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As consumers are expecting more from their daily bread, Mrs. Baird's, Texas' legendary bread company, is responding by introducing the first prebiotic bread available in mainstream supermarkets in Texas. Mrs. Baird's has introduced Acti-Fiber Wheat bread containing prebiotic fibers to aid in digestive health. The wheat bread combines the goodness of whole grains with digestive health benefits, a first in local bread aisles.

"We are very excited to offer the first widely available prebiotic bread in the region," says Aaron Fisher, Mrs. Baird's Brand Manager. "In this competitive marketplace, it is important to stay ahead of the curve. Research shows consumers are demanding more from their everyday foods and there is a strong interest in pre- and probiotic products."

According to Datamonitor, U.S. sales of products that aid in digestive health exceeded $600 million in 2006. Pre- and probiotic new product introductions increased by 375 percent from 2005 to 2007.

(10-07-08)

According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, approximately 10 to 20 percent of the general population is affected by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS as a functional disorder characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, discomfort and alteration of bowel habits. ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Tom Bayne suggests an outlined diet plan to avoid common symptoms of IBS.

"Many people are looking for a singular answer for IBS but unfortunately there isn't one," Dr. Bayne says. "There are many different answers because every body is different and everyone requires a personalized workup to understand the specific triggers."

Since each person has a different body makeup, a personalized diet program is necessary to become symptom free. Dr. Bayne says that identification of food intolerances is critical along with stress management. By understanding the specific imbalances that cause IBS symptoms, a healthy system can be restored.

Dr. Bayne offers the following tips on curbing the symptoms of IBS:

• Low-fat Options – Stick with low-fat foods since fat is the single greatest digestive tract stimulant and will trigger IBS more than any other food.
• Caffeine Free, Please – Anything caffeinated or carbonated can trigger IBS so sticking with juice and water is a better option.
• Fiber Is Your Frenemy – Although the necessary amount of fiber is still recommended, avoid insoluble fibers such as wheat, nuts, beans and granola as their fiber content can stimulate IBS.

(10-07-08)

With Americans feeling financially stretched due to the current state of the economy, many families are eating more meals at home in an effort to save money. To keep mealtime fresh, parents are looking for new menu ideas that are easy, healthful and, most important, affordable. World Egg Day on October 10 provides parents with an opportunity to make their families feel like they are a world away at mealtime, while sticking to affordable ingredients that are already in the refrigerator and pantry.

Howard Helmer, the Guinness World Records "World Fastest Omelet Maker," has traveled the world teaching people how to spice up their menus without breaking the bank. "More and more, moms are asking me for creative meal ideas that feature new flavors, but are affordable and easy to prepare," says Helmer. "Luckily, moms don't need to buy expensive ingredients or cook all day to enjoy flavors from around the world. At just 15 cents each, eggs are incredibly affordable, plus, the high-quality protein in eggs provides kids with the energy they need to stay focused throughout the day."

To celebrate World Egg Day, Helmer is providing tips and recipes (costing approximately $2 per serving) that will give families a taste of the world right from their own kitchens:

• Rediscover the Spice Rack: Many families have a fully-stocked spice rack, yet most spices are rarely used. Spice up everyday egg dishes like omelets, quiches, frittatas and more with curry for Indian spice, chili and cumin for Mexican heat or ginger to experience Thai flavor.
• Give Your Fare an Asian Flair: Excite taste buds by incorporating Asian seasonings and sauces into basic egg dishes. Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, duck sauce or ginger to infuse scrambled eggs with new flavors.
• Adios, Niños: Even the most rushed mornings can start with nutritious and flavorful breakfasts. Send kids to school with an on-the-go Mexican-inspired breakfast by rolling scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa and low-fat cheese into a tortilla.
• Elevate Your Leftovers: Take leftovers to a new level by adding them to egg dishes like scrambled eggs, omelets, quiches and frittatas. Almost any food can be added to eggs – from last night's Asian stir fry to leftover taco fixings.

For more information, visit www.incredibleEgg.org.

(10-07-08)

These days in America, it seems that everyone is so busy that preparing school lunches is liable to push a typical mom right over the edge, says Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam, editors of www.LivingOnADime.com. When you have to choose between making school lunches or spending that extra 15 minutes in bed, it seems like buying ready-made lunches at the store is a no-brainer, but your budget doesn't agree.

The average mom packs $2 worth of pre-packaged goodies into each lunch she sends to school with her kids. (That works out to $720 for two kids.) What mother hasn't wondered if those lunches are even getting eaten?

Kellam and Cooper offer these tips for things you can do in 30 minutes or less on the weekend to make those school lunches a snap!

• Those snack bags of munchies cost a lot! Make your own by pre-packaging chips, pretzels, animal crackers and other snack items into sandwich bags on the weekends. (Have the kids help!) Store them in a big container or basket and just throw them in the lunch box in the morning.
• Let the kids create their own pizza lunch kits. Toast bread and cut out little circles with a biscuit cutter. Add small containers of pizza sauce, cheese and other toppings.
• Make fruit gelatin and pudding and put in small plastic containers for the week. Make a large batch of granola bars, cookies, pumpkin bread, banana bread or muffins. Divide them into zip-top sandwich bags and freeze so that you can grab one or two when needed.
• Brownie bites are simple to make. Bake brownie mix in mini-muffin pans and put three "brownie bites" in a sandwich bag for each child's lunch. They freeze well too!
• Fill thermos (not glass) half full with juice the night before and freeze. In the morning, remove from freezer and fill the rest of the way. The juice will be cold when the kids are ready to drink it and it keeps their food cold too.
• Clean vegetables, slice into pieces and bag. Preparing a week's worth of veggies at a time for lunches and snacks saves money and time.
• Purchase cheese in blocks, cut into pieces and put in sandwich bags.
• Save napkins, ketchup and mustard packets you get from take out. Use in lunches.

(9-30-08)

From 2003 to 2008 research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has consistently found that children who have frequent family dinners are less likely to use marijuana, tobacco and drink alcohol. CASA research reveals that compared to children who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), children who have infrequent family dinners (less than three per week) are two and a half times likelier to have used marijuana and tobacco, and one and a half times likelier to have drunk alcohol.

Monday, September 22, marked CASA's eighth annual "Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children" celebration. Family Day is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America's children substance free and reminds parents that "Dinner Makes a Difference!"

This year CASA introduced a major call to action for parents – the "Family Day" STAR Pledge – which encourages parents all across the nation to take back their seats at the dinner table. To pledge to be a "Family Day" STAR click on the pledge button on www.CASAFamilyDay.org. A "Family Day" STAR commits to:

S – Spend time with my kids by having dinner together.
T – Talk to them about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
A – Answer their questions and listen to what they say.
R – Recognize that I have the power to help keep my kids substance-free!

(9-30-08)

Summer (and early fall) is the time to chill out with cool summer fruits. So why not lower your blood pressure at the same time? Nutrition experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center say there's no better way to lower your blood pressure than by indulging in some of the season's potassium-rich fruit and vegetables.

"Melons like cantaloupe and watermelon are particularly high in potassium," says Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "One-fourth of a cantaloupe contains 800 to 900 milligrams of potassium, roughly 20 percent of the recommended daily value." Two cups of watermelon contains nearly 10 percent of the daily recommended value.

Sandon says that dried apricots, avocados, figs, kiwi, oranges, raisins, dates, beans, potatoes, tomatoes and even grapefruit are other good sources of potassium. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that most adults get 4,044 milligrams of potassium from food and beverages each day. (9-30-08)

As students head back to school, parents gain flexibility in what their children receive in school lunch lines. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that parents or legal guardians may request, in writing, soymilk as an alternative to cow's milk for children receiving National School Lunch and Breakfast Program meals. This change caters to the growing diversity of participants in the School Nutrition Programs and allows children with lactose intolerance, dairy allergies or cultural diet restrictions to have an alternative source of calcium at school mealtime.

Just like cow's milk, fortified soymilk helps build strong bones with calcium and vitamin D and contains vitamin A, iron and heart healthy soy protein. Fortified soymilk is also cholesterol-free and has lower amounts of saturated fat and fewer calories than milk – making it a very healthy option for kids. Parents wishing to substitute soymilk for dairy milk should contact their child's school food service program.

For more information, visit www.soyfoods.org.

(9-23-08)

According to the American Breath Specialists, nearly 60 million people in the United States suffer from halitosis, also known as chronic bad breath. ChicagoHealers.com practitioner Dr. John A. Rothchild, DDS, provides some helpful advice on foods that help maintain a healthy mouth and fresh breath.

"Foods rich in calcium such as cheese and yogurt help maintain strong teeth and increase saliva production," Dr. Rothchild says. "Healthy salivary production combined with crunchy fiber-rich foods like apples and carrots help keep teeth clean."

Daily brushing and flossing is necessary to maintain a healthy mouth. However, eating certain foods throughout the day can either hurt or help your breath. Stay away from sugary, sticky and smelly foods. Even healthy foods like raisins and granola bars can be problematic if brushing does not occur directly after. Both black and green teas contain compounds that actually reduce the bacteria that causes bad breath.

The best way to keep breath fresh is to avoid garlicky foods that can hang around for hours and into the next day. Dr. Rothchild provides the following tips for maintaining a healthy mouth and fresh breath:

• Natural Products: Alcohol-based dental products tend to dry out the mouth, halting important salivary production. Natural dental products tend to work better because most do not contain alcohol.
• Leafy Greens: Snacking on leafy greens like spinach, swiss chard, arugula and collard greens clean the teeth and provide an excellent source of calcium.
• Chew on Herbs: Besides the old standby herb parsley, there is also the proverbial sprig of mint. Chewing on coriander, spearmint, tarragon, eucalyptus, rosemary or cardamon all work well for controlling bad breath.
• Gum and Mints Help: Go ahead and chew, as long as the gum and mints contain xylitol instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners. Xylitol is the only artificial sweetener that helps fight tooth decay.

(9-23-08)

Families who eat together are more likely to stay together, as the saying goes. One University of Missouri researcher has discovered that the importance of mealtime also applies to newlywed couples, not just families with children.

After surveying 1,000 newlyweds, David Schramm, assistant professor of human development and family studies in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, discovered that the No. 1 complaint for newly married couples was balancing both jobs and "togetherness" time. "There are so many demands for our time and the first thing to go are meals together," says Schramm, who also is an MU Extension state specialist.

Schramm said that while more couples are dining out, simply eating together may not be enough. The tasks surrounding mealtime – food preparation and cleanup – also can be beneficial to a relationship. "The purpose of the task is not just to get the task done, but also to strengthen the relationship with time spent together," Schramm says.

Couples who start this pattern before having children are more likely to eat together when they do have children. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who regularly eat meals with their families eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat than children who do not. Studies from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse show that teens who eat dinner with their parents six times a week are less likely to smoke cigarettes or marijuana and less likely to consume alcohol. Eating as a family helps foster a sense of connectedness in the family, and provides an ideal setting for adults to encourage positive communication and social skills in their children.

Whether there are six chairs around the table or two, one piece of advice remains the same: Turn off the television. "Eating together in front of the TV is crowding out family," says Schramm. "It's time to excuse the TV. It's not welcome at the dinner table."

(9-23-08)

AFP Newswire recently reported that men who eat more fruit and vegetables have less risk of developing a type of esophagus cancer called esophageal squanmous cell carcinoma (SCC). This is a small price to pay to avoid a monumental health issue. Chicagohealers.com practitioner Dr. Helen Lee states that stress is the main cause of all cancer-causing cells and that nutrition, in addition to diet and exercise, will increase the quality of overall emotional health.

"Cells are normally designed to grow, divide and degenerate," says Dr. Lee. "Cancer is a general term used to describe a situation in the body when cells begin to grow out of control or are unable to be regulated and/or recognized by the body. Living in a society inundated with toxin, chemicals, pollutants and stress, the prevalence of cancer is becoming a very familiar disease process. Therefore, it is vital to focus on what we can do to increase our level of health and the body's ability to adapt to stress."

The key to increasing health through nutrition is to always get a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that will provide a range of nutrients. Raw vegetables give better access to the natural minerals, enzymes and nutrients. However, there are certain foods that have been shown to contain certain beneficial effects for cancer. Dr. Lee provides the following foods to boost immunity, de-stress the body and help fight cancer:

• You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato – This delicious fruit contains lycopene, which is a strong, cancer-fighting antioxidant.
• A Fishy Situation – Fish oils such as cod liver oil, which contain essential fatty acids (omega 3), are essential in hormone balance.
• Veggie Tales – Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, mustard greens, etc.) contain phytochemicals, which can help to break down dangerous carcinogens.
• Get Garlic Breath – Garlic contains allyl sulfur, which has been shown to be beneficial in lowering the risk of cancer.
• The Spice of Life – Ginger and turmeric has been used to increase digestive function and has been shown in studies to have an inhibitory effect on cancer cells.
• Pass the Asparagus, Please – Asparagus contains potassium, folic acid, vitamin C and high levels of glutathione, which is a potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

(9-16-08)