Food Insecurity: a Moral Responsibility September 21, 2014

I recently read two articles (links below) that have me thinking. Both of them are about this relatively new term, ‘food insecure’. Food insecure is the new term for hungry. One of the articles in National Geographic (NatG) describes many food insecure families as living outside of cities, middle class, white (over half), obese, working, driving cars that are often SUVs, owning cell phones and having multiple televisions. The NatG Article is quite interesting and I’d encourage all of you to read it.  I’ve also included an article from Market Watch that explores what is a reasonable food budget and how the SNAP program might be modified to help make good food choices. Also a good read.

I read about several families courtesy of NatG who are considered food insecure. One family’s refrigerator was described as holding ‘takeout boxes and beverages but little fresh food’. Another family relies on, ‘premade food from grocery stores’ because ‘you can’t go all the way home and cook’. And this same mother feeds her children some hot fried chicken gizzards even though, ‘she knows she can’t afford to eat out and that fast food isn’t a healthy meal.’ But she had felt, ‘too stressed’ by her son’s nagging and by ‘how little money she has – not to give in.’

With each article I read about food and health it becomes more and more obvious exactly how culpable the government is in all of these problems. In this case it should be no surprise that a low-income family has sweetened drinks on hand because they are cheap. In fact, the #1 source of calories for low-income individuals is sodas, energy drinks and sports drinks. Why are these sugary drinks so cheap compared with say milk? It is no coincidence that corn, the main ingredient in sodas in the form of high fructose corn syrup is also awarded the highest government subsidy. Think about this for a moment. Our tax dollars are being used to make sodas less expensive than milk via government subsidies for corn. This encourages the poor to buy sodas instead of milk and our tax dollars subsidize that purchase. Then those unhealthy drinks contribute to obesity, diabetes and a slew of other health problems requiring health care that we subsidize.

One of the few things government should actually be doing for its citizens is protecting them from ‘evil corporations’ and yet  corn subsidies continue as a result of government being in bed with corporate farming interests. It is making our poor sick and spending resources we don’t have. Big fail.

Another thing in common with many of the articles I read is condoning and/or excusing bad choices. Many of the families in the NatG article are consciously making bad nutrition and financial decisions. These people know better and admit it when interviewed. The NatG article points out that $10 of fast food (i.e. a mea)l can buy several days worth of fresh food. And yet because it is easy and convenient, these food insecure families choose fast food and premade food. The article points out that many middle class folks also opt for convenience over nutrition as if to justify this choice. Fair enough we all want convenience, but the difference is the middle class can afford it. Convenience is not a right. It is a luxury afforded by wealth.

Why are we allowing the poor who possibly don’t have the ability to make good choices and definitely don’t have the ability to care for themselves when they get sick to continue to fill themselves with sodas and fast food? Society should be ashamed that it is feeding our poor food that will kill them. We should only be allowing the poor to buy nutritious food with government assistance. Anything else is a betrayal. We are supposed to be helping these folks. We may be keeping them alive short term, but we are ensuring their lives will be brief and miserable as they succumb to debilitating health care problems resulting from poor nutrition.

People will immediately argue a few things. One is poor people should be able to make any choice they want. It is a free country! Yes, I agree as long as they aren’t using government assistance to do so. Hey, if you want to buy a candy bar or soda fine. Just don’t use your food stamps to do it because society wants you to live a long and healthy life.

Second, how could you possibly determine and enforce some sort of nutritional guideline? I agree this is very difficult and I don’t the government is up to the task as evidenced by the nutritional guidelines that have resulted in 1/3 of our population being obese. So simply don’t allow people on government assistance to buy anything with added sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Boom! It is simple, clear and easy to understand. If the food has added those sweeteners buy it with your own money. This won’t solve all the problems, but it will be a huge first step.

We owe it to low-income folks to help them make good choices. It is our responsibility to pass on what we know and help them avoid disaster. We need to help them learn to cook, break their sugar addiction and realize that eating healthy food is important.   As a first step, simply not allowing them to make bad choices will have a wonderful positive impact on their lives. It is something we can be proud of.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/hunger/

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-america-is-losing-its-hunger-gamesand-how-it-can-win-2014-09-12

AAP Pesticide Exposure Statement December 13, 2012

The Recent statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has me a little freaked out.  But let me back up a first.

I first began being concerned about pesticides in my food when I got pregnant. I felt that avoiding chemicals of all kinds made sense because based on what I knew, infants and children are more sensitive to toxins than adults.  So, I began switching over to organic food.

I’ll make a little plug here for the Environmental Working Group (EWG).  They have a fantastic website, ewg.org, with a ton of information on unregulated substances found in all kinds of things.  It was really helpful to me as I transitioned from conventional to organic food.  This group recognizes that it is expensive to buy all organic food and with that in mind has developed two lists, the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15”.  The dirty dozen is a list of conventional foods to avoid because EWG’s testing has shown those foods have the highest levels of pesticides.  The clean 15 are fruits and vegetables on the opposite end of the spectrum with the lowest pesticide contamination.  They also have a fantastic database called “Skin Deep” which ranks all kinds of household products based on their levels of potentially toxic ingredients.  I often consult the website.

Anyway, my son was born a healthy boy, thankfully.  When he started eating solid food I became more adamant about organic.  And at some point I looked at our yard and had this realization that it was ridiculous to have our yard treated with pesticides while at the same time spending big bucks on organic food. It just made sense that if these pesticides were bad to eat, I probably didn’t want my baby crawling in them or having them tracked through our home.  So, I stopped our lawn care.  Yes, much to my husband’s dismay, we are ‘those’ people with the weedy lawn.  We also stopped pest control at the house so there is that.

Years later, my son is now a pre-school age child.  One morning after a night of heavy rain, I was leaving the school and happened to notice the lawn folks were there.  In fact, they were just getting ready to spray the wet grass in the playground where the children’s picnic tables sit.  I panicked because I realized there was no way in heck that after being applied to wet grass that stuff would dry before the children came out to play!  And, the kids would be eating right there on the picnic tables!  I ran in to get a school staff member and thankfully got them stopped.

But, you have to wonder how many times has this happened before and after that day because I wasn’t there to stop it?  And, how much pesticides have those little children, ages 2-6 ingested?  Kids that age constantly have their hands in their mouths and are constantly dropping food that then gets eaten.  I feel sure the amount of pesticides they are exposed to through our environment of treated lawns far surpasses the pesticides they are exposed to on their food.

So, let’s get back to the AAP statement.  It basically says that children encounter pesticides every day, have unique susceptibilities to them and that there is a lot of research and training that needs to be done to protect the children.

I don’t usually do this in my blog as my intent is to sift through some of this information for you, but I highly encourage you to read the AAP’s full report.  It isn’t very long and it is worth a read.  Then I would encourage you all to think carefully about what you are using around your home and how you might make changes to protect your children.  Finally, think about the institutions your children attend whether it is school, church, athletic fields, etc. and consider discussing this report with the staff of these facilities.  It is important.

EWG Shopper’s Guide

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

AAP’s Policy Statement, “Pesticide Exposure in Children”

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/6/e1757.full.pdf+html

Ruttable – possessing an affinity for being caught in a rut December 5, 2012

Chorizo and Chickpea One-Pot Supper

Let’s say we live to 100.  I’ll figure that until one is 18, meals are the responsibility of the parent.  That leaves 82 years of meals.  Assuming you attend college and eat at the cafeteria you’d cross 4 years of meals off (well six or more for some of us).  So that is 78 years of meals and more importantly to this post, 28,470 dinners that are your responsibility.  No wonder I sometimes feel burned out!

I have some tactics I use to help.  I’m a recipe gal.  I have a recipe box.  My SIL makes fun of me for having one, but I find it combats my ‘let’s just eat out because I’m too lazy to figure out dinner’ problem.  The only things that make it into the box are recipes that are tried and true.  These are typically easier, weeknight sort of recipes.  If I get in a jam or just don’t feel like being creative, I go to my recipe box because I know I’ll find something manageable to make.

I also try to make at least one new dish a week (who knows, this is may be low for most of you).  I find these dishes in cookbooks, from friends and on the Internet.  These dishes may or may not be a hit (my husband suggests I have about an 80% success rate with new recipes).  And often, as you know if you are a friend of mine, I end up eating a ‘failure’ for lunch all week long.  But, it is important to change up what you are eating.  Diversity typically makes for better nutrition and it is important to broaden the kid’s pallets.  I’ve found changing up meals regularly reduces the level of complaining when I introduce new foods.

With that in mind, here is a recipe I love.  It is a one pot supper from Northern Spain and very easy to make.  It is a healthy dish with lots of fiber and it is a little off the beaten path.  I love it when I stumble across a dish with all these features!  This one is in the recipe box.

From Food and Wine Best of the Best

Chorizo and Chickpea One-Pot Supper

2T olive oil

2 onions

2 garlic cloves

9 ounces of chorizo

1 lb 8 oz canned chickpeas (I use dried beans.  I typically cook a big batch and then freeze in them in 2 C increments.  I use two cups of cooked dried beans for this recipe)

14 ounces canned plumb tomatoes

2 T golden raisins

1 T roasted pine nuts

juice of ½ lemon

Salt and pepper

1 T roughly chopped parsley

10 oz. frozen cooked spinach for serving.

A note on the chorizo:  It is important to use real chorizo.  This is the kind that is dried and is pretty dark red.  When you cook it, it will release reddish oil.  The other stuff doesn’t taste as good and doesn’t work well in the recipe.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Add the onions and fry until they are soft then add garlic and chorizo.

Once the chorizo has released some of the smoky chorizo fat, add the chickpeas.  Then add the tomatoes, golden raisins and lemon juice.  Heat through.

To serve, top the cooked spinach with the Chroizo and Chickpea combo.  Top with the pine nuts, parsley and more lemon juice if you prefer.

Lighten up, its Halloween! October 15, 2012

Last year when I started looking for something other than candy to offer to trick-or-treaters, that was my husband’s reaction.

I went around and around.  I didn’t want to give some trinket that would end up in the landfill and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy bags of candy.  I was tempted to hand out ice cold bottles of water since I live in the South and it can be hot on Halloween, but settled on juice.  I found some low sugar organic juice and went with it.

My husband was so embarrassed that we were ‘those’ parents.  He threatened to buy some ‘back up’ candy and didn’t want to answer the door.  But, you know, it was a smashing success!  The kids loved it because all that candy made them thirsty.  The juice was something different AND much bigger than a snack size candy (which is all that counts for the little ones).  Even the parents seemed to appreciate that we were handing out a drink.  So, I’m doing it again this Halloween and I’m even tempted to hand out little decorated water bottles if I can get my creative game on.

It is Halloween and kids should have an experience participating in the tradition of the holiday.  But here is why I can’t bring myself to give out candy:

1.  Childhood obesity is a very serious problem.  If our children weren’t struggling with obesity, I might take the whole thing a little less seriously.  We’ve all seen this stuff, but I’ll highlight a few statistics to remind you.

• Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years
• The percentage of obese children ages 6-11 increased to 20% in 2008 and the percentage of adolescents ages 12-19 increased to 18% in the same period
• 1/3 of children were overweight or obese in 2008

2. Kids get WAY too much Halloween candy.  I lived in the country when I was a kid and the houses aren’t close together.  When we went out for tricks and treats we hit 5-8 houses maximum with a lot of walking in between.  I ended up with about 20 pieces of candy in the end.  My older daughter regularly brings home a full pumpkin bucket of candy (estimated 9,000 empty calories) and I’ve seen kids with a lot more than that.  We let the kids have a little candy and put the rest away.  The candy we collect from Halloween and then Christmas easily lasts until Easter when they get more.  It is ridiculous and I end up throwing a lot of it out.

American’s purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy during the weeks surrounding Halloween that is about 1.9 pounds of candy per person.

3. Junk food is everywhere and we must stop it.  Our children are living in a culture of junk food and paying for it with their health.  It isn’t ‘just Halloween’ or ‘just Christmas’ or ‘just Easter’.  It is those plus (just to name a few):

• Valentine’s Day, candy valentines shared at school
• Birthdays for the other 19 children at school with cake and goodie bags
• Athletic games where Gatorade and other sugary snacks are passed out
• Lollipop Friday at school
• Treats like candy corn for rewards at school
• Snack at school
• Church doughnuts
• School lunches for older kids where they can buy pop tarts, soda and the like

So, yea, if it were just a holiday here or there, it wouldn’t be a big issue.  But, every time I turn around, someone is giving my kids junk food.  They get so much junk outside of our home that I can rarely offer them a treat myself.  That really bugs me.

4. Celebrations and rewards don’t need to be junk food or even food for that matter.  Giving out juice is my way to suggest there is an alternative.  Everything doesn’t have to be a super sugary treat.  Just offer some good food!

5. I don’t want to support the candy manufactures.  If you are one of those people who have it out for big companies, think Nestle, Mars, Hershey and Dove.  I always say, vote with your dollar!  If you don’t like something don’t buy it.  Halloween candy sales in 2012 are expected to increase 3%, surpassing 2011’s record sales of $2.3 billion.  I can think of about a billion better things to spend our money on.  America just doesn’t need it!

If you buy into my program there are about a zillion alternative ideas to Halloween candy out there.  I’ve provided a link to one of my favorite sites, 100 Days of Real Food.  Be sure to check out the comment section because there are a lot of good ideas.   If you choose to hand out candy this year maybe consider giving your trick-or-treaters just ONE piece.  They don’t need three.  And remember, despite what your husband says the kids will love getting a juice box.

http://www.cisionwire.com/ibisworld/r/halloween-sales-to-reach-a-record-setting–8-0-billion-in-2012,c9314606

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=699&sid=2093399

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/10/07/real-food-tips-20-ways-to-do-halloween-without-candy/

Introduction to the National List October 14, 2012

I first became aware of the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (a snappy name that only our Government could come up with) when someone mentioned to me that pesticides are used organic food.  I wasn’t aware of this and began researching.

The National List was originally made up of things like baking soda.  Baking soda is not organic, but you can’t make much in the way of baked goods without it and there is no organic substitute.  There is a board that chooses which substances may or may not comprise the list.  The board is defined by the Organic Foods Act to consist of 4 farmers, 3 conservationists, 3 consumer representatives, a scientist, a retailer, a certification agent and 2 representatives of companies that process organic food.

I reviewed the National List and have provided a link below so that you can too.  To be honest, it makes my head spin.  Between the ‘legalese’ and the detail of this document I was overwhelmed.  Warning:  I am about to get into some painful detail about the List’s criteria and what is on said List.  If you aren’t a detail person (I understand completely), skip the next five paragraphs (look for the paragraph beginning, “For you skippers…”)

The List has an evaluation criteria set forth by the National Organic Program (NOP).  I detailed the NOP in the first segment of this series, Organic Food 101.  The List specifies both synthetic substances that are permitted and organic substances that are prohibited.

Synthetic substances and conventional substances that are exempt from being prohibited (allowed) must meet the following criteria:

A.  The Secretary determines in consulting with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the EPA

1.  Use of the substance would not be harmful to human health or the environment

2.  Is necessary to the production or handling of the agricultural product because a wholly natural substitute is unavailable

3. Is consistent with organic farming and handling

B.  The substance is

1. Used in production and contains an approved active synthetic ingredient from a long list of categories including copper, toxins from bacteria, fish emulsions, etc.

2. Used in production and contains inert synthetic ingredients that are not classified as toxic by the Administrator of the EPA as toxicological concern

3. Is used in handling and is non-synthetic but is not organically produced

C.  The specific exemption is developed using the procedure for developing the National List

In addition, there are rules for what natural substances may be prohibited.

A. The Secretary determines in consulting with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the EPA that the use of such substances would be

1. Harmful to human health or the environment

2. Is inconsistent with organic farming or handling

B. The prohibition is developed using the procedure for developing the National List

There are some further evaluation criteria:

1. The substance cannot be produced from a natural source and there are no substitutes

2. The substance’s manufacture and disposal do not have adverse effects on the environment and are consistent with organic handling

3. The nutritional quality of food is maintained, and the substance’s byproducts have no adverse effect on human health

4. The substances primary use is not for a preservative, or to recreate flavor or color or texture or nutritive loss except where replacement of nutrients is required by law

5. The substance is generally recognized as safe and contains no residues of heavy metals or other contaminants in excess of what the FDA approves

6. The substance is essential for the handling of organically produced products

The procedure for developing the National List requires:

1. The list be established based on a proposed national list or proposed amendments to the list developed by the National Organic Standards Board

2. The secretary can’t include exemptions for synthetic substances unless they have been approved for the National List or a proposed amendment to the List

3. Prohibited substances are not allowed on the list

4. The secretary must provide notice and allow comments before establishing the list or making any amendments to it, the list must be published and public comment sought

5. The secretary must publish the final approved list along with a discussion of comments received (there is a link below to a posting of the amendment with a summary of comments)

And

No exemption or prohibition in the National List will be valid unless the NOSB has reviewed it within 5 years of its adoption

For you skippers, you just saved yourself the headache I have.  Here is my interpretation of the intent of this National List:

1.  All synthetic and conventionally produced substances are prohibited unless they are required for production and have been approved for use by the NOSB.  The synthetic substance must not have a natural substitute and be safe for people and the environment

2.  All natural substances are allowed unless they are deemed prohibited by the NOSB.  Natural substance not allowed are generally those that are toxic to people or the environment.

So, that is how the list is developed and managed.  The actual list is a confusing compilation of substances and applications.   Some of this stuff I’m familiar with other things not at all.   I’ll provide a few examples:

Non-synthetic substances okay to use in organic crop production

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Soap based algicide and demossers
• Soap based herbicides for farmstead maintenance
• Mulch
• Newspaper
• Lime
• Sticky traps
• Streptomycin and Tetracycline for fire control in apples and pears until October 2014

Synthetic substances okay for organic livestock production

• Alcohols for disinfectant
• Atropine
• Chlorhexidine
• Electrolytes without antibiotics
• Glycerine
• Parasiticides not for slaughter stock and only for emergency in dairy and breeder stock
• Mineral oil

Non-synthetic substances not okay for livestock production

• Strychnine

Non-organic substances okay to use as ingredients in processed products labeled organic or made with organic

Non-synthetics

• Acids
• Animal enzymes
• Bentonite
• Calcium carbonate
• Diatomaceous earth
• Waxes

Synthetics

• Ammonium bicarbonate – baking powder
• Ascorbic acid
• Calcium citrate
• Diethylaminoethanol
• Ethylene for fruit ripening
• Glycerides
• Ozone
• Phosphoric acid
• Sodium citrate

Non-organic products okay to use in products labeled organic

• Casings
• Celery powder
• Chia
• Colors from agricultural products, not made with synthetic solvents
• Beet juice color
• Grape juice color
• Pumpkin juice color
• Red cabbage color
• Tumeric color
• Sherry (thank goodness!)
• Starches
• Whey protein concentrate

And, that is just a small TASTE of all the stuff on the National List.

So to answer my original question, 100% USDA Organic may not be 100% organic.

Looking at this list makes me realize that there is no reasonable way for me to investigate the safety of each item on this list.  I am not an organic farming or organic processing expert and if I was, even the experts are fighting about the list (more on that in my next installment).  Where does that leave me?

I still think that 100% USDA Organic food is grown and processed with fewer synthetic substances and therefore I don’t believe the label is worthless.  After going through this exercise, I’m even more committed to eating food I make at home where I have more control of and faith in the whole products I’m using.  And I realize that my faith in organic food must lie in trusting the process and the people who are making these decisions.

As you might guess, that is where I’m going in the next piece.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateJ&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPNationalList&description=National%20List%20of%20Allowed%20and%20Prohibited%20Substances&acct=nopgeninfo

http://us-code.vlex.com/vid/sec-national-list-19269105

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/15/2012-11722/national-organic-program-amendments-to-the-national-list-of-allowed-and-prohibited-substances

Upcoming Organic Exclusive September 18, 2012

I’m getting ready to do a possibly (if I get my game on) several part series on organic food.  I plan to cover general definitions (USDA Organic, Organic, etc.).  But I’m also interested about the things that are allowed under the USDA Organic Seal.  I’m curious to know how rigorous the certification is and plan to talk to some local farmers.  I also want to investigate the good/bad/indifferent effects choosing organic has on the environment.  I’d love your comments.  If there is anything that makes you wonder or troubles you about the whole organic movement, please let me know.  Thanks in advance!

Start Young

I’m pretty sure my kids are smarter than me.  Certainly their memory is better than mine.  They just aren’t as well educated yet.   So I generally don’t hold back sharing information with them even if I think they might not digest it all.

We talk about good nutrition, a lot.  It is never too early to start teaching them why it is important to eat well.  I tell them they must eat good food so they have plenty of energy to play, so their brain works well and so they can grow.

I taught my kids early on to recognize junk food.  When we would pass a vending machine, inevitably one of the kids would ask, “What’s that?”  I’d say, “That is junk food.  It is yucky.  We don’t want to eat that.”  My husband was embarrassed when while they were shopping at Target my then 1.5 year-old shouted, “That lady is eating junk food!”   She was good-natured about being caught, smiled sheepishly and put her chips away.

Of course, this has to be balanced with respect for other people’s food especially when the kids are little.  It is not okay to comment on what your friends at preschool are eating for lunch.  Just worry about your own food and not what others are eating.

Now that the boys are older, they are asking more detailed questions about junk food.  What foods are junk foods?  How do they make junk food?  Why do people eat junk food?

And I explain it as well as I can.  I tell my kids that junk food is made from food that tastes and looks so bad that they have to put sugar or salt in it and fake colors just to get people to eat it.  And that if they saw junk food before all the fake stuff was added it would look and taste so yucky they would never, never want to eat it.  My 5 year-old knows what high fructose corn syrup is and how it is made (basically).

Mind you, I explain that it is okay to have a little junk food sometimes.  I don’t want my kids to be so deprived of food their peers are eating that they are isolated.   Ultimately, they will have to live in a world where, sadly, junk food plays a big cultural role and I want them to be well prepared to negotiate those waters.

I know that someday my kids will fall off the wagon and not eat well.  That is all p art of learning and growing up.  I hope that by building a solid foundation of good habits (i.e. caring about what we eat, trying to make the best healthy choices we can and continually learning about the food we consume) eventually the boys will come back to the habits they grew up with.

Regardless of your take on nutrition, start talking with your kids early.  You’ll be surprised at how responsibly they will eat with a little education.

Eating habits are learned. There I wrote it. September 17, 2012

Great eating habits are made, not born.  Eating a healthy diet consisting of a lot of vegetables doesn’t come naturally to our species.  Humans crave sugar, salt and fat because foods these flavors are essential to human survival.  Humans crave salt as an essential compound with key minerals and sugar and fat because they are calorie dense.  So basically, left to their own devices, humans would probably eat fruit, meat and not so many vegetables.  Which was fine in a time where food and food choices were limited, but we live in a very different world now.

We could argue for years, as society is, about what constitutes a healthy diet.  My definition of a healthy diet is vegetables, meat, dairy and fruit.  I’ve listed those items in order of importance and relative portion size.   So, I’d say eat mostly vegetables, have some meat and dairy and a little fruit.

I had a friend ask me once to help her write a book on nutrition for children.  She wanted me to give some tips about how to deal with picky eaters.  I didn’t do it because she would not have liked what I recommend and it is this:  If your three year old is a super picky eater, you have already screwed up and things are going to be much harder for you than they were for me.  Yea, not something parents want to hear is it.  But, please, don’t stop reading because not all is lost.

My kids (ages 3 and 5) have great eating habits.  They will eat pretty much anything. My husband was skeptical with my methods to begin, but he has seen first hand the result and totally buys into the program now.  He has also seen the level of commitment it takes to get your kids to eat well and how hard that is to maintain once they are in the ‘real’ world outside of our house.

So, for what it is worth, here is what I did:

1.  Avoid processed foods.  Lots of arguing going on about food safety and I avoid a lot of those questionable additives by making food from scratch at home.  That way I know what is in it.  The old, ‘shop the perimeter of the grocery store,’ suggestion applies here.  It will be an adjustment for some of you, but so worth it in the end.  You and your family deserve good quality food and you can make that happen.

2.  Start with the womb.  It is important to eat a healthy diet when you are pregnant for a lot of reasons, keeping the fetus and mom healthy etc.  But there is another theory and that is eating a diverse array of food exposes the baby to different compounds and ‘flavors’.  I have no way of knowing if this is true, but regardless it doesn’t hurt to eat many types of food.  This also sets you and the family up for healthy eating when the baby is born.

3.  Continue with your diverse eating program while nursing.  Again the theory is the taste of your milk changes based on what you eat.  So your baby, even before he/she eats solid food will be broadening his pallet.  And if this isn’t true, the diversity of food will only provide you and the baby with better nutrition.  No downside.

4.  When you begin feeding your child solid food, don’t start with baby cereal.  Rice baby cereal is a simple carbohydrate.  It will break down into sugar in your baby’s mouth and begin your child’s addiction to sugar.  Start with avocado.  It helps if you ate avocado when you nursed so be sure to do that.  Avocado is great because it is soft, high fat and low sugar.  It is easy too, simply mash a ripe avocado and mix it with a little breast milk (or formula) until it is thin enough for your baby to manage.  Never add salt or sugar to your infant’s food.

5.  Once your baby has mastered the avocado, move on to other vegetables, then meat (fish is great) and LASTLY fruit.  Think of it this way, babies don’t have the ability to understand the consequences of food choices like (some) adults do.  Imagine that your favorite sweet, say ice cream, was great for you.  Imagine it is high-fiber, low-calorie and still tastes just the same.  Wouldn’t you just eat ice cream all day?  I would.  This is what it is like for babies and toddlers.  And even if they could understand the consequences, their self-control isn’t developed enough to say no to sweet food.  So, if you start off by offering them a super sweet banana, they are always going to want that banana and really resist when you offer them peas.  It will make your life a lot easier if you just hold off on the banana and start with the peas.  The baby won’t know anything else and be perfectly happy with peas, spinach or whatever.

Now, it may surprise you that I’m suggesting meat as one of the first foods.  I originally got the idea from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).  The AAP recommends meat as a first food because of its high iron levels.  Iron levels in breast milk are low and iron deficiency is common throughout the word.  The AAP recommends red meat as early as 6 months.   And another great bonus, meat is calorie dense.  So if you are struggling with a child who wakes up at night hungry, don’t reach for cereal, break out the beef!

If you are using jarred baby food, you will not be able to find one that is just beef or just fish.  You will have to make this yourself.  But, I promise, it is very easy and so worth the effort.

6. Your kids must eat what you eat and you must eat healthy well-balanced meals. I first became committed to this rule for self-preservation reasons.  I was exhausted and not willing to go to the effort to make a home cooked meal for my husband and me and a different one for my child.  So, my kids ate what was served.  Trust me, your child will not starve.  That is not to say it will be easy.  There will be challenges and battles of will.  But there is one thing you can do to make it a bit easier.  At the beginning of the meal, offer only what your child likes the LEAST.   Let’s say you are having meatloaf, spinach and potatoes.  If spinach is your child’s least favorite food, put it and only it on a plate and offer it to him/her first.  If they balk, say, “You can have your meatloaf when you finish your spinach.”  Offering the only ‘tougher’ foods when the toddler is most hungry and ‘bribing’ them with the easier foods will make your job easier.  So I’d offer the spinach, then the meatloaf and last the potatoes.  Eventually, you will get to the point where you can put everything on the plate at once, but probably not for several years.

Every child is different.  My first son was a great eater from day one.  We had some challenges, but he was fairly easy.  My second son was much more picky than the first.  We had a struggle with some things, but stayed committed and today he is a great eater.

Eating habits are learned and as a parent you have a wonderful and important opportunity to affect the long-term health of your child.  But, you must be committed.  You must make the tough choices and you must set an example for your children.  I did it and I know you can do it too.

So, there it is in a nutshell.  There are lots of details to figure out, but also tons of resources out there.  I’m happy to answer any questions if I can.  I’ve listed some resources below that I used to write this post as well as a few of the books I used when the boys were small.  I hope it helps!

http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/early/2010/10/05/aapnews.20101005-1.full

http://sciencemags.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-do-you-crave-sugar-salt-and-fat.html

http://www.organicauthority.com/kids/babys-first-food-shouldnt-be-white-rice-ceral.html#s.abwo7cauabaaa

Books:

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron – Be careful of this one because it is very, very detailed.  Don’t let that freak you out.  You don’t have to go to the extreme Ruth does and she does have some helpful advice and lots of information.

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child by The American Academy of Pediatrics – My doctor gave me a copy of this book when our child was born.  It covers lots of development, health and nutrition subjects and was really my go to book when the kids were babies.

First Meals by Annabel Karmel – This is a beautiful book that will inspire you to cook.  It takes you from baby food to 7 years.

100daysofrealfood.com – A fantastic website outlining one family’s journey from processed to whole food.  It is great for someone making the transition to healthy eating.  It has lots of recipes and resources.