The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Help Your Teen Find Healthy and Energetic Snacks Life is perhaps the most difficult when you’re a teenager; of course, being an adult brings its share of worry and responsibilities, but you also have the maturity and hindsight that a teenager lacks. They’re caught between their parents and their friends, they’re torn between doing what is right and what comes instinctively, and most of all, they battle the bulge as they struggle to remain slim (because it matters more than anything in their world) even as they’re tempted by lure of fast food and sugary sodas. It’s up to you as a parent to ensure that they look and feel great by helping them find and eat the right snacks. It’s not too hard to prepare and provide them with healthy snacks that boost their energy and keep hunger pangs away; the most difficult part is getting them to avoid junk food and eat healthier options. While adults are forced to exercise and stick to healthy diets because they’re worried about their health, to a t...

As Jamie Oliver's new show continues to explode with the reality of how unhealthy eating can effect our lives and shorten them, one of his recent episodes shocked us as he was told that "French fries count as a vegetable". Maybe this is not shocking to some dieticians, however to many people this was a moment of that left us scratching our heads. You mean greasy French fries are considered a veggie? Seems strange, however that is exactly what a food service director stated on Food Revolution in an elementary school in Huntington, West Virginia. So do French fries count as a vegetable? Yes, they do, according to the government . French fries have been on the list of "fresh" vegetables since 1996 under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act . They are considered fresh because they fall short of the guidelines that would qualify them as "processed." " When I found out that a French fry was considered a vegetable, it insulted me, it ups...

Many parents that grew up a generation or two prior than today, will remember looking in the bread box and seeing those Hostess snacks . Whether you had Twinkies, Yodels, Coffee cakes, or those delicious Chocolate Cupcakes (with chocolate frosting), it was rare that our parents ever discussed healthy eating habits. Today the headlines about overweight teens and children are screaming at us. If you turn the news on or even talk shows, they are discussing healthy eating habits - for both adults and kids. Today even Hostess snacks are promoting their new products: 100 calorie treats . They even offer " Twinkie Bites " for those of us who still love their Twinkies. The percentage of overweight children in the United States is growing at an alarming rate, with 1 out of 3 kids now considered overweight or obese. Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, or video-game console. And today's busy families have fewer free moments ...