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For Coffee Drinking Moms: Say Goodbye to Starbucks

Photo by @bluestonelanecoffee
Photo by @bluestonelanecoffee

Sipping a cup of coffee on the way out the door while making sure everyone’s shoes are on the right feet is how many busy moms may be starting their morning. Or maybe you grab a cup on your way to work, or even prefer to meet up with a friend for coffee and catching up! Regardless of how you take your coffee, you’re not alone in getting your caffeine fix—nearly 90% of the adult US population consumes caffeine, and 98% of that caffeine comes from coffee![1] While we may (almost) all be drinking coffee daily, there are still a few controversies even the most devoted coffee drinkers might not have the answers to, including a list of some of the best coffee shops to try in NYC!

Does the Brew Method Affect Caffeine Content?

Yes and no. An 8oz cup of drip coffee will have marginally more caffeine than instant coffee and about 2-3 times as much caffeine as a 1oz shot of espresso.[2] But your barista has the final say in deciding how much caffeine you’ll have in your order. While the variation from day-to-day likely depends on the training regimen and reputation and goals of the coffee shop, it can be significant. A study in Maryland followed coffee shops over a six-day period to find they served up the same drink order but it was measured to have a wide range of caffeine presence, from 58-259mg. (For reference, moderate intake of caffeine is considered three cups a day and averaged to be 300mg.[2])

Might Coffee Irritate Me If I’m Gluten Intolerant/Have Celiac Disease?

It could! Instant coffee is often contaminated with traces of gluten that could irritate someone with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.[4] However, drinking pure coffee should not cause problems for someone with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.[4]

My child wants to try coffee…

Children are grouped into a sensitive subpopulation, along with pregnant women in terms of a having a cap on caffeine consumption, under 300mg/day to reduce risk of adverse affects.[2] More specific recommendations for children, based on age and weight, suggest that no more than 45mg/day for a 1-5year old and no more than 125mg/day for a 10-14 year old.[2] Considering other sources of caffeine that may be in your child’s diet (chocolate, teas, soft drinks) just a half cup to a cup of coffee could exceed the child’s daily recommendation.

Where to get the best cup?

Here are our favorites coffee shops around Manhattan and some we’re excited to try!

Photo by @bluestonelanecoffee
Photo by @bluestonelanecoffee

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Serving specialty coffee and their signature cold brew for the summer months, Stumptown offers a laidback and inviting environment to enjoy any weekend morning. Optional (but limited) outdoor seating and prime West Village location makes it easy to bring along the stroller or kids on your way to Washington Square Park!

Location:

30 W 8th Street, New York, NY 10011

Ace Hotel, 18 W 29th Street, New York, NY 10001

Breakfast at Bluestone Lane Collective Cafe by Brenna O'Malley
Breakfast at Bluestone Lane Collective Cafe by Brenna O’Malley

Bluestone Lane

With locations across Manhattan, it’s hard to find an excuse to not pop into this charming coffee shop for a drink or their West Village location for some “brekkie”. They are known for their avocado toasts and uniquely named coffees, like the “magic”. Also offers indoor and outdoor seating and is a popular weekend brunch spot!

Location:         55 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014 (Collective Café)

805 3rd Ave. New York, NY 10022

1114 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036

30 Broad St. New York, NY 10004

770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

La Colombe

The perfect spot after Soul Cycle in Noho, or a break from shopping in Soho. These airy cafés are welcoming and filled with light, if you don’t get a seat, we promise, their iced coffee is just as good, to-go.

Location:

319 Church Street, New York, NY 10013

270 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012

400 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003

75 Vandam Street, New York, NY 10013

Flat White at Little Collins by Brenna O'Malley
Flat White at Little Collins by Brenna O’Malley

Little Collins

With one Midtown location, this is a great spot to grab a quality coffee between meetings or on your way to the office. With very similar vibes to Bluestone Lane’s Collective Café in West Village, Little Collins slows down the busy pace of a midtown weekday with their own Australian brews.

Location:

667 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022

Happy coffee-shopping!

 

[1]Fulgoni, V., Keast, D., & Lieberman, H. (2015). Trends in intake and sources of caffeine in the diets of US adults: 2001-2010. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1091-1087.

[2]Hogan, E., Hornick, B., & Bouchoux, A (n.d.). Communicating the Message: Clarifying the Controversies About Caffeine. Nutrition Today, 28-35.

[3]Mccusker, R., Goldberger, B., & Cone, E. (n.d.). Caffeine Content of Specialty Coffees. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 520-522.

[4]Vojdani, A., & Tarash, I. (n.d.). Cross-Reaction between Gliadin and Different Food and Tissue Antigens. Food and Nutrition Sciences FNS, 20-32.

 

 

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Summer Fun Positive Food Activities: Make Your Own Muesli

Summer Fun Positive Food Activities: Make Your Own Muesli

By Nutrition Student, Deanna Ronne and Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition Team

Now that the summer months are here, as a mom you’re probably lining up activities to keep your kids busy. Here’s a fun, creative, way to get your kids involved in making a nutritious breakfast or snack balanced with all three macronutrients – carbs, proteins, and fats. A trip to your grocery store, choosing their favorite ingredients, and mixing it may become a weekly pastime to cherish the entire year! Making your own muesli is affordable, easy, packable for day trip snacks, and flexible with the ingredients so perfect for picky kids and promoting the health.

Main Stream Breakfast Cereals

Many traditional breakfast cereals marketed at your children are made with refined grains, hidden sugars (like rice syrup, corn syrup, maltose and tapioca starch), and other “food additives.” Take a look at the “ready-to-eat”1 boxed cereal you have at home. Look at the Ingredients list, not the Nutrition Facts). Ingredients are listed in descending order, so if you see sugar listed as the first, second or third ingredient, just realize your cereal contains more sugar than any ingredients listed after it. This is cool with us, just use this as information. Know that this cereal is likely a low nutrient dense food (aka “Sometimes Food”) and is best eaten as a side to a sandwich at lunch or with a more filling food.

Also look to see what and how many ingredients there are. Many of the ingredients you don’t recognize, known as “food additives”, are meant to enhance the product’s texture, taste, appearance, nutritional quality or increase its shelf life.2 While fortifying cereal with vitamins and minerals improve the nutritional quality, other food additives like flavor enhancers (ex. artificial sweeteners) and preservatives (ex. sodium) generally do not. Most children’s cereals with refined grains are enriched with the vitamins and minerals lost during the refinement process.

The American Dietetic Association released a study in 2008 on the nutritional quality of children’s breakfast cereal showing that they are significantly higher energy, sodium, carbohydrate, and sugar, and significantly lower in fiber and protein than “non children’s cereal”.1

So consider buying cereal products that are for you, rather than kids! They are just as yummy but more nutrient dense. Most importantly, kids are incredibly active during the summer months, and need an energizing breakfast, that will fuel their days in the sun and keep their body clocks ticking.

Did you know?

Stronger cognitive benefits in breakfasts of oatmeal than for “ready-to-eat” breakfast cereals1.

Screen shot 2014-05-14 at 8.02.57 PM

The “Recipe”

There really isn’t a recipe, which makes this idea so fun! You and your kids get to pick the ingredients. Go to your grocery store (preferably one with a “­­­­bulk department”, like at Whole Foods) and let your kids fill a bag with a cereal base of oats, granola, etc. Then, let your kids to find the rest of the ingredients! The set-up of most bulk food sections much resembles a candy store, so your kids will love it.

Here are some ideas:

  •  Nuts/Seeds: Walnuts, pecans, almonds, pumpkin seeds
  • Grains: Millet, Oats, Cooked Wheat-berries
  • Dried fruit: raisins, cherries, dates, cranberries, shredded coconut (no added oils or sugar)
  • Optional: dark chocolate
  • Cinnamon: add cinnamon 1 tsp to 1 cup muesli.

Let your kids be creative with this recipe, even let each kid make their own! As long as the base of oats/granola makes up most of the cereal, the added ingredients should be entirely up to them (with your direction, of course). It is important that kids have a healthy relationship with food. Show them how excited you are to pick out nutritious ingredients for your own muesli, and they will get excited with you! Happy Eating.

Breakfast and Picky Eaters

Breakfast remains to be one of the most important meals of the day. If you are dealing with a picky eater who only wants to eat, say, Frosted Flakes for breakfast, it is okay. Most important is they eat something before they walk out the door. This is the same for Mom and Dad. While it is important to try new things with your kids, force-feeding doesn’t work. Instead practice exposure therapy, let them make their muesli with the main stream cereal if that helps them expand their nutrition repertoire.

  1. Schwartz, M. B., Vartanian, L. R., Wharton, C. M., & Brownell, K. D. (2008). Examining the nutritional quality of breakfast cereals marketed to children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 108(4), 702-705.
  2. “Global Food Additives Industry.” PR NewswireMar 19 2013. Web. 31 May 2015 .
  3. Bulk Foods Aisle in Grocery Store. N.d. “Photo Courtesy Photos-public-domain.com”, n.p.
  4. “Harvard University; Dietary Intake of Whole and Refined Grain Breakfast Cereals is Linked to Lower BMI in Men.” Lab Law Weekly (2006): 88. Web. 1 June 2015.

 

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How important is breakfast?

My child is never hungry for breakfast, and it turns into a fight every morning.
By Elyse Falk, MS, RD, CDN

Photo Credit: ralph and jenny via Compfight cc

Yes, I get it.  I have three boys (middle school and elementary school age), and sometimes they tell me they are not hungry when I say, “Quick, what do you want for breakfast?” as I make lunches in a craze because everyone woke up late!  I know, some of you may be saying we should all be waking up earlier to make time for breakfast, but the truth is sometimes on those cold, dark mornings it’s just hard to wake up early!  I also understand because sometimes you are just not hungry as soon as you wake up.  However, I do believe that getting food in our kids is important before they head off to school or sports practice/games.  I believe it enables better concentration and superior performance, and many studies validate this belief.  I don’t want my child feeling shaky or ill due to lack of eating before leaving the house.  I actually got a call from the school nurse this year because my son was feeling really nauseated.  I told her, “That’s because he didn’t eat breakfast!” He refused to eat what I offered him before I dropped him off at school.  The nurse gave me a whole lecture about how important breakfast is and gave me suggestions (I couldn’t tell her I was an RD because I was too embarrassed!).  After the nurse gave him some crackers, he felt better and it held him over until lunch.  After this episode he didn’t go to school again without eating something first!

 

If your child still refuses to eat breakfast, despite what you tell him or her about food’s importance,  suggest that he or she conduct an experiment for a few days:  eat breakfast for 4 or 5 days and then skip a day of breakfast.  Make a chart to record how he or she felt each morning.  Instead of traditional breakfast food, maybe your child will eat leftovers or a sandwich for the morning meal. The key is simply for a child to eat healthily; the morning meal doesn’t necessarily need to qualify as “breakfast food.”   I’d also suggest trying different breakfast foods and/or nutritious shakes on the weekend instead of on a weekday morning when breakfast can be rushed and stressful.

 

Some kids have their lunch period early in the day, as early as 10:00 a.m.  If this is the case, I give my kids something quick like a bar, apple, banana, or even a baggie of dry cereal to munch on in the a.m. because I know my boys will eat larger portions during lunch and when they get home.  If their lunch time is on the later side and they give me a hard time about breakfast, I explain how yucky they will feel because their brains rely on energy from food, and without nutrients their stomachs will feel sour during morning classes and they won’t be able to do their best.  So, consider offering your kids a source of protein, whole grain, calcium, and fruit for breakfast if they have a late lunch.

 

Hopefully these suggestions help! Good luck!

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Get your kids cooking in the kitchen!

Get your kids cooking in the kitchen!
By Laura Cipullo, RD CDE CEDRD CDN and Mom

To honor National Nutrition Month we wanted to focus on helping children foster a positive relationship with food. A great way to do that is by getting kids active in the cooking process. Even if its making sometimes foods like baking cookies or, in this case, making pancakes! Here’s a cute video we made with the kids:

 

Buttermilk Pancakes
Recipe makes about 12 pancakes, depending on size.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large egg
  • 2.5 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • maple syrup for serving

Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beginning with the eggs, followed by the buttermilk, butter, and whisk until combined. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until the flour is incorporated.
  2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, add a little butter or cooking spray to the pan. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter into heated pan and cook about 2 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
  3. Serve with optional warm butter, maple syrup, and/or fruit.

 

 

– See more at: Bitsy’s Brainfood