Recent research has demonstrated a possible link between periodontal disease and heart disease. In a new study in which researchers infected mice with four different types of bacteria associated with gum disease, the mice had increased levels of inflammation and cholesterol. Other research is starting to point to a possible connection between gum disease and Type 2 diabetes, memory loss and even cancer. Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease which can lead to jawbone erosion if left untreated. This inflammation leads to pockets forming between the gums and teeth which can trap food. The space where the tooth meets the gum is the richest area in the mouth for bacteria. All of these factors combine to make the mouth an area ripe for producing inflammation. Regularly brushing and flossing your teeth helps sweep away these bacteria and can decrease inflammation. So pullout your tooth brush and floss! Less inflammation in the mouth means less inflammation throughout the body.
Now that you have determined your child is developmentally ready to start solids, how do you actually introduce them? Currently, there are two main philosophies around introducing solids to infants. The first approach is the more traditional approach in which a parent spoon-feeds his or her infant pureed baby food. This approach has some advantages in that it is quicker, less messy and offers the parent more control over how much and what the baby actually eats. However, a new approach is quickly becoming popular.
Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is an approach to feeding infants, which allows the baby to be in control of feeding themselves. You offer your baby age appropriate foods that are soft-cooked and then cut or mashed into small manageable pieces. You choose what type of food to offer your baby and your baby chooses which ones to eat. One of the main tenets of BLW is that your baby should be in control of what he is eating. You should never actually feed him by putting food into his mouth. You can fill his tray with soft cooked broccoli spears, mashed banana pieces or a spoon loaded with cereal but he gets to navigate it to his mouth. However, you do not simply load his tray and walk away. Your baby must be supervised at all times. If at all possible, have your baby join you at mealtime in an upright position either on your lap or in a high chair. You can expect your baby, as well as the floor, to get VERY messy. Many BLW parents advised putting a plastic shower curtain on the floor and letting your infant eat in only a diaper (Rapley, 2008). The benefit of the BLW approach is your baby learns control and mastery over feeding himself. He can choose to eat to satiety and learns it is okay to listen to his body about when to stop eating. These opportunities can set up good life long habits around food for your child.
Think carefully about which approach you feel will work best for your family and your family’s temperament. If you are a family who values control and cleanliness, then Baby Led Weaning may not be the best approach for you. Once you decide which approach to feeding feels right for you and your baby, there are a wide variety of choices for first foods.
Unfortunately, over the years, eggs have been a much maligned food. Due to their yolk’s high cholesterol level, doctors and other health professionals have advocated limiting their consumption, particularly for people with high cholesterol. These recommendations are unfortunate because eggs offer many health benefits and their impact on cholesterol is not clear cut. Eggs are a significant source of Vitamin A, Selenium, Folate, B vitamins and phosphorous. Even though their yolks contain 212 mgs of the 300 daily recommended mgs of cholesterol, over 70% of people show no cholesterol response to egg consumption and the other 30% of people (called hyper responders) showed a minimal increase in LDL and total cholesterol. These studies show, however, that eggs change the LDL particles from the small, dense particles associated with heart disease to large LDL molecules. People with predominately large LDL particles have a lower risk of heart disease. In fact, some studies have actually shown egg consumption can increase HDL (the “good” cholesterol) in some people. Egg yolks are also an excellent source of complete protein (6 grams of protein per large egg and they contain all of the essential amino acids) and they contain 100 mgs of choline, an incredibly important nutrient used to build cell membranes and by the body to produce the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Studies have also shown eating omega-3 enriched eggs can reduce triglycerides by 16-18%. Even though it was hard for me to let go of all the “knowledge” I had about limiting eggs due to their cholesterol count, once I started really examining the studies, eggs gained a regular place in my family’s breakfast rotation. You can’t beat their nutrient density compared to their cost!! If you are interested in adding eggs to your diet but have a history of high cholesterol, talk to your health care provider about a recommendation for a healthy number of eggs to include in your diet.
Photo found on flicker under Creative Commons license. See more beautiful photos by Woodley Wonder Works here.
This weekend I went to visit my in-laws near Bainbridge Island, Washington. Bainbridge has an amazing little farmer’s market with talented artisans and beautiful booths filled with produce. When I was there on Saturday, one of the booths was featuring rhubarb and had a recipe for a flourless Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Even though I had never cooked rhubarb before and had only eaten it a few times, once I sampled the crisp, I was hooked. My son, mother-in-law and I instantly decided we needed to recreate the crisp for dessert that night.
Beautiful Rhubarb at the farmer’s market.
I loved this recipe because it did not include any gluten or dairy and is pretty light on sugar. I also liked it because it included chia seeds for added omega-3’s. The chia seeds acted as a nutty, crunchy binder in both the filling and the crumble. You can buy Chia Seeds here) The almond meal used in place of flour offered a tasty, nutty flavor I loved. Almonds are high in fiber, Vitamin E, potassium and magnesium. (You can buy Bob’s Red Mill Flour Almond Meal here.)
The strawberries offered a potent dose of Vitamin C and other antioxidants and the rhubarb is also high in fiber, Vitamin C and provides a major dose of Vitamin K, which supports healthy bone growth and can limit neuronal damage in the brain. The oats contributed an extra boost of fiber, manganese and a surprising amount of protein. (You can buy Bob’s Red Mill Oats Rolled Regular here.)
There are so many beneficial ingredients in this crumble that I think you could serve it for breakfast and feel like you have started your day off on the right nutritional foot! I love when a dessert is good and good for you!!
Filling waiting for the crumble topping.
I think I mentioned in a previous post how much my father-in-law loves fruit desserts so he was thrilled when my son pulled this one out of the oven.
Finished crumble ready for dessert.
Some of us added ice cream to our crumble but if you are dairy free, it was just as good without it.
Friends and family are always asking me for recommendations about how to improve their health. While I want to be helpful by provide that life changing, magic answer, what I try to remind people is that it is often the little things they do on a daily basis that make the most difference. For most people, just making some small changes can pay big dividends for their health. Here is a list of five changes I would recommend to almost everyone to help optimize their health.
Eliminate or minimize processed food. I know most people are VERY busy and have a million different balls up in the air and prepackage food can be easier and quicker to get on the table, however, with very few exceptions, fresh, whole, unprocessed food is a much better choice. When you eat food in its whole form, you are consuming it the way nature intended, with the vitamins and minerals in the proper ratios and you know exactly what you are getting. There is no guesswork about what is in an apple but often when I read the ingredient list on processed food, I have no idea what some of the ingredients are. You would never pick up a mystery substance off the ground and put it in your mouth, so why would you do it just because it is in a “food” box?
Add a walk after dinner. Introducing a walk after dinner will help you reach the recommended goal of 30 minutes of exercise most days. It will also help with digestion before bedtime and offers an excellent opportunity to reconnect with your family or friends after a hectic day.
Add just one serving of vegetables a day. Most people fall well short of the recommended 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Trying to reach those recommendations may seem daunting but if you break it into smaller pieces it becomes more attainable. Start with adding just one extra serving per day. After a week, add another serving. Continue with this approach until you have reached the recommendation. Within a relatively short period of time, you will be reach the daily goal!
Use olive oil instead of fat free dressing. Summer is the perfect time to load up your plate with vegetables to create a pleasing salad. However, if you choose to use a fat free dressing, you may be missing the vitamins and minerals those vegetables offer. Fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, E, D and K require fat to be absorbed. If you don’t consume these vitamins with some fat, your body will not be able to assimilate them. Using equal parts heart healthy olive oil and balsamic vinegar as your dressing will help your body assimilate all those valuable vitamins.
Ditch the diet soda. Or any other drink made with artificial sweeteners. Some studies have shown that artificial sweeteners cause a spike in insulin levels. Research has also demonstrated daily consumption of diet drinks was associated with a 36% greater risk for metabolic syndrome and a 67% increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Drink plain water or try some of these recipes for infused water. Herbal tea, kombucha, water kefir or fermented sodas are all also good choices.
There are so many different small changes you can make to improve your health. These are just a few suggestions to get you started. What is a small change you have made that has made a big change in your life?
This is the first post in a series about starting your baby on solid foods.
Infancy is a time of rapid changes and growth for both the child and family. Just when parents think they have their baby’s needs figured out, those needs or desires change. One area, which causes parents a lot of angst, is feeding. People have strong, deeply rooted opinions about how to feed infants and they frequently feel compelled to share them with new parents. Ultimately, however, parents have to decide what is right for their own family and child.
Regardless of what you decide about when to start solids or what particular foods to begin with, it is important to think about your own relationship to food and what sort of relationship you would like your child to have. You are your child’s first teacher and children are sponges. They will hear the comments you speak and the body language you portray about particular foods and your own body. These comments will shape your child’s thoughts and feelings about these issues. Make sure you are giving them the messages you want them to receive!
This is also the time to think about what type of diet you would like your child to eat. If you are interested in them eating a mostly whole foods diet, then this is not the time to introduce processed food into their lives. Ellen Satter (2000) speaks about The Division of Responsibility in feeding children. In this idea, the parents are responsible for the what, when and where of feeding and children are responsible for the how much and the whether of eating. If you subscribe to this idea and you want to have your child eat a whole foods diet, serve only whole, real foods in your house. Leave the processed foods on the grocery store shelves.
When to Start Solid Foods
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommend that children be fed either breast milk or an appropriate infant formula for the first six months of their life. Up until this age, infants can receive all their necessary nutrients from these sources. At about six months, a breast fed baby’s iron stores begin to become inadequate for their needs. Supplementation either through food or an iron vitamin drop may become necessary. These needs should be discussed with your child’s pediatrician. (Pre-term babies may require iron supplementation earlier because they did not receive as much iron in utero.)
Even once solids are introduced, breast milk or formula should be the main source of an infant’s calories. Think of the introduction of solids as an opportunity to expose your child to various tastes and textures, not as the main source of his/her calories.
Current thinking is to start solid foods not based on an arbitrary age but rather to wait until your individual child is physically ready to begin. When your child begins to show signs of readiness for solid food is the best time to start. Most babies begin to show those signs somewhere between 5-7 months. However, premature infants or developmentally delayed children may take longer to show signs of readiness (Satter, 2000). Don’t try to force solid foods on your infant. The introduction of solids will be much less stressful for both of you if you allow your child to dictate the pace. Some of the signs that your baby is ready to experiment with solid foods include:
Your baby can sit up alone or with support.
Your baby mouths his fingers or toys.
Your baby seems interested in the food you are eating.
Your baby reaches for your food.
Your baby opens his mouth when food is coming.
Your baby has lost the tongue thrust response, meaning he no longer uses his tongue to push food back out of his mouth.
If you decide to try solid foods and your child shows little interest or seems agitated by the process, pull back. Give it a few more days or a week and then try again. Eventually, your child will be ready.
Resources Used for the Article Series
AAP (2013). AAP Offers Advice for Parents Concerned About Arsenic in Food. Retreived April 2, 2014, from http://www.aap.org
Dessinger, H. (2011). Nourished Baby. e book, na: na.
Eat To Live II coursework at Wellspring School for Healing Arts, March 1-2, 2004.
Flaws, B. (1996). Keeping your child healthy with Chinese medicine: A parent’s guide to the care and prevention of common childhood diseases. Boulder, CO: Blue Poppy Press.
Harrison, C. C. (2012, January 20). Healthy Baby Beans | Family Nutrition by Dietitian and Mother of Two! Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://Www.healthybabybeans.com
Lindberg, T., & Skude G. (1982). Amylase in Milk. Pediatrics, 70, 235-238.
Morell, S. F., & Cowan, T. S. (2013). The nourishing traditions book of baby & child care. Washington, DC: New Trends Publishing.
Na (2009). Starting Solids. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.llli.org
Norris, J. M., Barriga K., Hoffenberg, E. J., Taki, L., Miao, D., Haas, J. E., . . . Emery, L. M. (2005). Risk of Celiac Disease Autoimmunity and Timing of Gluten Introduction in the Diet of Infants at Increased Risk of Disease. Jama-journal of The American Medical Association. doi:10.1001/jama.293.19.2343
Planck, N. (2009). Real food for mother and baby: The fertility diet, eating for two, and baby’s first foods. New York: Bloomsbury USA.
Poole, J. A., Barriga, K., Leung, D. Y., Hoffman, M., Eisenbarth, G. S., Rewers, M., & Norris, J. M. (2006). Timing of Initial Exposure to Cereal Grains and the Risk of Wheat Allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 117, 2175-82. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2005.12.174
Rapley, G., & Murkett, T. (2008). Baby-led weaning: Helping your baby to love good food. London: Vermilion.
Satter, E. (2000). Child of mine: Feeding with love and good sense. Palo Alto, Calif: Bull Pub.
Sears, W., Sears, M., Sears, R. W., & Sears, J. M. (2013). The baby book: Everything you need to know about your baby from birth to age two. New York: Little, Brown, and Company.
Photo by Mark Evans of Flickr. See more of his beautiful work here.
Probiotics for gut health are all the rage in the nutrition world. Everyone is talking about eating yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchee and drinking kombucha to introduce those vital, “good bugs” to your gut. Lately, however, the science community has been buzzing about prebiotics to help nourish the healthy bacteria already in your gut. For healthy bacteria to thrive, they need fiber that survives the length of our GI tract without being digested. Two types of fiber, cellulose and fructans, are tough enough to survive the digestion process and become the food source for our ”good bacteria’. Fructans are found in many fruits and vegetables and cellulose is the tough part of veggies and fruit we usually don’t eat, like the stalks of broccoli and the string of celery. Cooking does start the break down process of these tough fibers, decreasing the amount of prebiotics in the food. With scientists estimating that over 70% of our immunity and 80-90 % of our serotonin comes from our gut, you may be wondering exactly which foods you should add to your diet to feed your “good bacteria”. Adding the following foods can start to shift your gut bacteria in a positive direction in as little as 48 hours.
Asparagus
Jerusalem artichoke
Onions
Radishes
Jicama
Leeks
Garlic
Cooked beans
Chicory root
Raspberries
Wheat bran
Remember to start slowly with all these fiber rich foods to avoid excessive gas and bloating.
Dark Chocolate Nut and Seed Blasts- Good for your Heart!
I have been so intrigued by all the raw truffle recipes on Pinterest. Every time I see a recipe for truffles or energy balls, I have to click over to the actual website to see how they are made. I can’t believe how many different versions there are! After reading so many recipes and dreaming about how yummy they all sounded, I decided to try to make some of my own.
Since I am always looking for ways to get more nutrition into my kids, I wanted to be sure my nut and seed bombs offered some health benefits. Given how each nut and seed has it’s own distinct nutritional benefits, I decide to try to incorporate as many different types of nuts as possible. I used walnuts for their short chain omega-3 alpha linolenic acid to benefit the heart and give copper and manganese. I include pistachios for their high fiber content and carotenoids. Almond butter was used for almond’s high vitamin E, manganese, copper and fiber content. Finally, hemp seeds were included for another dose of omega-3’s
Chopped walnuts for healthy omega-3’s.
After grinding up the dates, nuts and seeds, I added the melted dark chocolate. The dough turned a beautiful, rich brown color and tasted so yummy!
Dough all ground up before heading to fridge.
I found the balls rolled the easiest by squishing them into loose balls and then rolling them in the chopped pistachios. After they were lightly covered with pistachios, I would roll them into tighter balls. (Unfortunately, my ball rolling skills aren’t perfect- the balls are a little lopsided but they still taste delicious!) It also seemed best to VERY finely chop the pistachios. They adhered the best when finely chopped!
1 3.5 oz dark (70% or above) chocolate bar, melted
1 tsp vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp of cardamon
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup of pistachios, finely chopped
Instructions
Grind pitted dates in a food processor fit with an s-blade until a paste forms.
Place chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.
Add walnuts and pulse until combined.
Add hemp seed, almond milk, cinnamon, cardamon and sea salt. Pulse until well combined.
Add in melted chocolate and pulse until well mixed with the nuts and dates. You may have to stop and scrape the sides a couple of times.
Place food processor bowl in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Take nut mixture out of fridge and carefully roll the dough into balls.
The balls can be rolled in chopped pistachios or other nuts according to your tastes.
(I found it was easier to lightly squeeze the dough into balls and then roll them in the pistachios and then roll them some more to make the balls stay together.)
Last week, my school hosted a community health fair. Each student was asked to choose a topic related to the bountiful harvest of summer. There were incredibly informative tables about fermentation, sprouting, the importance of eating greens and hormone balancing through food. A colleague and I chose to make our booth about the importance of hydration. My booth partner, Stephanie Rider, provided a great short primer for ways to add tasty, seasonally appropriate hydration to your day. I thought I would share it with my readers. (You can see my part of the handout here.) Enjoy!
Basil, cucumber, orange water.
Adding Hydration into your Day
Adding vegetables and fruits such as those listed below will enhance
your intake of water.
Vegetables: Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber,
Green Peppers, Iceberg Lettuce, Spinach, Tomatoes
Fruits: Blackberries, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Grapefruit,
Raspberries, Strawberries, Watermelon
The best way to ensure adequate hydration is to include water in your
daily routine. How can you make hydration fun? Adding fresh fruits,
vegetables and herbs to your water can provide both eye-catching
appeal and subtle flavoring.
There are many great, natural ingredients you can add to your water
to infuse color and flavor.
As you add these ingredients, you also get the benefit of the vitamins
and minerals contained in those foods.
Wholistic nutrition also recognizes the energetic and healing properties
of foods and herbs, and selecting the right ones based on the time of
year will support natural nourishment. Summer: Cooling
Summer is a great time to look to foods that have a cooling effect on
the body to help stay regulated in the heat of the summer.
Such food/herb combinations are:
Cucumber, Orange and Basil
Dandelion leaf
Lemon and Lavender
Peaches and Chamomile
Pineapple and Green Tea
Berries: (black, blue, raspberry) and Mint
Watermelon and Mint
Fall: Grounding
Fall is a great time to add grounding foods to your diet. This reflects
the natural cycle of nature by supporting the need to ground and
prepare for winter months, drawing energy into your core.
Great fall seasonal flavors to use are:
Cilantro and Citrus peel
Fennel
Apricot and Goji Berries
Kumquat and Rosemary
Pomegranate
Pineapple and Ginger Winter: Warming, Immunity Boosting
Winter is a time to stay hydrated, as the dryness of the air can
dehydrate just as much as summertime heat. Additionally, infusing
your liquids with warming foods and herbs will deeply warm you from
the inside out. It is also a great time to boost your immunities against
colds and flu. Consider warm/hot water infusions, herbal teas as well
as broths for hydration.
Winter concoctions can include:
Kumquat and Basil
Citrus peel
Black tea and Ginger
Cinnamon, Clove and Honey
When you are fighting a cold or virus:
Fresh Ginger (not dried) tea
Onion and Rosemary/Parsley broth
Miso broth
Spring: Uplifting
Springtime is a time of rebirth. Consider these “first harvest” fruits,
vegetables and herbs to bring that uplifting nourishment to your body
as you prepare for this cycle of nature.
Springtime harvest infusions can include:
Apricot
Cherry and Lime
Pineapple and Ginger
Strawberries and Rose Petals
Cucumbers and Basil
Lavender and Lemon
I love how happy and free this dog looks. Being a dog owner myself, I completely recognize the expression on this puppy’s face- total freedom! I know we all have responsibilities and jobs and things we have to do but we should strive to find moments of pure freedom in our day. Pause to look out the window to notice the leaves on the tree shading your office window. Stand up and stretch after hours spent over the computer. Carve out some time to sit by a lake. Find what will give you your own feeling of escaping out of the gate!! When you take that moment, totally present! Our moments of total freedom don’t have to be long, they just have to be experienced fully.
