Prem Rawat-Maharaji: Words of Wisdom

A NEW DAWN


POWERFUL LITTLE STATEMENT


THE POWER THAT WE HAVE


THE FEELING MACHINE


FIND THE MIRACLE

Prem Rawat-Maharaji "The Perfect Instrument"

Prem Rawat / Maharaji "The Best Relationship"

Concerned about childhood obesity? The Media Isn't!

From Campaign for a Commerical Free Childhood:

Today, the Berkeley Media Studies Group and the Center for Digital Democracy released a new report that documents how major food, soft drink and fast food brands are deploying a panoply of new techniques--including cell phones, instant messaging, video games, user-generated video, and three-dimensional virtual worlds--to target children and adolescents, often under the radar of parents. The report - "Interactive Food & Beverage Marketing: Targeting Children and Youth in the Digital Age" - is available at http://www.digitalads.org/

The report is a wake-up call for policymakers and anyone concerned by the escalating epidemic of childhood obesity. Even as junk food marketers claim to be cleaning up their act, the food industry is exploiting the latest technologies to target children in new and insidious ways.
A coalition of advocacy groups - including CCFC -- submitted the report to the Federal Trade Commission today, calling on the agency to expand its investigation of food and beverage marketing to include the full of range of digital marketing to children and adolescents.

Examples cited in the report include:
To "create a compelling way to connect with the younger demographic," 600 McDonald's restaurants in California launched a mobile marketing campaign, urging young cell phone users to text-message to a special phone number to receive an instant electronic coupon for a free McFlurry dessert.

Coca-Cola's "My Coke Rewards" program offers special codes in its products that enable young people to access a website, where they can earn such rewards as downloadable ring tones and "amazing sports and entertainment experiences." This technique is part of a strategy for behavioral profiling, where marketers compile a detailed profile of each customer, including demographic data, purchasing behavior, responses to advertising messages, and even the extent and nature of social networks.

Food marketers are commercializing online communities by aggressively moving into MySpace and other social networking sites. One technique is to create "branded profiles" that invite children and teens to become "friends" with popular spokescharacters. "Welcome to the King's Court," beckons the Burger KingMySpace profile. "The virtual home of the Burger King. He's giving away free episodes of the Fox shows '24,' 'Pinks,' and 'First Friend.'"
Wendy's placed several "commercials masquerading as videos" on YouTube, specifically designed to attract "young consumers." In one viral video, "Molly Grows Up"--which generated more than 300,000 views--a young girl is shown ordering "her first 99-cent Junior Bacon cheeseburger and Frosty."

The Mars candy company enlisted the musical group Black Eyed Peas to make a series of "webisodes" called "Instant Def," in order to promote Snickers bars to teens, an example of brand-saturated environments that weave products seamlessly into interactive entertainment content.


To learn more, please visit http://www.digitalads.org/.


Thanks,
The Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=347609204&url_num=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.commercialfreechildhood.org%2F

Two Angry Moms Talk about School Lunch

FOOD FIGHT
THE SCHOOL LUNCH REVOLTION WILL BE TELEVISED
www.thefamilygroove.com (May 2007)

Asthma. Allergies. Type II diabetes. Obesity. Behavioral issues. Many of us are aware of these conditions because children we know are afflicted by one or more of them. And while it seems like we as parents have no control over these conditions affecting our children, in reality, we do. We know that by paying attention to what our children are eating and helping them to make healthier choices at home, we can make a difference in our children’s health. But what happens when your kids aren't at home?

In their documentary, Two Angry Moms, about the battle to change school lunch programs across the nation Dr. Susan Rubin, a dentist, holistic nutritionist, founder of Better School Food (www.betterschoolfood.com) and mother of three, and Amy Kalafa, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, health counselor and mother of two, have drawn a line in the cafeteria sand, exposing what your children are being served five days a week, the long-term effects of such poor nutrition and the fight they've encountered while seeking to foster a school lunch revolution.

Additionally, these two angry moms traveled across the country filming examples of school food programs that do work, proving that change is possible. The movie highlights the fact that when communities support local farms, when kids get connected to where their food comes from, when school buying power is used to promote educated, healthy children, there is a positive effect not only on our children, but on the environment and on everyone in the community.


Here our resident nutrition expert, holistic health counselor Kelly Scotti talks to Dr. Susan Rubin, one of two women on the front lines of our children's future.

Why should parents care about the food served in school?
Schools have a responsibility to create a healthy, supportive environment for kids. Schools that model better food on campus report higher test scores, fewer behavioral problems and less absenteeism.

Studies have shown that what kids eat now will impact their lifetime eating habits. Since one to two meals a day, five days a week for nine months of the year are eaten at school, there is a significant connection to the what children are served at school and their overall health and nutrition for the rest of their lives.

If those school-based habits are poor, then our children could suffer from ill health, nutritional deficiencies, depression, disease and more, especially if those habits are not counteracted in the home. Additionally, the sad reality is that even if children have healthy habits at home, many times they have no healthy options in school. The fact is that most schools buy the cheapest food they can, so even the healthiest at-home eaters are forced to eat poorly for a quarter of their childhood (notwithstanding those that bring their lunches).

“We need to flood our schools with fresh whole fruits and vegetables. Partner with the local farms and get fresh, inexpensive produce for schools. Limit the processed foods that are allowed to be served at school. And maybe even outfit school kitchens with cooks and appliances so things can be made from scratch with quality ingredients. At a minimum, mandate full nutritional disclosure for school foods to allow for informed parental decisions,” says Dr. Rubin.

Dr. Rubin also tells us that many children suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder, where there is a disconnect between a child’s understanding of food and where it comes from, causing them to make poor nutritional choices. Many children nowadays don't know that meat comes from animals like the cows they see on the way to school, salad leaves grow in the ground or that apples grow on trees. Only when that disconnect is addressed through education and hands-on experience can we see children taking more of an active role in making good food choices. In schools and at home, we can teach our children about planting their own food and let them take ownership for helping to feed themselves and their families.

What is so bad about school food?
School foods have lots of harmful ingredients, such as hydrogenated or poor quality oils, trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified fillers and tons of sugar. Schools are not required to disclose the ingredients or additives in the food they serve. Nowhere on the weekly lunch menu in an average school in America is an ingredient list provided for each (or any) of the food choices offered daily, so many parents choose their kids' meals blindly, not knowing if the choice they make is a healthy one. For most parents, the only way to ensure their kids’ meals are healthy is to pack lunches for them; however, brown bag lunch is a luxury not afforded to many children in America.

In addition to the obvious lack of nutrients and overabundance of junk food our children are being plied with on a daily basis, one must consider the message all this poor nutrition is sending to our impressionable youth. (What does a 10 to 15-minute lunch period tell them about the importance of proper eating habits?)

Dr. Rubin emphasizes that this movie-come-movement is not about taking cupcakes away from school parties, it's about ensuring that a core basis of nutrition is available to our children in schools. Rubin says “it’s not just about taking out the bad stuff. You’ve got to put good food in, along with food education. The food IQ of parents, children and the schools needs to be raised.”

Why can’t someone else change the system?
As Rubin and Kalafa have found through experience, the system is hard to change for a number of reasons. State and federal legislation is too slow and food industry lobbyists have too much clout. Food service companies make too much money serving poor quality, nutritionally deficient food. And school boards don't feel that the school lunch program is a priority, as they have so many other issues with which to deal.

What can you do?
So then, it comes down to the parents to foster the school lunch evolution. Contact your congressman and tell him to support the Farm Bill (click here to find out about the Farm bill). Contact your school board and let them know you want healthy, fresh food served at your children’s school. Let your demands be known and make your voice be heard.

Texas Agriculture Secretary Susan Combs said it’s going to take two million angry moms to change school food. Rubin and Kalafa were the first two to wage the fight—now it's up to you to join the battle.

Want to be one of the two million Angry Moms? Go to www.angrymoms.org.

Two Angry Moms will be in select theaters this summer and available everywhere via DVD.

Everything I needed to know about eating I learned from my son

Before my son was born, I imagined all of the wonderful foods to which I would introduce him. First, I imagined him
drinking from my breast and getting all of his initial nourishment from my body. Then I imagined his first spoonful of solid
food and his reaction to it. I even imagined teaching him about how to use a fork and spoon. However, not once in my
imaginings did I picture him teaching me about food and eating—but he has, and in doing so, has taught me about life and
how to live.

A little less than a year after my son was born, I went to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City to learn about nutrition, dietary theory, how to feed my son a healthy diet and how to teach him lifelong healthy eating habits. During my studies, I also learned about pesticides, genetically modified foods, dangerous food additives, labeling laws that side with the food manufacturers, the perils of processed foods, mercury and PCBs in farmed fished, factory farming and on and on. For the first time in my life, I was truly frightened by the current state of our food. I was also really confused as to what I should feed my son to protect him for all of the aforementioned dangers and how to give him the nutrients required for his growing body.

I begin to eat rigidly, avoiding all processed foods, all fish that wasn’t wild Alaskan, all beef that wasn’t grass-fed, all chicken that wasn’t free range and antibiotic free. I obsessed about food and how to protect my family from its many insidious dangers. I no longer enjoyed food because I was afraid of it. I no longer savored the smells from the kitchen because I would think about unlabeled additives that might be in it causing the food to smell that way or the coloring added to the meat to make it look the way it does. How could I teach my son to love all aspects of eating—food shopping, preparing, cooking and then sharing an amazing meal with family and friends—when I couldn’t do that myself?

Little by little, he taught me how to teach him. By paying attention to how he explores the world, I was able to recognize the things he needs from me to make good choices and feel safe about those choices. Here are some of the things I learned from my son:

Forget the scary, food should be fun
It's fun to smell food, to let it run down your chin, to throw it at the dog. It's fun to experiment with different tastes, textures, smells and combinations. It's fun to put a blanket on the floor and have a picnic. It's fun to throw caution to the wind with recipes and see what happens. How do you have fun with your food?

Exploring your food adds to your enjoyment of it
My son loves to put things in his mouth, especially food. He loves to experience what things taste like and how things feel on his tongue. He explores the shape of things, the texture of it, the soft or hardness of it. He looks at it and plays with it. My son reminds me that food can be a joy for all the senses.

He also loves to expand his abilities and create new things. He helps me in the kitchen by stirring the meal, adding in vegetables and spices and even by naming a new dish. And he is much more willing to eat something he has helped prepare.

Be consistent
Most of us know that our children thrive on routine and that applies to eating as well. I have found that that my son feels most safe and free to try new foods when I stick with the routine of cooking with him close by, allowing him to help with food preparation and then eating with him at the dining room table, rather than in front of the TV or in the car. When his routine is consistent, he is able to explore his boundaries, learn what behavior is permitted and what is not and feel comfortable asking questions and trying new things.

Be a good role model
At this stage of my son’s young life, my husband and I are his primary role models. It is important that we live up to that responsibility. Rather than disparage the state of food in this country, I need to talk about all of the amazing options we have for food in our area, including community farms, breeders of organic meat and food cooperatives. I need to show him how food is grown and let him grow his own food in our garden. I need to use positive words when I talk about food and all that it encompasses. I need to be able to put aside my food fears and show him that food can be nourishing and fun.

Lighten Up
If I continue to feel negative about food, my actions and thoughts may teach my son to be scared of food, to abuse it or to use it for more than the nutrients and calories it provides. I need to trust that the experiences my son has with food will teach him to enjoy it and to explore it without fear or baggage. I need to be his guide, to teach him what I know, and to allow him to choose the direction he takes. No matter what his age, it is important that I provide him with respect for his decisions and his intelligence rather than force my opinions on him (outside of sticking that fork in the outlet, that is).

Have Patience and Fortitude
My son’s attitude about food and his willingness to experiment with it is variable depending on his mood. I have learned that it is important frequently present those good-for-him foods that he refuses to eat, since he will actually eat them every now and again. Yes, I get frustrated when my son throws his food or spits it out or smacks it away, but that’s where patience comes into play. As parents, we need to be willing to keep trying and not assume the worst (he’s not going to eat it no matter what). I only give up after 10 exposures, which is the time is takes for the palate to change. If he still refuses it then, I can feel more confident that he really does not like it and that it is not just his willfulness.

No matter what, though, I do not reward my son’s food behavior with more food, like dessert. If a child learns that he can only get dessert after he eats his veggies, then he will know that dessert is a treat and veggies are not and that can be counterproductive to his eating healthy. Heck, why not make vegetables dessert?

Be Prepared
My son cannot choose to eat well unless I have healthy choices on hand when he gets hungry. Toddlers have smaller stomachs than adults and need to eat less at each sitting, but more frequently than adults. Because of that, I always carry healthy snacks with me wherever we go. My son loves raisins and dried cherries, trans fat free wheat crackers, chopped carrots and peppers, mixed fresh fruit (apples, oranges, applesauce cups), veggie chips and, of course, sippy cups filled with filtered water to keep him hydrated.

I also make sure that I have healthy food on hand at home that it is easily and quickly prepared once we arrive home from our day. I like to cook with my slow cooker, so a fresh meal is prepared every day and the time preparing the food is easily accomplished in the morning. I also like to cook a big batch of the staples I use all week in my cooking, such as quinoa and chicken, as well as cut and wash all the vegetables at once, so the preparation of the foods that do not go in the slow cooker is done ahead of time. That stops my son’s hunger tantrums and allows us time to have a nice meal as a family before his bedtime.

Most of all, my son has taught me to trust my instincts. Deep down, each one of us knows that we are good parents. Why would you be reading this article if you weren’t? We love our children and instintively we know what is good and bad for them. Just as they know the same about themselves, though we need to guide them to that knowing. We know what foods will nourish us and them and commit ourselves to learning everything we can in order to make this world a place that is satisfying, sane and healthy for our children.

Just Veggin' Kids

HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELOR KELLY SCOTTI TELLS US IF A VEGETARIAN DIET IS ENOUGH
FOR A GROWING CHILD

Lately my son has been on a vegetarian diet. Not that you
should call it vegetarian, since it is primarily a fruit and
yogurt diet, based on his youthful impulse to eat the same foods at
every meal for weeks on end. His choices,however, have
caused me to ponder the benefits of a vegetarian diet for him
and wonder if he could get all of hisnutritional requirements fulfilled with such a diet.

When I think of vegetarians, I think of people that eat no meat.
There are actually four types of vegetarian diets. A lacto-ovo vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs, but no meat,poultry, or fish. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs, but no other animal products. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products, but no
other animal products and vegans eat food only from plant sources.

Research has shown that the benefits to following a vegetarian diet are many: decreased incidence of type II diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, decreased cholesterol levels, decreased cancer incidence and decreased exposure to pesticides and antibiotics, especially if the diet is organic. Additionally, some families have found that following the more restrictive vegan diet has decreased their child’s incidence of ear infections, digestive issues, and respiratory issues such as chest congestion and asthma. But are these restrictive diets appropriate for a rapidly growing infant or toddler?

Most dietary experts agree that a balanced, whole-foods based, well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet is a great choice for people of all ages, including infants and toddlers. Though certain vitamins and minerals are only found in meat and dairy products naturally, supplementation can be used to provide those nutrients just as well as animal products.

For children, well balanced means it has to include foods or supplementation that contain the following nutrients, which are essential:



Calcium
Sea vegetables, such as hijiki, kelp, wakame, nori, and kombu
Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, turnip and mustard greens and Watercress
Nuts and seeds, including sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios
Beans, including chick peas and pinto beans
Grains, including amaranth and quinoa
Tofu processed with calcium sulfate and tempeh.
Cheese, milk, yogurt and eggs
Dried figs
Blackstrap molasses
Calcium fortified beverages, including soy milk, orange juice, etc.

Please note that the following things decrease the calcium stores in your body:
Soft drinks
Refined sugar
Excess salt

Nightshade vegetables including tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants, all contain the calcium inhibitor solanine.


Essential Fatty Acids
The key members of the omega 3 family of EFAs are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA are only found naturally in oily fish, while ALA, which can be converted to DHA in the body, can be found in:

Seeds, such as mustard, flax, and pumpkin and oils from those seeds
Soybeans/soybean oil (always choose brands labeled non-GMO)
Walnut oil
Green leafy vegetables
Whole grains
Spirulina and other vegetarian marine algae
Canola (rapeseed) oil
Fortified eggs and grains


Iron
Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, watercress, and swiss chard, beans (soybeans, lentils, lima, kidney, navy)seeds, eggs, dried fruits, whole grains (including wholemeal bread), iron-fortified cereals and bread, blackstrap molasses and edible seaweeds

Using iron cookware when cooking acidic foods can also contribute to dietary intake of iron.

As well, vitamin C helps the body absorb iron, so offering citrus fruits with iron-rich foods can also contribute to amount of iron in the body.


Protein
Legumes, tofu, tempeh, grains (wheat, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, millet, pasta, bread), nuts (brazils, hazels, almonds, cashews) and seeds (quinoa, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame), dairy products, soy yogurt


Vitamin B12
Dairy products, eggs, and vitamin-fortified products, such as cereals, breads, and soy and rice drinks. In supplements, look for the words “cyanocobalamin” or “cobalamin” in the ingredient list, as these are the most absorbable forms of vitamin B-12.

Please note, breast-fed infants of vegetarian/vegan mothers need B-12 supplementation, as B-12 deficiency can result in permanent neurological damage in infants.


Vitamin D
Sunlight (exposure without sunblock) and in fortified products such as soy milk, margarine, eggs and breakfast cereals.


Zinc
Nuts and nut butters, wheat germ, brown rice, fortified breakfast cereals, dairy products, spinach, tofu, tempeh, miso, and legumes (beans, peas, and lentils).

In addition to nutrient requirements, there is also the issue of caloric intake. While most vegetarian children eating a balanced diet do not have an issue meeting their calorie requirements, it is a concern for vegan children. Fruits and vegetables tend to be very fibrous, and can fill up your little one’s tiny stomach quickly, thus leaving little room for higher calorie foods. As such, if your child follows a vegan diet, it may be necessary to give him peeled fruits and vegetables, which are less fibrous. To increase caloric intake, you can add some refined grain products, pure fruit juices, or healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, nut butters, seeds, and seed butters into your child’s diet.

It is also important to ensure that the produce you buy is organic. Not only is organically grown produce more sustainable and environmentally friendly, it is safer for your children. When you choose non-organic produce, your child may be exposed to pesticides and genetic modification without your knowledge. Non-organic produce that is genetically modified is not required to be blatantly labeled to indicate such. The only way you know that a product has been genetically modified is if it has a five-digit number that starts with an 8 on its label (conventional produce is four numbers starting with a 4 and organic is 5 numbers beginning with a 9). Pesticides from non-organic produce are visually non-detectable and can be absorbed right into the root systems of the plant, where the pesticides cannot be washed off. Because children are more susceptible to pesticides and toxins in their bodies due to their decreased fat stores, it is essential to choose organic for their health.

Please make sure to discuss your child’s diet with your pediatrician if making a switch to vegetarianism or veganism. Your doctor can provide you with information on supplementation and things to look for in the case of malnutrition, as well as information regarding foods listed in the table above that have allergen potential or could cause choking.

A well-balanced, well-planned, vegetarian or vegan diet can meet the needs of your children as they grow and are healthy options in this day of super-sized, fatty, sugary fast food, factory farmed, antibiotic-ridden meat and dairy products, and mercury and PCB polluted farmed fish.


Some menu ideas for the vegetarian child:
Pizza crust topped with tomato sauce, vegetables, and rice cheese
Veggie stir fry with brown rice
Quinoa salad with greens and garlic
Pasta with marinara sauce
Veggie meatloaf
Banana and strawberry smoothies with organic soy yogurt
Celery with peanut butter
Cashew butter sandwiches
Fresh or dried fruit
Noodles with peanut butter sauce
Raw vegetables with hummus
Mashed potatoes with garlic and olive oil
Flaxseed muffins with carrots and raisins
Veggie burgers with salsa on whole grain bread
Tofu hotdogs
Guacamole on pita bread

For more veggy good ideas and information, go to:
www.vegetarianbaby.com/nutrition.shtml (Articles galore for vegetarian children and parents)
www.healthybelly.com/articles/pickyvegetariankids.htm (Vegetarian school lunch recipes)
www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/veg_diets_for_children.html (Vegetarian diets for children with recipes, sample diets and more)
www.pcrm.org/health/Info_on_Veg_Diets/vegetarian_kids.html (Rationale for going vegetarian, with recipes and sample lunches)
www.vegansociety.com (Great general information site)
www.vegfamily.com (Great general information site)
www.vegsoc.org/youth/youngveggies.html (Great general information site for kids)
www.vegforlife.org/kid_parents.htm (Great general information site)
www.kidshealth.org (Great general information site)

Or check out these books:

Simply Vegan by Debra Wasserman and Reed Mangels Ph.D., R.D
Leprechaun Cake and Other Tales: A Vegetarian Story-Cookbook by Vonnie Winslow Crist and Debra Wasserman
Raising Vegetarian Children : A Guide to Good Health and Family Harmony by Joanne Stepaniak,Vesanto Melina