Easy Cooking Tips: MommyCast mom Brooke Peterson teaches us how to prepare easy meals for the family using a crock pot.

Every Mom wants to ensure that their children are safe especially in there own home, but unfortunately some household products like cleaners and plastic bottles may actually contain dangerous chemicals that we are completely aware of. To help decipher what those unhealthy products may be we invited Julia Bovey, from the NRDC (that’s the Natural Resources Defense Council) to give us a quick overview on what materials we should remove from our homes as soon as possible. If you know of any dangerous everyday products that you keep away from your home please share with us on our Facebook page. We love hearing from you!

You’ve probably heard something about high fructose corn syrup and how it has replaced table sugar in a lot of the foods we eat. If you’re wondering what that means for the health of your family, check out this show where Paige and Gretchen learn from Neva Cochran, a registered dietician, more about high fructose corn syrup, its’ nutritional value, and why food companies choose to use it in their products. You can learn more too, by visiting SweetSurprise.com.

Parents know kids love to snack, and they often love foods that aren’t so good for them, but with an estimated one third of all children in the United States being overweight, moms and dads are right to be concerned. Paige and Gretchen spoke with registered dietician, Julia Mutter, to review easy and fun ways families can fight back against this trend.

Paige and Gretchen talk with Julia Mutter, registered dietician, about how to manage snack time.

Like us, you’ve probably heard or read something about BPA, the “bad” chemical in hard plastic. Bisphenol-A, or BPA, has been linked to a wide range of health problems including cancer, obesity, and some learning disabilities. It is especially dangerous to children. Gretchen and Paige wanted to learn what they can do to keep their families safe, so they invited Julia Bovey, from the NRDC (that’s the Natural Resources Defense Council) to explain what to look for on labels, which products to avoid, and which products are safe. This is information every parent should know. For more about BPA check out these articles and websites:

http://www.factsonplastic.com/?gclid=CN3IxrXOk5cCFQhJagodaAMq-w
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=plastics-in-our-diet
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-16-bpa-fda_N.htm
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/114/bpa

Almost every parent has had the no fun job of dealing with a child who is a “picky eater.”  With that in mind, Gretchen and Paige had the pleasure of interviewing Julia Mutter, a registered Dietician, who gave them some pointers on how to broaden the culinary horizons, and improve the health of our little ones.  For more help with your picky eater, check out these websites:

FamilyEducation

Babybites

iVillage

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