Below is a beautiful video of an infant hearing the sounds of his mother's voice for the first time after receiving cochlear implants.  May it put the worries of your day into perspective, and remind you of your forgotten fortunes...

Study Finds Kids' Diets Linked to Asthma Risk

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Eating a Mediterranean diet -- one high in fruits, fish, and vegetables and low in saturated fat -- is associated with a reduced likelihood of asthma in children, a large observational study found.

(Not) Milkin' It

Millions of Americans have chosen to limit milk products or go completely cow's milk-free for a variety of reasons - some of which include lactose intolerance, casein (milk protein) allergy or intolerance, animal rights issues, or simply because they don't like it.  Today's post is designed not to delve into the potential problems with milk ingestion - although I will address this in later posts - but to provide the readers with an overview of the milk alternatives available in today's grocery markets.  While knowing the pros and cons of these alternatives will hopefully help you be more mindful of the ones you choose, the taste can vary quite a bit among the choices.  I'd urge you to buy small samples of each, after considering your own dietary needs, to find the one that suits you (and your taste buds) best.
Here are the most commonly available cow's milk alternatives:

1. Soy "Milk" -  Soy "milk" is created using pureed, whole soy beans to produce a thin milk-like liquid.  Some of you may remember a post published last year entitled The Truth About Soy.  The risks and benefits of soy consumption were discussed here in detail, and I'd encourage you to check it out for a more thorough history on soy and its baggage.  Soy milk tends to be the most commonly chosen alternative to milk products, as it is the most readily available and typically the least expensive out of all of the options.  Here are some of the positive points in choosing soy milk as a milk substitute:

- Most varieties of soy milk contain 30% of the daily value of calcium, which is the same amount as in typical cow's milk.  This lessons the need to increase calcium products and/or take supplements when switching from cow's milk to soy.  Of course, always read your product's label as there can be some variation here.  
- soy milk contains, on average, 7g of protein per serving - comparable to cow's milk which typically has 7-10 grams per serving.  Even better is that soy is a complete protein, which means it contains all of the essential amino acids our bodies require to utilize the protein fully.