A is for Artichokes | Atherosclerosis | Awareness | Kids Fit Kitchen |

Plants. People. Purpose.

Welcome to the ABC's of Kids Fit Kitchen week of fun featuring A is for Artichoke, Atherosclerosis and Awareness! 

Make sure to check out our LIVE Facebook video to watch the recap of A is for Artichoke, Atherosclerosis and Awareness and please join our amazing community! 

Plants.

Learn the Fun Facts for Kids and Fun Facts for Grown Ups about why an Artichoke is good for you!  Watch a short 'how to' video on how to steam and eat an artichoke!   And make sure to download the super yummy recipe for an Artichoke Tapenade!

Enjoy :)

A is for Artichoke

Fun Facts for Grown Ups

• Are you a grown up who just cannot jump on the kale craze? I hear you, I get bored of chewing before I can even swallow. Crunchy kale dehydrated kale chips however I could eat all day, but I am digressing...sorry.  My point was that if you have not hopped aboard the kale train but are worried you are not getting in the antioxidants those kale crazers are, have no fear!  Artichokes are ranked the highest in antioxidants of the veggie family!

• Do you some of you grown ups ever accidentally drink too much or eat naughty foods?  Eat an artichoke to hook up your liver!  There are 2 main antioxidants found in artichokes called cynarin and silymarin that reduce and facilitate elimination of toxins left over from these fun and naughty times.

• Sometimes as we age, fun things like not being regular can start to happen, and by regular I am referring to bowels, not your personality. 1 artichoke contains 2/3 of your daily fiber requirement.  That’s as much as a whole cup of prunes!  Your waistline and adrenal system will thank you for choosing the artichoke over the cup of prunes because the prunes have 66 grams of sugar and the artichoke only has 1.3 grams of sugar!

Fun Facts for Kids

• Hey kids, the irregular bowel issues that happen to the grown ups can sometimes happen to you. Now you can have fun peeling and eating an artichoke to help you feel better as well.

• An artichoke has 4 grams of protein which is a lot for a veggie!  On average an artichoke has 65 calories, 15 grams carbohydrates and .5 gram of fat making this a perfect pre-play snack! 

• Want to do well in school kids?  Of course you do! Let’s do a little brain exercise.  Have a grown up write down 3 words for you that you know how to read.  Then your job is to read them out loud and remember them.  Have the grown up ask you, after about an hour, what those words were.  Did you remember?  If not, don’t feel bad, just start eating more artichoke! Artichokes contain an average of 45mg Omega 3 which is shown to improve reading and increase memory. This is good for you grown ups as well if you find yourself forgetting your keys, names and why you went into the kitchen!

Download the Artichoke Tapenade Recipe here:

People.

"Atherosclerosis refers to the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on your artery walls (plaque), which can restrict blood flow. The plaque can burst, triggering a blood clot. Although atherosclerosis is often considered a heart problem, it can affect arteries anywhere in your body." https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350569

The word 'atherosclerosis' comes from the Greek words "athero" which means "paste" and "sclerosis" which means hardness.  So it's basically like saying a hard paste forms in your arteries.  This hardening of the arteries will cause many health issues and can lead to death by coronary heart disease.  Heart disease is the number 1 killer in the US for both men and women.  It's the number 1 killer and yet it's also completely preventative with proper lifestyle choices.  That means, the number 1 killer in America could be avoided and millions of lives saved by eating a healthier diet and moving your bodies! 

As you will hear in this Ted Talk by Dr. Gregor, this build up in the arteries is now even being found in children!  That is so scary that even our children are at risk for heart disease :(    Watch this live saving video below: 

Purpose.

A is for Awareness both for the planet and for your health and the health of your family.  Every change or shift we would like to make in our lives, starts with the awareness of what it is we feel needs to change or shift.  Just having the awareness sets forth the actions that will then need to take place for the change to happen. Awareness and actions can be seemingly small but over time create a compound effect of positive lasting change. For example, if you become aware that you feel bad about using plastic to cover or store your food, you can easily swap your plastic materials for eco friendly reusable materials.  This seemingly small action alone would add up over time to create a massive benefit to the planet! What are some things you are doing in your home that is part of the positive ripple effect of change? 

Share your awesomeness in our Facebook Group and see what others are doing :) 

A is for awareness in your own health and the health of your family.  Having awareness of what you put in your bodies in the first big step in making new positive healthy shifts in your life.  This could be having an awareness of the positive things you already do for your health, or maybe you notice the not so positive things you are doing that will harm your health?  What are you becoming aware of now as you read this?  

What are some positive daily/weekly things you do that will lead to that same idea of a positive compound effect of change over time?  For example - walking for 30 minutes outside in fresh air everyday leads to massive positive effects over time.  We talked about a is for atherosclerosis and so walking for 30 minutes a day will help keep your arteries healthier and over time will reduce the risk of your arteries getting blocked.  Another example would be adding 1 serving of veggies to everyone's plates every day.  A seemingly small change that will lead to massive health benefits, and not to mention habits, over time for everyone! 

This works in reverse way as well.  If you drink a soda or give your kids sugary juice every day, over time that has a negative compound effect on your health and the health of your child.  Slowly over time you and your child can develop type 2 diabetes from the compounding of all that sugar over time and the overload it creates on the body.  Or just like we talked about atherosclerosis, if you eat fat from animal sources, over time the lipids literally get stuck and blocks your arteries which can lead to coronary heart disease.

 So what is some awareness you would like to bring to you and your family's health?

Enjoy this short video below on how to eat a fresh Artichoke! 

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We used the recipe for Artichoke Tapenade from one of my favorite cookbooks,  

*This is an affiliate link and if you choose to buy the book and use this link, you help Sara B Fit and Kids Fit Kitchen continue to bring you amazing content :) 

Download the Artichoke Tapenade Recipe by clicking on the photo below! 

 Thanks for reading and enjoy your fun artichoke! 

Don't forget to watch the recap of A is for Artichoke, Atherosclerosis and Awareness and please join our amazing family!