So, what do I provide him?

1. One fresh fruit, either a peeled pear or apple (he has a salicylate intolerance and can not tolerate the peels although they provide the most fiber).

2. One Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. Because AJ has a very special diet the peanut butter is all natural, the jelly is organic, and the bread is Namaste No Sugar Waffle Mix (no wheat, corn, yeast, milk, lactose, sugar).

3. A small bag of peanuts.

4. Small bag of chips (Veggie Booty, Tings, Mary’s Gone Crackers, or Rice Crackers).

5. Silk Soy Yogurt (Vanilla) or Life Way’s ProBugs Kefir.

6. Nature’s Path Crispy Bar or Fruitabu Fruit Snack

7. Water

8. Organic applesauce or ZenSoy Pudding

Note that his lunch has protein, fruit, milk, water, grains, probiotics, etc. And, most of his lunch is healthy and organic. I do provide him with something sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy, and soft because of his sensory difficulties. So, if he is having a hard sensory day he does have an option.

I also offer him variety with carrots, cucumbers, a gluten/casein free chocolate chip cookie, leftovers, etc. He has many food allergies and intolerances so packing lunches can be difficult for him. We do the very best we can.

What do you pack?

Post from: Blisstree

What School Lunches SHOULD Have

To properly store formula:

• Feed your baby prepared formula immediately.
• Immediately refrigerate prepared formula up to 24 hours.
• Discard any extra formula after one hour because bacteria can grow VERY quickly.

If you are traveling, use the formula dispenser.

Post from: Blisstree

Formula Storage

At Hidden Valley, Jodie Shield, a registered dietitian, helps kids all around the country eat their veggies. Jodie has been a a consultant and a spokesperson for more than two decades. She is a former national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and has worked with the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago.

She is currently a complemental faculty member of the College of Health Sciences in the Department of Clinical Nutritian at Rush Univesity in Chicago.

As parents, you know how tough that can be, right? Here are twelve tips from Jodie to help you out you with a finicky eater and a veggie avoider.

1. Make Veggies Convenient. Grab and go snacks are the rage with kids. So if you want your child to eat veggies, make them so easy they won’t be able to resist them. Keep your refrigerator stocked with baby carrots, prewashed salad kits, celery slices, and colorful red, green, and yellow bell pepper strips. My family loves when I buy a ready-to-eat veggie tray and serve it with some low-fat ranch dressing/dip. When I’m preparing supper, I leave it out on the counter for everyone to munch on. The little extra cost is worth the convenience and it cuts down on waste from uneaten produce.
2. Making Recipes Kid-Friendly. When developing recipes for kids, include specific textures, flavor profiles and food shapes kids will gravitate towards. When doing this, always consider the child’s age. Based on research (scientific and anecdotal) younger kids tend to like ingredients that are not all mixed together and that are somewhat familiar to them, as opposed to older kids that like “concoctions” and tend to be more willing to try new foods. For example, a five year old might enjoy making a turkey taco recipe, which includes ingredients of their choice, while a 12-year-old would be more willing to make a taco casserole or taco salad.Try Rock N’ Rollups, and see how excited your kids get about vegetables and cooking.
3. Kids as the Cooks. I like to develop age-appropriate recipes that kids can make themselves. This helps vest them in the eating process and they learn so many things about food, nutrition, and cooking. Today’s kids, more than ever, enjoy cooking. Cooking shows are widely watched by tweens and teens and many view cooking as fun (even if their parents don’t!). I always look for ways to make my recipes fun and colorful. Vegetables and dips are great because it is a colorful combination and kids get to play with their food. In fact, a 2006 study showed this to be true as children involved in that study consumed 23 percent more vegetables when paired with a moderate amount of ranch dressing.
4. Bowl ‘em over. Soups are a hit with kids and a great way to get one of their five or more daily veggie servings. Homemade soups are great because you can always toss in extra veggies, but if you’re short on time, canned soups are also healthy and convenient options. Offer kids soups such as minestrone or vegetable beef. Feeling daring? Have them try split pea, lentil, black bean, or cream of broccoli soups. Keep in mind; you can always enhance canned soups by tossing in extra veggies or beans.
5. Beyond the Recipe. If your kids are not fans of vegetables, sometimes they need encouragement that goes beyond a kid-friendly recipe. One great source is the Hidden Valley® Salad Dressing Love Your Veggies™ campaign that offers parents tools to help kids develop a life-long love of vegetables through activities at home, at school and in the community. The campaign includes an interactive Web site,LoveYourVeggies.com, filled with activities, such as starting a garden and cooking with kids, lesson plans and a variety of kid-friendly vegetable recipes.
6. Overcoming a Picky Eater: I Easy Tips. Picky eaters can be difficult. I wish I had a magic wand (or recipe) to solve this dilemma, but here is the first of few tips parents can try: Let them “help” themselves. Kids learn a lot about portions when they get to take their own portions.  Parents often serve too much, which can be overwhelming for tiny tummies.  Pass food around family-style or set up a buffet on the counter.
7. Overcoming a Picky Eater: II Provide added interest. This will help peak even a picky eaters interest in trying foods they normally would take a pass on. For a fun way to get your kids interested in cooking see if they like the “Around the World” activity that teaches them about countries and vegetable dishes, have them dip their veggies in ranch as a creative way to try new foods, or try the Bagel Smile recipe for some added entertainment. The activity and the recipe can be found at LoveYourVeggies.com.
8. Overcoming a Picky Eater: III Keep trying; they will like it – eventually! Kids are instinctively fearful of trying new foods – it’s called food phobia.  Studies have found that it takes anywhere from eight to 10 offerings before some kids will even take a bite. And don’t force them to eat it. Ask them to taste it, and if they don’t like it, they can remove it politely from their mouth with their napkin.
9. Go Incognito. A great way to open kid’s minds to veggies is to prepare a vegetable they have not eaten before in a tasty and familiar way. For example, instead of a baked potato, try baking a sweet potato. My favorite veggie in disguise is mock-mashed potatoes. Simply steam a head of cauliflower for about 15 – 20 minutes (or microwave) until soft. Drain and transfer the cauliflower to a food processor or blender, along with a tablespoon of butter or margarine, and a tablespoon or two of low-fat milk. Puree until smooth. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and I swear, your kids will think they’re eating mashed potatoes!
10. Kid’s Cooking Lesson: I Stir-Fry Veggies. Kids often say they don’t like vegetables because they’re “boring.” So stir things up and try stir-frying veggies. Simply heat a teaspoon or two of oil in a large skillet or wok until sizzling. Then toss in bite-size pieces of snow peas, carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts, and add a dash of soy sauce. Serve them with chop sticks for even more fun. Really, most veggies can be stir-fried — even frozen veggies. The trick is to first partially thaw them in the microwave before stir-frying them.
11. Kid’s Cooking Lesson: II Baked Veggies. What’s the most commonly eaten and popular kids’ vegetable? If you said French fries, you’re correct. However, fries are very high in fat and calories. A much healthier alternative is to bake the fries and use different types of potatoes – white, new, and my son’s favorite, sweet potato. Baked fries are so easy and your kids will love them. Just preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss potato wedges (or cut them into strips) with 2 teaspoons of oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Spread the fries out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until browned and tender (about 20 minutes), turning once. Leave the potato skins on for extra fiber.
12. Kid’s Cooking Lesson: III Grilled Veggies. Burgers and chicken aren’t the only foods that taste fabulous cooked on the grill. Veggies are also awesome. Here’s one of my family’s favorites: Grilled Mixed Veggie Bundles. I love this recipe because the foil makes clean up a snap and my kids love it because it tastes terrific! Here’s what to do: break two cobs of corn in half and add them to a large bowl along with a handful of green beans, and a handful of baby carrots. Toss them with some olive oil, garlic powder and fresh oregano or basil. Divide the veggie mixture up into four servings. Place each pile of veggies on a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap securely. Cook the bundles on a heated grill for about 20-30 minutes, turning them occasionally. Feel free to substitute other veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, onion, or cherry tomatoes. For another grilled veggie recipe, such as Pepper Plus Panini, visit www.LoveYourVeggies.com.

Post from: Blisstree

Hidden Valley Helps Kids Eat Veggies

The problem with this was that if we did not feed him he would be up for hours, screaming and crying.

It wasn’t until we visited the Pfeiffer Treatment Center that we figured out the problem. AJ has hypoglycemia, a metabolic disorder associated with low glucose levels. Although he does not have diabetes, he does get nighttime induced hypoglycemia as well as exercise induced hypoglycemia.

To treat his hypoglycemia we use high protein foods and natural fruits instead of high sugar and high fat foods. We avoid high fructose corn syrup because it sends him into a sugar high (and then crash). We try to plan his meals so that he eats at regular times and snacks at regular times. We always carry a carbohydrate and a fruit with us when we travel in the car and as soon as he starts to show any sign of crankiness we give him food (remember, he can’t verbalize his needs to us).

Additionally, Pfeiffer Treatment Center has prescribed essential vitamins and amino acids to help counteract the hypoglycemia and balance his blood sugar.

Treatment of hypoglycemia is achieved by adopting a hypoglycemic diet accompanied with vitamin and mineral supplements (Vitamin C, Zinc, Chromium picolinate, Thiamine (B1) and other B-complex vitamins, see “The Hypoglycemic Diet” ). This helps to stabilize the blood sugar, insulin and stress hormone levels, even out mood swings, rebalance the appetite mechanism, equalize energy intake and expenditure; and halt if not reverse obesity.

The Hypoglycemic Diet is the diet we follow. Note…we do not use cinnamon, as it is very dangerous for children with a salicilate intolerance. It is one of THE HIGHEST spices.

Since we began the Hypoglycemic Diet we have seen a tremendous increase in Little Pickel’s language, overall tolerance for daily life, an increase in sensory tolerances, and an ability to transition much better. So, its working for us.

To see a list of hypoglycemia symptoms check out Wikipedia.

Here is a suggested meal plan for an adult. However, it indicates food in exchanges so it can easily be transfered to a child.

Post from: Blisstree

Hypoglycemia in Children

Making your own baby food is easy and much cheaper than purchasing premade foods (I also recommend stearing clear of foods marketed for babies). All you ned is a blender (or food processor) and some empty ice trays.

1. Start with local, seasonal produce. Do not use canned fruits or veggies due to the sugars and salts. Peel and pit fruits and peel and cook the vegetables. Steam, bake, or broil them.

2. Puree or mash the food and add to the ice trays. Cover and freeze. You can pop out one at a time for feeding.

Start with:

4-6 months: avocado, bananas, pears, cereal (don’t need to be cooked), squash, yams, sweet potato.

6-8 months: mango, apples

Here are some great recipes (how to cut, peel, and cook)

Post from: Blisstree

Make Your Own Baby Food

80 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HEALTHY

HELP KIDS STAY ACTIVE:

1. Bike to the library together.
2. Walk or bike to your children’s sports events to cheer for them.
3. Have your children come to your sports events and cheer for you.
4. Celebrate special occasions—birthdays, anniversaries—with something active, such as a hike, a volleyball game, a Frisbee™ match.
5. Train together for a charity walk or run.
6. Walk the dog with your children.
7. Exercise while you watch TV.
8. Park farther away from your destination.
9. Plan social activities involving exercise.
10. Plan a party with physically active games and activities for your family and your children’s friends.
11. Develop new friendships with physically active families and children. Join a group, such as the YMCA or a hiking club.
12. Schedule physical activity for times in the day or week when you feel energetic.
13. Make physical activity a regular part of your family’s daily or weekly schedule and write it on a family activity calendar.
14. Enroll your children in community sports teams or lessons, or swimming, gymnastics, or tennis.
15. Develop a set of regular activities for you and your family that are always available regardless of weather, such as indoor cycling, aerobic dance, indoor swimming, stretching and strengthening movements, stair climbing, rope skipping, mall walking, dancing, and gymnasium games.
16. Look at outdoor activities that depend on weather conditions, such as cross-country skiing, outdoor swimming, and outdoor tennis as “bonuses”—extra activities possible when weather and circumstances permit.
17. Take a family walk after dinner.
18. Replace a Sunday drive with a Sunday walk.
19. Do yard work. Get your children to help rake, weed, plant, etc.
20. Work around the house. Ask your children for help doing active chores
21. Use an exercise video with your kids if the weather is bad.
22. Play with your kids 30 minutes a day.
23. Dance to music. Play your favorite dance music for your children and have them play their favorites for you.
24. Make a Saturday morning walk a family habit.
25. Stretch, do yoga, lift hand weights while watching TV.
26. Go out and enjoy the sun, but be sun-protected.
27. Challenge the family to see who can do the most push-ups, jumping jacks, or leg lifts during commercial breaks, or switch to an exercise tape during commercials.
28. Provide other alternatives for them to spend their time, such as playing outside, learning a hobby or sport, or spending time with family and friends.

(Keep reading, there are 52 more ways…)

HELP KIDS MAKE DEVELOP EATING HABITS:

1. Make eating together a priority and schedule family meals at least two to three times a week. Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
2. Eat GO foods almost anytime: lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
3. Eat foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
4. Substitute the low-fat and fat-free versions of foods as alternatives to the full fat items.
5. Have SLOW foods sometimes or less often. SLOW foods include: vegetables with added fat, white refined flour bread, low-fat mayonnaise, and 2% low fat milk.
6. Have WHOA foods only once in a while or on special occasions. And, when you do have them, have small portions. Examples of WHOA foods are: whole milk, cheese, fried potatoes, croissants, muffins, butter, and creamy salad dressings.
7. Stays within your calorie needs.
8. Grill, steam, or bake instead of frying.
9. Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other low-fat seasonings.
10. Keep to a regular eating schedule.
11. Eat before you get too hungry.
12. Don’t skip breakfast.
13. Get into the habit of eating breakfast, even on weekends and holidays.
14. Stock your kitchen with easy-to-prepare, healthy breakfast options.
15. Stop eating when you are full.
16. Snack on fruits and vegetables.
17. Top your favorite cereal with apples or bananas.
18. Include several servings of whole-grain foods daily.
19. Don’t take seconds.
20. Eat sweet foods in small amounts.
21. Try a new fruit or vegetable (ever had jicama, plantain, bok choy, star fruit, or papaya?)
22. Eat half your dessert, or choose fruit as dessert.
23. Don’t encourage late-night eating, or snacking.
24. Substitute the following :
    • olive oil for dipping instead of butter or margarine
    • fat-free or low-fat milk rather than whole milk or cream in coffee or in other drinks
    • food without butter, gravy, or sauces
    • salad dressing “on the side” and request light or fat-free dressing
    • steamed vegetables or a fruit cup as a substitute for french fries
    • “hold the cheese” or “cheese on the side” when ordering sandwiches or salads so you can decide how much cheese you want to eat.
    • unsweetened beverages, such as water, unsweetened iced-tea, or sugar-free or diet iced-tea and lemonade.
25. Drink water before a meal.
26. Drink diet soda instead of regular soda.
27. Drink water or low-fat milk over soda and other sugary drinks.
28. Instead of giving your child or yourself an entire bottle of fruit juice or soda, pour a small amount (1/2 cup) into a cup. Better yet, choose water or small amounts of 100% fruit juice over soda.
29. Use tall, narrow glasses instead of short, wide glasses. You will drink less.
30. If main dishes are too big, choose an appetizer or a side dish instead.
31. Order foods that are steamed, broiled, baked, roasted, poached, or lightly sautéed or stir-fried. Select an appetizer that is low in fat and includes a fruit or vegetable instead of an entrée at a restaurant.
32. Put a smaller portion on a smaller plate; it won’t look so skimpy.
33. Share a portion with a family member or friend.
34. Avoid food portions larger than your fist.
35. Order a medium pizza instead of a large. Everyone gets the same number of slices as before; they’re just smaller.
36. Before you eat your meal ask the wait staff to put half of the meal in a take home bag for leftovers to eat the next day.
37. Skip buffets.
38. Don’t bring hungry kids with you to grocery shopping.
39. Choose a checkout line without a candy display.

HELP KIDS MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES:

1. Help your children with time-management skills.
2. Consider limiting the number of activities they do, such as setting the number of hours or types of after-school work.
3. Make the bedroom dark at night and bright in the morning. It will encourage better sleep.
4. Make sure your child gets enough solid sleep each night. 7-8 hours is ideal for children to teens.
5. Set a house rule that your children may spend no more than two hours a day of screen time. More importantly, enforce the rule once it’s made.
6. Do not put a TV or computer in your child’s bedroom.  It encourages junk sleep.
7. Turn off the TV during family meal time. Better yet, remove the TV from the eating area if you have one there.
8. You need to be a good role model and also limit your screen time to no more than two hours per day. If your kids see you following your own rules, then they will be more likely to follow.
9. Don’t use TV to reward or punish a child. Practices like this make TV seem even more important to children.
10. Refrain from watching violent TV, especially for boys under 9.
11. Be a savvy media consumer. Don’t expect your child to ignore the influences of television advertising of snack foods, candy, soda, and fast food. Help your child develop healthy eating habits and become media savvy by teaching them to recognize a sales pitch.
12. Build a positive self-image in your child.
13. Spend time – in quality and quantity – with each child.

Post from: Blisstree

80 ways to keep your child healthy

• Does homework right away (56 or 32%)
• Has sports, games or practices (44 or 25%)
• Plays with the neighborhood kids (39 or 22%)

From this poll we find that more than half of children of Kids Health Notes readers continue their education even after school, either through sports activity or doing their homework. Very good!

Now for the contest. Some of the entrees appeared at the poll post, so as a courtesy to them I will just include them in today’s drawing. By random number generation, the winner is –

#43 (Poll Post) Donna Kozar

Congratulations!!! Courtesy of Quaker, Donna gets a sports bag filled with some fun (but practical) items for activity-filled family days (i.e., soccer ball, tennis balls, sports socks, fun shoelaces, water bottle, etc.), along with a few boxes of their Quaker Chewy Granola Bars with Protein.

I will email her for further instructions on claiming her prize.

Post from: Blisstree

Poll and a Give-away: New Quaker Granola Bars with Protein – winner

VARIETY. There are only so much variety that the jarred food can offer a baby. Jarred fruits are more varied, but the vegetables are limited to those that most babies can/will eat. With homemade, I was able to tailor-cook and give zucchini, yellow squash, butternut and acorn squash, broccoli, cauliflower, even asparagus and some Oriental vegetables that we love.

ALLERGENS and PRESERVATIVES. Some stage 2, and most stage 3/”graduate/toddler” have dairy in the ingredients. The older-stage food also have preservatives unless I opt for organic. I don’t have to worry about hidden allergens and chemicals with homemade baby food.

PRICE. No doubt about it, homemade foods are cheaper! Most jarred varieties now range from $0.50 (4 oz.)to $1.25 each (6 oz. stage 3) per jar. Meals three times a day could translate to $90- $100 per month expense just for baby food, excluding cereals.

CONVENIENCE. Ok, so jarred food may be more convenient because there is no preparation needed. So I’ll share a few tips to lessen the prep time for making homemade food.

1. Buy in bulk. Buy the vegetables and fruits in bulk (2-3 pounds per kind), at wholesale stores so they’re cheaper. If you can’t cook them all in one evening, freeze uncooked vegetables, like carrots, broccoli, cauliflowers, peas and beans.
2. It takes 30 minutes to peel and cut carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and a variety of fruits.  Make enough for two weeks worth of balanced meals. Bake fruits, cut in half and cored in a shallow pan with 1 inch water. Steam or boil the vegetables in large pots. Don’t cook each vegetable in separate pots, but do cook hard veggies separate from soft ones (like zucchini, broccoli and cauliflowers).
3. Cooking takes an hour and then just let them cool.
4. Puree vegetables and fruits in blender. Combine some vegetables or fruits together to make a “mixed meal”. Do the same with fruits, or combine a fruit with vegetables or meat. Add cereals, milk, cheese, yogurt or juice (from the leftover baking/boiling).
5. Dispense into ice cube trays or the plastic 2-4 oz. containers from Gerber for serving portions, and freeze. Don’t use the glass jars because you can’t freeze these.
6. Once frozen, pop the cubes into zippered gallon plastic bags and refreeze until use (within two months).
7. If you have to go somewhere, use an insulated bag to keep the food cold or frozen until use.

It takes about 2 hours each weekend night to prepare two week’s worth of baby food. That’s not too bad, right? That’s less than 10 minutes a day to cook delicious, homemade food that your child will love.

I get my recipes and inspiration for quick and easy homemade baby meals from this website. There are also books you can check out – Blender Baby Food and  Top 100 Baby Purees. So, let me know how making homemade baby food work for you.

image: sxc

Post from: Blisstree

Quick and easy homemade foods for baby

The bonus – each recipe only takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.

• Breakfast rounds Muffins on peanut butter, apples and cinnamon
• Gloomy Day Smoothie brings enough sunshine and energy to your day!
• Eggs in a Nest a fun way to get kids eating eggs!
• UFO Bagels galaxy-traveling breakfast spaceships give kids some protein power
• Microwave Omelet Pop in the microwave, add some toppings and yummy!

Try these other breakfast ideas for busy mornings and your children will be up and about.

Post from: Blisstree

10-minute healthy breakfast recipes

A project spearheaded by culinary celebrity Stephanie Alexander, the Kitchen Garden Project is a class taught in elementary where students grow a productive vegetable garden and cook the fresh fruits of their labor in a home-style kitchen in the school grounds.

“As well as learning what 125 grams of butter is or a cup of flour, they discover how wonderful broccoli can taste when it’s stir-fried quickly and served with extra-virgin olive oil and toasted sunflower seeds that they’ve grown,” Alexander tells The Age.

The Kitchen Garden Project was so effective in introducing home-grown healthy food in positive ways to students, that the Australian government agreed to give out $12.8 million grant to 190 government primary schools to give the program a try.

“It’s a different attitude these days. The secret to a balanced, moderate, sensual appreciation of food and the pleasure of actually producing it yourself is a very powerful thing.”

Post from: Blisstree

Australia’s Kitchen Garden Project