Providing Enough Nutrition for your Toddler

Providing Enough Nutrition for your Toddler

October 12th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

When your toddler graduates from breast milk or formula to cow’s milk, she is no longer getting all the nutrition she needs in liquid form. Cow’s milk can’t replace all of the nutrients that were being provided by the breast milk or formula, so you will need to make certain that your toddler gets everything she needs from her food.

The key to good nutrition for your toddler is to make sure she eats a balanced toddler diet that offers a variety of foods. Different foods provide different nutrients, so the more variety in her diet, the better and more complete her nutrition will be.

Expanding Food Horizons

In the early stages of toddlerhood, before your little one decides to start getting picky about food, you should start offering as many different foods as you can, to introduce many new flavors. Spend some time in the produce department or at a local farmer’s market. Ask questions about fruits and vegetables you don’t recognize. They might turn out to be something you toddler loves, and could replace the nutrition missing from foods she refuses to eat.

Your toddler won’t eat everything you put in front of her, but the more different foods you offer, the more likely she will be to find something she likes. Every child, and even every adult, has some foods they simply don’t like and never will. Rather than forcing your child to eat something she really dislikes, try to find other foods that offer similar nutritional value to make up the difference.

Feed a Balanced Toddler Diet

The best way to make sure your toddler is getting all the nutrients she needs in her diet is to serve the right number of servings from each of the food groups. Aim for 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 servings of protein, 4 servings of dairy, and 3-4 servings of grains every day.

Spread all of these servings out over 3 meals and 2 snacks during the day, so that your toddler is only faced with a few foods at a time. The snacks are especially important as snack time is often when less than nutritious foods tend to hit the table. Make sure that every meal and every snack offers servings of nutritious foods, and skip empty calories that might fill your toddler up and cause him to skip out on healthier foods.

Using Supplements

If your toddler is getting the right number of servings from each food group every day, and eating a variety of different foods on a regular basis, it’s likely he is getting the right nutrition. Still, many pediatricians recommend a multivitamin supplement that can help to fill in any nutritional gaps in your child’s diet. Supplements are meant only to back up the foods your toddler eats, and shouldn’t be relied upon to provide all or most of the needed nutrients. Don’t skip servings of vegetables on the belief that the supplement will make up the difference.

Because toddlers are notoriously picky eaters, supplements are generally a good idea for those times when you just can’t get him to eat right. Think of them as a backup line of defense to keep your toddler healthy – but only a backup. No matter how difficult it might be, you should keep trying to get all the needed foods into your toddler’s diet every day.

Tips for More Nutritious Meals

Tips for More Nutritious Meals

September 28th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

It can sometimes seem like an overwhelming challenge to make sure you are always serving nutritious meals and snacks, especially when you are too busy to really think much about what’s for dinner. Fortunately, by making just a few simple changes to the way you shop and the way you cook, you can make your food healthier and more nutritious. Follow these easy tips for fast, effortless ways to serve healthier food.

Buy a Steamer Basket

They cost only a few dollars, but provide you with the healthiest, quickest method of cooking your vegetables. Steaming food allows as many of the nutrients to stay inside the food as possible. Boiling causes nutrients to leach out into the water, and sends them down the drain. Microwaving can overcook vegetables and leave them limp and rubbery. Steaming leaves your vegetables looking delicious, allows you to control how cooked you would like them to be, and requires no extra fat to cook.

The frozen food aisles are now full of steam in the bag options for your microwave, which are great but the cost will add up over time. By investing in a steamer basket that fits inside any standard pot, you can buy the freshest, most nutrient packed vegetables and cook them in the healthiest way.

Switch to Whole Grains

This doesn’t just mean bread. Most people know that whole wheat bread is better for you than white, but many don’t realize that brown rice is a better choice than white rice. Just like with the wheat in your bread, white rice has been stripped off all the good stuff – fiber and nutrients. Even if it has been enriched to add nutrients back in, the fiber has been lost for good. Choosing brown rice will give every meal a nutritional boost.

The same goes for pasta, cereals, and even snack crackers. Just by choosing a whole grain option rather than the refined grain, you will increase your fiber intake and make both meals and snacks healthier.

Double Up on Vegetables

When serving up a plate of food, make sure that the vegetables take up more room on your plate than any other part of the meal. Your serving of vegetables should be larger than either protein or grains. By eating more vegetables and less meat, pasta, rice or potatoes, you will eat meal higher in nutrients while also lower in calories. Fill up on the veggies and you will be less likely to overeat those foods you need less of – or those you don’t need to eat at all!

Change Your Beverage

Instead of serving soda with a meal, choose a healthy glass of milk or even fruit juice for extra nutrition. Soda will only provide you with empty calories, or in the case of diet soda, chemicals with no nutritional value at all. When serving your kids a beverage with their meal, stick to milk unless they haven’t had any juice that day. Kids should really only have one serving of juice a day, even if it does contain more nutrition than water.

A meal served with a healthier beverage is a healthier one overall. Just make sure that kids are eating their food and not just downing the milk. It might be necessary to hold back the beverage until the food starts to disappear.

These may seem too good to be true, but they really are simple changes that will make a big difference in nutrition. It doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming to make a healthy meal!

Foods Your Baby Should Avoid in the First Year

Foods Your Baby Should Avoid in the First Year

September 26th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

During the first year of your baby’s life, there are some baby foods that you should be careful to avoid for several reasons. Your baby’s digestive system is not yet able to handle some foods, while others may pose a risk of a serious illness. Other foods should be avoided simply because your baby is not yet able to chew them and the risk of choking is high. While most foods are safe enough for your baby in the first year, keep this list handy to avoid problems.

Baby’s Digestive System Isn’t Ready!

There are some foods your baby’s digestive system just isn’t ready to handle for various reasons. For the first six months, your baby’s tummy can really only handle breast milk or formula, but once solids are started there are still some choices that can cause digestive problems.

Among other reasons, cow’s milk should be avoided in the first year because your baby’s body can’t digest the proteins easily, leading to gastrointestinal distress. Cow’s milk also blocks the absorption of iron, which can cause your baby to become anemic.

The same goes for wheat, which can be hard for young babies to digest and could lead to celiac disease, or gluten intolerance. While there are differing opinions on how soon babies should have wheat, it can’t hurt to wait out the first year to be safe.

Choking Hazards

Some foods are unsafe for babies under a year old because they are difficult to chew or are just the right shape and size to pose a threat of choking. While some of the top choking hazards such as grapes can be cut up to minimize the risk, there are other foods that should be avoided altogether. Don’t give your baby nuts – they are very easy to choke on and your baby won’t be able to chew them until molars appear. Nuts were once off the list due to allergies, but the new stance on allergenic foods only means nut butters are now alright for baby (unless there is a history of allergies). Whole nuts are still a poor choice under one year old, and often well into the second year.

Another major choking hazard is raisins, which can become very gummy, stick together and get caught in baby’s throat. Wait until after a year old to introduce them, and watch your baby for signs of readiness for such chewy foods.

Foods that Can Make Baby Sick

Babies under a year old should never be fed honey, as it can contain botulism spores. In a baby’s undeveloped digestive system, this can quickly form a toxin that leads to infant botulism, a serious illness.

Extra salt should never be added to baby’s food. Excess sodium upsets the balance of fluids in the body, and it can also damage your baby’s kidneys which are not yet able to process salt effectively. There is no reason to season your baby’s food with salt, and any food containing high levels of sodium should be avoided during the first year. Even into the second year, use caution with salt.

A Word on Allergies

If allergies run in your family, especially in the immediate family, you will need to strike a few more foods off the list in baby’s first year. Babies with a family history of allergies should avoid highly allergenic foods such as eggs, nuts, strawberries, and seafood for the first year and in some cases beyond. Discuss the introduction on allergenic foods with your baby’s doctor.

Introducing Baby to Yogurt

Introducing Baby to Yogurt

September 25th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Yogurt is a delicious, healthy snack for all ages, and makes a great early baby food. Learn what to look for in a yogurt to serve to your baby and how to introduce it.

The Benefits of Yogurt

Yogurt is full of vitamins and minerals that are an important part of a healthy diet. On top of being a great source of protein and calcium, among other nutrients, yogurt also provides probiotics. These are the good bacteria that help to keep the digestive system running smoothly and provide immune support to keep your baby healthy. Probiotics have been linked with fewer digestive problems such as gas, constipation and diarrhea in babies. They are also known to help fight yeast infections and shorten the duration of gastrointestinal illness.

Choosing a Yogurt for Your Baby

When selecting a yogurt for your baby, avoid those labeled low fat or fat free. Your baby needs the fat for brain and eye development, so look for a yogurt made with whole milk. You should start your baby with plain, whole milk yogurt, to which you can add fruit purees that you have already served and are sure baby can tolerate.

There are yogurts on the market that are intended for consumption by babies, but they usually carry a hefty price tag. You can get all the same benefits by purchasing a large tub of whole milk yogurt and mixing in your own fruits for flavor while avoiding the added sugar many of these yogurts contain. As your baby progresses, you can also add vanilla yogurt for a different flavor.

When to Introduce Yogurt

Although you may have heard the “no dairy before one year” rule, this doesn’t apply to dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Doctors recommend against cow’s milk as a beverage before one year old because it can replace breast milk or formula and deprive baby of needed nutrients. Too much can also cause anemia. There is no risk of this with yogurt, however, as it won’t replace breast or bottle feedings.

Yogurt also does not carry the risk of a reaction to lactose, because the process by which it is made breaks down the lactose and makes it easier to digest. The same culturing process makes the protein in yogurt easy on your baby’s stomach. It is safe to introduce yogurt as one of baby’s first foods, although 7-8 months old is usually the recommended age.

Start with small amounts of yogurt, plain at first, and then start adding different combinations of fruits and even vegetables to the mix. You can also blend in some infant cereal along with the fruit for a complete, balanced meal in one. Fruits that go great with plain yogurt include applesauce, peaches, pears, blueberries and bananas. Although it seems strange to an adult palate, babies may enjoy a vegetable mixed with yogurt as well! Try sweet potatoes or pumpkin.

Plain yogurt provides a healthy base for creating all kinds of flavorful combinations for your baby to enjoy. As your baby grows, you can add chunkier fruits and even create smoothies from yogurt and fruit for baby to enjoy from a sippy cup and eventually a straw cup. Yogurt is a versatile baby food full of nutrients and other healthy components, and is a great early addition to baby’s diet.

Nutrition in Your Breast Milk

Nutrition in Your Breast Milk

August 8th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Breast milk is an amazing liquid. It contains all of the vitamins, minerals, antibodies and more that your baby needs to grow and thrive. The only thing you need to do to make sure that your baby is getting everything needed out of your breast milk is to make sure that you are healthy. Your body will take care of the rest!

Eating a Healthy Diet

While you are breastfeeding, you need to provide your body with all of the nutrients it needs to do that important job of making the perfect baby food for your baby. This means eating a healthy, balanced diet that provides all of the necessary vitamins and minerals as well as the proper amount of calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

Your body will take the nutrients it needs from your body’s stores in order to fill the breast milk with all of the incredible nutrition that your baby can’t get any other way. You will need to replace those nutrients every day. Make sure that the foods you choose are varied and include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and good protein sources. You should aim to follow the recommended daily amounts for servings from each food group. Try to get 6-9 servings of grains, 2-3 servings of protein, 3-4 servings of dairy, and 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Avoid unhealthy choices such as those high in sugar or unhealthy fats.

Does Your Diet Affect the Nutrition of the Milk?

The answer is a little complicated. While breast milk has been shown to be remarkably nutritionally stable in spite of imperfect nutrition on the part of the mother, there are many ways in which your diet can affect your breast milk. Your body will continue to make nutritionally sound milk for your baby except in cases of extreme deprivation – however, your diet supports your body’s ability to make enough breast milk for baby’s needs.

Eating the right number of calories, keeping your body healthy with a balance of vitamins and minerals, and maintaining adequate fluid intake are all vital to keeping your production of breast milk steady. Remember that your body is working hard to make that milk – you need to give it a steady source of fuel.

There are some things you eat that can affect the composition of breast milk. Research has shown that the type of fat you consume can affect the type of fat most prevalent in your breast milk. Try to stick to healthy unsaturated fats to ensure baby is reaping the benefits these fats provide. The level of fat in breast milk is most affected by the fullness or emptiness of the breast. A highly engorged breast will have a lower fat content than an emptier one. However, as long as your baby nurses regularly, there is no need to worry about the amount of fat in the milk.

The best thing you can do for your baby’s health is to breast feed, and the best thing that you can do to help your body produce healthy breast milk is to be healthy yourself. As long as you are eating nutritious foods and drinking plenty of water, you shouldn’t have to worry about the content of your breast milk. Your body was made to produce that perfect food for baby, and it is very good at the job. All you need to do is support it!

Pregnancy – Other Nutrients of Note

Pregnancy – Other Nutrients of Note

July 7th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Aside from the macronutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that are required for survival, there are other nutrients that have recently raised interest for their potential impact on health. Although they are not all necessary for life, there are some interesting discoveries being made regarding their ability to fight off cancer and heart disease.

Phytochemicals

Also sometimes called phytonutrients, these are chemical compounds found in plants. Phytochemicals make up a plant’s natural defense system against disease. These compounds can be found in many fruits, vegetables and nuts. Phytochemicals are believed to have a number of effects including anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Many phytochemicals are also antioxidants, which are known to be essential in the fight against cancer.

Of the many phytochemicals, the most well known are a group known as caretenoids, which include lycopene, beta- carotene, and lutein. These are very powerful antioxidants with a number of health benefits including fighting cancer and protecting the heart, skin, and more. These phytochemicals can be found in foods like mango, apricot, sweet potato, carrots, broccoli and spinach. Beta-carotene is known as a provitamin, because it can be converted into Vitamin A, which is important for many body functions.

Many other plants and herbs also contain phytochemicals, which may be responsible for their popular use as natural medicines and preventatives. Echinacea, ginseng, and valerian are among these plants.

Antioxidants

Not all antioxidants come in the form of phytochemicals. They also appear in vitamins and minerals as well. In recent years, antioxidants have been the major buzzword in anti-aging and disease prevention.

Antioxidants slow the damaging effects of oxygen on cells. In much the same way that you can use lemon juice to prevent a cut apple from turning brown, antioxidants slow the oxidative process in your body. They are also thought to be important in stopping the damage caused by free radicals, which are molecules that are produced from the breakdown of food and also from pollutants such as cigarette smoke. These free radicals can attack our cells and lead to cancer and heart disease. Antioxidants can help to prevent this from happening.

Antioxidants can be found in foods such as blueberries, raspberries, grapes, cherries and also spinach, broccoli, and garlic. Tea is also an excellent source of antioxidants. While it is true that dark chocolate and red wine also provide good sources of antioxidants, bear in mind that these things are not good for the body if consumed in large amounts, and certainly aren’t good choices during pregnancy.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Although these actually fall under the category of fats, they have been in the news so much lately for their health benefits that they deserve a mention of their own. Found mostly in fish such as salmon and tuna, these essential fatty acids protect the heart and can also lower the risk of cancer, arthritis and other ailments.

Many people do not get enough Omega-3’s in their diet, and there has been a recent push to add them to all kinds of foods and also in supplement form. The most common supplements are fish and flaxseed oil. Eating at least two servings a week of fish should meet your Omega-3 needs, but use caution to avoid fish high in mercury. Other food sources of Omega-3’s include olive oil and nuts such as almonds.

Including these nutrients in your diet will help to keep you healthy and avoid many chronic illnesses.

A Vegetarian Diet During Pregnancy

A Vegetarian Diet During Pregnancy

July 7th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

If you are a vegetarian, there is no reason not to continue following your diet during pregnancy. As with any pregnancy diet, you should make sure that you are consuming enough of all of the required nutrients and enough calories to support your growing baby. Depending on the type of vegetarian diet you follow, you may need to make a few adjustments to ensure that the baby is getting everything required for normal development.

Some of the challenges to vegetarians can be getting enough protein, calcium, iron and vitamin D. It is possible to obtain most of these through a vegetarian diet, but during your pregnancy you will have to be even more vigilant to ensure that you are ingesting adequate amounts.

Getting Enough Protein

If you have been following a vegetarian diet for some time, you have probably already adjusted your intake to provide good sources of protein. Include nuts, soy products, legumes and tofu in your diet. Contrary to previous recommendations, the AAP no longer recommends against eating peanut butter during pregnancy to avoid allergies. New evidence indicates this is safe, and vegetarians can use peanut butter as a good source of protein during pregnancy.

Calcium and Vitamin D

If you follow the strictest of vegetarian diets, veganism, then getting calcium and vitamin D from milk and other dairy products are not an option for you. Look for orange juices fortified with both, as well as other foods that may have these two vital nutrients added. Calcium can but obtained through a number of foods other than dairy, such as spinach and broccoli, but vitamin D is needed to help your body use the calcium. Vitamin D can be obtained via sun exposure, but use caution. Your skin may be more sensitive to the sun during pregnancy due to elevated levels of estrogen. You may need a supplement to ensure you are getting enough vitamin D.

Iron and the Vegetarian Diet

Getting enough iron during pregnancy is vital to both your health and that of your baby. If you don’t plan to eat any meat to provide iron, you should be sure to include other iron rich foods in your diet. Look to leafy greens, peanuts, beans, peas and iron fortified foods. You may need an iron supplement during your pregnancy if your doctor finds your levels to be too low during a routine test.

Other Important Foods to Include

Some vegetarian diets include fish, an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. If you do not consume fish, look for these important fatty acids in other sources such as almond and olive oil. Because it can be hard to get enough of this vital nutrient without fish, you might consider taking a supplement. Another important vitamin that might be lacking in a vegetarian diet is Vitamin B12. Because it is mostly found in animal products, you should take a supplement to make sure you get enough.

As with any diet, you should use caution during pregnancy to make sure that you are getting the right number of calories. After the first trimester, you will require additional calories to help your baby grow. Use caution, however, as consuming too many calories can lead to excess weight gain and other problems. Eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods to make sure you get all the vitamins you need.

If you have concerns about your vegetarian diet during your pregnancy, talk to your doctor to help determine whether or not you need supplements.

The Role of Protein

The Role of Protein

July 3rd, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

The body needs many things to survive and to function at peak performance. One of the most important of these is protein. Protein is a macronutrient; this means that our bodies need quite a bit of it, as opposed to micronutrients like vitamins, which are not needed in large quantities.

Protein is a part of every cell in the body, and is used to perform many vital tasks, such as the creation of enzymes and hormones, and the building of tissue. Our bones, muscles, skin, and blood are all created using protein. Proteins are made up of amino acids, some of which our bodies are incapable of producing; we must provide these to our bodies through our diet. Unlike fat or carbohydrates, the body does not retain stores of protein, so we much continually replace it.

How Much Protein Do We Need?

The amount of protein recommended daily ranges from 10-35%, depending on age and gender. While high protein, low carbohydrate diets have been popular in recent years, the truth is that our bodies do not need to be overloaded with protein. A child between 1-3 years old requires on 13 grams of protein a day, while even an adult male needs only 56 grams. This isn’t really a lot, when you consider that one cup of milk contains 8 grams of protein. A child who has several glass of milk a day will easily meet and even exceed protein requirements.

What Foods Provide Protein?

The average person gets more than enough protein through their diet. Foods high in protein include eggs, meat, poultry and fish, dairy products, beans and nuts. As long as your diet contains some of these foods on a regular basis, you are likely getting enough protein.

A vegetarian or vegan diet can present some difficulties in getting enough protein, but it is certainly possible to do so. It simply requires a good understanding of nutrition and what non-animal sources of protein are available. In addition to the options above, tofu, some fruits and vegetables, and many grains contain protein as well.

Are All Proteins Equal?

There are two types of protein sources. They are incomplete, and complete proteins. A complete protein contains all of the amino acids our bodies require to survive. Complete protein sources are generally animal proteins such as meats, eggs, and dairy products.

It is possible to obtain all of the amino acids through a variety of other protein sources by mixing and matching these foods into your diet to ensure you are getting everything you need. Those who do not consume animal products will need to make sure various sources of proteins are incorporated into their diet to ensure the amino acids are all represented.

Some sources, while listed as complete proteins, may not be the best choice because they can be high in fat. A steak is a complete protein, but is also high in saturated fat. Dairy products too can be sources of excess fat. In moderation, these are excellent sources of protein and can be incorporated into a healthy diet. Leaner sources of protein, such as chicken, are a better choice for daily consumption, however.

Although the diet industry has pushed protein supplements in the form of bars and shakes for years, for most people the better choice is a healthy diet incorporating high quality, low fat protein sources. Synthetic sources may contain other ingredients that are neither necessary nor healthy.