Picky Eater!

 

Fortunately my little one is not a picky eater yet but I’m sure I will have to battle this at one point.  I have done some research on this topic and have armed myself with some helpful advice when the time comes.  If your little one is a picky eater I hope that this can offer you some help and reassurance.  And if you have any other comments or suggestions on this please let me know as I’m sure there are a lot of you out there with plenty of experience on this topic!

1. Don’t stress.  Most toddlers are picky eaters at some point in their toddler years.  Just continue to offer the good foods.

2. Your job as a parent is to offer a balanced nutritious meal.  Do not force your child to eat the food.  Instead just offer it.  There are days your child will eat more and days he/se will eat less.  So your goal should be to have your child eat the nutrients he/she needs for the week instead of for the day.

3. You’re child will eventually eat because he/she will eventually get hungry.  During these “hungry” times you’re child will usually eat more than is needed which balances out the times when he/she doesn’t eat as much.  During these “hungry” times you can try and offer more of the foods that your child seems to eat less of and motivate him/her to try it.

4. Follow Dr. Sears tips on feeding the picky eater which can be found at the following site though I have added some of my favorites below (http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/feeding-picky-eater-17-tips)

                a. Nibble trays (muffin tins, ice-cube tray) with variety of snacks filling the trays.

                b. Using dips to encourage your child to eat  and dip veggies/fruits

                c. Have your toddler participate in the spreading or the topping of food

                d. Grow the food in a garden

5. Read other parenting sites and other bloggers advice on foods they provide to their picky eaters.

                a. http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/healthy-eating/getting-kids-to-eat-picky-eaters-fussy/

                b. http://www.rookiemoms.com/what-to-feed-a-picky-toddler/

                c. http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/eating/one-diet.html

Good Luck!

Is your toddler getting enough calcium?

If you’re like me then you may be concerned that your little one may not be getting enough calcium.  I’m concerned because I’m still weaning my son so he is not quite use to whole milk yet and I’m having to find other ways to introduce calcium to him. 
 

You little one should be getting  500mg of calcium a day (about 2 servings of calcium) if they are between 1-3 years of age and 800 mg/day if they are between 4-8 years of age. It is important to consider that too much calcium consumption can increase the risk of Iron deficiency.  This is because it can keep your toddler full which means that they are not eating enough foods to meet their daily iron needs but also calcium interferes with iron absorption. Therefore just keep calcium consumption at moderate levels.

Tips for getting calcium into your little one:

1. During breakfast I give him cereal with milk (since he will drink the milk from the bowl instead of a sippy cup).  On other days I give him full fat greek yogurt mixed with fruits.
2. For one of his snacks during the day I either give him a cheese stick, yogurt, or cottage cheese with mixed fruits or veggies.
3. I usually sprinkle cheese on foods if I feel he needs more that day such as pastas, chicken, or vegetables.
4. I add vegetables that are higher in calcium to his weekly meals such as beans, kale**, broccoli**, and spinach**. My little guy loves Spinach and Kale and I find that I can quickly sauté it on the stove with some olive oil and garlic.  This makes it really tasty and my little one always wants more.

Calcium sources:

Food	Measure	Calcium (mg)
Orange Juice (Calcium Fortified)	1/2 cup	148
2% Milk	½ cup	140
Yogurt	½ cup	140
Salmon	1.5 oz	100
Cheese	1 oz	200-300
Broccoli	½ cup	36
Spinach	½ cup	122
Cottage cheese	½ cup	24
Kale	½ cup	16
Breakfast cereals	½ cup	75-500

Food preparation tips for a busy mom

If you’re like me you’re a very busy person, full time work, full time mom and wife, and part time student.  So I am constantly trying to find quick ways to prepare food and snacks that are healthy and organic.  Most of the time I am able to cook something for my family but on those days when I am not able to prepare something I make sure to have a stock organic baby foods on hand as well as pre-made organic foods from the grocery store.  Here are some things that I do to help me quicken my meal preparation or to just provide good foods/snacks to my little guy and my family.  

1. Grocery stored whole Roasted Chicken or Roasted Turkey breast – I love these easy and delicious things!  All you have to do is back some potatoes or sweet potatoes and have a salad and wild rice and you have yourself a meal! Depending on where you shop you may be able to get them hormone free.

2. Grocery stores usually have a section of pre-made items.  I love my grocery stores section of Mediterranean food items like Organic Hummus, grape leaves, chickpea salads, Edamame, etc.  I usually keep some packages of these in my refrigerator so I can pull out a grape leave or two for a snack or some hummus on wheat crackers.  I’m sure you can find tons of options at your grocery store!

3. Frozen Organic burritos.  There is this fabulous brand called Amy’s that has a bunch of different kinds such as brown rice beans and cheese, or black beans and veggies.  They are very tasty and so quick and easy to heat up.  It’s easy to cut it up into small bite sizes pieces for my little one and he loves them.  I know they are healthy and give him the nutrients he needs.

4.  Lots and lots of Organic frozen vegetables and frozen brown rice.  I love having frozen vegetables and brown rice on hand in order to quickly (and a lot of times with one hand) prepare them.  All it takes is a microwave safe bowl and 4-5 minutes and they are steamed!

5. Lots of fresh fruit on hand such as banana or strawberries, cheese sticks, or plain cheerios that my baby can snack on while I prepare his meal.

Why Dental Health is Important for your Little One

I think it’s really important to discuss the importance of keeping a baby’s teeth healthy. After all having healthy teeth is the foundation of being able to eat and obtain the nutrients we need. 

A week ago my little guy turned 1 so he is now officially a toddler!  Now that he is 1 I felt that it was important to make his first dentist appointment to in order to introduce him to the dental checkup routine.  I have been using the advice of my pediatrician and other references in order to care for my baby’s teeth and I have summarized it below for you.

It’s important that you begin dental care early on even if teeth have not yet emerged.  You should start by wiping the baby’s gums with a wash cloth a few times a day.  Once teeth emerge you should use baby tooth brushes to being brushing the teeth.  I found that the baby tooth brush was only slightly effective and I also made sure to use a washcloth to rub it against the baby’s teeth.  There are special baby tooth pastes that you can use but be sure to avoid toothpastes with fluoride for the first 2 years as babies will swallow the toothpaste.  You’ll want to check with your pediatrician and dentist about their recommendations for fluoride for your baby but most babies do not need supplementation as most drinking water contains adequate amounts of fluoride (check your local water department for levels).  See below for daily recommendations for fluoride.  If you have a well or suspect you have low levels of fluoride you need to discuss this with your doctor.

Here are some tips to keep teeth healthy:

1. Kids should see begin seeing a dentist between 6-12 months of age

2. Do not allow your child to fall asleep with a bottle in the mouth as the liquid can pool in the mouth and promote plaque buildup

3. Avoid putting juices and sugared drinks in bottles and instead use cups

4. Being cleaning baby’s gums and teeth with washcloth and toothbrush

1. http://www.ada.org/3034.aspx

2. http://www.ada.org/3084.aspx

3. http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/fluoride-supplements

Is your 12-18 month old getting enough calories???

Recently I have noticed that my 1 year old son always seems to want to eat everything.  Whenever I go into the kitchen he follows and needs to try everything I eat too.  I was worried that I was not feeding him enough so I had to double check the appropriate portion sizes for a 12 month old which I put in a nice neat table below.  Turns out that I am most likely feeding him enough (and I’m still breast feeding 4-5 times/day).  I just think he likes food!!! I know I provided the portion sizes guide in a previous post but I used a different format.  So you can use whichever one suite your needs.  I also found that it was easier to understand how much I was giving my son based on a sample menu. 

Portion Guide:

Below is a Guide for 12-18 month olds which provides about 1000 calories/day:

The best way to break up this chart is to feed your 12-18 month old 3 meals/day and 2 snacks/day

Nutrient Type	Examples
Protein (3 oz)	Beans, Fish (wild salmon, talpia),
Calcium (500 mg)	Cheese (1 oz = 200-300mg), Milk(1/2 cup=138mg), yogurt(1/2 cup = 137),
Vegetables (3/4 cup)	Carrots, squash, broccoli, green beans
Fruit (1 cup)	Banana, prunes, apple, orange, mango
Whole Grains (1/2 cup total)	Cereal, whole wheat bread (1/4 slice=1/4 cup), 3 crackers (3 small = ¼ cup)
Healthy Fats (3 tsp)	Avocado, olives, olive oil, sunflower oil

Sample Meal:

Breakfast: 1 - 2 tbsp pureed fruit; 1/4 cup Cheerios; 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt

Snack: 1/2 ounce cheddar cheese; 4 wheat crackers (no trans fats); 1/2 cup whole milk or breast milk

Lunch: 1.5 ounce roasted chicken minced; 2 tbsp of brown rice and 3-4 tbsp of mixed vegetables and 1/2 tsp olive oil; 1/2 cup whole milk or breast milk; small jar of prunes

Snack: 1/2 slice whole wheat toast with 1 Tbl of hummus; 4 ounces of frozen mango chunks defrosted; 1/2 cup whole Keifer milk

Dinner: 1 Tbsp serving of olives; rinse well & chop; 1 1/2 ounce chicken thigh minced; 1 to 2 tbsp mashed sweet potato mixed with 1 tbsp of whole milk yogurt; 1 to 2 tbsp of chopped green beans; 1/2 cup whole milk or breast milk 

Quick Snack Options:

I like to offer my son a variety of quick and easy to make snack options every day so it doesn’t have to constantly eat the same snacks over and over again.  Some suggestions are

- Full fat greek yogurt with fruit bits or pureed fruit mixed in

- Full fat cottage cheese with fruit or veggie bits

- Cheese sticks

- Pita and hummus

- Tortilla’s and guacamole

- Greek grape leaves

- Hardboiled egg

- Organic wheat or barley teething biscuits

- Wheat crackers and almond/peanut butter

Arsenic in Baby formula/food

A recent study conducted on baby foods and formula has shows that those that contain organic brown rice also contain high levels are arsenic.  Organic brown rice is used as a sweetener as an alternative to high fructose corn syrup.  What is alarming about this is that the levels found in the foods and formula sweetened with brown rice can be 20 times higher than the FDA limit of 10ppm in drinking water.  Currently the FDA does not have any safety levels of arsenic in food.  

The studies does not name which formulas are sweetened with brown rice but two companies have issued a press release so far:  Nature’s One which states that while they do use brown rice to sweeten their formula’s they do test arsenic levels in their foods.  These levels are undetectable.  Another company, Earth’s Best, confirms that they do not use brown rice to sweeten their products.

The bottom line is that you should read food labels to see if brown rice is used to sweeten the foods your baby is eating and avoid those foods until the FDA creates safety limits on arsenic levels in food. 

Some articles you may find interesting:

1.http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1104619

2.http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1104619

3.http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/arsenic-organics-rice/story?id=15642428

4.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/

Recommended Intakes & Portion Sizes for infants:

Now that my sons 1^st birthday is 2 weeks away I want to ensure that I am providing him with the proper portion sizes for his growing body.  This is something I struggle with because sometimes it seems as though he is constantly hungry and wanting to eat.  I’m not sure if this is because he is just curious and wants to try everything that mommy and daddy are eating or if he is really hungry.  So I did a little investigating and found out a little more on recommended intakes, portion sizes and tips for 1-2 yr old.

Recommended intakes per meal:

Breakfast: Milk: ½ Cup; Fruits/Veggies: ¼ Cup; Grains/Bread: ½ slice bread or ¼ Cup cereal or ½ serving biscuit/muffin

Suggestions: Cinnamon Oatmeal with bits of apple made with milk

Lunch and Dinner: Milk: ½ Cup; Fruits/Veggies: ¼ Cup; Grains/Bread: ½ slice bread or ¼ Cup pasta or noodle grains; Meat/Meat Alternatives:1 oz beef/poultry/fish/tofu or ¼ cup egg or beans or 2 tbls nuts or 4 oz of yogurt.

Suggestions: Finely ground turkey chili  with white beans made with tomato sauce mixed with brown rice or rice cereal.  Side of smashed broccoli pieces.  Serving of prunes.

Snacks (two options from list per day): Choose any two serving options shown in breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Suggestions:Mozzarella cheese stick, bread with almond butter

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/ProgramBasics/Meals/Meal_Patterns.htm

**HINT:  A quick and easy way to remember a toddlers serving size (in case you don’t have measuring cups handy and you’re not a pro at eye balling it) is to think about what a normal adult portion size would be (not a huge restaurant size parents!) and reduce it to one quarter to one half of that portion.  Another good way to think about a serving size for a infant/toddler is 1 tablespoon per year of age.  So a 1 year old would need to have 1 tbsp of fruit and 1 tbsp of veggies per meal.

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=8055

Food Allergies Before 1 yr of age

There are 8 foods that cause the majority of allergic reactions in children: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (pecans, walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat .  It was not too long ago that doctors would recommend avoiding these 8 foods in the first year of life when solids were first introduced in order to reduce the risk that your child would develop an allergy to the food.  There seems to be some controversy with this now and doctors are saying that there is little evidence to support not introducing your child to these foods.

When I began to introduce my baby to solids I was very confused about what foods were considered safe and which were not as 2 doctors provided me with different advice .  One said that food allergies are no longer a concern and that I can feed my baby all foods except milk (until 1) as long there is no history of allergies in the family.  The second doctor was on the opposite end of the spectrum and said that peanuts and peanut butter were the only things that were ok but other high allergy foods such as egg whites and milk had to wait until 1, fish until 2, and shellfish until 3.  I did a little investigating I have found that doctor 1 is right.  There is no evidence to support waiting to introduce any foods to your infant in hopes of reducing their risk of allergy.

This article from the American Academy of Pediatrics states that there is no evidence to support that introducing a child to eggs, fish or peanuts after 4-6 months of age determines whether you child will be allergic to them. http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/pediatrics;121/1/183

The Mayo Clinic also states that there is little evidence to support waiting to introduce foods such as Eggs, fish, and peanuts due to the higher likelihood that an allergy will develop. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-baby/PR00029

Facts about Food Allergies from the American Dietetic Association:

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=8052

1. Most Common food allergies in children: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (pecans, walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat
2. Most children outgrow food allergies, especially to milk, eggs and soy. Food allergies are much less common in adults than children.
3. Most common food allergies in adults: fish, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts
4. Food allergies in children are rare. In 2007, about four in 100 children younger than 18 had a food or digestive allergy