like to root (no pun intended) for the Zucchini as it’s a personal favorite. Gooooooo Zucchini!”

“This was the battle royale…in the end…sweet potatoes…gotta love a vegetable that can be dinner or dessert!!!”

“Easy peasy (I hope)…sweet potatoes rock!!”

These fans, and all the other participants who voted for their favorite team in the Zucchini vs Sweet Potato head-to-head matchup, were entered into our favorite fan drawing for a Visa gift card.

VOTING IS CLOSED!

The blended family, job losses, home foreclosures, and aging parents are all reasons an extra chair (or two) are being pulled up to the dinner table. It’s the 2010 version of the Brady bunch, which could now includes babies, toddlers, preschool and school age children, teenagers, 20s, 30s, pregnant women, over the hill, and our beloved seniors.

Each person is at a different phase in life, and requires his/her own special dietary attention. So how do you keep up the with balanced nutrition for different age groups, and keep a healthy home? Good question. I’d say plant your family tree and watch it grow!  With the right nutrition, of course!

By Ronaldo F Cabuhat

Different ages, different requirement to be healthy!  Here are some important nutrients for the family members in your home:

Babies:  Vitamin D, Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Vitamin A, B12

Toddlers:  Calcium, Vitamin D, Iron, Zinc, B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin A

School Age:  Calcium, Vitamin D, B6, Zinc, fiber, Iron

Teenagers:  Calcium, Iron, Zinc, fiber

Adults:  Calcium, Iron, Zinc, fiber

Seniors: Calcium, Iron, Vitamin D, Zinc, Vitamin A, C, and E, fiber, B12

The nutrition needs of our family are always changing. To adapt to this ever-changing household, first focus on the roots of your family tree, the minerals that are essential for all ages- Calcium, Iron, and Zinc.  Let’s say a house had a teenager, toddler, and an elderly family member all sitting at the same table for dinner.

CALCIUM

When it comes to Calcium, teenagers need 250% of the Calcium a toddlers needs.  But if your toddler or teenager drinks or eats too much milk or calcium rich foods, they may become deficient in another mineral, Iron

Our children are at risk!  Studies show that ~75% of teenagers are falling short of their Calcium needs.   Now that your 16 year old teenage boy is flying more independently and sprouting up taller than you, you may want to keep tabs on what he is drinking.  The teenage years are very important for bone growth, which in typical teenage fashion, your teenager may not care about and would rather drink Calcium’s competitor, soda and energy drinks.  A teenager needs 1300 mg Calcium per day, the highest of any age group.  In order to meet these sky-high requirements, your teenager needs to get 4-5 servings of milk or other dairy sources every day!   

Good sources of Calcium are primarily dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, and regular cheeses.  But you can also find some Calcium in smaller amounts in Calcium fortified OJ, tofu, and green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale, and turnip greens. 

If lactose intolerance is a problem for your family, be sure to try soymilk, it contains about the same amount of Calcium as a glass of milk. 

There are many additional factors to consider, like how well our body absorbs Calcium. Some factors help and some make it more difficult!  These factors include Vitamin D, Sodium, Potassium, Fiber, Protein, Caffeine, Alcohol, Age, Ethnicity, and Pregnancy to name a few.  Our bodies are so complex; sometimes it’s not as easy as drinking 3 cups of milk a day!

IRON

Iron is what helps oxygen get to all parts of your body, iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world (WHO), resulting in feeling tired or weak, poor school performances, increased illness.  Iron deficiency anemia can be a problem especially for pregnant women, premature babies, toddlers, teenage girls, athletes, overweight children, and people with renal failure and gastrointestinal disorders.

Females 14-50 years of age have the highest Iron requirements related to increased blood loss with their monthly cycles.  Be sure the women in your family are eating food rich in iron all month long!  Try adding spinach to salads or sandwiches, offer OJ with your morning oatmeal, and include meat, poultry or fish in your evening meal.

Iron is found in both animal sources, such as red meats, chicken, turkey, and fish, as well as plant sources including cereals, oatmeal, soybeans, lentils, beans, and spinach.  Look for foods that have greater than 20% of the Daily Value for Iron on the nutrition label. 

ZINC

Keep you immune function up and kids growing with Zinc!  Children can often be picky resulting in poor intakes often times of meats, which may result in zinc deficiency.  Inadequate zinc intake may cause your child not to grow as well, may cause problems with their hair, nails, and skin, or may decrease their appetites.  Loss of appetite may also be a concern for the older family members who may not be eating enough overall, therefore eating less zinc. 

If your 2 year old little princess is stuck on macaroni and cheese and nothing else, she may be in need of more zinc!  Try making that macaroni and cheese with lean hamburger meat! 

The best sources of zinc are found in red meats and chicken, but also found in cereals fortified with zinc, beans, peas, oatmeal, milk and nuts. 

Calcium, Iron, and Zinc are essential parts of your family’s diet, but what happens when you add other factors in such as trying to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, lactose intolerance, athletes to feed, vegetarian, control diabetes, and other factors complicating your family’s dinner.

Making a healthy meal for your family tree can be as difficult as keeping up with each and every one of their needs!   To learn more about the nutritional needs of your family tree, join our free seminars! To find out about upcoming dates follow our blog or follow us on facebook.

Kids in the Kitchen is an annual event designed to address the urgent issues surrounding childhood obesity and poor nutrition by getting children and their parents excited about leading a healthy lifestyle through interactive, hands-on activities.

It was such a joy to teach the importance of vitamins to more than 1,500 attendees this year. We are always so impressed by the parent’s desire to create a healthy home for their families, and the kids’ willingness to learn a fact or two.

It doesn’t hurt, of course, that each child is given a “bingo card” that requires a stamp from our Vitamin Central booth to win prizes.

While we try to unload as much fun vitamin knowledge as we can, at times we’d notice adorable little eyes fixated on the stamp tucked in our hands– waiting anxiously for us to reward them for finding our booth.

Most of the time, the kids are like sponges, taking in whatever they can. We are frequently shocked by how knowledgeable they are about nutrition, and their love for fruits and vegetables.

Last year, one little boy even asked Kim (our Skinny Gene RN) if Vitamin K, referred to as the “Clotmaster”, had anything to do with platelets. Wow!

This year’s best response came from a sweet little girl. When Kim asked her “Where are your bones?” She confidently replied, “At home.” Turns out she has a couple of dogs.

Kids in the kitchen is fun and rewarding, in so many ways. Our hope is that the kids will leave realizing that yes, food should taste good; but it also has a purpose. Eating colorful, vitamin rich foods is important- whether they want to be strong like Popeye, have good vision like Superman, or just wanna live life and play in the sun.

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

One of the most common questions we heard was, “How much Vitamin__ should my kid be getting?” We promised to give you the actual breakdown, so here it is, and a quick reminder as to why your kids need these vitamins.

“How Come?”

Vitamins play an important role in the health and development of our children. Adding vitamin-rich foods into our children’s diet is an easy way to help our children live a long and healthy life.

Our booth focused on a  few of the benefits of eating foods rich in A, C, D (and calcium), E, and K.

Vitamin A: Improves your eyesight and helps your body to fight germs

Vitamin C: Forms collagen, which maintains healthy tissues (muscles and gums). This vitamin also helps to boost your immune system.

Vitamin D: Helps your body to absorb calcium, which grows strong bones.

Vitamin E: Protects your skin from harmful UV rays. This vitamin is also a powerful antioxidant that protects your body from disease.

Vitamin K: Allows your blood to clot, which stops cuts from bleeding. It also helps to bind calcium to the bone.

“How Much?”