Walk the Earth

There is something to be said about stepping down on Mother Earth with your bare feet. You become aware of every blade of grass, sharp pebble or warm grain of sand. Your feet have no choice but to be present to their surroundings. To me , wandering sans shoes, signals relaxation especially after a rough day. My feet are begging to feel the Earth and it is quite freeing. For those that know my husband they are aware that he is a barefoot runner and hiker because this is more comfortable to him than heavy sneakers (I agree!) and he has had less injury to his feet (we always get stopped on trails by folks who are mesmerized by this). With my own little guy I have decided to let him wear soft, flexible shoes that keep him closer to the Earth, like moccasins or our new favorite, Soft Stars.

This desire to pretty much go shoeless may just be the tip of something more meaningful. Read on.

Earthing, or grounding/ connecting, to our Mother Earth with bare feet (or by using a special device for the purpose) is something that I have heard some buzz about lately and am by no means at all an expert in. The rationale is, that by making this intentional connection with the ground, we absorb electrons from the earth that get to work squashing harmful free radicals in our body thus reducing disease causing inflammation and stress (just like antioxidants in our fruits and veggies!). I have read the best conductors are the grass and sea water, both of which are yummy to walk around on to me! I have also read that all of this is basically a bunch of bologna too based on a little something called chemistry.

I am not sure how rigorous research studies have been in the earthing concept to date, but I am intrigued reading about claims that grounding is associated with healing injury and anti-aging benefits.

Overall, I think we can all learn something from earthing. We often associate being barefoot with carefree moments or vacation, both of which are fantastic for your emotional well being. A friend's mother taught her that you should step barefoot on the Earth at least once per day. I have also heard advice that earthing in your garden can create fruits and veggies with a nutritional composition specifically for you. True? Maybe , maybe not,  but I like the idea!

So, similar to my thoughts toward the good ol' adage that an apple a day will keep the doctor away, why not kick off your heels AND eat an apple outside every once in a while? It's almost free and can't hurt (unless you step on glass I suppose...)!

Have experience or insight on earthing? Please share!

Kicked off my shoes this morning to "earth" a bit in the dewy grass and play with my little one. He preferred to stay in his Softstars!

Tips for Feeding Your Toddler (AKA your Picky Eater)

Toddlers don’t often eat well. And when they do, they make a huge mess.  I have learned this first hand with my son, from my teeny patients and from other mamas I have spoken with. It is unrealistic to expect your little adventurer to sit down, properly pick up their fork and spoon, and then clean their plate three times per day. With my own little guy I have seen his once voracious appetite calm down quite a bit as he now prefers to run, jump, play,” paint” with his food and try out different ways to style his hair (with tomato sauce, with applesauce, with milk……….). At first I was frustrated, but now I realize I am just going to have to count the number of good meals he eats per week (not per day) and try to make sure his nutritional gaps are filled in. The term I learned in school for this is "food jags" and they are totally normal and often result from a period of slowed growth around two-years old or so. During this time toddlers can refuse once favorite foods and may want their new favorite foods over and over. They also may have a preference for soft foods at times due to teething. 

 I have taken note of some things that have worked and others that have not in hopes that I may be able to provide guidance for other parents out there! Here we go, and in no particular order:

•  Go With the Flow: If set mealtimes and scheduled snacks do not work out for your toddler, consider offering little nutritious mini meals all throughout the day. I have to do this with my little guy. He eats small portions at a time and is more likely to nibble on something while he is on the go verses sitting in his high chair. With that said, still include your toddler at the table for mealtime when you can. It is good for him to see other folks eating and to be exposed to a variety of foods.
•   Don’t force it! So she won’t eat her carrots? Stay calm, don’t overreact. If you force the food you are more likely to end up with a frustrated toddler who won’t ever want to eat it. Try again later. It can take a child 10-15 times of being exposed to a new food before they even taste it.
• Encourage exploration. Offer your toddler a variety of foods and let them have at it! If making a mess stresses you out, invest in a full protective long sleeve bib (we found one at IKEA that we termed his little “hazmat” suit) and put down a sheet or towel under the high chair. I have found that when my son plays with his food he is more likely to take a taste. This is especially true with dipping. He loves to dip carrots into hummus and eat the humus off.....it makes a huge mess but I am so happy that he sometimes takes a few bites of the carrot too!
• Get in the garden. My son does not always eat his broccoli at the dinner table but will never pass on it right out of the garden. He also liked to grab asparagus out of the ground and chomp away. 
• Be a Role Model: Eat your veggies. Eat your fruit. After all, your little one often wants whatever you have right? 
• Nix the Not So Good Stuff: Avoid filling up your toddler with juice and non nutritious foods so they are actually hungry for the good stuff. Some toddler friendly snackable options include freeze dried or fresh fruit, whole grain English muffins spread with nut butter, whole grain cereal, small pieces of cheese, unsweetened yogurt mixed with applesauce etc.
• Offer a Choice: Your little one is asserting his or her independence so why not offer a situation in which you both win? Encourage decision making by asking "would you like kiwi or grapes?" "Green beans or cauliflower?"
• Don't give up: Keep offering healthy foods so they become familiar. Try new recipes and serving foods in a variety of ways. If you are worried about wasting food, you can offer some of your serving to your child and then eat what they don't later on. 
• Fill in the Nutritional Gaps: If you are concerned your little one might be missing out on some key nutrients talk to your pediatrician (if nutrition savvy!) or a dietitian. Your child's iron level should be checked regularly as milk anemia can be common among toddlers drinking too much milk. Chances are they are getting just what they need as long as you offer a variety of colorful foods and iron-rich foods (fortified cereal, most meat, dark green leafy veggies). My go to lately has been offering my son small portions of smoothies or popsicles made with nut butter, kale, strawberries, banana, carrots and flaxseed. And, remember, the correct portion size for the wee ones is only a tablespoon for their age. For example, if your daughter is three- years old, one serving from each food group is only three tablespoons.

What I Ate Wednesday......and a Few Things about Salads!

This morning I woke up and thought to myself……..what a great day for “What I Ate Wednesday!” 

·         Breakfast:  Trader Joe’s Bran Flakes combined with Nature’s Path Blueberry Cinnamon cereal, topped with raspberries and milled flaxseed. Served with unsweetened soy milk. Medium Soy Au Lait (half-steamed soy milk and half cup coffee) from Spring Garden Café and Bakery once I got to the office.

·         Morning Snack: Peanut butter/ Dark Chocolate KIND bar. I immediately realized that this was an indulgent snack but it was what I packed along to my morning full of meetings. Perhaps you have heard a thing or two about KIND bars in the news lately. They recently got a hand slap from the FDA for labeling several of their granola bars as “healthy.” The bars in question contain too much saturated fat according to FDA guidelines and made a few other claims that did not sit well with them. My stance and suggestion: Ignore food marketing. I disregard claims such as “natural” and “healthy” and assess the product myself by taking a quick peak at the nutrient facts label and the ingredient list. I am fine with the fat content of the KIND bar because most of it comes from nuts and because of this, they actually fill me up between meals (most others do not). However, a KIND bar is not the most nutritious snack choice out there of course, especially the variety I had today. After all, a lot of added sugar was in my snack as out of the first five ingredients, three of them were sugar (dark chocolate coating, glucose syrup and honey)—yikes!

·         Lunch: A HUGE salad at the office with lots of yummy ingredients including broccoli, edamame, carrots, garbonzo beans, cucumbers, walnuts, green peppers, mandarin oranges……..and so on--see photo!). Topped with a bit of Annie’s Woodstock dressing and served alongside a homemade muffin (whole wheat blueberry turmeric, for more details see my turmeric post a few months back). Apparently it is National Salad Month in May and to celebrate our morale team hosted a salad bar potluck event. Water to drink and a yummy s' more courtesy of a coworker for dessert.

** Some comments on salads……..I cannot tell you the number of times that my patients tell me “I don't know why I am not losing weight, all I eat is salads!” I gotta say, just eating salads does not impress me. In fact, upon further exploration, many of the “salads” eaten are really lots of cheese, a lake of salad dressing, and salty meat sprinkled with lettuce. I usually ask, can you still see all the ingredients in your salad after you add the cheese and salad dressing? A salad is a super healthy choice when planned wisely. Here are some of my tips for creating a nutritious and filling salad:

* For salad dressings,  I usually recommend choosing the real deal and being mindful about how much is used. Try the fork dipping method to get some dressing in every bite (dip each bite lighly in a side of dressing). Avoid fat free dressings as they don't offer fat needed for nutrient absorption and they may have extra salt or sugar in them to boost the taste. Best bet: Extra virgin olive oil and some vinegar.

* For toppings load on the colorful non-starchy vegetables and be sure to include some protein and healthy fat to keep you satisfied longer. No point in eating a wimpy salad at lunch leaving you hungry and more likely to overindulgence later. Some of my favorites: roasted beets, fresh berries,  sungold cherry tomatoes,  nuts, pumpkin seeds, lentils,  hardboiled egg, goat cheese, salmon, and spicy radishes. 

* Go easy on the cheese and avoid lots of fatty, sugary and salty toppings like bacon bits, deli or breaded meats, glazed nuts and croutons.

·         Afternoon Snack: Banana

·         Dinner: Lentils cooked with ginger, curry powder and cinnamon; falafel;  baby spinach drizzled with olive oil and balsamic; a few pieces of raw cauliflower.  Served with water.

  

Feeding Baby Series: Time for Food!

Congratulations mamas and papas! Your baby is ready for the joys of table food! Or are they? There is a lot of misinformation out there (much of it generated by the baby food industry) about when to start baby food and what the best first foods are. This post features my advice for the when, why, what and where of offering your little one their first solids.  

When: The recommendation that I follow for starting table foods is 6 months. I started my little guy on solids the week before his 6 month "birthday." The baby food industry would love you start on food sooner of course (more money in their pocket), but in most cases it really is not necessary. Your little one's nutritional needs are met with formula and/or breast milk (if your babe is just drinking breast milk Vitamin D supplementation is recommended however).

Some key things to look for to help you assess if your baby is ready to start eating are:

• they can sit up unsupported and are able to hold their head steady
• they seem interested in food and open their mouth or lean in when food is offered via spoon; furthermore, they are able to close their lips over the spoon and keep teeny portions of food in the mouth rather than than back out on the chin.

Why: Waiting for the six-month mark to start your little one on table food is beneficial for several reasons. 1) If you are breastfeeding, it can help you keep your milk supply up longer 2) Your babies’ tiny gut will be more mature which could result in less gas and tummy trouble 3) You will be letting your babies’ healthy gut flora do its job without introducing in new bacteria that alters the GI environment. With all of the buzz lately on gut flora and your health (which I plan to investigate further), I think there might be something to this! With all of this said, about six-months old is when an infant is about to deplete their iron stores so getting in a good food source of iron is recommended. 

What: Jasper's first food was very, very thinned out (with milk) roasted and mashed sweet potatoes. This was followed by Earth's Best Organic Oatmeal (thinned out with milk) and mashed banana (again thinned out with milk!). We added in several of the foods listed below over the next few weeks and gradually stepped up the texture of the food. I truly did not suspect any food allergies with him (however you never know), but the best guidance is to introduce one new food at a time by offering it over a period of 3-4 days before adding in any new foods. During the 3-4 day window, be on the lookout for any signs of a possible food allergy (rashes or lots of tummy troubles including diarrhea or excessive gas). 

Best First Foods for Baby--low allergen risk (ideally organic to reduce pesticide and antibiotic resistant bacteria exposure)

·         Oatmeal/ Multigrain cereal (I'm not sure where I stand on rice cereal, the guidance per the American Academy of Pediatrics is to vary the type of cereal given due to reports of arsenic-derived rice..this is something you may choose to read about further!)

·         Banana

·         Sweet Potatoes

·         Avocado

·         Papaya

·         Applesauce (unsweetened)

·         Peas

·         Butternut Squash

·         Green Beans

·         Pears

·         Plums 

Remember that your little one's gut is still immature....wait a few months before offering lots of super high fiber foods (beans, broccoli etc.) or highly acidic foods (citrus, tomatoes). I will write soon on introducing more adventurous foods later! I have heard some RDS recommend meat as a good first food because the iron is absorbed well. This is an option but a more difficult one, as its not as convenient as iron-fortified cereal or as easy to get in a thin enough form for new eaters.  *Also, offer the foods above in their pure form. No salt needed--in fact early exposures to salt are linked to a preference for it later in life.

Where: Make sure baby is sitting upright to eat (in a highchair or booster) and is offered foods by spoon (helps with hunger/ fullness cues, for this reason putting infant food in a bottle is NOT recommended). Try to include baby at the table for your mealtimes and make the environment as pleasant and non-distracting as possible. Do not make a big deal when your baby does not want the food offered (and honestly, he won't always, especially at first). Just simply stop offering the food and try again later, sometimes 10-15 exposures to a new food are needed. Don’t forget to offer the food from a dish rather than an infant food jar. Your little one is not likely to finish all of the food offered and once you dip the used spoon back in, it should be tossed out after the meal rather than popped back in the refrigerator. Safety first! 

** A word on beverages. Please wait on the cow’s milk until your infant is older than one year of age. In addition, my preference is to wait on offering juice until about that time as well. Juice is not essential for meeting nutrient needs and teaching the healthy habit of drinking water is a wonderful gift for your little one.  Jasper started taking small sips of water by spoon about the same time we started him on solids. If you do choose to offer juice, choose 100% juice (no juice like drinks!), dilute it well with water or offer 4 ounces or less per day.

 

 

Eating Mindfully

Working as a dietitian is challenging.  Not only am I competing with food fads and crazy diets (including myriad recommendations from Dr. Oz), but I am competing with my patient’s emotional struggle with food. Some of these struggles are from their past (“my mother FORCED me to eat oatmeal—I will never touch it again”) and some are from their present and often linked to the state of their mental well-being (“I overeat when I am feeling sad.”).  These relationships often need to be addressed before the real education on making healthy food choices begins. One of the ways that I choose to address these emotional barriers is with the practice of mindfulness and intuitive eating. And to make sure we are all on the same page, here is mindfulness defined”: “intentionally paying attention, moment to moment, without judging what is happening internally in the body, mind, and heart and externally in the environment (Mindfulness and Diabetes: Working in Tandem, 2015).

How many of you ate a meal while watching television or sitting at your computer today? Guilty as charged. Do you feel like you were truly present to your dining experience? Do you remember the aroma? The taste of each bite of food? Perhaps you scarfed down your sandwich so quickly you don’t remember eating it at all. This is the issue for many of us and it can be harmful to our waistline and overall health.

When working with my patients on eating mindfully, I help them slow down and savor the foods that they are eating. This can be done with a variety of methods. Using the hunger scale (a way to rate your level of hunger before and after eating), putting down one’s eating utensil between bites of food and/or journaling to reflect on foods eaten and the eating experience overall. This is no easy task and one must be extremely motivated and honest with themselves to work on this.

A 2013 study published in Diabetes Spectrum  found that participants who completed a Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training Program , which included meditation, were able to cut back on the amount of calories they were eating daily and experienced improved blood sugar control and a reduction in blood pressure. This is hopeful news and only strengthens my belief that an overall lifestyle focusing on the present moment and mindfulness is essential for  both physical and mental health.

I have a challenge for you. The next time you sit down (or stand, which is less ideal but often the reality) to eat a sweet treat, I encourage you to try this. Start out by taking a bite of your treat and eating it as usual. Do you want another bite? Most likely. For your next bite, let the morsel linger in your mouth for one minute. Think about the taste that you are experiencing. Try to describe it to yourself. After you finish, tap into what you notice about how much you want another bite. Most likely you are more satisfied than when you took your first bite more hastily. Even if this exercise did not work for you this time, I encourage you to try again later.  The more difficult this is for you, the more often you will need to practice.

 
Mindful eating is important to teach our children too so they develop healthy relationships with food. You can practice mindful eating with the little ones by sharing in a snack experience. Before eating, describe how the food looks. Guide the kiddos through eating the snack slowly and chat about the taste and texture, as well as how their hunger level changed after eating.

And that my friends, is my food AND flow wisdom for the day!

 

“The more you eat, the less flavor, the less you eat, the more flavor” ~Chinese Proverb

 

 

The Deal with Busyness

So what do you have to do today? Seriously. What do you really have to do today?

 

I have been thinking a lot about how "busy" I claim to be lately and how long my "to do" lists as a mama have gotten. I find myself getting so carried away with unrealistic deadlines for myself to meet and POOF!!! Before I know it the week has blown by and I am clinging on to bits and pieces of sporadic enjoyments that I "found time" for amongst laundry, dishes, errands, bills, patients, pointless worries and getting ready for the day ahead. I often feel accomplished for what I have done, not for what I have experienced and I strongly desire that to be the other way around. An article that a friend of mine shared recently really captured the essence of my ego's struggle for a perfectly checked off "to do" list, well perfectly. The author defined this as "busyness" and actually labeled it as a sickness. I absolutely agree. Read on.

 

"The American Psychological Association has published its Stress In America survey since 2007. They find that the majority of Americans recognize that their stress exceeds levels necessary to maintain good health. The most frequent reason they cite for not addressing the problem?

Being too busy.
It's a vicious cycle."

 

The author also shares a study in which people would rather deliver electric shocks to themselves verses being left alone to simply just be and think. This saddens me. We have become so reliant on external stimuli that the idea of meditation and relaxation are something that we avoid or simply cannot bring ourselves to find the time for. Meditation is only for yogis and hippies right? Imagine how the world might be if we all meditated for 15 minutes a day? What if this was normal? Like brushing our teeth? Or posting absolutely everything we did all day on Facebook?

 

After reading this article I set out to challenge myself. For the next 30 days (and hopefully longer), I would love to remove the words "I didn't have time" and "I don't have time" from my vocabulary. I would also like to stop creating my own deadlines (a.k.a Sheri stress) and invest more time in myself and loved ones. At my annual check-up I was so happy that my nurse midwife (I still go to a birth center for my primary care, they are the best!) spent majority of the visit discussing my role as a new mother with me and making sure that I took plenty of time to focus on myself. Right after that visit I spent the day leisurely looking around town and actually sitting down to savor lunch by myself.

 

The dirty dishes in the sink can wait. It is probably not vital that I check my email everyday. If I do not make it the store tomorrow we will survive. What cannot wait is snuggling with my son. Or making sure that my body is active or taking the time to meditate everyday for my mental well-being. Or getting beyond the small talk with my husband instead of saying I don't "have time" to chat. What is on his mind today?  Living my life CANNOT wait and this busyness thing has got to go!

With all of this said, I cannot argue with the fact that some things just gotta get done. I'm not interested in being a slob or giving up on my commitments, however I hope that I can learn to accomplish tasks that need my attention with mindfulness and with the permission to not be so darn attached to the results that I was expecting. I also hope that I can forgive myself for having an incomplete "to do" list at the end of the day.

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of."

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Poor Richard's Almanac

 

So, what do you think about this busyness thing?

Read the rest of the busyness article I referred to here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-dannemiller/busy-is-a-sickness_b_6761264.html

Feeding Baby Series: Baby Food Selection

Before Jasper was born I was certain that I was going to make all sorts of elaborate, tasty baby food purees. In reality,  this did not happen for a few reasons. First of all, working full time and having a baby that does not like to nap leaves little room for fancy food preparation.  Secondly, my food processor pooped out shortly after Jasper was born. When I did have the time I blended up a few mixtures for Jasper in our Magic Bullet type blender and it was usually some sort of bean/ lentil/ chicken and vegetable combination with spices. Even so, I was still on the market for "baby food" to fill in the gaps between edibles that could not be mashed into a puree consistency.

 

The brands of baby food that our family decided we liked best were Sprout and Ella's Kitchen. I am not convinced they are the best options out there for everyone but we chose them for several reasons:

 

1) They are organic and I often found them on sale. Tip: try Target and Harris Teeter. If you can budget for it I do recommend offering your littlest tots organic fruits and veggies to reduce pesticide exposure (I also recommend this during pregnancy if you can afford it although I know it's not always realistic financially to achieve.).

 

2) The ingredient lists are super simple--just the basic ingredients, nothing else. Some brands may contain fillers (flour/starches) and/or lots of extra vitamins and minerals in them which I think is unnecessary for most babies if they are drinking formula or breastfed with Vitamin D supplementation. The one exception I found was that Earth's Best Spinach Lentil blend does have 30% of the daily value for iron, the most I had personally found in any other baby food blend, even those with naturally good sources of iron like beef. This was important to me to make sure Jasper got plenty of iron in a mostly vegetarian household. Once you get into the fancier baby food blends (those with sauces and cheese for example) I noticed these had a good amount of salt in them which is not necessary for baby either. I often dressed up the basic purees with other ingredients and spices we had on hand. 

 

3) I liked the variety of food combinations and Jasper (and I) found them very tasty!

 

In addition to the baby food we purchased, I had several "go to," or quick and easy foods, that I offered Jasper when he still ate puree consistency: 

• unsweetened applesauce sprinkled with ginger and cinnamon
• avocado mashed up and stirred until creamy--sometimes with a sprinkle of garlic powder mixed in
• mashed banana (or other very ripe fruit like papaya or plums)
• cooked oatmeal mixed with frozen and warmed berries (you could use cooked regular oats verses buying "baby oatmeal" but know it is not iron fortified. If your wee one is just starting on food, you may wish to grind oats up in a food processor first for a smoother texture)
• plain unsweetened yogurt (sometimes with applesauce or mashed fruit)
• roasted and mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash (at first I would thin the mash out with some milk).
• hummus (if seed/nut allergies suspected you can wait until closer to one-year old)
• organic canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling!--used this in his oatmeal too!)
• mashed and stirred (until creamy) tofu (with added spices for zip!)
• homemade soup without chunks and without lots of added salt (carrot ginger etc.)

  Whether you are making your own baby purees or buying them, I encourage exposing your little one's pallet to a variety of flavors. Don't be afraid to add small amounts of milder spices and herbs to the mix and don't let your own food references get in the way. Just because you don't like broccoli doesn't mean your little one won't! Stay tuned for my post on great first foods for baby!