Category Archives: Nutrition

What We Learned from a Tour of Our Local Food Bank

  By Donna DeForbes | July 16, 2013 - 5:30 am | , ,
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RI-Food-Bank-rutabaga

Lately, Sofie’s been asking about the homeless guy she sees at a particular intersection we pass. She wants to give him food. This led to discussions about food pantries where people can go to get food. And then we asked our friend Erica, who works at our local food bank, to give us a tour. The RI Community Food Bank is a distribution warehouse that solicits, stores and provides surplus food to 178 member agencies at 238 sites across the state. (Find your nearest RI Food Bank agency here.) They have some pretty cool programs like Neighborhood Pantry Express, a mobile food pantry that provides fresh produce to low-income people, and Community Kitchen, a 14-week culinary job-training program for jobless adults that also provides healthy dinners to hungry kids. The warehouse alone occupies 35,000 square feet and can hold two million pounds of food at one time! Here’s a peek … Continue reading →

Top 5 Summer Fruits for a Rainbow of Nutrition

  By Donna DeForbes | July 5, 2013 - 5:30 am |
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Summer fruits | Eco-Mothering.com

After a recent tour of our local food bank, Sofie has been focused on “eating the rainbow” at as many meals as possible. This, of course, has me gleeful that she is getting a variety of nutrients in her diet. And it inspired this post on the top 5 summer fruits for a rainbow meal… Blueberries These summer berries rank second to strawberries in U.S. consumption, but come in first among fruits and veggies for having the highest antioxidant content. Antioxidants optimize health by combating free radicals—those little buggers that attack our cellular structure. Blueberries also contain vitamin C, K, manganese and fiber. Eating raw blueberries every day protects against heart disease and diabetes, and improves eye health and brain function, including memory. Note that organic blueberries have a higher concentrations of antioxidants. And freezing blueberries does not affect their nutritional value, so stock up in summer and enjoy them … Continue reading →

What Kids Can Learn at the Farmers Market

  By Donna DeForbes | June 18, 2013 - 5:30 am | ,
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What Kids Can Learn from the Farmers Market | Eco-Mothering.com

With June comes farmers market season in Rhode Island. The last few years, we’ve grown some of our own vegetables, but nothing beats the local farmers market for additional produce and atmosphere. Farmers markets are made for families. Here are a few things kids can learn from being there. Food Comes From the Earth You’d never know it from the cold, sterile environment of a supermarket where tomatoes are packaged in plastic and carrots come dirt-free. At the farmers market, we see veggies with their leaves and roots hanging out. They’re fresh and earthy—rather like kids themselves. Here, little ones discover that tomatoes come in many colors, that there is such a thing as purple cauliflower, that local peaches are smaller (and sweeter) than the commercially grown variety. With no layers between you and the food, you can smell or taste something right there. And famers love to offer samples, … Continue reading →

Top 5 Healthy Snacks Kids Love

  By Donna DeForbes | April 5, 2013 - 6:00 am | ,
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Healthy Kids' Snacks | Eco-Mothering.com

Pears Pecorino This Tuscan treat was introduced to us years ago by friends. It is quite delicious, if a bit messy, and is always well received at potlucks. (Make it right before eating.) The ingredients: ripe pears, Pecorino Romano cheese, honey and walnuts. Slice the pears and arrange on a plate. Add a hunk of cheese (or a delicate sliver) to each slice. Drizzle with honey. Sprinkle walnuts on top. Buon appetito! Be sure to keep the cloth napkins handy. Fruit and Yogurt Muesli Another Italian inspiration, this was part of our daily breakfast buffet in Lake Como last spring. We reinvent it at home on weekends. There are many versions of muesli (a cereal introduced in 1900 by a Swiss physician), but this is how we like it. We use Chobani yogurt, which is nice and creamy, usually whatever flavor we have on hand. Add chopped apples and bananas. … Continue reading →

Top 5 Health Benefits of Figs

  By Donna DeForbes | February 15, 2013 - 7:00 am | ,
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I love figs! Fresh ones are good, but I mostly eat the dried variety as they have a longer shelf life. I recently discovered fig butter (yum!), which makes a delicious spread on my morning toast. Since I can consume figs by the handful, I rather hoped they harbored some healthy components. Thankfully, figs are a highly nutritious snack, providing vitamins A and B6 and excellent levels of phosphorus, calcium, iron and manganese (about 15% more of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for calcium and iron). Whether you prefer Brown Turkey or Black Mission, here are a few details on the powerful fig. Strengthens bones According to the California Fig Advisory Board, figs have the highest amount of calcium of any fruit (121 mg per ½ cup serving). A serving of figs meets 12% of your recommended daily value for calcium. This is good news for all those lactose-intolerant, leafy greens-resistant … Continue reading →

Top 5 Things I Enjoyed During My New Year Body Cleanse

  By Donna DeForbes | January 11, 2013 - 7:00 am | , ,
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Three years ago I did a cleanse that kick-started a healthy eating and exercise regimen where I lost 20 pounds. This past weekend I did another cleanse, mainly to eliminate the post-holiday toxins in my system. For 3 ½ days I fasted until noon (water, herbal tea and homemade smoothies excepted), and ate only veggies, fruits, raw nuts and wheat-free whole grains (namely, brown rice). For me, it was a kind of spiritual experience. I feel “cleaned out” not just physically, but emotionally as well. As if I’ve confronted the illusions of reality, reconnected with my essence and am now ready to take on anything. Or you could just do it for health benefits. Here’s what else I enjoyed: A dietary “high.” Okay, Day 1 sucked. I was hungry and crabby around people who could eat anything they wanted. Salads aren’t so wonderful when it’s the only thing on your menu. … Continue reading →

Eco Mom’s Top 5 Eco-Friendly Deals This Week

  By Donna DeForbes | November 9, 2012 - 9:23 am | ,
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Harmony Organic Green Tea at Big Lots: $4.00. I’m a daily green tea drinker. Coffee is a bit harsh on my system, and I find a morning cup of green tea wakes me up without any body jitters or dashes to the bathroom. Check out the health benefits of green tea. My favorite green tea comes in a large bag of loose leaves my friend brings back from China. But we run out of that fairly quickly, and so when I stumbled upon this deal at our local Big Lots, I snatched it up. Organic tea in non-bleached bags – yay! My one gripe: I wish they’d taken a page from Celestial Seasonings’ book and put the bags in loose instead of enclosing them in individual packaging. Harmony also makes white, oolong and jasmine teas. Boiron Arnicare® Arnica Gel from Vitacost.com: $8.99. I love homeopathic arnica (from the plant Arnica Montana) … Continue reading →

Hit Me Over the Head About the Effects of Hormones in Meat, PLEASE!

  By Donna DeForbes | October 25, 2012 - 7:34 am | ,
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This week I bought the organic rotisserie chicken at BJ’s because I had a coupon. However, I often opt for the “regular” rotisserie chicken—even though I know it’s not good for us— because I’m so budget-conscious. All those labels on the organic chicken become like technical wallpaper (no hormones or steroids added, no animal by-products, no antibiotics…) so that, after a while, what they mean tends not to register. Especially when I’m making snap buying decisions at the grocery store. What might grab my attention more is if the regular, hormone-injected chicken had a giant warning label slapped on it. Kind of like this:   Then I would buy the organic chicken every time … even if it cost $20. References on hormones in meat: Consumer concerns about hormones in food. Growth hormone could promote cancer. Hormones in meat cause young girls to reach puberty sooner.