Tips For Helping Your Child Become a Savvy Consumer

November 18, 2020
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 |  Health Facts

Every holiday from New Year’s to Christmas and everything else in between provides opportunities for families and businesses to celebrate. It offers a time for families to gather and do something special and it gives business a chance to increase their revenues. As a result, the holidays and other occasions, such as back to school, are always accompanied by ample media messages in print and on the screen. We have come to know these as commercials and advertisements, and every holiday comes with new enticements to buy, buy, buy!

Commercials and advertisements have been around since the 1950’s and every generation has been exposed to the shopping hype during the holiday season. Tis’ the season for a constant barrage of media messages from various sources. Everyone that watches receives overt or subliminal messages from businesses that desperately want us to buy their wares – from a company trying to convince you that your child needs a particular item in order to reach his or her potential, to playing upon a parent’s fear that their child’s safety is at stake and a cell phone is what is needed to bring peace of mind.

As difficult as these messages may be for us adults to sort out and resolve, we are able to filter out what these cooperate conglomerates are attempting to do. We are able to think for ourselves and we have our values to guide us. Most of us are confident about our parenting identity and what we want for our children.

So where does that leave our children? Unfortunately, young children are very easily influenced by media messages, especially television commercials. Young children will use them to determine what is cool and what they think they need. The average child sees more than 40,000 commercials each year. Commercials are quick, fast-paced and entertaining. They are easy to remember with catchy phrases that try to convince your child they can’t live without a certain product.

How many of you have experienced a constant request for certain toys, products, or clothing that your children have seen advertised on TV or on the internet? Once a commercial has enticed your child, the nag factor sets in. We have to expect that when kids are bombarded by ads telling them to buy certain products in order to be popular – that nagging will soon follow.

According to a national survey of youth commissioned by the Center for a New American Dream,

??? the average American child aged 12-17 will ask their parents for products they’ve seen advertised on TV an average of nine times until their parents finally give in.

??? for parents of so-called “tweens”, 12-13 year olds, these children admit to asking their parents more than fifty times for products they’ve seen advertised.

Ask yourself if this is what you want to deal with when your child is that age?

We may not be able to control the images and enticements our children are bombarded with out there in the community at large but we certainly can maintain some control over which messages creep into our homes. How does a parent in today’s media generated culture keep excessive commercialism from negatively impacting their child and the true spirit of the holidays? Here are some tips to help you get started.

Help Your Child Think Critically about TV

Whenever possible, talk to your child about what they see on television. If your child is very young she may not be able to tell the difference between a show, a commercial, a cartoon or real life and that characters on TV are make-believe and not real. For older children you can always turn a commercial or an advertisement into a learning experience by helping your child find the appropriate message. Always remember, if you do not want your child exposed to certain messages, you can either turn off the TV or explain why you object.

Help your child resist commercials

Do not expect your child to be able to resist ads for toys, candy, snacks, cereal, drinks or new programs without your help. When your child asks for products advertised on TV, explain that the purpose of commercials is to make people want things they may not need. Limit the number of commercials your child sees by watching public television stations (PBS) or other educational programing. You also can record programs and leave out the commercials or buy or rent children’s videos or DVDs.

Make television viewing a team sport.

If your schedule prevents you from watching TV together as a family, try recording the programs so that you can watch them with your child at a later time. Watching TV with your children whenever you can allows you to mute the television during commercial breaks. This is a great time to discuss …

Family Health 101 – Be a Savvy Shopper When Buying Organic

September 25, 2020
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 |  Health Magazine

As the economy continues to go down, more families are seeking ways to save on money at the grocery store. More families are wanting foods that are nutritionally good for their families without the added junk. It does not mean buying from a box is the cheapest way to go. And what about organic foods? Are they worth the extra cost? Yes and no, there are certain foods that you should buy organic and foods that it doesn’t really matter. So here is a list of foods you should buy organic and how to have money leftover for Friday night pizza.
The Environmental Working Group puts out a list each year on the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables. The top 12 produce starting with the most contaminated:
* Peaches (contains approximately over 10 different pesticides)
* Apples
* Sweet Bell Peppers
* Celery
* Nectarines
* Strawberries
* Cherries
* Pears
* Grapes (Imported)
* Spinach
* Lettuce
* Potatoes
These are the produce you want to purchase organic. You can download a wallet guide at Food News or download onto your iPhone for free.
What about dairy and meats? More consumers are purchasing organic milks and cheeses because they do not want the added hormones and antibiotics into their milk supply. Organic milk is the number one purchase for organic consumers. If organic is not an option for you, then buy non-treated dairy products, which will often say it on the label, but you have to read the label. You may be wondering if it matters. Well if Starbucks offers hormone free milk only, then these trend setters are telling you something. Other chains that offer hormone free dairy products is Wal-Mart brand milks, Safeway, Kroger’s, Chipolte, Ben and Jerry’s (which has never used milk from treated cows) are just to name a few.
Here is the low down on organic meats. It is way too expensive and does not have the same health benefits as grass-feed beef. Organic beef cost 15 to 20 percent more than grass-fed beef. A 2008 study by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found grass-fed beef to have 2 to 6 times more CLA and omega 3’s. Studies have shown CLA to promote muscle growth and fat burning in the body. Both have added value to every cell in our body for optimal health. CLA is also known as the cancer fighting fat. Unfortunately CLA and omega 3’s are not found in conventional or organic beef. Grass-fed beef is less fatty (because they are able to roam freely and get exercise) and is four times higher in vitamin E. These cows eat grass which has far more nutritional value to the cows and is better digested than grains of cornmeal, soy and wheat. And if that is too costly, then purchase your meats that says free of hormones and antibiotics, again read your labels.
Let us not forget eggs. Anything that is certified organic or certified humane is better than free range/cage free and all natural. (there is no clear definition when it comes to all natural, so don’t be fooled if a product says “all natural”). If eggs are certified organic that means they are inspected by the USDA once per year, they are un-caged, hens are allowed outdoors where they eat an organic, vegetarian diet and are antibiotic free. The nutritional value is much higher than any other. They are higher in vitamin A, D and folic acid, (hint, the darker the yellow in the yolk means it has more vitamin A and D). These nutrients are lost if they are kept indoors (if they are free range, that means they get the sun where these important nutrients comes from).
If eggs say free range/cage free most likely live indoors full time but have room to walk, perch and nest. They may be fed anything as there are no regulations on how they are fed or how they live. When the eggs say fortified with omega 3’s,they are most likely being fed flaxseeds and other sources to help fortify their eggs, if you do not supplement with omega 3’s then this may be a good choice for you and your family.
If your family goes through a dozen eggs about twice a month, it may be worth the splurge, if you are going through eggs like you wash your family’s laundry and cannot afford to splurge, then go free range/cage free.
Putting it all together: Look for organic, free-range (or pasture-fed) eggs for the most health benefits.
Use this guide to choose how you spend your money on organic groceries. Determine what is best for your family and their health and well-being.…