***So I'm sick now too, but that means I know exactly what kind of Ginger Ale I prefer, because the genius husband went out to get me some. Reed's Extra Ginger Brew, 26 grams of ginger per bottle, fruit juice and honey sweetened, all natural. It's at Trader Joe's but I was able to find it in Canada, so you may have luck looking at specialty stores. That's all for now, I'm taking a nap.***
We are still in the middle of flu week here. The Girl seems to be better the Boy has replaced her on the couch with the puke bowl. Which brings me to today’s topic.
Popsicles are classic flu recovery food, but they are also something that kids love to eat anytime. I always make my own; they are really simple.
You can just use fruit juice, any kind and pour it into popsicle molds. Here are some other ideas as well.
I watch for fruit that has been marked down because it’s getting too ripe, especially organic strawberries. These are bit mushy but not rotting. When I get them home I cut off the ends and put them all in the blender and then pour them into popsicle molds. When I’m concerned about my children not getting enough protein I add other things like yogurt, or ground almonds, or nut butter, tahini, soy milk, almond milk, etc. They really like ground almonds strawberries and yogurt. There is no need to add sweetener if you have fruit or juice in the mix.
Right now I’m making them swirled fudgesicles. I fill the molds half way up with the unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze milk, and then I slowly pour in chocolate flavored almond milk on top, it makes a nice little swirl in the mold and I just have to get them to the freezer without too much jostling. Peanut butter fudgsicles happen when we mix chocolate soymilk or almond milk with some peanut butter and usually some yogurt, and freeze it. The possibilities are endless, and ALWAYS eaten. This is also a good place to sneak in supplements in powder form.
Ginger ale is good for a recovering stomach, just not the brands that don’t actually have any real ginger in them. We like to get the Jamaican style of ginger beers. You may have to go outside of your regular grocery store to find these, but they are around. Just label read for real ginger content. They also have less sugar, and a very strong taste. I don’t actually give my kids this; it’s for the grown-ups who need it. For kids we have “bubble juice” also known as Emergen-C. This is a little powder packet full of Vitamin C and essential minerals and electrolytes. We buy it by the box at Trader Joe’s but I know you can get it in many other places including on the counter at several gas stations. It comes in several different flavors, it's fizzy, the kids think they’re getting a treat, and it absorbs fast, which is great for nauseous little tummies. They don’t just get this when they’re sick. It’s often their one juice a day. I keep a couple of packets in my purse and use it when I think they’re in danger of dehydration in the CA summers. I just pour a packet into their water bottles and they tend to drink it faster because they like it.
We’ve already talked about crackers extensively. So I’ll not go there.
I found this the other day, which is a helpful shopping guide for healthier alternatives to snack food with some brands I’d forgotten about.
Also, I’ve had a question about JuicePlus+ the supplement that I take. So basically they turn fruits and vegetables into powder without heat and keep up to 80% of the nutrients alive somehow and then put them in capsules for you to take. It’s the next best thing to fruits and vegetables and covers many dietary gaps. The reason I like them better than other companies that make similar claims is that they actually test to make sure it works, through independent researchers who don’t get a paycheck from them. They have done blood tests on people before taking the supplement, and then after 2 weeks, and then 4 etc. And they test specifically for things like alpha-tocopherals and beta-carotenes, and the things that you are supposed to get from fruits and vegetables and show a significant increase in your blood within 2 weeks of taking the supplement. You can go to their sight to read more and order. I think if you go to a link through this site then I get a little tiny bit of money for your order, so I’m going to put a link up in the side bar in case you want to do that. So I can pay for more popsicles.
3 comments:
Just wanted to point out a few things about the research the site indicates.
A) Only two studies (as far as I could remember) were double blind. Only one controlled the rest of their diet. Only one or two had a control group for comparison. All of them had few participants (59 was the highest I saw). These are all red flags--shows potential promise for further research but does not indicate great results. Further, I believe none of the studies were replicating others' results.
B) We only have the company's claim that these are independant researchers. The company could have paid for the research, provided the materials for free, or had other influence on the studies.
Any company can show proof of their products. I'm not convinced by this company's so-called proof.
p.s. thanks for changing the feed. It was great to be able to read the entire post today!
PS, I checked the price and was aghast. Imagine the real fruits and veggies you could buy for $40/month/person! And you'd be getting fiber, too. If you like the convenience and ability to add the powder to other foods, you could buy a dehydrator for about $50 and dry the foods you buy. Then use a blender or food processor to powder them. We do this to add veggies to our daughter's diet already (and mine, too, as I've ended up using the powder in bread, pizza, etc.).
Ann marie,
Thanks for your comments.There are a few independent watchdog studies, one of which was featured on Oprah that tested this product also, and it was in the top 5 for reliability.
As to the cost, when you consider that it breaks down to just over $1 a day per person, it's not that expensive, it would cost a lot more to purchase the number of servings of the specifically diverse fruits and vegetables that are in the capsules per day than it does to take JuicePlus+ which is why it works for us. BUt really, we take it because we feel better taking it, and healthier.
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