Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The Soup Trick
Friday, May 13, 2011
Simple Snack Ideas for Kids
I admit it, I get bored and stuck in a rut for feeding my kids. I am not one of those moms who makes a smiley face out of veggies. I get so tired and frustrated when parenting magazines show off all these fancy food ideas to get your kids to eat this or that when really my kids wouldn't touch any of it. I have 3 kids (ages 6, 4 and 1) and all of them have different likes and dislikes when it comes to eating. My 6 year old I consider to be an average eater. He eats well, he eats balanced, but he doesn't eat anything terribly fancy or different. My 4 year old is picky. He won't eat most fruits and veggies without me hiding them. My 1 year old will eat pretty much anything you put in front of her. So what is a mom to do? Here are a few snack ideas that my kids will eat (well at least 2 out of 3, sometimes 3 out of 3) that are simple to do.
1. Hummus and pita - hands down a kid favorite. They love bread, they love dipping. Hummus is a great dip for kids as it isn't too flavor weird. It is bean based which gives them a little fibre in their day.
2. Cut up fruit - apples, bananas, kiwi, grapes, cherries, berries, pears - the list is endless. Try mixing them all into a fruit salad too - or mix in yogurt or use a container of yogurt for a dip.
3. Cheese and crackers - I know it's standard, there's a reason it is standard. You can mix it up a bit by trying new cheeses. How about gouda or gruyere?
4. Meat and cheese roll ups - I prefer low-sodium deli meat (like turkey) and a slice of swiss cheese for this. It is as it sounds. Take a meat slice, put a cheese slice on it and roll up. Yum!
5. Dry cereal and raisins - my kids love munching on Cheerios, Mini Wheat Bites and Shreddies, the raisins add a little sweetness
6. Snack Mix Boxes - a fantastic idea for any kid kitchen. Here's how it works. Take a Tupperware kind of container (a tall one). Have your kids pick out snack things they like (non-perishable) to go in. Layer up and put a lid on it. The next time they are snacky there's your go-to. Ideas for your containers: nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, cashews...), dried fruit (raisins, apricots, mango, berries...), dried cereal (Cheerios, Mini Wheat Bites, Shreddies...), goldfish crackers, M&M's, and sunflower seeds.
7. Cut up veggies - have a Tupperware box ready in your kitchen filled with cucumber, carrots and peppers - don't forget the dip for dippers. Celery is great with peanut butter, cheese whiz and raisins too.
8. Yogurt. My kids love it - always have.
9. Applesauce - another crowd pleaser
10. Fruit to go - We called these fruit leather when I was a kid. Just dried fruit strips but they love them. (and they are easy to pack around with you too)
11. Mini Muffins - there are so many kinds of healthy muffin recipes out there that kids love (click this link so see some of my favorite muffin recipes here
12. Fruit smoothie - if you have a blender, this is so easy - a little bit of fruit, (I keep overripe bananas and a bag of berries in the freezer), some yogurt and blend. Delicious. (Not sure? try this one)
There are my top 12 snack ideas. I'd love to hear what your kids go-to snacks are.
1. Hummus and pita - hands down a kid favorite. They love bread, they love dipping. Hummus is a great dip for kids as it isn't too flavor weird. It is bean based which gives them a little fibre in their day.
2. Cut up fruit - apples, bananas, kiwi, grapes, cherries, berries, pears - the list is endless. Try mixing them all into a fruit salad too - or mix in yogurt or use a container of yogurt for a dip.
3. Cheese and crackers - I know it's standard, there's a reason it is standard. You can mix it up a bit by trying new cheeses. How about gouda or gruyere?
4. Meat and cheese roll ups - I prefer low-sodium deli meat (like turkey) and a slice of swiss cheese for this. It is as it sounds. Take a meat slice, put a cheese slice on it and roll up. Yum!
5. Dry cereal and raisins - my kids love munching on Cheerios, Mini Wheat Bites and Shreddies, the raisins add a little sweetness
6. Snack Mix Boxes - a fantastic idea for any kid kitchen. Here's how it works. Take a Tupperware kind of container (a tall one). Have your kids pick out snack things they like (non-perishable) to go in. Layer up and put a lid on it. The next time they are snacky there's your go-to. Ideas for your containers: nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, cashews...), dried fruit (raisins, apricots, mango, berries...), dried cereal (Cheerios, Mini Wheat Bites, Shreddies...), goldfish crackers, M&M's, and sunflower seeds.
7. Cut up veggies - have a Tupperware box ready in your kitchen filled with cucumber, carrots and peppers - don't forget the dip for dippers. Celery is great with peanut butter, cheese whiz and raisins too.
8. Yogurt. My kids love it - always have.
9. Applesauce - another crowd pleaser
10. Fruit to go - We called these fruit leather when I was a kid. Just dried fruit strips but they love them. (and they are easy to pack around with you too)
11. Mini Muffins - there are so many kinds of healthy muffin recipes out there that kids love (click this link so see some of my favorite muffin recipes here
12. Fruit smoothie - if you have a blender, this is so easy - a little bit of fruit, (I keep overripe bananas and a bag of berries in the freezer), some yogurt and blend. Delicious. (Not sure? try this one)
There are my top 12 snack ideas. I'd love to hear what your kids go-to snacks are.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
School Lunch Ideas - Mid-year successes
I started off this school year seeking to find interesting school lunches for my first grader. It's a double challenge as it has to meet the school parameters of being nut-free, healthy, filling and litter-free (or close to as possible). I have a stash of small plastic containers and aluminum water bottles to assist with the litter-free part. Our school is known as a green school and is famous for it's 'boomerang lunches' weeks where everything that goes to school comes back. My son is also not a big fan of traditional sandwiches (he loves peanut butter and banana, but you can't send peanut butter to school).
Here are some lunches that my son loves
Mains
hummus and pita
bagel with cream cheese
pizza pinwheels (recipe here)
cracker sandwiches (Ritz with cheese whiz or cream cheese)
meat roll ups, cheese and crackers (rolled up lunch meat slices, usually turkey)
meatloaf sandwich (slice of leftover meatloaf in two slices of bread)
leftover cold pizza
pizza sticks (recipe below)
English Muffins with cream cheese and jam
English Muffins with pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese
ham and cheese muffin
tomato soup in a thermos
spaghetti in a thermos
macaroni and cheese in a thermos
Sides
yogurt
apple slices
banana
clementine
other seasonal fruit
applesauce
veggies and dip
goldfish crackers
dried fruit snacks (eg: fruit to go)
raisins and cheerios mix
popcorn
muffin
granola bars (watch for nut content)
banana bread
zucchini loaf
Drink
orange juice
apple juice
fruit plus veggies juice
water
I make a point to stay away from chips, cookies and candy for school lunches. I like to pick a good mix that represents each area of Canada's Food Guide so that my son gets fueled up for the rest of the day.
What ideas have worked for you this year?
Pizza Sticks
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup flour (approx.)
2/3 cup chopped pepperoni
2 tbsp margarine (melted)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Place oven rack in centre position. Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Stir the first 5 ingredients together in the bowl. Pour in the olive oil and hot water. Stir until the flour is combined. Work the second amount of flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed and a bit of the chopped pepperoni, until all the pepperoni is mixed into the dough. Invert the bowl over the dough. Let the dough rest 10 minutes. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rows about 1 inch wide with the knife on the cutting board. Cut crosswise into 5 inch long sticks. Lay each stick on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Cover with the tea towel. Let rise in the oven, with the door closed and the oven light on, for 30 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Turn the oven on to 375*. Combine the melted margarine and garlic powder in a small bowl. Brush the sticks with the margarine mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Makes 18-20 sticks.
Recipe from Company's Coming - Kids Cook! 3 in 1 cookbook collection (After-school Snacks section)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Growing Boy! and ideas to help kids as they grow.
It's happening again, I'm being eaten out of house and home. This time by my 3 year old. Every time I turn around he's asking for a snack, or seconds of a meal. This is highly unusual. He's usually quite a picky little eater. There's only one explanation: growth spurt! This suspicion was confirmed as he cried out in the night about sore legs (growing pains). Fortunately Dr. Mom has a few tricks in her sleeve and uses regular aloe lotion as a special "cream" to rub on sore little legs, letting him get back to sleep quickly.
To help kids as they grow there are 3 things you can do as a parent. First, make sure they get proper rest. Kids need 10-12 hours of sleep a night. Second, provide good nutrition with a balanced diet. I use Canada's Food guide while menu planning for my household. Third, make sure your child lives an active lifestyle. Activity can range from neighborhood walks to playing in the park to organized sports. *During the winter we try the following: Playing in the snow (building, shoveling, sliding - it's all good). Clearing a spot for hockey practice. Even though we have a little yard with no room for a rink, we've made a hockey practice zone to shoot pucks at some plastic bins - they love it. We run indoor races of all sorts (running, skipping, hopping, "Speed Skating" in socks...). Finally, we have dance parties in the living room - turn up the music and just go for it!
I have to say with two boys in the house I'm a little scared for the future. If this is how they eat when going through a growth spurt as little guys, what will my grocery bill be like when they are teenagers!
To help kids as they grow there are 3 things you can do as a parent. First, make sure they get proper rest. Kids need 10-12 hours of sleep a night. Second, provide good nutrition with a balanced diet. I use Canada's Food guide while menu planning for my household. Third, make sure your child lives an active lifestyle. Activity can range from neighborhood walks to playing in the park to organized sports. *During the winter we try the following: Playing in the snow (building, shoveling, sliding - it's all good). Clearing a spot for hockey practice. Even though we have a little yard with no room for a rink, we've made a hockey practice zone to shoot pucks at some plastic bins - they love it. We run indoor races of all sorts (running, skipping, hopping, "Speed Skating" in socks...). Finally, we have dance parties in the living room - turn up the music and just go for it!
I have to say with two boys in the house I'm a little scared for the future. If this is how they eat when going through a growth spurt as little guys, what will my grocery bill be like when they are teenagers!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Breakfast Cereal - my rant of the week
I just read a Yahoo article about breakfast cereals. The headline being:
Parents, Don't Be Conned by Sugary Kids' Cereals
It goes on to tell about how parents give in to the demands of marketing and their kids and buy the cereals. But then, surprise, surprise kids aren't getting filled up or getting proper nutrition in their diet. I know big revelation. You can read the article here. I'm a little bit taken back about the whole thing. You see my kids don't eat sugar cereals. That's not to say they wouldn't, but the fact is, we don't buy them. You don't want your kids to eat sugar for breakfast, then don't get it for them. My kids don't pour spoonfuls of sugar on their cereal either. That option has never been presented to them. So am I in the minority here? I didn't think I was. We're pretty basic in our cereal choices. Currently on hand we have Raisin Bran, Cheerios, Honey Clusters Fibre One and Peaches and Cream Oatmeal. Yes, my kids eat any and all of the above. My three year old's favorite is Fibre One. He loves it, and given the choice will pick it 9 times out of 10. I say kids can be raised to eat well. They just need to be given the option to do so. Be the parent here.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Babyfood Recipes
A few months back I posted how I was going to attempt to make all of my daughter's food. She is 10 months old now and I have been successful at it. Yay! It's been a lot easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would share a few of my recipes and tips with you all.
Chicken and Veggies
I usually buy a rotisserie chicken when I go shopping to use in meals. To use it with baby food, I take about a cup of meat and chop it up. I add it to a baked squash or a few baked sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add a little bit of chicken broth and puree with a hand blender. She loves it.
Beef Stew
1 pound stewing beef - cut into 1 inch slices
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced into chunks
1 cup frozen peas
enough water to cover the food
1 tbsp beef boullion
Boil everything together until the meat and veggies are soft. Add water as necessary. Puree with a hand blender.
Apricots and ?
To make a good apricot puree, re-hydrate dried apricots with a enough water to cover them up. Boil for about 10 minutes. Puree right in the pot. I like to make apricot plus another fruit mix. To make apricots and bananas, I take 2 bananas, slice them and lay them out on a piece of aluminum foil. Scoop a good portion of the apricot puree on top. Add a little bit of vanilla (1 tsp). Wrap the fruit up into a package and bake it at 325 for 20 minutes. Once the fruit is all soft, empty the packet out into a mixing bowl and puree everything together with a hand blender. I do the same with apricot and apple, just substitute a couple of peeled, cored and sliced apples for the banana. And yes, I've done this with just the apple and banana and it works great too. Very tasty!
How to store your baby food:
Spoon into ice cube trays. I label the trays with a dry-erase marker so I remember what's in there. The next day pop the cubes into freezer bags, make sure to label them and date the food, so you know what you have and when you made it. Baby food in the freezer can be kept and used for 3-6 months. Thawed food can be kept refrigerated for a couple of days. The great thing with the cubes is that there is very little waste. You get a good sense of how much your little one will eat and you just need to defrost/heat that much. I usually microwave 2-3 cubes for about 40 seconds. But be sure to stir and check the temperature before you serve it. You don't want your baby to get a burnt tongue from a hot spot. Have fun and be creative!
Chicken and Veggies
I usually buy a rotisserie chicken when I go shopping to use in meals. To use it with baby food, I take about a cup of meat and chop it up. I add it to a baked squash or a few baked sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add a little bit of chicken broth and puree with a hand blender. She loves it.
Beef Stew
1 pound stewing beef - cut into 1 inch slices
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced into chunks
1 cup frozen peas
enough water to cover the food
1 tbsp beef boullion
Boil everything together until the meat and veggies are soft. Add water as necessary. Puree with a hand blender.
Apricots and ?
To make a good apricot puree, re-hydrate dried apricots with a enough water to cover them up. Boil for about 10 minutes. Puree right in the pot. I like to make apricot plus another fruit mix. To make apricots and bananas, I take 2 bananas, slice them and lay them out on a piece of aluminum foil. Scoop a good portion of the apricot puree on top. Add a little bit of vanilla (1 tsp). Wrap the fruit up into a package and bake it at 325 for 20 minutes. Once the fruit is all soft, empty the packet out into a mixing bowl and puree everything together with a hand blender. I do the same with apricot and apple, just substitute a couple of peeled, cored and sliced apples for the banana. And yes, I've done this with just the apple and banana and it works great too. Very tasty!
How to store your baby food:
Spoon into ice cube trays. I label the trays with a dry-erase marker so I remember what's in there. The next day pop the cubes into freezer bags, make sure to label them and date the food, so you know what you have and when you made it. Baby food in the freezer can be kept and used for 3-6 months. Thawed food can be kept refrigerated for a couple of days. The great thing with the cubes is that there is very little waste. You get a good sense of how much your little one will eat and you just need to defrost/heat that much. I usually microwave 2-3 cubes for about 40 seconds. But be sure to stir and check the temperature before you serve it. You don't want your baby to get a burnt tongue from a hot spot. Have fun and be creative!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
School Lunch Ideas - Pizza Pinwheels
2 1/4 cups Biscuit mix
1/2 cup water
7 1/2 oz can pizza sauce
2 sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped pepperoni
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Preheat oven to 400*. Stir the biscuit mix and water in a medium bowl until the dough forms a ball. Turn dough onto a counter that has been dusted with flour or biscuit mix. Kneed the dough 20 times. Roll out to a 12 x 12 inch square.
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 6 ingredients. Spread over the dough leaving an inch space all around the edges. Roll up the dough from one side to the other (like a jelly roll). Pinch the edges to seal. Cut into 12 1 inch slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Back for 12 minutes.
Friday, September 10, 2010
School Lunch Ideas - Week 1 in review
Monday - no school
Tuesday -hummus and pita bread
-sliced strawberries
-vanilla yogurt
-dried fruit snacks
-orange juice
Wednesday - sliced beef hot dog wieners with ketchup dip
- watermelon
- raspberry yogurt
- goldfish crackers
- dried fruit snacks
- orange juice
Thursday - macaroni and cheese (in thermos)
- apple/berry sauce
- strawberry yogurt
-goldfish crackers
- dried fruit snacks
- orange juice
Friday -spaghetti (in thermos)
- apple slices
-vanilla yogurt
- zucchini bread
- dried fruit snacks
- orange juice
How was your first week back at school for lunches?
Monday, September 6, 2010
School Lunch Ideas - Day 1
-no peanut butter
-nut free
-able to eat in a short period of time
-stay fresh for a few hours out of the fridge
-be interesting enough for my son to eat
-something that doesn't need heating up
-be healthy
The problem with the school lunches for me is the main course part of the lunch. I'm not a fan of the everything comes in a package kind of lunch. I know how much salt and preservatives are in those. The only kind of sandwich my son really loves is peanut butter and banana. Great for home, banned from school. He doesn't really like lunch meats (though he will eat one of those sandwiches once in a while) so the traditional sandwich takes a backseat. At home we eat a lot of hot lunches, grilled cheese, tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, macaroni, mini pizzas, etc. Some of those I know I can make and heat and send in a thermos (provided the thermos doesn't leak everywhere).
I know I'm not the only mom struggling for good solutions here. I'd love to hear what other moms have come up with. As we find winning lunches, I'll post them on this blog, hoping to help inspire some of the rest of you. I'd love to hear what winning lunches you have in the comments section too!
Day 1 Lunch
-hummus and pita bread
-sliced strawberries
-vanilla yogurt
-dried fruit snacks
-orange juice
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Adventures in Babyfood
My 6 month old daughter has recently started eating solids. And I have a confession to make, my first 2 children ate commercially made baby food. I know, it's so not crunchy granola mama of me (but remember I'm the one who uses disposable diapers, Jill's the one who uses cloth). Now that this is my 3rd baby, I've decided to go a different route. I know it's easy to do, I've just never done it much before...I'm going to make my own baby food. As much as possible I want to avoid anything that jacks up the price of something edible just because it has the word "baby" on the jar. Am I going to be 100%? Probably not. I have no idea how to make baby cereal other than what is in the store, but the other stuff looks pretty easy. The first foods that she has had have been. Take bananas. I already buy bananas for the rest of us. How difficult is it to break off a piece and mash it with a fork until smooth? Not very, and she loves it. Okay, maybe that isn't the best example because pre-mashed banana is one thing I've never bought in a jar for my kids. But how about applesauce? I always have a jar of organic applesauce in the house, it's much the same as what is in the baby food aisle, but without the high price tag. I also make a great applesauce that my kids love and I'm sure she will love too.
So then I tried my hand at basic veggies. Peas and carrots. Pretty easy, boil them and puree them. I have a hand blender, it works like a charm. Peas can be pureed with the a little bit of the water you cooked them in. With carrots you have to watch out for nitrates, so discard the water (add a little fresh water if you need help getting the puree smooth). Those veggies are now freezing in ice cube trays as I type, ready to be popped into airtight ziplock bags tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to the food possibilities that I can make on my own: squash, green beans, avacado, peaches...The world of fruit and veggies looks pretty good right now. I don't know why I thought this was a lot of work. It's a little later on when I try my hand at meats that I'm wondering about. How finely do they puree? Any tricks and tips out there?
One interesting side note is that of my picky 3 year old eater. He surprised the heck out of me when he asked for a chunk of banana yesterday, and then actually ate it. Remember this is the child that refuses all fruit and veggies in their natural form and I usually end up hiding in something for him. I'm wondering if the sibling jealousy of watching his baby sister get attention over eating food is getting to him? I'm kinda hoping the answer is yes.
So then I tried my hand at basic veggies. Peas and carrots. Pretty easy, boil them and puree them. I have a hand blender, it works like a charm. Peas can be pureed with the a little bit of the water you cooked them in. With carrots you have to watch out for nitrates, so discard the water (add a little fresh water if you need help getting the puree smooth). Those veggies are now freezing in ice cube trays as I type, ready to be popped into airtight ziplock bags tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to the food possibilities that I can make on my own: squash, green beans, avacado, peaches...The world of fruit and veggies looks pretty good right now. I don't know why I thought this was a lot of work. It's a little later on when I try my hand at meats that I'm wondering about. How finely do they puree? Any tricks and tips out there?
One interesting side note is that of my picky 3 year old eater. He surprised the heck out of me when he asked for a chunk of banana yesterday, and then actually ate it. Remember this is the child that refuses all fruit and veggies in their natural form and I usually end up hiding in something for him. I'm wondering if the sibling jealousy of watching his baby sister get attention over eating food is getting to him? I'm kinda hoping the answer is yes.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
But you turned out okay!
I am a child of the 70's. My mom loved me lots and did everything in her power to take the absolute best care of me (and my brother). She was educated on infant and child development and followed the advice given to her by professionals. I'm now a 21st Century parent. I too love my children and am doing everything in my power to take the absolute best care of them. I too educate myself on infant and child development and follow the advice given to my by professionals. So what's the difference? The difference is that we have been given different advice.
My mom raised us in a time when long term breastfeeding was not an encouraged practice. Bottles and formula were the thing. Parents were told to give their babies cereal at a few weeks old as it would help fill them up and they would sleep longer.
I'm raising my kids at a time where long term breastfeeding is recommended and encouraged. The formulas that we give our babies are more scientifically designed and much healthier for our babies. We are told to hold off on all solids for the first 6 months (even that advice changed since my oldest was an infant, 6 years ago the recommendation was 4-6 months). So what's the difference? About 30 years of research. So what's the problem? Many grandmothers, Aunties and well intentioned older ladies love these babies too and want to help you out. They do what women do best, give advice (notice I didn't say meddle or interfere?). The problem is the advice they have is 30 years out of date and like most women, many will get incensed at the idea that they could be wrong about something, often responding, "well I did that with you and you turned out okay!" (or your husband, or whoever). There is a very kind way to deal with this. My favorite comes from a letter I found from Dr. Sears:
Attention all Grandmothers:
Much has been learned over the past thirty years about infant nutrition and development. Many practices that were common three decades ago are now known to be unhealthy, maybe even dangerous to a young infant.
I know that the experts told you to start feeding your babies cereal after a few weeks of life; and you followed their advice because you loved your children. Now we know that an infant's gut is not ready for solid foods until around six months of age. If you start a food too early, he is much more likely to become allergic to it. This can result in damage to the intestines, weight loss, blood in the stool, and malnutrition. You might argue, "Well, my kids started solid foods at three weeks, and they turned out just fine." The truth is, very few adults have perfectly working digestive tracts. Just look at all the commercials for heartburn remedies and stool softeners... "ever feel gassy and bloated after a meal?"
Here is what the experts are saying now:
* Breastfeed for at least one year.
* Start cereal and other solids after six months of age.
Grammy, please let your daughters follow this advice, because they love your grandchildren as much as you do.
Dr. Jim
I love it. Perfectly worded, and by an expert in infant and child development. Remember these lovely ladies are not trying to frustrate you, they are trying to love your kids. You are the mom now. Make your wishes known (politely, we're not trying to start WW3 in the family) about feeding your baby, especially if they are going to be the baby's caretakers once in a while, and be ready to back yourself up with facts. It's quite possible that the reason we are seeing more people our age with bowel issues like Crohn's disease relates back to incorrect infant feeding when we were infants. Just be ready for both responses. Hopefully all will be well and you'll be greeted with understanding. But you also need to be ready for the opposite. It's okay to disagree here, but you are the parent, you are the one who is the key decision maker here. Be polite but firm. Look at all the other advice parents were given 30 years ago that doesn't hold true today:
-babies were put on their tummies to sleep (My sister in law was putting her baby on her tummy to sleep, because that's what she knew to do...until her pediatrician told her that 2 babies in the area had died recently from SIDS who were sleeping on their tummies.)
-car seats and seat belts were optional (I actually remember when wearing a seat belt became law in my province. I can't even imagine not wearing a seat belt today, have you ever walked into a room dealing with automobile trauma? My mom has, she was an OR RN for over 30 years, it ain't pretty.)
-women were allowed to smoke and drink during pregnancy (Have you ever met a child with FAS or FAE? I have. I've taught a few in my career, a very preventable diagnosis that these children will have to live with for the rest of their lives.)
Really, we all have the same interest in mind. We love these children passionately and want the best for them, sometimes we just need to keep ourselves and the other around us educated about what the best is.
My mom raised us in a time when long term breastfeeding was not an encouraged practice. Bottles and formula were the thing. Parents were told to give their babies cereal at a few weeks old as it would help fill them up and they would sleep longer.
I'm raising my kids at a time where long term breastfeeding is recommended and encouraged. The formulas that we give our babies are more scientifically designed and much healthier for our babies. We are told to hold off on all solids for the first 6 months (even that advice changed since my oldest was an infant, 6 years ago the recommendation was 4-6 months). So what's the difference? About 30 years of research. So what's the problem? Many grandmothers, Aunties and well intentioned older ladies love these babies too and want to help you out. They do what women do best, give advice (notice I didn't say meddle or interfere?). The problem is the advice they have is 30 years out of date and like most women, many will get incensed at the idea that they could be wrong about something, often responding, "well I did that with you and you turned out okay!" (or your husband, or whoever). There is a very kind way to deal with this. My favorite comes from a letter I found from Dr. Sears:
Attention all Grandmothers:
Much has been learned over the past thirty years about infant nutrition and development. Many practices that were common three decades ago are now known to be unhealthy, maybe even dangerous to a young infant.
I know that the experts told you to start feeding your babies cereal after a few weeks of life; and you followed their advice because you loved your children. Now we know that an infant's gut is not ready for solid foods until around six months of age. If you start a food too early, he is much more likely to become allergic to it. This can result in damage to the intestines, weight loss, blood in the stool, and malnutrition. You might argue, "Well, my kids started solid foods at three weeks, and they turned out just fine." The truth is, very few adults have perfectly working digestive tracts. Just look at all the commercials for heartburn remedies and stool softeners... "ever feel gassy and bloated after a meal?"
Here is what the experts are saying now:
* Breastfeed for at least one year.
* Start cereal and other solids after six months of age.
Grammy, please let your daughters follow this advice, because they love your grandchildren as much as you do.
Dr. Jim
I love it. Perfectly worded, and by an expert in infant and child development. Remember these lovely ladies are not trying to frustrate you, they are trying to love your kids. You are the mom now. Make your wishes known (politely, we're not trying to start WW3 in the family) about feeding your baby, especially if they are going to be the baby's caretakers once in a while, and be ready to back yourself up with facts. It's quite possible that the reason we are seeing more people our age with bowel issues like Crohn's disease relates back to incorrect infant feeding when we were infants. Just be ready for both responses. Hopefully all will be well and you'll be greeted with understanding. But you also need to be ready for the opposite. It's okay to disagree here, but you are the parent, you are the one who is the key decision maker here. Be polite but firm. Look at all the other advice parents were given 30 years ago that doesn't hold true today:
-babies were put on their tummies to sleep (My sister in law was putting her baby on her tummy to sleep, because that's what she knew to do...until her pediatrician told her that 2 babies in the area had died recently from SIDS who were sleeping on their tummies.)
-car seats and seat belts were optional (I actually remember when wearing a seat belt became law in my province. I can't even imagine not wearing a seat belt today, have you ever walked into a room dealing with automobile trauma? My mom has, she was an OR RN for over 30 years, it ain't pretty.)
-women were allowed to smoke and drink during pregnancy (Have you ever met a child with FAS or FAE? I have. I've taught a few in my career, a very preventable diagnosis that these children will have to live with for the rest of their lives.)
Really, we all have the same interest in mind. We love these children passionately and want the best for them, sometimes we just need to keep ourselves and the other around us educated about what the best is.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Eat Your Veggies!
I've written about my picky eater before. He's my second child. He's turning 3 this weekend. I thought he would be getting better with his eating. He's not. He's getting much worse.
I know there are some of you out there who will insist that any child can be a good eater. I really don't know what to say to you except, congratulate yourself on a job well done with your child who will eat everything, and please don't continue to make the rest of us feel bad by pointing out that you just put sushi in front of your little one and they ate it up no problem. Same with enchiladas, lasagna and any sort of vegetable. My little guy won't even eat corn. I forced him (and yes, I use the word forced) to eat one spoonful of peas last Thursday and you would have thought I was pulling his arm off for all the noise he made.
"I NO LIKE THIS!" he screamed as he spit it back out at me. The only way that I got the little bit of it into him that I did was that he knew I had made custard for desert. He wasn't getting any without eating that spoonful.
And yes, I've tried all the tricks. He doesn't eat what is served for lunch?, there isn't any more food served to him until the next meal. We are cutting out all liquids in between meals except for water so he can't fill up on them. He just wants to eat what he wants to eat and is really, really stubborn about the rest of it.
He loves breakfast foods (cereal, toast, muffins and yogurt). But you can see the pattern there, bread and dairy. He continues to only eat fruit if it is dried (raisins, fruit leathers, apricots) or purred (all varieties of applesauce) and will only eat veggies unknowingly because I've hidden them inside pancakes or muffins or something else I know he will eat. Yes, I serve him the same foods we are eating at every meal (I will always offer). He refuses most meats except for chicken (sometimes he will eat fish, thinking it is chicken). And I really don't know what to do about it anymore.
My first child is not like this. He had his picky stage and grew out of it. At 5, he's a really good eater, surprising me even today my eating avacado. He was quite logical about getting out of picky eating. When he was 3 he didn't want to eat his veggies and started getting constipated as a result. We told him that eating his veggies would help make his poo not hurt any more. He started eating his veggies. For a while even declaring at the dinner table, "I don't want my poo to hurt!" (So much fun when you are in a restaurant). This same kind of logic doesn't work on my 2nd boy. He doesn't care, if he doesn't like it, or like the look of it, he won't eat it. And it's surprising to me what he won't eat. He loves applesauce but won't touch an apple. He loves strawberry "fruit to go" fruit leathers, won't even lick a strawberry to taste that it really is delicious too. I don't know, I just don't know. Do you?
I know there are some of you out there who will insist that any child can be a good eater. I really don't know what to say to you except, congratulate yourself on a job well done with your child who will eat everything, and please don't continue to make the rest of us feel bad by pointing out that you just put sushi in front of your little one and they ate it up no problem. Same with enchiladas, lasagna and any sort of vegetable. My little guy won't even eat corn. I forced him (and yes, I use the word forced) to eat one spoonful of peas last Thursday and you would have thought I was pulling his arm off for all the noise he made.
"I NO LIKE THIS!" he screamed as he spit it back out at me. The only way that I got the little bit of it into him that I did was that he knew I had made custard for desert. He wasn't getting any without eating that spoonful.
And yes, I've tried all the tricks. He doesn't eat what is served for lunch?, there isn't any more food served to him until the next meal. We are cutting out all liquids in between meals except for water so he can't fill up on them. He just wants to eat what he wants to eat and is really, really stubborn about the rest of it.
He loves breakfast foods (cereal, toast, muffins and yogurt). But you can see the pattern there, bread and dairy. He continues to only eat fruit if it is dried (raisins, fruit leathers, apricots) or purred (all varieties of applesauce) and will only eat veggies unknowingly because I've hidden them inside pancakes or muffins or something else I know he will eat. Yes, I serve him the same foods we are eating at every meal (I will always offer). He refuses most meats except for chicken (sometimes he will eat fish, thinking it is chicken). And I really don't know what to do about it anymore.
My first child is not like this. He had his picky stage and grew out of it. At 5, he's a really good eater, surprising me even today my eating avacado. He was quite logical about getting out of picky eating. When he was 3 he didn't want to eat his veggies and started getting constipated as a result. We told him that eating his veggies would help make his poo not hurt any more. He started eating his veggies. For a while even declaring at the dinner table, "I don't want my poo to hurt!" (So much fun when you are in a restaurant). This same kind of logic doesn't work on my 2nd boy. He doesn't care, if he doesn't like it, or like the look of it, he won't eat it. And it's surprising to me what he won't eat. He loves applesauce but won't touch an apple. He loves strawberry "fruit to go" fruit leathers, won't even lick a strawberry to taste that it really is delicious too. I don't know, I just don't know. Do you?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
When your friend's child has food allergies . . .
My oldest son, Andrew, has food allergies. His allergies are not life threatening, but if he were to eat three strawberries, drink a glass of pop containing caffeine or have several licks of an ice cream cone he would have such bad intestinal pain and gas that he would be out of commission for several days. His behavior would deteriorate, his sleep would be disrupted and he would develop an uncomfortable rash that might stay around for a month or more. No, I would not have to pull out an epi pen, nor would he have to be rushed to the hospital, but we would all be a lot happier if he had not eaten the food he was allergic to.
Some kids can eat small amounts of one food that bothers them, but eating several small amounts of several foods that bother them could overload their body the same as eating a lot of one food that they are allergic to. My son is mildly allergic to tomatoes, strawberries, peanuts, caffeine, chocolate, and all milk products. This means that if he has a chocolate chip cookie, he will be okay. If someone accidentally puts butter on vegetables and serves them to him, he'll have a bit of a sore tummy, but otherwise be fine. But if he were to have a piece of chocolate cake with icing made with butter and a hot dog with whey in it at a birthday party, he would be writhing in pain at about 11pm that night. Other common allergens in this category are soy, eggs and red food colouring.
If neither you nor your children have allergies, it can be easy to forget about or dismiss other kids' mild allergies. Many of the foods we think of as being "kid friendly" are the very ones that will upset they systems of kids with allergies. Below I have provided a list of do's and don't, along with a couple of stories about what it can be like for a young child with food allergies.
Do NOT:
One time we went to a supper that was held after a fund raising event. The food had been provided by several ladies at the local church. They had each made a casserole. Quick, think of a casserole that doesn't have milk, cheese or tomatoes in it. Oh, there isn't one. My son ate plain white rolls and carrot sticks for supper. For dessert, a local store had donated chocolate bars for the kids. Again, my son had to watch all the kids around him break into their chocolate bars, and be left with nothing. Several well meaning people offered to get him a chocolate bar, or to share theirs with him. I had foolishly assumed that there would be something there he could eat, and had brought no alternative options. We left the event early, and my son cried in disappointment and frustration on the way home.
DO:
One time my son's allergies were handled well was when my son's playschool class went on a tour of Dairy Queen on their last day of school. The trip ended, predictably, with all the kids having a chance to make their own ice cream cone. My son walked out proudly holding the ice cream cone he had made on the cool big machine, only to have to give the cone to his little brother and watch all his friends eat ice cream around him. I could see that he was on a downhill spiral towards a meltdown as he asked, "How come they don't serve soy ice cream here?". One of his friends' moms wisely said, "They should serve soy ice cream. That would be great, wouldn't it?". This comment raised my son's spirits. We then asked the store manager for an official dairy queen cone that he could fill with soy ice cream when he got home. This was enough to get him past his disappointment, and he happily socialized with his friends while they ate their cones.
Some kids can eat small amounts of one food that bothers them, but eating several small amounts of several foods that bother them could overload their body the same as eating a lot of one food that they are allergic to. My son is mildly allergic to tomatoes, strawberries, peanuts, caffeine, chocolate, and all milk products. This means that if he has a chocolate chip cookie, he will be okay. If someone accidentally puts butter on vegetables and serves them to him, he'll have a bit of a sore tummy, but otherwise be fine. But if he were to have a piece of chocolate cake with icing made with butter and a hot dog with whey in it at a birthday party, he would be writhing in pain at about 11pm that night. Other common allergens in this category are soy, eggs and red food colouring.
If neither you nor your children have allergies, it can be easy to forget about or dismiss other kids' mild allergies. Many of the foods we think of as being "kid friendly" are the very ones that will upset they systems of kids with allergies. Below I have provided a list of do's and don't, along with a couple of stories about what it can be like for a young child with food allergies.
Do NOT:
- Decide they are being over-protective and serve their child something that contains an allergen.
- Comment in front of their child that they are missing "the good stuff" at a party or social event.
- Make a big point about their allergies in front of the child's friends.
- Ignore or dismiss their child when they tell you they can not eat something -- even if they are a pre-schooler.
- Put toppings on the child's food -- butter, soya sauce, salsa, ketchup, whipped cream or chocolate chips may be harmless enough for most kids, but they could cause a major reaction in an allergic kid.
- Give them seasonal "treats" such as milk chocolate or red suckers as the soul gift at a seasonal party or event.
One time we went to a supper that was held after a fund raising event. The food had been provided by several ladies at the local church. They had each made a casserole. Quick, think of a casserole that doesn't have milk, cheese or tomatoes in it. Oh, there isn't one. My son ate plain white rolls and carrot sticks for supper. For dessert, a local store had donated chocolate bars for the kids. Again, my son had to watch all the kids around him break into their chocolate bars, and be left with nothing. Several well meaning people offered to get him a chocolate bar, or to share theirs with him. I had foolishly assumed that there would be something there he could eat, and had brought no alternative options. We left the event early, and my son cried in disappointment and frustration on the way home.
DO:
- Have a chat with mom about the food you will be serving at a party or event. Most moms with allergic kids will gladly bring along some soy ice cream or jelly bean easter eggs so their child can join in the fun. I have even brought a sub along to a party where the main meal was to be pizza.
- Discreetly discuss food preparation with your friend or their older child before you add things that might bother them. Keep one cupcake un-iced until you check with someone.
- Offer a choice of toppings on the side at a meal or event.
- Sympathize with or distract your friend's child if their allergy is not taken into consideration at an event.
- If your friend visits frequently, keep alternate products that store well on hand. One family we visit often keeps a small container of soy ice cream in their deep freeze for Andrew. Pea butter for sandwiches is a nice alternative for slightly peanut allergic kids.
- Add a few basic foods, such as rice, potatoes or bread and a plain protein option at a family gathering or pot luck. Good desserts to add to cake and ice cream are watermelon or Rice Krispie squares or gummi bears. Set a bit of dough aside before you add the chocolate chips to that batch of cookies or banana bread. If you do not have time to do this, ask the mom to bring something their child can eat to share with all the kids.
- Give pencils, balloons, noise makers, art supplies or stickers instead of food items in goodie bags or seasonal swaps.
One time my son's allergies were handled well was when my son's playschool class went on a tour of Dairy Queen on their last day of school. The trip ended, predictably, with all the kids having a chance to make their own ice cream cone. My son walked out proudly holding the ice cream cone he had made on the cool big machine, only to have to give the cone to his little brother and watch all his friends eat ice cream around him. I could see that he was on a downhill spiral towards a meltdown as he asked, "How come they don't serve soy ice cream here?". One of his friends' moms wisely said, "They should serve soy ice cream. That would be great, wouldn't it?". This comment raised my son's spirits. We then asked the store manager for an official dairy queen cone that he could fill with soy ice cream when he got home. This was enough to get him past his disappointment, and he happily socialized with his friends while they ate their cones.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Picky, picky?
My youngest son has all the markings of a picky eater. There are things that he likes (chicken strips, fries, yogurt, cereal, applesauce and anything bread) and things that he doesn't (pretty much everything else). There are also things that he can't eat due to allergies (eggs, soy products). I met with a nutritionist a while back to figure out how to solve his eating dilemma (to me this was a dilemma). The biggest thing that I couldn't figure out is that he would not eat any veggies and very little in the way of fruit. If the fruit is dried (raisins, apricots) he's fine with it. If the fruit is pureed (the many varieties of applesauce) he's fine with it. If it is in any way shape or from of its natural state, it is so offensive to him that you would think I was asking him to eat a rat sandwich rather than a banana or orange. He loves pancakes, add berries to top the pancakes? He will not touch them until the berries are removed. As far as veggies go? Forget it. I did work around this one with my first but he would always eat a spoonful at least per meal. This little boy? I'd have better luck getting a hippopotumus to walk a tightrope wire.
So as much as some people would say this is cheating, I hide food within food he likes. I dice, I puree, I mash and combine. I'd rather he get the nutrient one way or another than face Grand Kitchen Battle 2009.
There are foods that he likes that naturally lend themselves to more foods he tries to avoid. Spagetti sauce is great - he gets some beef, tomato, and red pepper in that. Pancakes are a great place to add as well: pumpkin, apple, squash and blueberries are all wonderful added to pancake batter (just not all at once). Smoothies are a tasty treat that can have virtually any fruit and veggie you desire. My friend Jen has a wonderful recipe for smoothies with Spinach (and her kids have no idea). Trail mix is another tasy snack. Bulk food stores have all sorts of dried fruit (kiwi, apricot, peaches, pineapple and raisins) that you can add to nuts and cereal pieces. And let's not forget the beauty of muffins: zuchinni, pumpkin, fruit - the varieties are endless.
I do continue to offer everything that we are eating to him. I want him to be familiar to all sorts of food (even if he isn't actually putting it in his mouth). The nutritionist had a wonderful story that she told me about a lady that she knew who had travelled to South America. There was an evening where she had been invited as the guest of honour to a banquet. Unfortunately for her the menu consisted of local cuisine. Local cuisine that she had no intention of ever eating. Everything was edible. Everything was considered a delicacy. Everything was completely not North American. Cockroaches anyone? Manners dictated that she at least take the food, which she did. She started eating things she knew she could handle - seasoned flatbread, that sort of thing. And she watched everyone else eat. As the night went on, she became less disgusted by what was on her plate. At first she just started to poke at it a bit. A little later on, she took a piece and held it close to her mouth. She eventually popped a little of it inside, just to taste. Step by step and very slowly, she ate one. Sound familliar? As much as what we eat is normal to us, our little ones see everything as brand new. What may look so appetizing to us, may be a cockroach to them. They may play with it, try and figure it out, or reject it outright. They may get to the point where they put it in their mouth only to spit it out. A few may actually start to eat it. But each stage of discovery eating is just that, a stage. There are many, many stages that happen from a piece of food on a plate to consuming that food in outright agreement. The next time your child is being picky, think of the cockroach and don't force it on them. Goodness knows that our culture has enough food issues as it is. If you are really concerned that your little one isn't eating well, track their food consumption. What, when and how much are they eating over a cycle of a few days? They may be more nutritionally balanced than you ever imagined.
So as much as some people would say this is cheating, I hide food within food he likes. I dice, I puree, I mash and combine. I'd rather he get the nutrient one way or another than face Grand Kitchen Battle 2009.
There are foods that he likes that naturally lend themselves to more foods he tries to avoid. Spagetti sauce is great - he gets some beef, tomato, and red pepper in that. Pancakes are a great place to add as well: pumpkin, apple, squash and blueberries are all wonderful added to pancake batter (just not all at once). Smoothies are a tasty treat that can have virtually any fruit and veggie you desire. My friend Jen has a wonderful recipe for smoothies with Spinach (and her kids have no idea). Trail mix is another tasy snack. Bulk food stores have all sorts of dried fruit (kiwi, apricot, peaches, pineapple and raisins) that you can add to nuts and cereal pieces. And let's not forget the beauty of muffins: zuchinni, pumpkin, fruit - the varieties are endless.
I do continue to offer everything that we are eating to him. I want him to be familiar to all sorts of food (even if he isn't actually putting it in his mouth). The nutritionist had a wonderful story that she told me about a lady that she knew who had travelled to South America. There was an evening where she had been invited as the guest of honour to a banquet. Unfortunately for her the menu consisted of local cuisine. Local cuisine that she had no intention of ever eating. Everything was edible. Everything was considered a delicacy. Everything was completely not North American. Cockroaches anyone? Manners dictated that she at least take the food, which she did. She started eating things she knew she could handle - seasoned flatbread, that sort of thing. And she watched everyone else eat. As the night went on, she became less disgusted by what was on her plate. At first she just started to poke at it a bit. A little later on, she took a piece and held it close to her mouth. She eventually popped a little of it inside, just to taste. Step by step and very slowly, she ate one. Sound familliar? As much as what we eat is normal to us, our little ones see everything as brand new. What may look so appetizing to us, may be a cockroach to them. They may play with it, try and figure it out, or reject it outright. They may get to the point where they put it in their mouth only to spit it out. A few may actually start to eat it. But each stage of discovery eating is just that, a stage. There are many, many stages that happen from a piece of food on a plate to consuming that food in outright agreement. The next time your child is being picky, think of the cockroach and don't force it on them. Goodness knows that our culture has enough food issues as it is. If you are really concerned that your little one isn't eating well, track their food consumption. What, when and how much are they eating over a cycle of a few days? They may be more nutritionally balanced than you ever imagined.
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