The four-million dollar sugar industry’s Halloween festival could be just the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to introduce new foods to your child’s (or your) diet. Instead of the normal refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup candies that give their bodies a roller coaster ride, try making them a healthy treat that is also fun. We want to protect our children from harm in all aspects of their lives, and diet is a crucial way of protecting them.
The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, published in 1998, showed that children consumed an average of 29 teaspoons of sugar each day, and it is scary to think how much sugar they can ingest in a single day around Halloween and the holidays.
Sugar breaks down the immune system and stresses the body severely – contributing to diabetes, obesity, tooth decay and a host of other health problems. Anything high in fructose, like high-fructose corn syrup or agave nectar, disrupts the body’s ability to make insulin, as well as being a hormone disrupter.
Halloween, however, allows a parent the opportunity to use the spooky theme to make new dishes seem fun and exciting. Did you ever think that green food is the perfect choice for a spooky Goblin Goulash smoothie?
This wonderful, raw, nutrient-dense green smoothie drink or food can help counteract all the sugar-dense foods they may be eating elsewhere. Children’s organs are forming into their twenties, and the food they eat goes directly into the formation of these organs. Therefore, it is crucial that the foods they eat have a pure, nutrient-dense nature. This makes choosing organic food much more important for children than adults.
Glyphosate, the leading herbicide used on non-organically grown crops, was originally patented as an antibiotic. This saturates the food and kills all life that it is growing in. Dr. Richard N. Olree Jr DC described this non-organic food as eating an antibiotic with every bite, on an interview on Diverse Health Services. He said that when we eat foods that are grown or killed (They use this herbicide now to saturate and kill crops like: sugar cane, soy, corn, grains, lentils, oats, beans, cotton, canola, etc. so they can harvest them quicker.) then it is like taking an antibiotic every time you take a bite of food. Would you want to take an antibiotic with every bite? Well, he said that is what we are doing when we eat non-organically grown food.
Antibiotics are non-selective, they kill all life. Our immune system is made of beneficial bacteria. These antibiotics kill all the bad bacteria, but are also destroying all the beneficial bacteria as well. Antibiotics destroy the beneficial bacteria that comprise our immune system, which is supposed to keep the bad bacteria in check. Ideally, we want a strong immune system made up of healthy beneficial bacteria. So eating organically grown food is important. Non-GMO is not enough, food should be Organic and non-GMO.
I highly recommend making a healthy, organic green smoothie at this time. It can help adjust the bodies’ PH balance, as well as being packed with nutrition, enzymes, and fiber. Drinking something green may sound spooky to you at first, but give it a try; you may be surprised by the taste.
When we introduce new foods, it may taste unusual at first, mainly because you are not used to eating that food. If you stick with it for about 10 days of 2 weeks, this gives your body a chance to develop new taste buds adjusted for this new food. So, if a healthier change of diet is desired, just stay the course and the foods will start tasting better and better.
When adjusting a child’s diet to include better quality food, a helpful method of encouragement can be rewarding them for trying this new food (a few bites at least 10 times or for two weeks). There is a good chance that when those two weeks are over, they may actually like the new food. Gold stars, a special outing, playing a game with them, or a morning of art can be wonderful rewards for children trying new and interesting dishes.
When your child comes down for breakfast on Halloween week, have this green smoothie – Goblin Goulash ready in the fun spirit of the holiday and know that you’re giving them something nutritious and share the experience with them.
It is best to make this drink in a good blender, because it can turn nuts, seeds, unskinned fruit, and vegetables to a liquid more easily. This drink is rich in phytonutrients and vitamin C, so try to drink it within 20 minutes, because the nutrients begin to dissipate after that time.
Iron is more absorbable into the body when vitamin C is present, so if you use baby spinach, this drink will be rich with vitamin C and Iron. In addition, leafy greens, such as the ones in this recipe, are high in protein without the unhealthy effects of many types of meat. Spinach is actually 45% protein!
Recipe for a “Goblin Goulash” Green Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup Leafy greens (fresh watercress, romaine, red leaf lettuce, sprouts – in any combination and torn into pieces)
1 tsp. fresh, broccoli sprout powder (see below in notes)
2 Whole fruits (pear, apple, mango, papaya, pineapple, or combination) chopped into chucks with seeds and stems removed. (You can also use berries)
3 – 4 Dates (pitted and soaked in water to soften)
2 cups mineral-rich, non-chlorinated water (more water can be added to desired consistency)
1 Tablespoon Flax seed oil (cold pressed)
1 tsp. Lime or lemon juice (freshly juiced and used immediately)
Directions
Put all ingredients in the blender and blend. Serve immediately.
Note:
I order my raw. organically grown broccoli sprout powder from the Indoor Organic Gardens of Poughkeepsie. I put it in my food throughout the day. You can mix it in mash potatoes, apple sauce, cool soups, hummus, etc. It doesn’t have much flavor, so it’s easy to add this nutrient dense food to https://indoororganicgardensofpoughkeepsie.com/ Tell them or put the code “Nancy” in and they will give you a discount. They grow amazing sprouts and they can overnight them to you.
Have a safe, healthy, and fun October and Halloween!
By Nancy Addison CHC, AADP
copyright@nancyaddison2019
