Healthy Eating Archives - Saving Our Kids, Healing Our Planet

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018

Super Foods for a Healthy Family

I know the names Acai (pronounced ahh Sigh Eee), Cacao (pronounced Ca Cow) and Goji sound like exotic, foreign substances, but the truth is these are nutrient-dense “superfoods” that are rapidly gaining in popularity. And my prediction is, as more of us focus on ways to live longer, healthier lives, these strange sounding powders and berries will soon become household words. The term “superfood” was coined in 2004 by Dr. Steven Pratt ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018

ADD/ADHD , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Pregnancy , Prevention

Raising Happy, Healthy Kids in a Toxic World

I don’t usually pull the “age card” (especially in our youth-oriented society), but I’m going to just put it out there and tell you that I am a grandmother of 7 kids (2 are in the photo) and I have been a pediatric registered nurse for 36 years! Now, neither of these admissions alone, or in combination, makes me a wise old sage who has all the answers. However, the ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018

Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Healthy Living , Prevention

Saving Money, Eating Healthy

I know what you are thinking: “aren’t those two ideas mutually exclusive?” Actually, after 35 years of advocating healthy eating (and at the same time having to watch our family’s food budget), I can honestly say, “they are not!” Here’s why: When you take a portion of your hard earned money & invest it wisely in foods that provide superior nutrition, you are sick less often which translates into spending less ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018

ADD/ADHD , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Healthy Living , Pregnancy , Prevention

What Can Be Done to Prevent Autism Now?

Although the mystery of the autism epidemic has not yet been solved, emerging science and reports from parents about specific treatments that have improved (or in some cases recovered) their ASD children have given us strong clues regarding ways to prevent and treat Autism Spectrum Disorders. Causation theories range from: it must be due to better diagnosis, (rather than a real increase); to maternal age at the time of conception; to ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 1, 2018

Adult Health , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Healthy Living , Prevention

Why Juice?

To Juice or Not to Juice? To juice or not to juice is definitely “not” the question! I don’t think there is much of a debate regarding the health benefits of consuming such a rich source of nutrients & cleansing elements, or how these organic, fresh-made drinks boost your energy and improve immune function. But just in case you are not yet convinced of the advantages, here’s a quick review of ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 1, 2018

ADD/ADHD , Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Mental Illness

The Relationship between the Gut and the Brain

Typically, gut specialists (gastroenterologists) and the brain docs (psychiatrists) do not function under the premise that their specialties are in any way related. However, new understandings have emerged which show a wonderfully interwoven, codependent relationship between what goes on in the gut and how well the brain functions. The relationship is so profound, that I and many practitioners in the integrative, functional medicine community often refer to the famous quote ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 1, 2018

Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Healthy Eating , Healthy Living , Prevention

Flushing out the Toxins

We have all come a long way in our awareness of the role the 87,000 chemicals that have been created in the last hundred years (which are mostly untested and unregulated) play in conditions ranging from Infertility, Autism, Cancer to Obesity. As a result of our understanding of just how detrimental these substances can be to our health, most of us are now using “green” cleaning products, natural deodorants (without ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN February 13, 2015

Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Healthy Eating , Healthy Living

The Pearls and Perils of the Paleo Diet

I know how emotionally-charged discussions about diet can get. So, with that in mind, (as well as the fact that for over a decade I was a vegetarian), I’ll be treading cautiously on this topic of the Paleo diet. Not only do I not want to add to the polarization that already exists in the “which is the perfect diet” debate, but because I’ve been around the health and nutrition ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN December 2, 2014

Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Healthy Eating , Healthy Living , Prevention

Outsmarting the New Obstacles to Your Health

I knew the moment I heard my first lecture in nursing school (highlighting the details of what happens when the body becomes riddled with disease), that I would spend my career focused on preventing illness. My calling it seemed was to learn all I could about ways to keep the body healthy, strong and disease-free. Subsequently, over the ensuing 30 plus years, I dove into many aspects of health: exploring ...

by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN August 21, 2014

Adult Health , Healthy Eating , Healthy Living , Mental Illness , Prevention

An Adult Topic: Preventing Dementia…

Recently, a neighbor expressed great concern (actually fear) regarding the fact that because her parents developed dementia, she too would follow that same course. I immediately and emphatically responded that we have more control than we think over whether or not we develop a particular illness...even if there is a genetic predisposition for it to occur. Genes are a factor for certain. However, new research tells us that we can often ...