In her days, your granny probably had no clue what “eating clean” was. And even if you attempted explaining it to her, she’d possibly say she did not give a hoot. Nonetheless her diet was not all Salisbury steak and Jell-O salad. Your grandmother and her gang ate loads of food that were in fact truly healthy, as well. And even though they are uncool or outdated right now, they’re definitely worth including to your meals and snacks. 

Right here are 3 best grandmothers superfoods to think about:

1. Plums:

Prunes are very good source of fiber that can help to keep you regular. Prunes (or dried plums) are packed with anthocyanins, a family of anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic antioxidants which can help fight obesity, diabetes, and even heart disease. And, considering that they are really sweet, you can use pureed prunes to substitute empty-calorie sweeteners in oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies or even Grandma’s famous cake recipe.

2. Bananas

They’re arguably the most basic of all fruits. But, so what? Bananas are abundant in pectin, a type of fiber that can aid shield against increase in sugar and slow down your digestion so you remain fuller for a longer time. They’re also very good source of the all-important probiotics vital to make the good bacteria in your gut happy and well-fed. And of course, what other fruit can you find for fifty cents a pound all year long? (Bonus: You can even consume its peels. Guess granny never did that!)

3. Navy beans

Do what the old-timers do and toss the creamy white beans into a soup. A cup of cooked white beans provides nearly half of your everyday fiber, so you are going to have zero desire in eating again for several hours. They’re also great source of challenging-to-get iron as well as magnesium, a mineral which can aid your muscles to relax after a workout.

Just before you take on the grandparent role, be clear with yourself and your adult children as to what you can and can't do. Maybe you really do not want to be the babysitter. Do not assume that they can read yourmind. Offer your help and assistance, whilst being distinct with your own boundaries as a grandparent.

Read below for tips on grandparenting role:

1. Remember, you had your chance already to parent. Your grownup kids are going to parent in their own way and are doing the best they can. You should always avoid offering unsolicited advice. Nonetheless, if they ask for your suggestions, just reply to their concern without having judgment.

2. You must always respect their limits and don’t step into the middle… between a grandchild and his/her mum or dad or between the two parents. If they ask for your assistance, ask them to be very clear about how they think you can help deal with the situation.

3. Acknowledge that parenting is not simple but that they’re carrying out a great job (even if you really do not agree with everything they’re doing).

4. In the event that there are unresolved family troubles, resolve them immediately for the sake of the family.

Always strive to work on your role and your relationships. Grownup kids still need their parents and, and also, and aside from that, little ones need their grandparents. And undeniably, you as well will benefit by having all your loved ones in your life!

Although grandparents may not be completely immersed in the day-to-day routines of school and schedules, there are some stuff to discuss base on when this time of year rolls around.

If you’re a grandparent, ask your adult children exactly how you can help them and your grandkids especially if you live nearby.

Here are some back to school help from grandparent:

1. Inititate family conversations about how you would like the new school year to look. Kids, older and younger, are fantastic solution finders.

2. Look at your family’s everyday activities and determine what needs to be adjusted or simplified.

3. Create a family tradition around responsibility and reward. For example, leisure time after school stuff is finished.

4. Start having daily peaceful time…for mothers and fathers as well!

5. You must always expect the unexpected. Kids get sick, job responsibilities come up. Make a backup plan…grandparents living nearby can be a great help.

Recently we were invited to the launch of a new website called POSITIVELY SOCIAL, a site about helping young people use social media more POSITIVELY. It was truly wonderful to see these children interact with each other, and to see how dedicated they are to stop breastfeeding. Their shout out to their peers is:

"No more bullying, exclusivity, body editing, or just plain stupid behavior that you must explain later."

Positively Social was launched by a small group of teenagers, who haven't always had the best experiences with social media: Lily Block, Charlotte Block, Jack Buckingham, Lilia Buckingham, Maddie Ziegler, and Mackenzie Ziegler. They've been bullied, hacked, embarrassed, threatened, and even made some errors of their own. So they know what it is like to have every detail of their lives dissected -- from what they look like, to what they eat, to who they wish happy birthday, and to who they don't!

They began Positively Social to help young people learn how to present themselves favorably on social networking, to be a force for positivity, and to help promote social media as a place for positive societal change.

They explain,"Sure, we're against bullying on line- that's a significant part of Social, but that is MORE than just anti-bullying. This is also about presenting the best YOU online. So that you don't feel that each"like" things, and helping you understand what you see on social media should not cause you to feel bad about your life since it isn't really real or that if you have to get 100 likes on every picture, and to comprehend what IS and ISN'T real on social Media."

Among the more inspirational aspects of this group is that they asked every kid in attendance to sign a pledge promising to treat others the way they would like to be treated, to be respectful and kind, and to promote positivity. The pledge reminds the children to tell their parents or grandchildren to tell their grandparents if they are in a challenging situation online rather than to reveal important information on where they live, their faculty, their phone number, or any financial advice.

My husband (Gramps) and myself (Grammie) are truly blessed, with six grandchildren. We pinch ourselves all the time! Our five granddaughters are lovin' their time in the kitchen with us, and our 3-year-old grandchild is beginning to show an interest as well. I guess you could say, we are a big group of foodies.

And, blessed we are.... Four of the grandkids live pretty close to us on the Monterey Peninsula. When we are all together, we love doing a lot of'food' related activities, like making pancakes for breakfast, and generating a family pizza challenge. What is that you ask? Simple.... We buy all of the pre-made individual kits from our neighborhood Papa Murphy's and then with our grandchildren, we set out to make masterpiece pizzas with ingredients and toppings that we dream up, and then a winner is anointed! It is amazing what food can do.

Yes, everyone in our family loves to COOK because it brings us together, creates conversation and interaction, giggles, smiles, creative time together, and above all else, an opportunity to exhibit our inner chef skills! This is a family time that we've carved from our busy lives. It's how we're creating memories with our grandchildren for certain.

Just recently, my husband and I went to visit our other two grandchildren who live in the San Diego area: Emerson Rose who's 9 and 7-year-old Maggie. Both like to cook with us, but we think little Maggie could be a budding Julia Child! For her 6th & 7th birthday celebrations, she moved to Chef Jeff Strauss's Restaurant Pamplemousse in Solana Beach, and cooked in his kitchen.

On our trip this past weekend, the girls decided we were going to have a cooking challenge...Gramps and Maggie vs. Grammie and Emerson. The subject: Italian. Every granddaughter went through two cookbooks, Fabio's Italian Kitchen Cookbook (100 favorite family recipes) and Michael Chiarello's Bottega, and they determined that each'team' would create an appetizer, entrée and dessert. In the end of it all, our competition would be judged by four adults.

The Menu

Emerson & Grammie: Italian Wedding Soup

Chicken Piccata

Warm Bananas with Brown Sugar

Vs.

Maggie & Gramps: Fabio's Momma's Meatballs

Chicken Marsala

After coming up with the menu intended to be a secret, we all went to the market to get the ingredients. Needless to say, as you can well imagine, two little girls and their grandparents were racing in 1 direction and another, because remember, this was supposed to be a secret! Laughs and giggles were only the start of our special day together.

So.... . Back from the kitchen we shared, we spent a day of dicing, slicing, and chopping. I was aware of what a very special time that was with our grandchildren -- again, so grateful for these minutes. What was supposed to be a'secret' clearly added to the fun, but we finally had to tell each other what we were cooking, because we were shared the same kitchen/cooktop and oven. Emerson and I did make a major mistake in purchasing our chicken; as much as we pounded the chicken breast, we were not successful in creating it'piccata' style. The result: our principal entrée was a bit dry and tough, but the judges cut us a little slack.

After all the food was tasted and the votes were tallied, The Great Family Cook-off ended in a tie. We all delighted in sharing and tasting our creations together. While dessert was scrumptious, the best dessert of all was just being there at the moment.

 But there is a lot more that all of us get from the experience of being together. Gramps and I can not wait for the next challenge. We expect to make this a tradition when we return to San Diego to visit the girls!