I am a huge advocate for eating a healthy diet, and always tell my grandson, Quentin, the importance of eating all his protein, fruits and vegetables.
Thanks to KTA Super Stores and K. Taniguchi Ltd, we hand out “Hawaii Healthy Me” books to fourth-graders in public schools around the island to teach schoolchildren the importance of eating a rainbow of foods.
So when CNN came out with the story about a teenage boy going blind after eating only Pringles chips, white bread and French fries, it became a new thing for us to tell our children and grandchildren about the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. When I was growing up, I heard about the starving children in China, and then when my boys were growing up it was the starving children in Ethiopia.
In a publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine, it was noted scientists from the University of Bristol examined a young teen who was an extremely picky eater and lived on a very poor diet, eating only the fries when ordering fish and chips, only white and not whole wheat bread and processed ham and sausage since he was in elementary school. He would not eat any food with a certain texture. At 14 years of age, he went to the doctor, complaining he was always tired and showing signs of malnutrition.
Doctors discovered low Vitamin B12 levels and anemia, treated him with Vitamin B12 injections and offered dietary advice.
Examined one year later, he showed signs of hearing loss and vision problems. His vision worsened to the point of blindness by the time he was 17 years old. Doctors diagnosed the reason as the deficiency of Vitamin B12, low copper and selenium levels, a high zinc level, reduced Vitamin D levels and low bone level density.
At 19 years old, this teen now has permanent vision damage that is not reversible, being diagnosed as nutritional optic neuropathy, a dysfunction of the optic nerve.
Lead author Denize Atan, an ophthalmologist at Bristol Medical School and Bristol Eye Hospital, said about this case, “ Our vision has such an impact on quality of life, education, employment, social interactions and mental health. This case highlights the impacts of diet on visual and physical health.” They also warned that vegans should take supplements to make sure they get adequate amounts of Vitamin B12.
So children, beware, your parents and grandparents now will tell you that you need to eat your chicken, meat or fish, fruits, vegetables and your milk or you will go blind!
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that your body needs to ensure your nerves and blood cells stay healthy. It has an essential role in the formation and metabolism of red blood cells as well as in our ability to produce DNA.
Foods rich in Vitamin B12 include beef; liver; chicken; fish such as salmon. trout, tuna or sardines; shellfish such as clams; eggs; yogurt; cheese; fortified breakfast cereals; and milk. You can see it is not difficult to get Vitamin B12 by eating eggs, yogurt and milk in the morning, cheese at lunch and chicken for dinner.
Whole wheat bread is so much better than white bread, as white bread can do more harm with excess calories and very few nutrients. In comparison, whole wheat bread contains fiber, Vitamin B and minerals.
Pringles do not provide much nutrition, as it is 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 150 milligrams of sodium per serving. No vitamins or minerals, guys!
French fries are fried in oil, making them a high-calorie food. A medium order of fries from a typical fast food restaurant is about 365 calories. A medium baked potato is 130 calories.
So let’s make sure our children get a well-balanced meal with every meal so they don’t go blind!
Here’s a chicken enchilada casserole recipe from Parent’s magazine that is kid’s friendly:
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Serves: 10
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/4 ounces packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
2 cups salsa verde
9 flour tortillas, fajita-style
1 can refried beans (15 1/2 ounces), warmed in microwave
8 ounces sour cream
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix chicken, taco seasoning, water and salsa verde in a skillet. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.
Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cover bottom of pan with three tortillas, overlapping. Pour half of the chicken mixture on the tortillas. Cover with three more tortillas. Spread with warmed beans and sour cream.
Sprinkle half the cheese over the beans and sour cream. Cover with the remaining three tortillas. Top with remaining chicken mixture, followed by remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes, until bubbly. Serve with salsa.
Foodie bites
Hawaii Community College’s Culinary Arts Cafe is open from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. today through Friday. Call 934-2591 for takeout orders. You will have a breakfast menu as well as a variety of sandwiches and burgers from which to choose. The breakfast menu sounds yummy, with the original breakfast plate consisting of two eggs served with a choice of Portuguese sausage, bacon or Spam, choice of rice, housemade potato hash or pancake.
The bi bim bap consists of kim chee fried rice, namul, pickled vegetables, fried egg and bulgogi.
Loco moco is white rice, 6-ounce burger patty, fried egg and gravy.
Prices are reasonable, all less than $10, so please support the culinary students.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.