FRUIT AND VEGETABLE WASH

SPONSORED BY ARM & HAMMER

My kids always seem to be snacking on apples. We go through bags of them each week. Of course that is better than junk food like candy and cookies. As they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Still apples come naturally wrapped in their own skins when you get them from a grocery store. Along their path from an orchard to your home, you really don't know what they've been exposed to or rubbed up against. Pesticides and wax often cover apples as a way to keep them preserved for consumers. And you never know how soiled the fruit may be from being transported and stored on its way to grocery store shelves.

So we've been using Fruit & Vegetable Wash from ARM & HAMMER to make sure all those apples my kids snack on are as clean as they can be. ARM & HAMMER Fruit & Vegetable Wash uses a formula of baking soda, salt and plant-derived ingredients to eliminate over 90% of pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables without leaving a taste or odor from its use. Plus it removes other harsh chemicals, soil and wax which may be contaminating your produce.

ARM & HAMMER Fruit & Vegetable Wash cleans 4x better than water alone. Use the handy spray bottle to wash fruits and vegetables. Wait 15 minutes then rinse items with water while gently rubbing to finish removing surface contaminants. Then after this thorough cleaning bite on into your fruits and vegetables with peace of mind that you're really eating something healthy for you.

Safely eliminate pesticides and wax from your fruits and vegetables with this ARM & HAMMER wash solution. ARM & HAMMER Fruit & Vegetable Wash has earned an EPA Safer Choice Seal for performing well while containing the safest ingredients. It also gets a Geek Daddy nod of approval because this dad blogger likes the idea of all those apples my kids are eating being as clean as they can be.

Click here for a list of retailers where ARM & HAMMER Fruit & Vegetable Wash can be found.

Stouffers Fit Kitchen Meals Help Keep Active Dads Fueled & Ready To Go!

Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and STOUFFER’S® for this promotion.  I have received compensation and product for my participation, but my opinions are my own.

I'm a dad who always makes time to play with my kids, but I'm not so good at making time for myself to make sure I eat right.  It might because I just don't like to cook myself or from a lack of time resulting from professional and parenting responsibilities but while we normally make up healthy meals for my kids, what my wife and I eat are often fast food or not so healthy quick ready made prepackaged things.  While I feel great, my doctor has warned me that my cholesterol and blood pressure are trending in the wrong direction meaning that if I want to continue living on this world to be there for my kids and enjoying life I need to start eating better and exercising more. STOUFFER’S® Fit Kitchen meals have been fueling my efforts to be healthier when it comes to my eating and being physically fit.  They have been giving me the energy to hula hoop my pounds away and get the cardio activity I need to address my doctor's concerns.

  

As a 40-something dad of young children, I've found that I just don't have the energy I used to when I was in my 20s & 30s.  Did you know that the Recommended Dietary Allowance of Protein for men ages 19 to 70 is 56 grams of protein each day?  Many of us guys aren't getting enough protein in our diets to sustain active, healthy lifestyles.  When I was in my 20s and 30s, I had my group of buddies that were my "wingmen" - kept me out of trouble when we were out and about for nights on the town, made sure I always had a spotter for the weight bench at the gym, and were my running buddies making sure no one ever wimped out of getting their training miles in or showing up for a 5K road race.  Now we are all married with kids and hanging out with the guys, working out at the gym, and running a race have become more of occasional affairs we get together for than the regular routines they used to be.  

STOUFFER’S® Fit Kitchen meals with their 25 grams or more of protein have stepped in to be my wingman to help get me eating healthier and providing the energy I need to be active with my kids plus get back into working out more often. They take less then 10 minutes to prepare and are packed with veggies, complex carbs and proteins will leave you satisfied. STOUFFER’S® Fit Kitchen meals have some great selections to choose from that are definitely not bland and provide generous portions. At a suggested retail price of $3.99 each these meals can also keep the family budget happy and I find them to be a great deal for what you get!

STOUFFER’S® Fit Kitchen meals provide me the perfect balance of taste, nutrition and convenience in their 6 protein packed meal options:

• STEAK FAJITA in smoked red chile sauce with a mix of red & green peppers and seasoned brown rice
• CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN white meat chicken with a black bean & corn mix, seasoned brown rice and a verde tomatillo sauce
• ROTISSERIE SEASONED TURKEY with a mix of diced red skin sweet potatoes & green beans
• MONTEREY CHICKEN with diced red skin & sweet potatoes, lightly buttered green beans with BBQ style sauce
• BOURBON STEAK with chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, seasoned broccoli & red peppers

My new Wingman has helped me have the energy to keep up with my kids plus has given me the extra boost to dust off the weight stack in the basement and buy some new running shoes so that I am hoping to getting back into making working out a regular part of my daily routine again ... though I do have to say don't discount playing with and chasing after your kids as a great way to stay physically fit in itself.

You can find STOUFFER’S® Fit Kitchen meals in the frozen aisle at local Walmart, Target and other grocery stores; visit www.stouffers.com to find a store near you.

THE CUPCAKE CONUNDRUM

I'm coaching my second season of youth soccer this Spring and have to admit that my feelings were a little hurt when the parents of one of the players from last season specifically asked the league to place their child on another team.  I worried they felt their child hadn't played enough, I'd done something to offend them, or they thought I was a bad coach.  Fortunately, none of those are the case.  The real reason they demanded a change though has left me somewhat perplexed.

The parents' requested the move because of my team's snack policy.  Each game a player is responsible to bring a team snack to help keep the kids energized and focused during half-time.  To keep it simple for parents, plus safe and healthy for the players, I've established a rule that the snacks need to be either sliced apples or oranges along with either water or juice boxes for the team.  Severe food allergies are a growing problem with children, my daughter who plays on the team can't eat or be exposed to peanuts for example, and there are plenty of other dietary restrictions that may be based on medical, religious, or parenting preference reasons.  Childhood obesity is also a growing problem in our nation that had an impact on my decision.   

The child that was pulled from my team had been upset because the player had noticed other teams enjoying cookies, candy, doughnuts, and cup cakes as snacks during the games.  To appease their child the parents choose junk food over healthy snacks.  I  respect those parents prerogative to make that decision for their child though I completely disagree with it.  On the other hand, allowing a child to easily switch a team though because they don't like the snack time treats provided really is a horrible precedent for a youth sports organization to set. 

According to Sally Kuzemchak R.D. in a 2013 article for Parenting Magazine, childhood snacking has become an "epidemic" with kids sports becoming "overrun with chips, cookies and other snacks being served from the sidelines." She cites research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health that demonstrates how snacking can have an adverse impact even on active kids participating in sports.  These researchers found that "an 8 year old burns about 150 calories in an average soccer game - yet the typical postgame snack has between 300 and 500 calories." In her article Kuzemchak interviews one of the researchers, Toben Nelson, Sc.D. who says "It's so strange that sports have become associated with sweets...are parents are practically competing with each other to see who can bring the 'best' snack."

Some people may say it is just about FUN and snacks are part of the game time fun.  I wonder though why people need to associate food with fun.  Kids can have fun without eating a snack.  In fact, increasing the number of snacks , even if they are just small ones, may be contributing to obesity with  children.  Kuzemchak points out in her Parenting Magazine article that according to research from both Harvard and Columbia universities "childhood obesity is driven by as little as 165 extra calories for kids ages 2 to 7." 

According the the United States Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)  has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents during the past 30 years (that would be from the time I was a 10 year old "kid" myself playing soccer and our only snacks were apple and orange slices during games).  According to the CDC, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk of cardiovascular disease, and were more likely to have prediabetes, bone & joint problems, sleep apnea, and social/psychological problems.  The CDC's best recommendation for countering obesity in youth: Healthy lifestyle habits, including physical activity and HEALTHY EATING.

Another issue to be concerned about as a coach and parent when it comes to game snacks are children with food allergies.  I know that problem unfortunately too well myself from our family's struggles with our daughters life-threatening food allergies [The Scariest Moment of My Life: The Day my Daughter went into Anaphylactic Shock]  The CDC acknowledges that food allergies is a growing food safety and public health concern for children in the United States.  They've provided guidelines for how schools should deal with food allergies that I believe youth sports leagues and coaches should be familiar with as well.  CLICK HERE to view these CDC guidelines.  Limiting the types of snacks at sporting games not only addresses obesity issues but food allergy safety ones as well.

I believe in my snack policy and don't plan to abandon it as long as I'm the one volunteering my valuable time at games and practices to coach and mentor these kids.  I just hope that my team doesn't abandon me to go play on other teams that provide them with sweet treats.

So what is your opinion on the Cupcake Conundrum?  As parents and coaches should we make a more concerted effort to enforce healthy snacks with the teams our kids play on or is snacking on cookies and cakes a childhood ritual that players should be able to enjoy?