Wanted: Hotdog designer

According to American pediatric doctors, one in particular named Dr. Gary Smith, HOTDOGS need to be redesigned, yes you read that right.

Nutritionists have long warned of the perils of hot dogs: fat, sodium and preservatives to name a few...but now the American pediatric doctors are warning that hotdogs need to be redesigned because they are a choking hazzard to children. 

"Hotdogs and some other items should not be given to children under three," said Kristen Gane, a program co-ordinator for Safe Kids Canada. "Children under that age do not have the molar teeth needed to properly grind food."

I do not want you thinking I am making light of this situation, more like I am questioning WHY people are feeding small children hotdogs to start with. I will not even get into what they are made of and how they are made. The average all beef (and I use that term lightly) hotdog has 15 grams of saturated fat OR more!

I find it funny that these doctors are more concerned about the slim chance your kid may choke on a hotdog because you didn't cut it up into itty bitty pieces BUT they are less concerned that you are feeding them to your kids in the first place. So, feed your kid hotdogs, help contribute to childhood obesity and other long term health problems...but make sure you cut them up really small so the don't choke.

The pediatricians are calling for a commitment from food manufacturers to design new food and redesign existing food to minimize choking risks. 

Don't feel bad for the poor hotdog, the Pediatrics article says that round candy, grapes, marshmallows, meat sticks, sausages, chewing gum and peanut butter are also high-risk foods that can act as plugs in throats of young children. They would like all high-risk foods to be redesigned, well not nuts and grape items because for now mother nature makes those...for now until some mad scientist figures out how to make them.

''Parents should also avoid feeding nuts, raw carrots, popcorn kernels and some hard fruits and vegetables to young children and when serving hotdogs to older children they should be sliced lengthwise''

I think what the new choking hazard labels actually need to say is ''hey parents, use common sense when feeding your small child small items that they could choke on'' Who feeds their kid popcorn kernels?

Quick—grab a bubble and shove your kid in it!

For those of you thinking about taking a chance on eating a hotdog or heaven forbid feeding one to your small child, consider this first...

"All hot dogs are cured and cooked sausages that consist of mainly pork, beef, chicken and turkey or a combination of meat and poultry. Meats used in hot dogs come from the muscle of the animal and looks much like what you buy in the grocer's case. Other ingredients include water, curing agents and spices, such as garlic, salt, sugar, ground mustard, nutmeg, coriander and white pepper."

However, there are a couple of caveats. "Variety meats," which include things like liver, kidneys and hearts, may be used in processed meats like hot dogs, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that they be disclosed on the ingredient label as "with variety meats" or "with meat by-products."

Further, watch out for statements like "made with mechanically separated meats (MSM)." Mechanically separated meat is "a paste-like and batter-like meat product produced by forcing bones, with attached edible meat, under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue," according to the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

There's a fungus among us!

I find it interesting to listen to what people have to say in supermarkets...ya, that probably sounds kind of weird. Anyway, like today for example, as I stood waiting patiently for the stock person to refill the mushroom shelf. I happened to overhear 2 women chatting about how mushrooms have no purpose and are just empty calories with no nutritional value and that is why they don't eat them.

I thought for a moment about defending my little fungus friends but then decided to blog about them instead, mostly to avoid seeming like a crazy person in the market but also because this was not the first time that I have heard people bashing mushrooms.

Mushrooms actually have a tonne of benefits! Although they are not a true vegetable in the sense that they do not have any leaves, roots, or seeds, and really do not need any light to grow. So what exactly is a mushroom? It is a fungus, which grows in the dark in a nutrient rich compost mixture...not just poop like most people think.

Mushrooms are brimming with protein, B vitamins (riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic), and minerals (selenium, potassium,and copper). They're low in calories and may have antibacterial substances to help the body. Cooked fresh mushrooms offer the most nutritional benefit versus the canned version that may have more sodium.

There are over 2,000 varieties of edible mushrooms, in fact mushrooms are one of the top five natural foods for antioxidants and are the only non-animal food source of Vitamin D


Plus there is mounting evidence that the humble white button mushroom can assist in reducing the risk of certain forms of cancer, promote immune function ward off viruses, bacteria, reduce inflammation, combat allergies, help balance blood sugar levels and support the body's detoxification mechanisms! Being rich in fiber, protein and Vitamin B, mushrooms help maintain a healthy metabolism which is beneficial for everyone but especially for people trying to lose weight!