Your kids can learn to crave Broccoli. Here is how..

If there is one vegetable that is loathed in our household, it is the humble broccoli. I am not sure what it is about this vegetable, but our kids hate it and don’t want to touch it. I believe that that is the same across many households around the world.

So what if you could train your (and of course, your kids) brains to actually crave and want Broccoli? Sounds crazy doesn’t it?

But new research suggests that it can be done.

Scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and at Massachusetts General Hospital have shown that you can train your brain to fire the same “feel good” neurotransmitters for healthy food that you get when you eat a chocolate or donut. The brain “rewards” you by firing dopamine and it “sparkles” for fatty foods. But you can train your brain to do the same for Broccoli.

It all has to do with eating a low calorie, high fiber diet. Combine that with educating yourself over the effects of a nicer diet and you can, over time, actually crave that nice juicy piece of Broccoli, the same way you are craving a donut right now.

Want to give it a try?

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Cross stitch is not a craft I generally travel with (since I’m not that good at it, I prefer not to be moving while I’m doing it) but I’m sure there are lots of stitchers who would like to take their projects with them when they travel.

Koekoek has a post all about cross stitching on a plane, which is a great plan since it’s lots of uninterrupted time to work. As mentioned in the post, you should be able to bring embroidery needles (which tend not to be that sharp anyway) on an airplane with you.

Regulations in the United States say that scissors with blades up to 4 inches/10 cm are allowed in the cabin, but whether they are allowed by security as you pass through it is up to their discretion. And thread cutters that use a razor blade are not supposed to be allowed at any time.

Alternatives include bringing nail clippers to snip your threads, or pre-cutting thread and placing it on bobbins so you can stitch on the plane. Then pack scissors in your checked bag so you can cut any loose ends or extra long strands later.

Check out the post at Koekoek for more tips on traveling with cross stitch and suggestions for projects to pack when traveling. I’ve also written in the past about this post from Caterpillar Cross Stitch about traveling with cross stitch supplies and, importantly, what to do to make your screening as smooth as possible. And, importantly, what to do if the security agents question your supplies or want to confiscate anything you brought.

And that’s a great tip, too: if you are packing scissors in your carry on but you’re also checking a bag, pack extras there just in case.

Do you have any tips for traveling with cross stitch projects? I’d love to hear them. Also check out my post about planning a travel stitching kit.

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