Hospital

Am feeling very insecure at the moment. Thanks to my healthy eating obsession, my little 9 month old girl ended up in an ambulance going to hospital last week.....she had a tiny taste of some cashew nut for the first time .... too early in life I guess, in my quest to fill her with great nutrition on a vegetarian path. She did not react too well to this new food type, and had an adrenaline aerosol in hospital.
As such, I am completly shaken up and have decided to revert to eating meat and everything we did before.
Miserable.
Blog end.

Biodiversity - the 21 Plant Families

Here are the 21 plant families, to try and eat from each of them to collect all of the molecules for good health!!

1. Mushrooms - shitake, crimini, oyster, portobello
2. Amaranths - spinach, Swiss chard, beet (greens and root), quinoa
3. Umbrellifers - carrot, celery, cilantro, dill
4. Cruciferous vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, mustard
5. Bromeliads - pineapple
6. Composites - artichoke, lettuces, sunflower seeds
7. Biindweeds - sweet potato
8. Gourds - cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon, zucchini
9. Heath plants - blueberry, cranberry
10. Legumes - black beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas
11. Lilies - asparagus, chives, garlic, onion
12. Woody trees - banana
13. Sesames - sesame seeds
14. True grasses - barley, oats, brown rice
15. Rosy plants - apple, apricot, blackberry, cherry, peach, pear, plum, raspberry, strawberry
16. Citrus plants - grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime
17. Nightshades - eggplant, peppers, white potatoes, tomato
18. Grapes - grape
19. Laurels - avocados, cinnamon, bay leaves
20. Myrtles - guava, cloves, allspice
21. Loosestrifes - pomegranate

Homeopath, Acupuncturist, Great Read & other tidbits

1.  Homeopath

Went to see the homeopath this week, primarily to try and treat the eczema that both of my babies suffer from. After an hour long discussion, forming a written 'caricature' of both of their personalities and history from pregnancy through to birth and beyond, he gave me some nutritional advice and some granules of 'Psorinum' to be taken once a week for 3 weeks, and then a follow up appointment.

The nutritional advice was as follows:
- Use rapeseed oil on salads and everything cold
- Use olive oil for cooking
- Eat sardines and salmon (all of the above to increase intake of omega 3 and 6)
- Evening Primrose oil on the skin at night
- No commercial biscuits (too many trans - fats)
- Avoid dairy, but use other milks fortified with calcium - but the amino acids are not so good in these as in cow's milk, therefore eating meat is a good option)
- Plenty of fruits and veggies for vitamins
- Avoid gluten for Maya
- Probiotics, such as Actimel yoghurt drinks for Thomas
- Spices in cooking reduce skin inflammation, except for pepper.
- Almond and other nut butters (except peanut)
- Organic foods only, avoid food colours and chemicals
- Bath only every 2 days as the water and soaps reduce the natural skin oils.

2. Acupuncturist

At one of Thomas's friends birthday parties I was chatting to one of the dads who is an acupuncturist, and he gave me some nutritional tips too:
- Avoid dairy and also avoid too much soy milk, for boys and girls
- Use linseed oil (cold pressed) swirled through food before serving

He also said that he could use acupuncture with babies and toddlers to help to treat eczema. He said it could be done in combination with the homeopathic treatment, but the only thing is that you won't know which treatment has been successful!

3. Great Read

I received my copy of 'Feeding Baby Green' by Dr Alan Green, and it is an absolutely superb read, packed with great advice on healthy, sustainable eating.

A few big pointers that I have gleaned:

- Introducing as many flavours and textures before 12 months of age for Maya, before the fussiness strikes.
- Health benefits of herbs and spices of which I was completely unaware, and to introduce them to Maya too (this week she had cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, basil .... )
- Tasty food for Maya to try - mashed sweet potato with grated ginger and orange juice!
- Flavour threads - Italian (olive oil, tomato, basil, oregano); Asian (soy, rice wine, ginger); Curry (turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon) .... use regularly and then use them to introduce a new food to Maya, or for leftovers. Yesterday she thoroughly enjoyed green beans sauteed in olive oil with garlic and parsley.
- Showing Thomas and Maya the fruits and vegetables being prepared.
- Having something green with lunch and dinner every day to create a habit. Now Maya has started to have a bowl of green finger food twice a day to accompany her meal. She has been enjoying a variety of broccoli, mangetout peas, green beans and avocado this week.
- The 'one bite' rule, which is pretty much what we have always enforced - is that you must have one taste of everything on your plate and if you don't like it you don't have to eat it - but at least it must be tried. (Also it is stated in the book that a baby may need to try something new between 6 and 12 times before they like it ... so don't give up!).
- Omega 3 - in wild salmon, walnuts and flaxseed

All in all a very recommended read, with some tasty recipes thrown in.

4. Tidbits

Maya surprised me completely by happily eating some beetroot and walnut hummus that I had made from the River Cottage cookbook - it was laden with fresh garlic and was bright pink, and she loved it!

I thought I should mention something that I read also in 'Feeding Baby Green', and that is about Elimination Communication, or going nappy free - I had heard about it before Thomas was born and we used in part time for him, and also for Maya, ie. they wear nappies most of the time but we try to make it to the loo for most of the poops! I started with Thomas when he was 6 weeks old, and with Maya when she was a week old - easy to do by taking them to the loo straight after every milk feed. I was completely surprised by both of them as when I first ever took them, they obliged instantly! Slowly you get to read the signs that they need to go to the loo, and you have achieved another way of communicating with your baby. Added to this is the bonus that they will be potty trained much earlier (somewhere between 6 and 18 months, depending on how much you use the method, and I imagine, on your baby too!


I read this book which was great.

Tomatoes

Just discovered that tomatoes contain Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants, and that it is more readily absorbed by our bodies if the tomatoes have been cooked.

So today's menu was:

Breakfast -
fresh beetroot and apple juice
Weetabix with fortified oat milk, and topped with a puree of nectarines, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

Morning snack -
Maya had mini rice cakes spread with avocado, and a taste of my chestnut crackers with almond butter (first taste of almond butter)

Lunch -
Maya tried tofu pureed with her vegetable puree (courgette, potato and cheese) - she didn't like this at all, so I had to resort to defrosting a watercress, potato and courgette puree, which she gobbled up, and some toast, followed by fruit puree.

My lunch deserves a mention, because although spontaneous, it was really delicious! I had a tortilla wrap spread with avocado, and topped with some feta cheese, tomato slices, tofu, watercress, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, walnut hummus (made with 200g walnuts 2 tbsp tahini, 1 garlic clove, juice of 1 lemon and a handful of fresh parsely whizzed up) and drizzled with sesame and pumpkin seed oils and raspberry vinaigrette. Really yummy!
The big thing here that I have learned is to buy only the very best cold pressed oils (olive, sesame, sunflower, linseed, pumpkin seed) as they keep all their nutritional benefits and are easily assimilated by the body.

Afternoon snack for Maya - mashed banana and papaya.

Dinner -

Fillet of cod, served with a sauce made from skinned, deseeded, chopped tomatoes that are lightly fried in butter and mixed with grated cheddar cheese, steamed carrots and boiled new potatoes.
Dessert is a baked rice pudding made with almond milk, and swirled with raisins and nectarines.



After a weighing from the nurse yesterday we have discovered that Maya is still underweight and under-height for her age, the nurse's advice was to feed her more. So that is why I have introduced morning and afternoon snacks for her.

Thomas and Maya have suffered from lots of eczema since they were born. My pediatrician has prescribed cortisone creams followed by moisturisers. It has treated the problem at the time but it keeps recurring. (I don't like using them). I have tried sunflower oil (as recommended by one health store). Now I am trying to treat it with diet - we are what we eat, they say. Hence one of the reasons for avoiding dairy.
Also I have made an appointment to see a homeopath nutritionist next week, as he says he can offer a solution to the eczema......

New book

Just scanning on the net and I discovered and ordered a new book.

Will let you know if it is great or not!

So far ..... and some great Ideas for kids that have worked for me

1. We have a juicer, so this one is easy. My boss told me about this - Pineapple and Spinach. There is no recipe, just juice up some fresh pineapple and add a good handful of fresh spinach leaves - the resulting juice is completely green, but tastes just like pineapples - Thomas gobbles it down!
2. Snacks that are a great hit - dried apricots (full of vitamin A) and walnuts / pecans;  hummus with dipping sticks (on a good day he will try carrot sticks, otherwise bread sticks work well), chestnut flour crackers (from the health store) with almond butter.
3. I made spinach and cheese 'monster' scones to eat with soup the other night, and incredibly, he gobbled them up and has even asked for them again .... (plus they can be frozen pre-cooking, so they are a fab standby to have).
4. Spreads for toast instead of butter - almond butter, Vegemite, avocado.
5. Great sandwich with hidden veg - Thomas loves a tuna sandwich. The ones in the shops here are on white bread and heavy on the mayo - I have made my own recipe on wholegrain bread thinly spread with avocado - tuna fish, mixed with peeled and deseeded chopped tomato, a little mayo, grated cucmber and carrot. Great.

While I was waiting for the little ones to fall asleep tonight I started reading the baby guidance book that my Mum used when we were little - 'The Irish Glaxo Mother and Baby Book'. It is amazing how times have changed since I was born (37 years ago),  I quote:
"When your baby is a few weeks old, or even a few days old if your docotr or clinic advises it, he may be introduced to other foods besides the milk" "sweeten with sugar" "lightly boiled egg" ..... but I do appreciate that some advice remains unchanged: "It is true wisdom on a mother's part never to let a meal-time become a battle. It is very important that the baby should like his food and that meals hsould become times of serenity and happiness".

Okay, I'm off to clean up our mess from today, and prep tomorrow's meals. Maya is going to try some tofu tomorrow, I will let you know how that goes.
I bought some apples today too to juice with the organic beetroots I found at the markets on Saturday. (Beetroots full of iron, potassuim, folate, vitamin C and antioxidants).

PS - food combining tip 1 - vitamin C helps your body to absorb iron, hence orange juice at breakfast with an iron rich cereal.

Vegan Food Pyramid

1. WHOLE GRAINS
5 - 11 servings per day of: bread, pasta, rice, cereal, barley, millet, oats, tortilla, corn.
(1 serving = 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup hot cereal, 1 oz dry cereal, 1/2 cup cooked grains)

2.  VEGETABLES

3 or more servings per day
(1 serving = 1 cup raw vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, 3/4 cup juice)
(especially good = broccoli, spinach, bok choy, kale, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, squash)

3.  FRUIT

2 or more servings per day

4.   LEGUMES

2 or more servings per day of: split peas, lentils, beans, tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, soymilk, nuts, seeds.
(1 serving = 1 cup cooked legumes, 1/2 cup tofu, 3 tbsp nut / seed butters, 8 oz soy milk)

5. CALCIUM

6 - 8 servings per day
(1 serving = 1/2 cup fortified soy milk, 3 tbsp almond butter, 1 cup green vegetables, 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses, 5 figs)

6. OTHER

Omega 3 fatty acids (flax oil), Vitamin D (sun), B12 (yeast supplement).


That's it.





Ok, so the vegan interest has started out from reading 'Skinny Bitch'.


I have been doing some soul searching, and decided that being a vegan is not for me, but what I have decided is that we should eat fish, occasional cheese for the kids, the odd egg used in baking, sugar - again only in baking, or for my kids on a Sunday (designated chill day which includes a 'pyjama morning' and a wander to the local shop to pick something they would like - obviously this only relates to Thomas at the moment).

I should add that my husband is allergic to fish, and will be completley entitled to make his own decisions as to what he will eat, he is a chef after all!

In the Beginning ...

A friend of mine has just become vegan.

My kids Thomas (2) and Maya (8 mths) are asleep in bed. The dogs are walked and fed, the turtles are fed. Cleaning up the day's mess has yet to be done. My husband is away working for 2 weeks.

I am going on a journey to discover what I should be feeding my kids to give them the best start that I can.

Thomas has suffered repeated bouts of bronchiolitis since he was 6 weeks old. Otherwise they are both healthy and happy and as fussy about eating as most toddlers and babies are.

Having the immense responsibility of feeding these two little ones has made be examine my own eating habits too. The more I have read on the subject the more I have questioned what we are told on a regular basis.

If you would like to come with me, I am going to try and discover what makes us healthy.



Watch this clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXu3w2PqAZw. It started to make me think.







I have been following the 'Annabel Karmel Baby and Toddler meal planner', and the 'Gina Ford Contented Baby Weaning' books.







They are both great, but I am now seeking more ..... I don't want to have my children drinking cow's milk. Therein lies my first problem. Do they need meat? My second problem. How can I ensure they are getting enough iron, calcium, other vital nutrients .... and correctly absorbing them? How do I food combine? How do I get them to eat the delicious, nutritious meals when finally I discover how to prepare them?

First steps - Our new bedtime story is 'Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon', and I have discovered that when we are out walking I can point out people's vegetable gardens and Thomas shows an interest in what they are growing there.
I have been sitting up late at night reading cookbooks, and combining my limited knowledge of nutrition with the recipes, to create a balanced diet for each day.
I am making an appointment tomorrow with a homeopathic doctor to get his opinion on what we should be eating, and his referral to a nutritionist.
I have typed out and printed out the Vegan Food Pyramid, not that we are becoming vegans, but just to expand our ideas on where to get our nutrients from.



What follows will be our story.