When I was little I was wild about Fruit Loops. I loved all the colors and of course, I couldn’t get enough of the sweet, sugary taste. There was nothing better than mom coming home with a big box of them from the grocery store that my brother and I would fight over.

That was in the 70’s, way before we really talked about how much sugar there is in cereals marketed to kids. We’ve known for years that a whole range of these cereals really aren’t good for them, but the marketing arm of large consumer companies is long and powerful, convincing many families with kids that there sugar-laden cereals are the way to go.

But did you hear about the Consumer Reports study that came out this week about just how bad the top selling kids cereals are? It’s probably not a surprise to hear they’re full of sugar, but the extend to which many of them are unhealthy is alarming.

Take a listen to this week’s audio tip and you can learn the facts about these cereals and hear some simple tips to feed your kids a healthier breakfast.

What about you? Do you have a penchant for sweet cereals yourself? And what do you do to feed your kids a healthier breakfast? Check out the recipe below for a healthy and delicious breakfast. This is one of my favorites that I make regularly.

Whole Oatmeal
Oat groats are a whole grain found in health food stores. With a bit of soaking you can turn them into a delicious and filling breakfast cereal that will keep you going for hours.  The beauty is that it doesn’t require any cooking, just soaking the oats and creating the cereal! You can break up the preparation into 2 simple steps. I make enough to last for several meals. This recipe is from “Raw Foods Made Easy.”

Step 1: Soak the Oat Groats

1 ½ cups whole oat groats

Place the oat groats in a small bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8-10 hours at room temperature.  Drain in a colander and rinse well. Return the oat groats to the bowl, cover with water and soak for another 8-10 hours.  Drain and rinse again. Allow oat groats to sit for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate. The oats will keep for three days in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Make the Oatmeal

Ingredients:
2 cups soaked oat groats
½ apple, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup or agave nectar
2 tbsp. water
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
¼ tsp. salt

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Serve at room temperature and add milk if desired. Simply delicious!

I used to eat so much more sugar. I don’t know that I’d say I was totally addicted to it, but I certainly had a sweet tooth. And I often ate lots of sugar because I was stressed out or trying to juggle too many things. Believe it or not, it used to feel relaxing to me. These days, however, I’ve nipped it in the bud and whenever I can, I stick to natural sweeteners that are gentler on the system.

I’m a big fan of agave nectar. Yep, the same agave that people think about when they think tequila. Agave nectar is light and very sweet, almost like a simple syrup, so you don’t need a lot. It’s great for baking and cooking or adding to tea or coffee. Check out one of my favorite brands of agave nectar.

Have you had it before? What do you think? Does it help with sugar cravings? And what’s your experience with other natural sweeteners?

Whether you are having fresh fruit for a light early morning breakfast, a mid day snack or evening treat, enjoy nature’s sweetness and when ever possible buy organic. Here are a few summer fruits and their health benefits:

• Apricots: Great for lung conditions and asthma; used to help treat anemia due to their high copper and cobalt content.
• Bananas: Help to lubricate the intestines, treat ulcers, detoxify the body, and manage sugar cravings; rich in potassium, which helps hypertension.
• Blueberries: natural antioxidants that neutralize free radical damage; help relieve diahrrea and constipation
• Cherries: Slightly warming in nature; increase overall body energy, remedy arthritis and rheumatism, and are rich in iron, which improves the blood.
• Papayas: Tone the stomach, act as digestive aid, moisten the lungs and alleviate coughing; contain carpaine, an anti-tumor compound.
• Raspberries: Benefit the liver and kidneys, cleanse blood of toxins, regulate menstrual cycles, treat anemia and can promote labor at childbirth.

Thursday, January 18 – 7:45 am, Southern Connecticut Exchange Networking Group, Stamford, CT
Are you sick of making resolutions that never seem to last beyond the first month? Join me for an interactive discussion of strategies to help you stay on track and make lasting changes. For more information, call 203-641-0653.

Sweet potatoes elevate blood sugar gently, rather than with the jolt delivered by simple refined carbohydrates, so there’s no energy crash after you eat them. Much higher in nutrients than white potatoes and especially rich in vitamin A, sweet potatoes offer a creamy consistency that is satisfying and soothing. They are healing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and help to remove toxins from the body. They can increase the quantity of milk in lactating women and can lessen cramps and pre-menstrual symptoms. If you don’t have any sweet potatoes in your kitchen, go out and buy some (organic and local if possible).
 

Long roots include carrots, parsnips, burdock and daikon radish. Round roots include turnips, radishes, beets and rutabagas. Long roots like burdock and daikon are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body and increase mental clarity. Round roots are nourishing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and can help regulate blood sugar, moods, and alleviate cravings.