Are you tired of paying for overpriced kids’ crackers, fruit snacks and cookies with excessive and wasteful packaging? If you answered yes and you can find a little extra time on your hands this summer, consider purchasing a food dehydrator. With the widespread use of refrigeration and freezing appliances, dehydrators have become less common in most U.S. households. However, they are still extremely useful and simple to operate.

The financial savings of a food dehydrator are numerous. Unlike frozen food, dried foods simply require room temperature storage, so you won’t be using electricity from your fridge or freezer. They will also cost you pennies on the dollar compared with storebought dried foods, making the investment in a food dehydrator something that will pay off quickly if you already enjoy eating dried fruit or other foods from the grocery store.

And dehydrated foods couldn’t be more convenient. Simply remove what you need, seal the container and store again. Dried foods take up much less space than frozen or canned foods (and can easily be rehydrated with water to bring back to the original form). Going on a hike or camping trip this summer? Pack up some dried fruits, nuts and granola, and it will keep for days in your backpack. Summer is a great time to start dehydrating, because you can extend the life of your favorite fruits and vegetables throughout the winter months.

What does it mean to dehydrate foods?
Food dehydration uses 1) heat to draw out the moisture in foods and 2) air circulation to carry off the moisture to eventually evaporate. The purpose is to draw out the food’s moisture to avoid spoilage. If done properly, dehydrated foods can last for many months.

What kinds of foods can be dehydrated?
Almost any food can be dehydrated - Fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and even yogurt! And if dehydrated properly, you can retain almost all of the nutrients. (Some fruits and vegetables may lose a bit of vitamins A and C, but this can be minimized if properly pretreated). And the recipes are endless to make crackers, breads, cookies, vegetarian burgers, potpourri, granola, snack bars, candy, you name it! For example, my daughter and I made blueberry nut bars on Friday night (just walnuts, almonds, blueberries and raisins), and it delivered a fabulous PB&J for lunch today! We also make low-calorie sweet potato treats for our overweight yellow lab and a variety of trail mixes for park outings.

I can personally recommend Excalibur food dehydrators. I had thoroughly researched different dehydrators before purchasing my first one, and Excalibur, whose dehydrators run from around $100-$200, appeared to me to have the most durable equipment, the best prices, and the strongest customer service record.

In my house, there are two adults and one toddler, so the 4-tray dehydrator, currently on sale on Amazon for around $105, was plenty big for us. I recently made zucchini walnut hemp crackers using all 4 trays, and the final product was enough to fill up a half-gallon Mason jar.

If you are new to dehydrating, I would suggest purchasing a thorough guidance book about food dehydrating, too. We have enjoyed Excalibur’s Preserve It Naturally, The Complete Guide to Food Dehydration.

Does this sound like a kitchen idea that interests you? Or have you already purchased a food dehydrator? Share your experiences and recipes with us! And if you have more questions about dehydrating, let me know!

In a world of popular fast food restaurants, highly processed snacks and sweetened drinks, it is not surprising that constipation is a widespread problem for many children. If your child has or may have constipation, is important to encourage regular physical activity and provide a high fiber diet to alleviate pain and potential long-term complications.

We all know that regular physical activity is extremely important for our children for a multitude of reasons. But did you know that it can also help to promote bowel regularity? Sedentary lifestyles contribute to constipation, and physical activity actually helps to alleviate it. Easy walking or any light exercise is often enough to maintain healthy bowel movements.

Most people also appreciate that diet plays an enormous role in constipation, but remembering what foods can help control it can sometimes be confusing. If you or your child suffers from constipation, consider these dietary guidelines.

First, it is a good idea to know how much fiber is recommended in your child's diet. The recommended daily amount of fiber per day for children is the child’s age + 5 grams. That means a three-year-old child should get eight grams a day, and a ten-year-old should get 15.

Adults need at least 30-35 grams fiber per day, more if you consume a high calorie diet. If you are eating a high fiber diet, please drink plenty of fluids each day to soften the stools. Fluids and fiber need to work together for the best effect! If you want to determine your family's fluid needs, please see my previous article on family hydration.

Foods that constipate

In general, these foods have a constipating effect:

• White flour rice, pasta, bread, bagels, pretzels


• Applesauce


• Apples without skin


• Bananas


• Potatoes and potato chips


• Processed foods such as snack chips, cookies and candy

Foods that prevent/reduce constipation

The following foods contain a large amount of fiber and help to prevent constipation:

• All fruits and vegetables except apples w/o skin, bananas and white potatoes


• Whole wheat pasta, rice, breads


• Nuts and seeds


• Peas, beans, lentils


• Dried fruits

When searching for foods high in fiber, look at the Nutrition Facts label and aim to buy foods which contain 3 grams dietary fiber or more per serving. You can learn more about this in my food label lingo post.

The role of milk products

If you are lactose intolerant or sensitive to dairy, milk products may have a laxative or constipating effect on your child. To determine this sensitivity, you can remove the trigger dairy food from the diet for 4-7 days to see if there is a major shift in the bowel patterns.

And lastly, please remember that foods have different effects on different children. For example, cheese may act as constipating for one child and have a laxative effect on another child. So my best advice is to record everything your child eats or drinks for a full week. With the help of diet records, you can look back to determine which foods are most effective for your child’s condition.

Do you have any other solutions to prevent constipation in your family? Share them with us!

As part of my 2009 New Year’s resolution, I have started to make more vegetable and fruit based meals and less animal-centered dishes. Since adopting this new way of cooking and preparing foods, I have relied heavily on one particular excellent cooking website, 101cookbooks.com. Heidi Swanson, the creator and author of the website, explains that she designed the website in 2003 because she felt overwhelmed and bored with her current collection of 100+ cookbooks. And she wanted to expand her repertoire of recipes and cooking techniques and inspire others. Focusing primarily on natural, whole foods and ingredients, the recipes from this website have repeatedly produced fabulous food in my kitchen - and believe me when I say that many recipes do not turn out fabulously in my rookie chef hands!

I know a lot of other people are also trying to cook healthier and look for more nutritious recipes this year, but few of us understand how to build your kitchen around this improved way of eating. Heidi offers a great section on how to "build a natural foods pantry," providing excellent food selection tips. And she describes many of her favorite whole food ingredients in detail, outlining the pros and cons of each one.

Furthermore, you can search recipes by category (appetizer, soup, main course, etc.) or you can find recipes by ingredient name. Personally speaking, I frequently have a bunch of leftover spinach or kale at the end of the week and struggle to find a creative way to cook it. At these times, I would click on my leftover ingredient recipes and discover that I can whip up some hummus and incorporate spinach into it.

And if you want one recipe to start off baking healthy treats for everyone in your family, these cookies are a must-try. So nutritious and delicious! (If you like how those cookies turn out, do a search for the peanut butter cookies under Vegan Recipes for another yummy and easy dessert!)

The website is also greatly enhanced by the beautiful food photography, also Heidi's. To fully appreciate this website, the fabulous recipes and the colorful photographs of food, you'll just have to visit it. And please let me know how your next dish turns out!