October 2008

My niece occasionally asks me for pediatric advice about her two beautiful girls. This is one concern that is shared by many parents in my practice…

Q:  We cannot get my 19 month old daughter to eat meat. We have tried (many times) lots of variety. We’ve tried it in things, on things, from our plates, when she asks for it….but she just won’t eat it. In fact, she usually wipes it off her tongue with a napkin or her fingers. I’m open to any tricky things I might not have considered

A:  Meat is an excellent source of protein and calories for toddlers, but it is not as easy to chew as starches, fruits and veggies. It also has a different “mouth feel” compared to many other foods.

Try these strategies to acclimate your young one to the taste and texture of meats…

Focus on offering thin sliced or shaved deli meats, chicken, turkey or ham. These have a saltier taste and lack the distinctive flavor and coarse texture of most meats. Mix crumb-sized pieces of meat with other foods that are moist and flavorful.

Disguise shredded meat in pureed veggies, sprinkle into a grilled cheese sandwich, stir into cooked pasta with butter or tomato sauce. Serve tiny pieces of meat with just a drop of ketchup, ranch dressing, mild BBQ sauce or applesauce if she likes those things. In the beginning, just add traces to her menu until you can let a bit more taste shine through.

Don’t let on that you are trying to push her in any way. It is important that she controls what she eats, and you control what is served. Keep up other sources of protein that she will eat.

And be patient. Most toddlers who don’t like meat soon acquire the taste. (Then you can try my healthy baked chicken nuggets, so stay tuned!)

The photo? Yes, that’s the one!

We may have lost Paul Newman earlier this year, but his influence is still strongly felt in Hollywood. Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Joaquin Phoenix, Bruce Willis, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Sean Penn, Billy Crystal, and others joined together to honor Newman and raise money for The Painted Turtle.

The Painted Turtle is one of Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps, helping children with life-threatening illnesses enjoy a real camp experience, where they can forget about their disease for a while and just focus on being a kid in a safe environment. Not only do the experiences at The Painted Turtle let kids try things they might not have a chance to elsewhere, but it inspires them to have more confidence and be self-reliant, and more cooperative with their medical caregivers, all of which helps in the healing process.

The celebrities mentioned above were just a few of the attendees — more than 2500 people showed up to show their support and empty their pockets for this worthy cause. I imagine Paul Newman and his charities will continue to have a huge impact for many years to come.

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

Designer Peter Alexander cares about more than dressing the hottest young celebrities in his fabulous fashions — he’s also an avid animal advocate, so for the grand opening of his L.A. store last week, he decided to help out his favorite cause.

The event drew celebrities like Katherine Heigle, Mandy Moore, and Alicia Silverstone, and benefited animal rescue shelters Hearts United for Rescue and Kinder4Rescue. Additionally, he launched his new PJ line, which will raise funds for the animal shelters.

Heigl was familiar with Alexander’s devotion to the cause, telling ET Online, “Peter Alexander is an animal advocate and big on animal rescue. He approached me about this line to make it not only about his designs and who he is as a designer, but also who he is as an animal rescuer and advocate.” She continued to gush about the philanthropic designer, explaining that all the proceeds from the new line of pajamas will go towards shelters with which she is very familiar.

Silverstone has long been one of the more vocal animal rights advocates in Hollywood, and recently joined a campaign to create an enormous sanctuary in the northern San Fernando Valley for the elephants in the Los Angeles Zoo. And so, it’s no suprise she was impressed by his efforts. All of her dogs are rescued, so she’s fully appreciative of the energy and money Alexander is donating.

Photo courtesy of popsugar.com

Halloween is just a week away, so celebrate safely. Whether it is a party with friends or “trick or treat” in the neighborhood, a few simple tips will ensure more fun.

Here’s lookin’ at you, kid. Your little ones (and big ones!) must be able to see in their Halloween get up. Masks can block vision, making navigating streets difficult when it is already dark. Enlarge eye openings for better visibility or use make up for little faces to keep vision unobstructed.

Now you see ‘em. Buy a roll of reflective tape and use it liberally to highlight their costumes. Look for it in fluorescent orange, green or white. More is better.

Walk, don’t run. Long robes can trip them up. Keep hemlines short enough for walking…staple the hemline in a costume for a quick and easy alteration. Walking should be comfortable in the costume.

Light the way. A flash light is a good accessory, not only to see the way, but also to increase visibility to others.

Candy is dandy. There was a time when stopping at a house that had home made goodies was a special treat. These days, packaged treats are best to ensure our children’s safety. Teach the kids to wait to eat candy until they are home and you have sorted it, checking for any open or damaged wrappers.

“My tummy hurts…” I think one of the most common phone calls I get as a pediatrician on Halloween is the late night stomach ache from too much candy. Avoid it by serving a light but healthy dinner before going out, so the treats tempt a little less. Then once you get home, sort the candy, set aside or toss the least favorite treats and indulge wisely. Store the rest in small bags for sharing and eating on other days.

No apples at this party…Avoid “bobbing for apples” at a Halloween party if you want to avoid exposure to everyone else’s germs. For healthier fun, check out Kaboose for some fun Halloween games.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!!

Elizabeth Hurley has been one busy lady this month. As a long time supporter of breast cancer awareness (she lost her grandmother to the disease), Liz makes sure to use her celebrity to raise as much awareness (and money) as possible for the cause, and this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month is no exception.

It seems she’s ready to turn the world pink — first, she flipped a giant light switch in New York’s Bloomingdales store to swathe the entire store in pink. And then, just last week, she did the same thing at the Tower of London.

Elizabeth has done far more than just flip a few switches, though — as an Ambassador for Estee Lauder (which, as a company is highly involved in raising money for breast cancer awareness and research), she appeared at Selfridges on Oxford Street, where she shared some of her favorite beauty secrets and posed for photo ops. And, she took the time to sign items purchased from Estee Lauder’s pink ribbon collection.

She explains her dedication to the cause, saying, “My grandmother had breast cancer, as have a number of my friends. Now, more than ever, it is important to get the message out. Survival rates are rising, and each year we get closer to a cure. If breast cancer is detected early, it is 98 percent curable.”

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

When you don’t live in the immediate area, it’s easy to forget the problems that a natural disaster, like a hurricane, cause for months and years after the original event. However, Beyonce isn’t forgetting — in fact, the singer and actress has pledged a donation of $100,000 to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.

In addition to this generous donation, Beyonce will hold a benefit concert through her Survivor Foundation, a family-run charity that her Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland, also supports. She hopes to raise money for those in the area who’ve lost their homes, property, and jobs.

The Survivor Foundation isn’t brand new — in fact, it has raised over two and a half million dollars in the Houston area since it was first established with the purpose of helping those affected by disasters and providing assistance to children and others who are homeless or suffering from AIDS.

Photo courtesy of beyonce-knowles.com

Now here’s a match that’s hard to beat…dark chocolate and cherries.

How often is something good for you that tastes as good as chocolate? Dark chocolate is full of flavinoids, a compound from the cocoa plant that keeps cholesterol from plugging arteries.  And chocolate isn’t the only thing that will make you smile…dried cherries pack natural sweetness and are rich in heart-healthy antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Balance out these flavors with the taste, texture and nutrition of oats and you’ve got another really good cookie!

Dark Chocolate and Cherry Cookies

1¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
8 oz. (1 stick) butter
8 oz. (1 stick) margarine
½ cup sugar
1¼ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups oats, regular
¾ cup dark chocolate chips
¾ cup dried cherries (or dried cranberries)

Mix flour, soda and salt together and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugars, butter and margarine until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beat well, then mix in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture until well combined. Sir in oats, chocolate chips and cherries, then drop the dough by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 7 to 9 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 4 ½ dozen.

You might make these to tempt the grown ups who drop in on Halloween…but beware! These haunted cookies might just disappear without a trace!

Christina Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year after learning that she had an increased risk of developing the disease, and spent quite a bit of time in the hospital afterward recovering from a mastectomy. Fortunately, she caught it early enough and she is now cancer-free, but she’s concerned that other women won’t have the same good fortune because of the high cost associated with screenings and genetic testing.

While recovering in the hospital, Christina made roses from ribbons — a craft she learned when she was just six years old.  She made hundreds of them on her own, and when anyone came to visit her, she taught them how to do it, too, saying, “Anytime you would come into my room there would be, like, six people in there making these roses.”

Now, she’s using these hundreds of roses for a good cause — soon, she’ll be auctioning them off to raise money for Right Action for Women, but in the meantime, she’s encouraging her fans to make a donation to the charity.

Photo courtesy of rightactionforwomen.com

This fall, one of the hottest parties of the entire year will take place in the Hollywood Hills to benefit VH1’s Save the Music Foundation. Save the Music is partnering with Esquire magazine to hold a sure-to-be fabulous party in the magazine’s sixth annual Signature Space, a gorgeous, modern home that they’ve converted into “a true personification of the modern man’s lifestyle.”

This isn’t the first time Esquire has held a charity event in a Signature Space — in fact, they’ve raised over $7 million for charity so far, and with the help of a fun and famous hosting committee, they’re sure to raise a lot more for Save the Music.

The hosting committee this year includes Ellen Degeneres, Portia de Rossi, James Denton, Chris Webber, and many more. And, the evening will include a special performance by Gavin Rossdale. Of course, even if you’re not interested in the celebrities, the house is worth going to see — in addition to including just about any ammenity you could dream of, the Signature Space also boasts amazing views of L.A., the Pacific Ocean, and Catalina Island.

Tickets are available for $300 each. Just call 212.654.5956 or send an email to RSVP (at) vh1 (dot) com with “Esquire House” in the subject line. And bring a camera!

Picture courtesy of askmen.com

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”  Plato, Greek author and philosopher

Last week I came home from the store only to discover that I had bought a gallon of whole milk instead of nonfat. I knew my son wouldn’t drink it, so I figured I would just use it in cooking or baking…

So I made Dutch Baby for breakfast the next morning. It was delicious, but it hardly made a dent in our surplus. What else could I make with whole milk?

Homemade orange sherbet! Since it is made with milk, it has only a fraction of the fat and calories of ice cream.  My blender has an ice cream maker attachment that I almost never use, so it was time to dust it off. In less time than a trip to the grocery store, I made this yummy treat…

Homemade Orange Sherbet

3 cups whole milk
¾ cup orange juice concentrate (half of a 12 oz. can)
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon pure orange extract, optional

Combine the ingredients in the ice cream canister and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Freeze according to the directions for your ice cream maker. Makes 1 quart.

And for those of you without home ice cream makers, the Play and Freeze ball looks like fun! Or make an orange smoothie instead… ¾ cup whole milk, 1 cup crushed ice, 2 heaping tablespoons orange juice concentrate (undiluted), 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix in blender. 

My homemade orange sherbet is an easy, low fat dessert that is as fun to make as it is to eat….well, maybe a bit more fun to eat!  I made an extra batch to bring to the office…it was a hit! Thanks, Plato.

You might already know that Elizabeth Hurley has become a farmer. The brunette beauty and her husband live on a biodynamic farm, and last year she said she intended to gain organic status and “farm properly and we’re going to have a herd of cows and proper sheep and proper chickens, and we’re going to have Gloucestershire Old Spot Pigs.”

Now that she has her organic status, she’s not only focused on that, but also on helping women reduce their risk of breast cancer. Liz has been a longtime supporter of breast cancer awareness and research, and now she’s speaking out.

“I think we know now that many issues with women’s health can be linked back to their diet. We’ve been saying for a long time that many breast cancer specialists recommend sticking to as low-fat a diet as possible, which all has to do with how estrogen is stored in the body,” Elizabeth told People magazine, adding, “Now we genuinely believe that if any of even the zero fat milk is crammed full of antibiotics and hormones it can be very detrimental to your health.”

As of right now, it’s not clear whether the actress’ line of organic frozen dinners will be available in the States, but I wouldn’t be surprise, seeing as how she admits she’s “obsessed that women find alternatives to eat which are low in fat.” I know I would give it a try — would you?

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Bullies are everywhere — we’ve all had our run-ins with them. However, several celebrities are saying, “No more!” and getting together to stop bullying by joining up with STOMP Out Bullying. John Cusack, Ellen Degeneres, Sugarland, Elton John, Bette Midler, and lots of other famous faces are stomping away for the campaign, which is sponsored by Love Our Children USA.

The point of STOMP Out Bullying is to raise awareness of this very real and very dangerous issue in all its forms — the introduction of new technology means new forms of bullying are popping up all the time. Posters, brochures, V spots, videos, and wristbands will all help to carry the message to students and parents.

“It offers hope for every kid who experiences the harmful effects of bullying and teaches parents to keep open communication with their children and to look for signs,” says Ron Ellis, founder and CEO. “It also educates school administrators across the country, who have swept this issue under the rug for too long.”

In addition to the celebrities involved, several popular TV shows will also lend a hand in spreading the word. Watch for STOMP Out Bullying on Live with Regis and Kelly, Dancing With the Stars, among others.

Did you know that one in four kids is bullied? That makes this situation close to all of us. If you want to do more, go to the Love Our Children website to see how you can help.

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

This wonderful apple spice cake is adapted from a zucchini cake recipe I copied years ago from my very good friend Nancy. It is such an incredibly moist and delicious cake it will get rave reviews whenever you make it. It is fancy enough for company…and healthy enough for a light snack.

Apple Snack Cake

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey
½ cup oil
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 ½ cups shredded unpeeled apple (or zucchini)
½ cup finely diced banana

Spray a 9×13 inch pan with Pam for Baking. Stir together flour, baking powder and soda, salt and spices; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat eggs until light, then beat in the honey and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the oil.
Mix in the flour mixture at low speed, alternating additions with yogurt. Stir in the zucchini and banana. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.

I like this cake best unadorned, but you can also dress it up with a light cream cheese glaze and toasted walnuts. Honey-Cream Cheese Icing: Mix together 5 oz. softened cream cheese, 1 ½ teaspoons orange juice and 3 to 4 tablespoons honey (adjust for desired sweetness). Spread over the cooled cake and cover with 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts.

And once zucchini is back in season, try this recipe with shredded zucchini. It’s equally delicious, and I love the little green flecks!

Jenny McCarthy, as the spokesperson for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), will be joined by Lance Armstrong in hosting Ante Up For Autism, a celebrity charity poker event. The night will also include a live a silent auction.

Some of the celebs planning to ante up are Tony Hawk, Ryan Sheckler, Jim Everett, to name a few. The event is open to the public, with a $500 per person buy-in just to attend and a $1000 buy-in to take part in the poker tournament, so if you’re near the Regis Hotel in Monarch Beach/Dana Point, California this Friday, don’t say there’s nothing fun to do!

If you’re not in the area, or just don’t have $500 or more to throw around, you can make a smaller purchase and still help out — Ante Up For Autism playing cards are available for just $5.50 here. You can purchase tickets there as well, but you should know that they’ll only be available until Thursday, October 2 at 5 p.m. PST. Or, you can take part in the silent auction at this website.

If you’re just interested in learning more about the Ante Up For Autism Event, check out their website (and you tell me — does that picture look anything like Jenny McCarthy? What kind of photoshopping did they do?).

Ante Up For Autism playing cards can be purchased from TACA for $5.50.

Photo courtesy of celebrity-moms.blogspot.com