Everyone has their own definition of what constitutes healthy. For some it’s lowfat or fat-free, for others it’s no sugar added or sugar free. For Jessica Seinfeld, it’s all about sneaking cooked vegetable puree in a dish. But given the fact that when you cook a vegetable it loses  80% of its nutrients and 100% of its live enzymes that make it useable for your body, I’m not sold on her book. Most of her recipes have dairy, sugar, fat and meat, all of which I think should be minimized, especially in a kid’s diet.

But do as I say and not as I do. If you looked at Evan’s diet now, you would call me a hypocrite. He spent the first year of his life eating fresh, mostly organic, mostly raw whole food purees for baby food. When he started eating more solids and table foods, I still refused to give him dairy, sugar, transfat or junk food. But with the advent of preschool (birthday cupcakes, cookies and other atrocities) and a growing awareness that Daddy’s food tastes better than Mommy’s, I’ve given in and at times felt like giving up. He still gets diluted apple juice, spinach smoothies, no sugar or dairy at home if I can help it, but he his favorites are french fries, pizza and dinosaur chicken nuggets WITH SAUCE. Aiyaiyai!

But anyways, when I alter a recipe, I substitute stuff and choose :

• Sugar--> apple juice concentrate, fructose, sucanat, honey, pure maple syrup
• Butter/oil--> applesauce, extra virgin organic coconut oil (very good for you), expeller-pressed safflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin grapeseed oil, flaxseeds
• Egg--> banana
• Salt--> sea salt (doesn’t affect blood pressure), dulse flakes, no-salt seasoning
• Shoyu--> Tamari, Braggs
• Milk--> soy milk, rice milk, almond milk
• ground beef--> 93% lean hamburger
• chicken--> boneless/skinless breasts
  

I’ll post some healthy recipes from time to time. In the recipe below, I would probably substitute carob chips and powder for the chocolate (my kids do NOT need caffeine), 1/2 the amount of fructose for the brown sugar, applesauce for the margarine, and a whole grain flour like oat, spelt, or whole wheat for the all purpose flour. You can even experiment with adding wheat germ, ground flaxseeds, oat bran and ground nuts in place of some of the flour. Have fun substituting! It's trial and error. But make sure to write down all your experiments so that you can do it again if it turns out great! 

I just got an e-mail this morning and couldn’t believe it. I thought it was yet another thing the FDA pushes on us as a healthy food that is literally toxic! It pissed me off. Here is a synopsis of the message...

Olive oil comes from olives, peanut oil from peanuts, sunflower oil from  sunflowers; but what is a canola? Canola is not the name of a natural plant but a  made-up word, from the words 'Canada' and 'oil.' Canola is a  genetically engineered plant developed in Canada from the Rapeseed  Plant, which is part of the mustard family of plants.

Rapeseed oil is poisonous to living things. It is an industrial  oil. It is not a food. Rape oil, it seems, causes emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation, irritability, and  blindness in animals and humans. The canola supporting websites say that canola is safe to use. They admit it was developed  from the rapeseed, but insist that through genetic engineering it is no longer rapeseed, but 'canola' instead. The new name provides perfect cover for  commercial interests wanting to make millions.

Canola oil is the cheapest oil and the Canadian government subsidizes it to industries involved in food processing.Canada is mainly responsible for canola oil being marketed in the USA. The Canadian government and Industry paid our Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) $50 million dollars to have canola oil placed on the (GRAS) List 'Generally Recognized As Safe.' Thus a new industry was created. Laws were enacted affecting international trade, commerce and traditional  diets. Studies with lab animals were disastrous. Rats developed fatty degeneration of heart, kidney, adrenals and thyroid gland. When canola oil was withdrawn from their diets, the deposits dissolved but  scar tissue remained on all vital organs. No studies on humans were made before money was spent to promote Canola oil in the USA. Canola oil is a health hazard to use as a cooking oil or salad oil. It is not the healthy oil we thought it was. It is not fit for human consumption, do not eat canola oil, it can hurt you. Polyunsaturated or not, this is a bad oil.

But before you get all pissed off with me, listen to this. I looked it up on snopes.com just now and found it's a rumor based on half-truths and some outright lies. http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

Also these articles debunk the Canola myth. 
http://www.canola-council.org/canola_oil_the_truth.aspx
http://web.archive.org/web/20010809065733/www.cansa.co.za/facts_myths_diet_canola.asp

So now I don't know what to believe. Maybe one thing is true: I shouldn't be such an alarmist.

As soon as my sister-in-law (thanks, Shan!) told me that our sippy cups, plastic dishware, our water bottles, tupperware and gladware/ziploc reusable containers could be bad for us, I did an internet search and found a wealth of information on the dangers of BPA in plastics. It’s crazy that these things that are known and proven to be harmful to us are still on the supermarket shelves and so widely used. I was horrified to think that all that time I had been throwing Evan’s sippy cups in the dishwasher thinking that was the best way to sterilize them. I took a big trash bag and threw out all our plastic ware. I still buy plastics and canned goods, but I don’t reuse any plastic containers or put any in the dishwasher or microwave. We now drink out of Sigg or Klean Kanteen water bottles, use only ceramic or glassware, and Cole drinks out of the Born-Free glass bottles.

Here’s the 411 on BPA:
What is it?
Bisphenol A is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic and the resinous lining of food cans. BPA is a synthetic sex hormone that mimics estrogen. It is toxic. Ninety-five percent of all baby bottles on the market are made with bisphenol A. The results of the U.S. study show that, when new bottles are heated, those manufactured by Avent, Evenflo, Dr. Brown’s and Disney/First Years leached between 4.7 – 8.3 parts per billion of bisphenol A.

What are the possible health effects?
BPA’s estrogen-mimicking effect interferes with hormone levels and cell signaling systems. Long-term exposure may put you at risk for a gamut of health hazards including breast cancer and uterine fibroids in women, and prostate cancer and decreased sperm counts in men. In April of 2008, the National Toxicology Program raised concerns that exposure to BPA during pregnancy and childhood could impact the developing breast and prostate, hasten puberty and affect behavior (i.e. Hyperactivity) in children.

How do I minimize my exposure?
BPA is so widely used and manufactured that you're not likely to eliminate it from your system altogether. There are some steps you can take to minimize your exposure, though:

• Avoid plastics numbered #3, #6 and #7. Use only those numbered #1, 2, 4 and 5, or biodegradable. 
• Limit canned foods. BPA leaches into canned food from the lining. When possible, and especially when pregnant or breastfeeding, limit the amount of canned food your family eats. Particularly avoid canned soup, pasta, and infant formula. Save canned goods for emergencies only. Regularly opt for fresh or frozen foods or pick up cans from brands like Eden Foods, which boast BPA-free containers. 
• GO BPA-FREE for bottles and sippy cups. Brands like Thermos, SIGG, Born Free, and CamelBak now offer BPA-free containers, sippy cups, water bottles and baby bottles. Below is a pic of some of them. Medela and Evenflo also make polyethylene/polypropylene (#1, 2, 5) bottles. 
• Choose wood and cloth toys
• Use pacifiers with silicon nipples rather than yellow rubber
• Avoid using plastic containers in the microwave. Use glass or ceramic only.
• Choose glass over plastic
• Beware of cling wraps, especially for microwave use.
• Avoid plastic bottled water. Never heat anything in disposable plastic water bottles. Water bottles from #1 or #2 plastics are recommended for single use only. Small scratches on the inside surface harbor bacteria and cannot be washed.

It’s not that the wait staff isn’t nice to kids—they totally are. It’s just that there are all these people there for a special occasion, an elegant dinner, quiet time for two.... And here we are with a motor mouth toddler who has zero volume control and a colicky infant. Oh boy. I vowed not to bring them there again until they’re like 18 and 20.

But it’s great for a romantic date night or anniversary celebration when you have a babysitter. For your anniversary or birthday, they give you a special menu with “Happy Birthday” and your name on it, and they have all the staff sign it and give it to you as a souvenir. They give you a free dessert at the end of the night with your name written in chocolate on the edge of the plate.

I’d highly recommend ordering 1) the Nori Wrapped Tempura Ahi, 2) the Hamakua Springs Tomato, Beet and Avocado Salad (Tomatoes, Beets, Avocado, Hearts of Palm, all sitting in a Li Hing Mui sauce that is to die for) and 3) the Ginger Crusted Onaga. I’d also highly recommend saying it’s your birthday (even if your birthday was 6 months ago) because the free dessert is also a winner.

   

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Its_not_cool_to_bring_kids_to_.zip (34 KB)

1. One-piece SLING style carrier for BIRTH TO 2 MONTHS. This is before they can hold their head up. Also, I heard they aren’t supposed to be carried vertically for too long at this age, because it puts too much weight on their neck and spine. Hot brands: Peanut Shell, Hotsling, Sprout Pouch. I don’t really like the ring slings because they are bulky and slide if you’re carrying it too long.
2. BABY BJOURN for 2-4 MONTHS. It’s easy to put on, compact and fits their small bodies pretty snugly. The ERGO with infant insert or Butterfly BECO would work for this stage too, though I haven’t tried those yet.
3. ERGO or BECO baby carrier when they get a little heavier. These two baby carriers distribute baby’s weight in your hips so you can carry them for hours without wrecking havoc on your shoulders/neck/back. The Ergo is awesome, and I borrowed my friend’s one until she needed it back for her second kid. That’s when I got the Beco because 1) it has prettier patterns and 2) it folds up more compactly to fit in your diaper bag, stroller or when traveling. It’s like $30 more or something. Sorry, I don’t have a pic of my Beco yet.

       

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What_Baby_Carrier_and_When.zip (223 KB)