Healthy Change #5: Examine Your Cookware

Last year we stopped using our 10 year old set of scratched, Teflon coated T-Fal cookware and switched to stainless steel.  In hindsight, after learning the risks, we should have done that 8 years earlier (Teflon cookware should be replaced every 2 to 3 years).  I also pulled out a cast iron skillet that I'd never used, and for Christmas this year I got a new 5 quart porcelain covered casserole that I can put on the stove top or in the oven. I loved it!

Cookware is expensive.  There are also so many types and brands that it's almost over-whelming to shop for it.  And, how do you pick the safest?  Here's are a few reasons as to why I selected the types that I did.

Healthy Change #2: Don't Eat Microwave Popcorn

The smell of popcorn can fill a room.  It's been touted as a healthy snack for years.  It's a favorite of kids and adults alike and often a safe snack alternative for many allergy kids. Or is it??

In my recent research, I'm finding that the risk of eating microwave popcorn isn't exactly new news; however, it hasn't exactly been a top news story at my house.  Maybe not at your house either.  My husband recently forwarded me a link to an article written the end of last year on the Top 7 Foods that Should Never Cross Your Lips.  One of those was microwave popcorn.  We very rarely eat popcorn at our house.  I don't like the smell or taste unless it's coated with caramel and comes in a decorative tin (which means I don't eat much of it, it's not safe for Abigail or good for me).  However, my husband and daughter enjoy it so when we make it, we use kernels out of a jar and microwave them in a special microwave popping bowl.  But there are lots of you out there that throw in a bag for a quick snack.  Here's why you shouldn't.