Along with the new year, new house, and other changes, I decided "why not throw in one more thing on my to do list, and add exercise and diet regimens as well?" Forging ahead in this area, along with all else, has meant some things have been left behind and that needs to be fixed as well. Mostly, the "in real life" contact with friends and family, socialization for me has been seriously lacking. It's on my list too. But, being a better person, wife, mom and friend by feeling better and eating better will benefit everyone.
Really, I just got tired of feeling run-down, tired after sleeping
well, craving carbs and sugar, and continually being bloated and having
skin problems. Packing and moving around the holidays was rough. We ate a lot of pizza, Christmas cookies, easy meals, prepared/pre-packaged stuff and we were all feeling it, especially me. Nothing seemed to be making my gut happy or the bloating go away. I knew a diet intervention was the only thing that would help, and exercise, which had been thrown by the wayside, had to come back.
I first decided to commit myself to 30 days of exercise. 30 days, 30 minutes. That was it. Cardio (treadmill and/or elliptical) and 30 sit ups and 30 bicep curls with weights. That's all. I purposely started with small goals. Before I had Kevin make up plans for me, or I had this large goal of working every muscle and doing a billion exercises. I'd fail because time wasn't my friend. There were children to feed, clothe, educate, play with, dinner to make, animals to take care of, on and on.
But, I figured if I can do it for 30 days, it will become a habit and stick. And it has! I missed a couple days when I wasn't feeling well, but every single other day I make sure I get something in. Some days are short, some days I have longer periods to exercise or do multiple exercises (ie outside trail walking, treadmill, yoga, etc.). I feel so much better when I am active and it really does a body good. I notice I am getting better at running longer jags, and not breathing as hard, finding some muscle under that "mommy layer".
The other part of it was to clean up our diet. I already knew that going dairy free for a full year while nursing Karter had amazing affects on me. My skin was clearer, my pregnancy weight dropped off and I felt good, not stomach issues, when I wasn't partaking in dairy. Lately though, I had been noticing issues when I had carbs and gluten, especially breads and pastas. I went a week of absolutely no gluten or carbs and a serving or two of dairy. The bloating went down. Stomach issues went away. I increased the fruit and veggies we are all eating in this house, especially fresh ones (frozen is about as good as fresh). I lost 4 pounds in a month. Losing weight wasn't even my goal. Feeling better and toning up to be in better shape, being healthier is my goal. If weight loss is a byproduct, then even better.
Some of the diet changes I/we are making are having less meat, increasing beans and other proteins, less carbs (pastas, breads, cookies) and especially getting rid of processed foods. I started with smoothies. Smoothies for breakfast, lunch, snacks, whenever. And green. Tossing in a handful of spinach to any fruit smoothie gives you extra veggies, calcium, vitamins, etc.and you don't even taste it. Even Kevin and the boys like them. Then I stopped buying cookies, crackers, and other empty calorie snacks and foods. Gasp. We don't just eat lettuce. The boys and I have fun making our own granola bars. We eat nuts and dried fruits (trail mix) instead of tossing them crackers for snacks. They love "ants on a log" (celery filled with peanut butter and topped with raisins). We make healthier, gluten and flour free brownies that are still delicious and good for you. Some nights we have meatless meals. Other nights, I just cut back on how much meat we're eating and expand our veggie dishes.
I had been doing some research online (big surprise right?) and found Paleo Diets. I like the concept a lot, basically eating only what you grow or kill. I joked with Kevin that I might also go vegan, that caused a ruckus in the house. I was only half joking. But, a lot of things have been changing with our diets and even Kevin is more aware because he's been having a lot of migraines in the last couple months and we're noticing how certain foods are affecting him. Not everyone agrees with the meals I make and recipes I try, but the boys are pretty open to a lot, which is nice. They at least enjoyed my lentil patties, even though I won't be making them again.
Eating right and exercising, feeling better, will not only benefit me but my family as well. It's no secret I want more kids, and I'm looking at myself at almost 32 and thinking, I need to be healthy and in shape for family, future pregnancies, for getting older, for just about everything really. I don't want to tell my boys I'm too tired. I don't want to battle weight, and while it's not about that, because I don't want to make it an issue with self image and such, I'm fine with how I look, but to just keep watch of things. And now, in doing this for over a month now, it truly has become part of my lifestyle. I may sit in pajamas until after lunch, after school is done and I can workout, or get up early, but whatever works, it gets done and I want to do it. I'm feeling better, feeding my body better things and keeping it happier which in turn makes me happier.
Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts
$27.50 at the Public Market
I LOVE the public Market and am bummed that we're farther away now. But yes, it's totally worth the drive! I took my boys and Kenny and Kiara this morning, the extra hands were nice. I just wanted you to know how much I got for $27.50. I brought $28 but had 50 cents left over.
12 plums/$1
quart tomatoes (5)$1
5 peaches/quart $1.50
3 zucchini/yellow squash $1
bag cherries/quart $3
over a quart of sour cherries $2.50
big bag of beans (green and yellow/wax) $4 (this was more than other places and I paid too much for these, but was already at the vendor when Kian started grabbing them)
4 very large cucumbers $1
9 peppers/basket (few days old but who cares) $1
4 head romaine $2
3 lemons/$1
4 kiwi/$1
At the bakery:
apple turnover, super large cookie, 2 medium m&m cookies=$3.50 total
multigrain loaf, Italian, and french loaf each a $1
Ok my math doesn't add up, but whatever, I came with $28 and brought home 50 cents and got a ton of stuff!
12 plums/$1
quart tomatoes (5)$1
5 peaches/quart $1.50
3 zucchini/yellow squash $1
bag cherries/quart $3
over a quart of sour cherries $2.50
big bag of beans (green and yellow/wax) $4 (this was more than other places and I paid too much for these, but was already at the vendor when Kian started grabbing them)
4 very large cucumbers $1
9 peppers/basket (few days old but who cares) $1
4 head romaine $2
3 lemons/$1
4 kiwi/$1
At the bakery:
apple turnover, super large cookie, 2 medium m&m cookies=$3.50 total
multigrain loaf, Italian, and french loaf each a $1
Ok my math doesn't add up, but whatever, I came with $28 and brought home 50 cents and got a ton of stuff!
And...it's only Wednesday
So far this has been a rather crazy week, or maybe just busy. Either way, with this hot, humid weather, it's rather annoying.
Sunday was another open house. Another long day of carrying cats and crates and dogs and cages and litter boxes and food dishes and kids and diapers and clothes and lunches and who knows what else with us to Kevin's parents' house. There were 2 people that came through and seemed interested according to the realtor, but so far, as always, nothing yet. And I canned some peaches that were nice and ripe, but too many to eat before they got bad. Pretty easy actually.
Then we got the boys ready in my new bike trailer, for a bike ride, when Kevin noticed my van tire was flat. And, there was a screw stuck in it. Sigh. He took it over to his dad's to get patched and filled with air. But, since all my tires were almost bald, decided I needed to get new ones the next day.
So, bright and early Monday morning I took the van over to Wal-mart, because BJ's tire center wouldn't answer their phone! Ugh. A million dollars and over an hour later, we had nice new tires. But, entertaining two little boys in Wal-mart for an hour is a pain in the behind. I didn't need to, and couldn't' justify buying anything, save for a couple muffins, deodorant for Kevin and a small Cars fork set for Kian. That kept us all sane for awhile. Really, this is my exciting life.
Tuesday I took the boys to the public market. My first time going and it was nice. It wasn't very busy on a Tuesday morning which was nice. We got a wagon load of fruits and veggies for under $35. Kian got a cookie as big as his head at the bakery on site for $1. Yum. Great deals, only bad thing was that I parked on vomit and didn't realize it until I was packing kids and food in the car. Oh Lord was that disgusting! Ugh. Kevin got out early but visited his grandma in the nursing home while the boys napped. Exhausted, but not exhausted enough to skip boxing class with Meghan and Jon. Yep, got Jon hooked too. Way too many sweaty people taking the class though...I enjoy the women's only class better I think.
Today, Wednesday, I took Ace to the vet. Enough was enough. The cat's been throwing up off and on for a year at least. It's rather annoying, but doesn't seem to bother him a lot. It's mostly bile, sometimes undigested food. Yeah, you wanted to know that, I know. I had run with the assumption of food allergies a long time ago and switched foods, a few times, but he always ends up throwing up again after awhile. I was fearing blood draws and x-rays and all kinds of money-sucking things at the appointment. The vet thinks it's Irritable Bowel syndrome, or food allergies, or...both. That the allergies may exacerbate his IBS, or give him IBS. Fun. No really. First course of action? Steroid shot. If it improves things in the next day (and last for 6 weeks) it means the steroids calmed the inflammation in his gut and it's IBS. If it doesn't stop the vomiting, it's probably allergies and we'll have to talk about special diets, beyond store bought foods...sigh. We'll see I guess.
And now I need to run to Wegmans for some canning salt (different than regular salt, who knew there was such a thing...yes I'm sure YOU did). And some spices since I threw all mine out that were like 7 years old. Then tomorrow I will be making pickles and tomato sauce. Wish me luck.
My boring, stay at home life. I'm not some fancy, big blogger like Pioneer Woman (who as much as I love her, just wants a happy website and deletes any comments that might even remotely seem like an offensive remark towards her or anyone else, and is all sunshine and rainbows without talking about anything real [ie politics, the cattle industry her family is involved in, how the laws are changing and will affect their ranch], um, you know anything real life, even though she claims to 'keep it real') or Mckmama (who is too honest about her real life money issues, eating habits, husband's criminal records and relies heavily on clicks and ads and money from her blog and always has some sort of drama, real or insinuated or self-induced and plays the God card a bit too much in response to it all as to why she doesn't have to answer to anyone) but anyways...I'm just lil ol' boring me. I live in a normal house and have crazy kids and am insane to have animals. And I figure, why not let you see how annoyingly normal my life is, yet busy and crazy. I won't make money to support my family off my blog (probably because I don't even have any ads on it! hmm...there's an idea...) and I won't keep it all roses, I know my poo stinks and I"ll be the first to admit those rough days and not just post pretty pictures. But, I will post pictures soon because I've been talking way too much lately. Now, off to pack some more, and make some dinner here on the normally boring homestead. And, it's only Wednesday.
Sunday was another open house. Another long day of carrying cats and crates and dogs and cages and litter boxes and food dishes and kids and diapers and clothes and lunches and who knows what else with us to Kevin's parents' house. There were 2 people that came through and seemed interested according to the realtor, but so far, as always, nothing yet. And I canned some peaches that were nice and ripe, but too many to eat before they got bad. Pretty easy actually.
Then we got the boys ready in my new bike trailer, for a bike ride, when Kevin noticed my van tire was flat. And, there was a screw stuck in it. Sigh. He took it over to his dad's to get patched and filled with air. But, since all my tires were almost bald, decided I needed to get new ones the next day.
So, bright and early Monday morning I took the van over to Wal-mart, because BJ's tire center wouldn't answer their phone! Ugh. A million dollars and over an hour later, we had nice new tires. But, entertaining two little boys in Wal-mart for an hour is a pain in the behind. I didn't need to, and couldn't' justify buying anything, save for a couple muffins, deodorant for Kevin and a small Cars fork set for Kian. That kept us all sane for awhile. Really, this is my exciting life.
Tuesday I took the boys to the public market. My first time going and it was nice. It wasn't very busy on a Tuesday morning which was nice. We got a wagon load of fruits and veggies for under $35. Kian got a cookie as big as his head at the bakery on site for $1. Yum. Great deals, only bad thing was that I parked on vomit and didn't realize it until I was packing kids and food in the car. Oh Lord was that disgusting! Ugh. Kevin got out early but visited his grandma in the nursing home while the boys napped. Exhausted, but not exhausted enough to skip boxing class with Meghan and Jon. Yep, got Jon hooked too. Way too many sweaty people taking the class though...I enjoy the women's only class better I think.
Today, Wednesday, I took Ace to the vet. Enough was enough. The cat's been throwing up off and on for a year at least. It's rather annoying, but doesn't seem to bother him a lot. It's mostly bile, sometimes undigested food. Yeah, you wanted to know that, I know. I had run with the assumption of food allergies a long time ago and switched foods, a few times, but he always ends up throwing up again after awhile. I was fearing blood draws and x-rays and all kinds of money-sucking things at the appointment. The vet thinks it's Irritable Bowel syndrome, or food allergies, or...both. That the allergies may exacerbate his IBS, or give him IBS. Fun. No really. First course of action? Steroid shot. If it improves things in the next day (and last for 6 weeks) it means the steroids calmed the inflammation in his gut and it's IBS. If it doesn't stop the vomiting, it's probably allergies and we'll have to talk about special diets, beyond store bought foods...sigh. We'll see I guess.
And now I need to run to Wegmans for some canning salt (different than regular salt, who knew there was such a thing...yes I'm sure YOU did). And some spices since I threw all mine out that were like 7 years old. Then tomorrow I will be making pickles and tomato sauce. Wish me luck.
My boring, stay at home life. I'm not some fancy, big blogger like Pioneer Woman (who as much as I love her, just wants a happy website and deletes any comments that might even remotely seem like an offensive remark towards her or anyone else, and is all sunshine and rainbows without talking about anything real [ie politics, the cattle industry her family is involved in, how the laws are changing and will affect their ranch], um, you know anything real life, even though she claims to 'keep it real') or Mckmama (who is too honest about her real life money issues, eating habits, husband's criminal records and relies heavily on clicks and ads and money from her blog and always has some sort of drama, real or insinuated or self-induced and plays the God card a bit too much in response to it all as to why she doesn't have to answer to anyone) but anyways...I'm just lil ol' boring me. I live in a normal house and have crazy kids and am insane to have animals. And I figure, why not let you see how annoyingly normal my life is, yet busy and crazy. I won't make money to support my family off my blog (probably because I don't even have any ads on it! hmm...there's an idea...) and I won't keep it all roses, I know my poo stinks and I"ll be the first to admit those rough days and not just post pretty pictures. But, I will post pictures soon because I've been talking way too much lately. Now, off to pack some more, and make some dinner here on the normally boring homestead. And, it's only Wednesday.
Questions and Answers
Q: When was the last time you cut Kian's hair?
A: December 19th, 2009. Yes, that means it's been 7 whole months since then. And that cut- Karter could have done better.
Q: So...when are you cutting Kian's hair?
A: When he wants it cut. I'm done apologizing, explaining away, ignoring, etc. It's hair. He wants it long, he loves his curls and so do Kevin and I. We like it longer as well. I know a day will come and he will want it short. So, for now it stays. It's hair, it comes, it goes. It can be changed whenever, it's not permanent. It's not like we let him get a tattoo or anything...
Q: Are you going to grow Karter's hair long too?
A: I don't know. Depends on his hair type, if it's curly, we might let it get a little longer, yes. And when he can form an opinion (okay, a verbal opinion) about it, we'll cut it or not, depending. And yes, it's starting to get curly, especially when he sweats. We just won't mention the poor blonde mullet he's sporting. If I cut the back then he'd really be bald, and I'm just not into that.
Q: What's with the healthy eating stuff lately?
A: Well, it's not just lately. It's all the time. It starts at home, with impressionable small children who will carry these things long into their lives-lives that will be long because of healthy eating. And America just isn't aware, or caring, that huge corporations are killing them with things that "taste great". Enjoy your slow death then, my friends.
Q: I don't know how to figure out if something is healthy, help?
A: I've been thinking about doing a post on label reading. I love that Wegmans site shows all the ingredients of every product they carry. It's a nice way to look at things before your in the rush of the store. Few rules: 1. the first ingredient is the most ingredient in something-you want that to be something healthy (ie-whole grains, or a fruit) 2. the more ingredients there are in something, the worse it is for you. 3. if there's high fructose corn syrup in it-put it back. 4. soy is not good for you either, leave that out. 5. if you can't pronounce it, don't put it in your body. there's more, but we'll save the lectures.
Q: Why are you selling your house? Why are you moving an hour away?
A: I grew up out near Canandaigua, and though we didn't plan on moving back there, when the opportunity presented itself to purchase my grandparents' home with lots of land and more square footage, who says no to that?
Q: Why cloth diapers?
A: I wanted to save money, save the environment, they're way cute, easier than you think, and Kian gets rashes from disposables.
Q: Why do you talk so much and have so much to say?
A: Probably because when I was little I didn't say much of anything. I was shy, but observant and kept a lot in. I remember friends of the family teasing me and actually getting upset with me that my answers were "I don't care". When asked what I wanted to drink for dinner "I don't care." He got mad and said "You should care, you do, don't be so indecisive, you're allowed to make a choice and have a want." So, I finally figured that out years later. I found my "voice" in my blog I guess.
Anything else you want to know about how crazy I am? Yeah....just ask.
A: December 19th, 2009. Yes, that means it's been 7 whole months since then. And that cut- Karter could have done better.
Q: So...when are you cutting Kian's hair?A: When he wants it cut. I'm done apologizing, explaining away, ignoring, etc. It's hair. He wants it long, he loves his curls and so do Kevin and I. We like it longer as well. I know a day will come and he will want it short. So, for now it stays. It's hair, it comes, it goes. It can be changed whenever, it's not permanent. It's not like we let him get a tattoo or anything...
Q: Are you going to grow Karter's hair long too?
A: I don't know. Depends on his hair type, if it's curly, we might let it get a little longer, yes. And when he can form an opinion (okay, a verbal opinion) about it, we'll cut it or not, depending. And yes, it's starting to get curly, especially when he sweats. We just won't mention the poor blonde mullet he's sporting. If I cut the back then he'd really be bald, and I'm just not into that.
Q: What's with the healthy eating stuff lately?
A: Well, it's not just lately. It's all the time. It starts at home, with impressionable small children who will carry these things long into their lives-lives that will be long because of healthy eating. And America just isn't aware, or caring, that huge corporations are killing them with things that "taste great". Enjoy your slow death then, my friends.
Q: I don't know how to figure out if something is healthy, help?
A: I've been thinking about doing a post on label reading. I love that Wegmans site shows all the ingredients of every product they carry. It's a nice way to look at things before your in the rush of the store. Few rules: 1. the first ingredient is the most ingredient in something-you want that to be something healthy (ie-whole grains, or a fruit) 2. the more ingredients there are in something, the worse it is for you. 3. if there's high fructose corn syrup in it-put it back. 4. soy is not good for you either, leave that out. 5. if you can't pronounce it, don't put it in your body. there's more, but we'll save the lectures.
Q: Why are you selling your house? Why are you moving an hour away?
A: I grew up out near Canandaigua, and though we didn't plan on moving back there, when the opportunity presented itself to purchase my grandparents' home with lots of land and more square footage, who says no to that?
Q: Why cloth diapers?
A: I wanted to save money, save the environment, they're way cute, easier than you think, and Kian gets rashes from disposables.
Q: Why do you talk so much and have so much to say?A: Probably because when I was little I didn't say much of anything. I was shy, but observant and kept a lot in. I remember friends of the family teasing me and actually getting upset with me that my answers were "I don't care". When asked what I wanted to drink for dinner "I don't care." He got mad and said "You should care, you do, don't be so indecisive, you're allowed to make a choice and have a want." So, I finally figured that out years later. I found my "voice" in my blog I guess.
Anything else you want to know about how crazy I am? Yeah....just ask.
Thoughts on health--Part II: healthy eating
Continuing my long thoughts from yesterday:
The real things I point to when people ask how I'm losing weight, getting in shape are:
1. nursing--you burn a ton of calories constantly feeding a baby every 3 hours around the clock. I'm always hungry and thirsty. (Okay, so nursing/burning calories/exercising)
2. healthy eating.
3. Lots of water.
4. Getting rid of dairy.
Well, actually, healthy eating and drinking lots of water go hand-in-hand. I make sure to fill up my 20 0z water bottle at least twice, in addition to all my other drinks with meals. Although if you look in our fridge for a drink you will be sadly disappointed. We have cow milk for Kevin (ew) almond and/or rice milk for me and the boys, one carton of OJ. A stray beer bottle and one wine bottle-unopened. Yes, that's it. We buy one carton of juice per week, and we only have a small cup/half cup at breakfast. Water the rest of the day, and some milk product in our cereal or with dinner. Juice and other drinks just add too many calories and sugar that is terrible for your body and teeth. Lemon wedges or a small spoonful of tea mix for taste will help drink more.
As for healthy eating, I was brought up with it. Tons of veggies and fruits, lean meats, etc. I had no problem loving eating all kinds of vegetables and fruits. During college I fell into eating fried foods later at night, or taking one of everything that the cafeteria offered that night.
Decreasing my portion sizes has helped. Simple trick? I use a smaller plate than Kevin does. (He needs more calories and wants to gain weight.) I use a salad plate most of the time so my plate looks full but it's still less than what I'd put on a bigger plate. I am still learning to stop eating even though I don't feel full yet. I like that just full feeling, not that "I'm going to burst" full feeling, but that "ahh, now I'm done" feeling. So, I'm retraining my body and my brain to stop when the portions are done and my plate is cleaned. I just love food so I would taste and graze all day. Grazing is fine, if done right. Small meals and snacks actually are better than 3 huge meals with long waiting in between.
When I began giving Kian solids I started using more vegetables than ever before because I wanted him to like them from the get-go. I've also experimented with a lot of different vegetables--baked sweet potato fries, avocados -now a staple in our house. They're great alone, as a dip, on sandwiches in place of cheese and mayo, and on tacos, etc. Snacks always include a fruit or veggie, and sometimes our lunch is just veggies.
Examples: Often we make a batch of hummus and eat that with cut up carrots, celery, peppers and cucumbers, and pita chips for lunch.
Another time we'll mix a chopped tomato (or can of diced) with a can of black beans, chopped avocado, cilantro, dash of salt and eat that with natural tortilla chips, and fruit.
Or else it's just a turkey sandwich with carrots, grapes, handful of pretzels, tortilla or pita chips. (You'll notice there are no potato chips in our house.)
Even dinners in our house can be just a big salad with chicken breast chunks in it, and some watermelon slices.
The other thing why Kian eats such a variety? I have never given him "kid meals". I don't believe in getting him something different than what I've made for dinner. Even Karter is eating what we eat. No reason for the adults to have one meal and the kids to have another that's deemed "kid-friendly". Doing that for so long will only make the child a pickier eater. Since he was about 2 years old the rule was he had to have a couple bites of it. He would say he didn't like something because he didn't know what it was. I won't throw away his plate and give him a PB&J sandwich. Nope. He's got to try 3 bites of it. And there is always at least 1-2 other things he likes on his plate and he can choose to fill up on those after he has his three bites. If he tries it and eats the rest of his meal then he can have a snack of his choosing. If he won't try it or doesn't eat enough of the fruit/veggies/meat, etc. then I will provide him a snack before bed that will fill in those gaps (ie. yogurt, apples with peanut butter, not the popsicle or ice cream or whatever he wants). Also, making a little game of it helps--he and Kevin will see who can put the most beans on their fork or eat this or that the quickest, etc.
Kevin has become very accepting of most vegetables and fruits I put in front of him, or in his food. He only ate like 3 vegetables when I met him (corn, carrots, broccoli) and a lot of processed foods, dinners from boxes, or out, etc. One thing I won't do is get prepackaged foods or dinners. Not frozen lasagna, I make it, etc. Boring granola bars are about the most packaged/processed type foods in our house. No boxes of mac and cheese, no pop-tarts, etc. All of those "easy" foods are full of crap, HFCS, unnecessary fillers, and none of them have real fruit. It does cost more to buy fresh or frozen fruits and veggies but relying on them in a bar or toaster pastry or juice that has only about 10% real fruit? Not going to cut it.
And I know there's lots of opinions about this, but since Karter's milk allergy last year, I haven't had dairy. (Well the occasional piece of pizza where I pull off most of the cheese, etc.) I love cheese, and that was my downfall. I could sit and eat half a block of cheese with crackers or apples and not think twice. Delicious yes, but full of fat. So for me, not having dairy has cut down on tons of calories and fat grams going into my body. I either replace it or don't and save a lot of calories. My face and skin have also broken out a lot less since not eating dairy, and I don't get that phlegm-y cough, or have as much asthma trouble since then either. Not one incident over the winter, when I usually have flare ups.
Another thing that jump-started my healthful eating was while at work we would do the Health Challenges sponsored by insurance companies, as teams. We had to eat a minimum of 5 cups/servings of fruits and veggies each day. The more the better, the more we ate the more points our team got. So that pushed me to really add more fruits and veggies in each meal and each day. I'd have those first and then go onto something else. I stick with that for snacks too, we have a banana or carrots with a spoonful of dip/dressing first and then maybe if you're still hungry a few pretzel sticks or dry cereal, etc.
Suggestions:
Instead of just spaghetti, throw in some chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, peppers, cannelini beans, etc. in the sauce.
Berries and fruit in your pancake mix.
Salad isn't just lettuce, add as many veggies, fruit and nuts, seeds etc. as you can!
And beans, in the last year, I've fallen in love with beans, all types. Black beans are my favorite, but just adding beans to everything and anything will give it such a health boost by adding fiber and protein along with vitamins.
Beans to your meat in tacos.
Instead of one type of bean in my chili I add 3-4 cans of different beans.
Dried cranberries with some nuts is a more filling snack.
Eggs or oatmeal in the morning instead of sugary cereal. And that oatmeal should have berries/fruit in it, and your eggs should have peppers, mushrooms, etc. in it!
Wheat germ and probiotics get added to a lot of what I make as well.
Eating less processed foods, fresh foods, more fruits and vegetables, more water, all these things have helped me lose weight and feel great. That's what I like most, that I feel better, lighter, my stomach doesn't feel like I ate a rock. Exercising and healthy eating energize me now. And I'm imparting something now that will last my kids a lifetime, the benefits to me and my body, and them and their bodies will continue years from now. Eating right now at this meal, this minute is an investment into your future. You're making a deposit on your life, think of it that way, each donut, fried mozzarella stick, etc. is a withdrawal from your life/health account...
The real things I point to when people ask how I'm losing weight, getting in shape are:
1. nursing--you burn a ton of calories constantly feeding a baby every 3 hours around the clock. I'm always hungry and thirsty. (Okay, so nursing/burning calories/exercising)
2. healthy eating.
3. Lots of water.
4. Getting rid of dairy.
Well, actually, healthy eating and drinking lots of water go hand-in-hand. I make sure to fill up my 20 0z water bottle at least twice, in addition to all my other drinks with meals. Although if you look in our fridge for a drink you will be sadly disappointed. We have cow milk for Kevin (ew) almond and/or rice milk for me and the boys, one carton of OJ. A stray beer bottle and one wine bottle-unopened. Yes, that's it. We buy one carton of juice per week, and we only have a small cup/half cup at breakfast. Water the rest of the day, and some milk product in our cereal or with dinner. Juice and other drinks just add too many calories and sugar that is terrible for your body and teeth. Lemon wedges or a small spoonful of tea mix for taste will help drink more.
As for healthy eating, I was brought up with it. Tons of veggies and fruits, lean meats, etc. I had no problem loving eating all kinds of vegetables and fruits. During college I fell into eating fried foods later at night, or taking one of everything that the cafeteria offered that night.
Decreasing my portion sizes has helped. Simple trick? I use a smaller plate than Kevin does. (He needs more calories and wants to gain weight.) I use a salad plate most of the time so my plate looks full but it's still less than what I'd put on a bigger plate. I am still learning to stop eating even though I don't feel full yet. I like that just full feeling, not that "I'm going to burst" full feeling, but that "ahh, now I'm done" feeling. So, I'm retraining my body and my brain to stop when the portions are done and my plate is cleaned. I just love food so I would taste and graze all day. Grazing is fine, if done right. Small meals and snacks actually are better than 3 huge meals with long waiting in between.
When I began giving Kian solids I started using more vegetables than ever before because I wanted him to like them from the get-go. I've also experimented with a lot of different vegetables--baked sweet potato fries, avocados -now a staple in our house. They're great alone, as a dip, on sandwiches in place of cheese and mayo, and on tacos, etc. Snacks always include a fruit or veggie, and sometimes our lunch is just veggies.
Examples: Often we make a batch of hummus and eat that with cut up carrots, celery, peppers and cucumbers, and pita chips for lunch.
Another time we'll mix a chopped tomato (or can of diced) with a can of black beans, chopped avocado, cilantro, dash of salt and eat that with natural tortilla chips, and fruit.
Or else it's just a turkey sandwich with carrots, grapes, handful of pretzels, tortilla or pita chips. (You'll notice there are no potato chips in our house.)
Even dinners in our house can be just a big salad with chicken breast chunks in it, and some watermelon slices.
The other thing why Kian eats such a variety? I have never given him "kid meals". I don't believe in getting him something different than what I've made for dinner. Even Karter is eating what we eat. No reason for the adults to have one meal and the kids to have another that's deemed "kid-friendly". Doing that for so long will only make the child a pickier eater. Since he was about 2 years old the rule was he had to have a couple bites of it. He would say he didn't like something because he didn't know what it was. I won't throw away his plate and give him a PB&J sandwich. Nope. He's got to try 3 bites of it. And there is always at least 1-2 other things he likes on his plate and he can choose to fill up on those after he has his three bites. If he tries it and eats the rest of his meal then he can have a snack of his choosing. If he won't try it or doesn't eat enough of the fruit/veggies/meat, etc. then I will provide him a snack before bed that will fill in those gaps (ie. yogurt, apples with peanut butter, not the popsicle or ice cream or whatever he wants). Also, making a little game of it helps--he and Kevin will see who can put the most beans on their fork or eat this or that the quickest, etc.
Kevin has become very accepting of most vegetables and fruits I put in front of him, or in his food. He only ate like 3 vegetables when I met him (corn, carrots, broccoli) and a lot of processed foods, dinners from boxes, or out, etc. One thing I won't do is get prepackaged foods or dinners. Not frozen lasagna, I make it, etc. Boring granola bars are about the most packaged/processed type foods in our house. No boxes of mac and cheese, no pop-tarts, etc. All of those "easy" foods are full of crap, HFCS, unnecessary fillers, and none of them have real fruit. It does cost more to buy fresh or frozen fruits and veggies but relying on them in a bar or toaster pastry or juice that has only about 10% real fruit? Not going to cut it.
And I know there's lots of opinions about this, but since Karter's milk allergy last year, I haven't had dairy. (Well the occasional piece of pizza where I pull off most of the cheese, etc.) I love cheese, and that was my downfall. I could sit and eat half a block of cheese with crackers or apples and not think twice. Delicious yes, but full of fat. So for me, not having dairy has cut down on tons of calories and fat grams going into my body. I either replace it or don't and save a lot of calories. My face and skin have also broken out a lot less since not eating dairy, and I don't get that phlegm-y cough, or have as much asthma trouble since then either. Not one incident over the winter, when I usually have flare ups.
Another thing that jump-started my healthful eating was while at work we would do the Health Challenges sponsored by insurance companies, as teams. We had to eat a minimum of 5 cups/servings of fruits and veggies each day. The more the better, the more we ate the more points our team got. So that pushed me to really add more fruits and veggies in each meal and each day. I'd have those first and then go onto something else. I stick with that for snacks too, we have a banana or carrots with a spoonful of dip/dressing first and then maybe if you're still hungry a few pretzel sticks or dry cereal, etc.
Suggestions:
Instead of just spaghetti, throw in some chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, peppers, cannelini beans, etc. in the sauce.
Berries and fruit in your pancake mix.
Salad isn't just lettuce, add as many veggies, fruit and nuts, seeds etc. as you can!
And beans, in the last year, I've fallen in love with beans, all types. Black beans are my favorite, but just adding beans to everything and anything will give it such a health boost by adding fiber and protein along with vitamins.
Beans to your meat in tacos.
Instead of one type of bean in my chili I add 3-4 cans of different beans.
Dried cranberries with some nuts is a more filling snack.
Eggs or oatmeal in the morning instead of sugary cereal. And that oatmeal should have berries/fruit in it, and your eggs should have peppers, mushrooms, etc. in it!
Wheat germ and probiotics get added to a lot of what I make as well.
Eating less processed foods, fresh foods, more fruits and vegetables, more water, all these things have helped me lose weight and feel great. That's what I like most, that I feel better, lighter, my stomach doesn't feel like I ate a rock. Exercising and healthy eating energize me now. And I'm imparting something now that will last my kids a lifetime, the benefits to me and my body, and them and their bodies will continue years from now. Eating right now at this meal, this minute is an investment into your future. You're making a deposit on your life, think of it that way, each donut, fried mozzarella stick, etc. is a withdrawal from your life/health account...
Thoughts on health--Part I: fitness
I guess you can say my husband rubbed off on me, finally. Sorta. No worries about me becoming an overly tanned, 'roid puffed bodybuilding queen. I hated gym class where we had to run a mile, swim a certain stroke, learn basketball moves (do they even call them moves? whatever.) and all that stuff. I wasn't into it. I was out of shape. My asthma would flare up when I ran. Those weren't things I was interested in. I did enjoy tennis and softball but never had enough confidence to continue on. I felt i was bad at it and never pursued it to become better, just quit.
Amazing what 10 years, 2 kids, an education and a fit hubby can do for you. Or maybe I'm just over that self-conscious, caring what others think, thing. And, liking myself and my body; after all it's created and sustained 2 kids over the last 3 years, with the experience of all natural childbirth. Yeah, I like my body now. And I know that even if I suck at something at first, I can get better and I have to put some more effort into it.
Somehow, my body balloons up during pregnancy (yeah, I know, my fault probably) but loses it pretty quickly and with nursing, I keep losing more than I gained. Times two, that is amazing. I told Kevin last night that I weigh about 15-20lbs less now than when he married me. I weigh what I did in high school. For me, that's pretty amazing. I am tempted to try on my wedding dress and see it loose on me-if it wasn't packed away! Unfortunately, this has come at a cost...losing weight after pregnancies amounts to loose stomach skin that makes me gag, and losing weight after pregnancy and nursing equals a small chest. I have gone down in bra cup sizes...like 2 sizes. Yikes.
Okay so, I feel guilty saying that a large portion of this weight lose over the last 3 years hasn't been hard. That I really haven't done much to make it happen. I worked out here and there after Kian, I did keep active with walks, swimming, just playing with him, etc. Now I take a boxing fitness class (ROC boxing & fitness--"box your way to fitness") 1-2 times a week. I love it. It's always intrigued me and to learn proper boxing techniques, along with some cardio and conditioning portions adds up to a very intense, but fun, workout. This is the first organized, committed exercise I've done in....almost ever.
I think I hated exercise before because I didn't know how to do it properly, how much, when, and thought it had to be a forced, not fun thing. But, all the little things I do count as exercise and calorie burners too. Taking a walking, bike ride, chasing kids, going up and down 3 flights of stairs all day long, swimming, tennis, all the things I like to do-they count too. Finding what I like, what I'm good at, helps do it more. Also having Kevin wanting to do these things along with the boys now, gets us all active. It's a great bonding time tromping through the trails in the woods, or playing Frisbee with the puppy, swimming and playing in the pool, as well as exercise.
Until just last week, I thought runners were stupid. Like, really. Stupid. Like, I didn't get why you would want to run. A treadmill was boring for me too, but easier on the knees. And then just running around the road for no reason, I didn't get it. Then, with stress last week and all the little things annoying me and not being able to be as active as I wanted to, I suddenly had this "I need to go for a run" feeling. It was confusing. What?? A run? So, I took the dog and I ran in the trails. "Hmm...that made me feel better, got rid of some anger and stress, my body is now feeling good and Finn got exercise. Okay, so I sorta get it". I will never understand the marathon, long-distance runners. I get a couple miles, but 26 or whatever? Um, no. Take a car or a bike haha.
But, the most amazing thing? I could DO it. I mean, I could actually run a mile, with the puppy, without stopping, without almost dying. Usually what happens when I try to run is that my lungs explode before my legs get tired. But, between healthy eating, losing some weight and getting in shape, I can do it. My legs are getting tired before my lungs explode! It's amazing. For me, anyways. I can go to my boxing classes and it might be tough right then and there but I'm less sore each time, (and oddly I don't sweat much, but I'm working hard, I'm just weird that way I guess!) That knowing that I can now, pushes me to continue, I've seen results and changes and I like it! I finally, really feel like I'm in shape, and it feels good! It can be addicting and the more you make it a habit in your life, the more you will miss it when you don't make the time for it and don't do it.
next up: healthy eating....cuz it's raining today and my house is spotless so...I can!
Amazing what 10 years, 2 kids, an education and a fit hubby can do for you. Or maybe I'm just over that self-conscious, caring what others think, thing. And, liking myself and my body; after all it's created and sustained 2 kids over the last 3 years, with the experience of all natural childbirth. Yeah, I like my body now. And I know that even if I suck at something at first, I can get better and I have to put some more effort into it.
Somehow, my body balloons up during pregnancy (yeah, I know, my fault probably) but loses it pretty quickly and with nursing, I keep losing more than I gained. Times two, that is amazing. I told Kevin last night that I weigh about 15-20lbs less now than when he married me. I weigh what I did in high school. For me, that's pretty amazing. I am tempted to try on my wedding dress and see it loose on me-if it wasn't packed away! Unfortunately, this has come at a cost...losing weight after pregnancies amounts to loose stomach skin that makes me gag, and losing weight after pregnancy and nursing equals a small chest. I have gone down in bra cup sizes...like 2 sizes. Yikes.
Okay so, I feel guilty saying that a large portion of this weight lose over the last 3 years hasn't been hard. That I really haven't done much to make it happen. I worked out here and there after Kian, I did keep active with walks, swimming, just playing with him, etc. Now I take a boxing fitness class (ROC boxing & fitness--"box your way to fitness") 1-2 times a week. I love it. It's always intrigued me and to learn proper boxing techniques, along with some cardio and conditioning portions adds up to a very intense, but fun, workout. This is the first organized, committed exercise I've done in....almost ever.
I think I hated exercise before because I didn't know how to do it properly, how much, when, and thought it had to be a forced, not fun thing. But, all the little things I do count as exercise and calorie burners too. Taking a walking, bike ride, chasing kids, going up and down 3 flights of stairs all day long, swimming, tennis, all the things I like to do-they count too. Finding what I like, what I'm good at, helps do it more. Also having Kevin wanting to do these things along with the boys now, gets us all active. It's a great bonding time tromping through the trails in the woods, or playing Frisbee with the puppy, swimming and playing in the pool, as well as exercise.
Until just last week, I thought runners were stupid. Like, really. Stupid. Like, I didn't get why you would want to run. A treadmill was boring for me too, but easier on the knees. And then just running around the road for no reason, I didn't get it. Then, with stress last week and all the little things annoying me and not being able to be as active as I wanted to, I suddenly had this "I need to go for a run" feeling. It was confusing. What?? A run? So, I took the dog and I ran in the trails. "Hmm...that made me feel better, got rid of some anger and stress, my body is now feeling good and Finn got exercise. Okay, so I sorta get it". I will never understand the marathon, long-distance runners. I get a couple miles, but 26 or whatever? Um, no. Take a car or a bike haha.
But, the most amazing thing? I could DO it. I mean, I could actually run a mile, with the puppy, without stopping, without almost dying. Usually what happens when I try to run is that my lungs explode before my legs get tired. But, between healthy eating, losing some weight and getting in shape, I can do it. My legs are getting tired before my lungs explode! It's amazing. For me, anyways. I can go to my boxing classes and it might be tough right then and there but I'm less sore each time, (and oddly I don't sweat much, but I'm working hard, I'm just weird that way I guess!) That knowing that I can now, pushes me to continue, I've seen results and changes and I like it! I finally, really feel like I'm in shape, and it feels good! It can be addicting and the more you make it a habit in your life, the more you will miss it when you don't make the time for it and don't do it.
next up: healthy eating....cuz it's raining today and my house is spotless so...I can!
Karter's Easter Eating Adventures
I remember 7 months being about that magical time that Kian was really, truly interested in food. I had started the pureed thing, and introduced him to some table foods, but it was around 7 months he really wanted food. Same goes for Karter, even getting mad when he can't have our food.
He's really expressing he wants it, and he wants it now! So, we've been letting him have it, all of it. Sunday my mom came for church and brunch with us. I made a frittata with red peppers and asparagus. I gave Karter the asparagus and red peppers, soft and just right size for him. He was going nuts and wanting more so I told her to go ahead and feed him some more. I turned around and saw the second forkful of eggs going into his mouth. Um...yeah, eggs are supposed to be a no-no until around one year. He loved them, and no reactions luckily. Oops. Maybe that's a guideline new to my generation, not hers?
That afternoon with my dad, Kourt and the kids, he had bites of rosemary-roasted red potatoes, turkey, corn, and for dessert? Carrotcake with pineapples--with the walnuts picked out and a strawberry slice. He was in heaven. Now, when I say he ate them, I mean he probably had a tiny bite or two of each. Most of it was chewing and mashing and sucking on the pieces, probably 1/3 of it actually went down. This is fine, since breastmilk is supposed to be the main staple for the first full year. Monday we went easy on him and gave him some green beans in a jar, he only would/could eat 1/3 of the jar at each sitting. So, that's how I know he's not eating a ton of table foods, but mostly getting the taste, texture and feel of it in his hands and mouth (and hair, neck, shirt, etc.). Precisely what he's supposed to be doing.
I can just say that it's much easier this way. With Kian from 5-7 months I was pureeing organic vegetables, freezing them in single serving sizes, or blending the dinners we had (pot roast & potatoes, etc. ) in my food processor for him, along with pieces of 'adult' food. Forget that, too much work. And the 3 jars I've bought? They're about as soupy as can by, the food runs off the spoon, making Karter have to just drink it basically. So, he's pretty happy about real food, and I'm happy about the ease of it.
People often ask my why Kian is such a great eater, how I got him to eat such a variety and to love vegetables? First, probably because Kevin and I eat a lot of fruits and veggies and 'healthy' things, helps a lot. But my answer is that I never got sucked into that "toddler/kid" food stuff. I didn't buy special toddler meals, I didn't fall prey to the nuggets/mac & cheese, kid-friendly meals. He ate what we ate, it's as simple as that. Don't dumb it down for them, or you're going to have to make "kid meals" until they're 12 and will have very picky adult eaters.
Whatever was for dinner, Kian got some too. Spices, herbs, flavors, all of it. Both my boys suck on lemons and love them. If Kian didn't eat something the first time, no problem, but that means that it's on rotation at our house and he was exposed to it several times. Now, the only things he's not thrilled about are asparagus and green beans, but will eat both in something else. He chooses frozen vegetables as a snack. I just won't play restaurant and make 3 different meals (same goes for Kevin, haha) there's always at least 2 other things on your plate you're going to like, so try the third and if you can't love it now, try again next time. Now I have a boy who's favorite food is broccoli and asks for fruit smoothies and hummus. I'm seeing Karter on the same track already, and am so glad.
How to raise a non-picky eater.
This book:Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater
He's really expressing he wants it, and he wants it now! So, we've been letting him have it, all of it. Sunday my mom came for church and brunch with us. I made a frittata with red peppers and asparagus. I gave Karter the asparagus and red peppers, soft and just right size for him. He was going nuts and wanting more so I told her to go ahead and feed him some more. I turned around and saw the second forkful of eggs going into his mouth. Um...yeah, eggs are supposed to be a no-no until around one year. He loved them, and no reactions luckily. Oops. Maybe that's a guideline new to my generation, not hers?
That afternoon with my dad, Kourt and the kids, he had bites of rosemary-roasted red potatoes, turkey, corn, and for dessert? Carrotcake with pineapples--with the walnuts picked out and a strawberry slice. He was in heaven. Now, when I say he ate them, I mean he probably had a tiny bite or two of each. Most of it was chewing and mashing and sucking on the pieces, probably 1/3 of it actually went down. This is fine, since breastmilk is supposed to be the main staple for the first full year. Monday we went easy on him and gave him some green beans in a jar, he only would/could eat 1/3 of the jar at each sitting. So, that's how I know he's not eating a ton of table foods, but mostly getting the taste, texture and feel of it in his hands and mouth (and hair, neck, shirt, etc.). Precisely what he's supposed to be doing.
I can just say that it's much easier this way. With Kian from 5-7 months I was pureeing organic vegetables, freezing them in single serving sizes, or blending the dinners we had (pot roast & potatoes, etc. ) in my food processor for him, along with pieces of 'adult' food. Forget that, too much work. And the 3 jars I've bought? They're about as soupy as can by, the food runs off the spoon, making Karter have to just drink it basically. So, he's pretty happy about real food, and I'm happy about the ease of it.
People often ask my why Kian is such a great eater, how I got him to eat such a variety and to love vegetables? First, probably because Kevin and I eat a lot of fruits and veggies and 'healthy' things, helps a lot. But my answer is that I never got sucked into that "toddler/kid" food stuff. I didn't buy special toddler meals, I didn't fall prey to the nuggets/mac & cheese, kid-friendly meals. He ate what we ate, it's as simple as that. Don't dumb it down for them, or you're going to have to make "kid meals" until they're 12 and will have very picky adult eaters.
Whatever was for dinner, Kian got some too. Spices, herbs, flavors, all of it. Both my boys suck on lemons and love them. If Kian didn't eat something the first time, no problem, but that means that it's on rotation at our house and he was exposed to it several times. Now, the only things he's not thrilled about are asparagus and green beans, but will eat both in something else. He chooses frozen vegetables as a snack. I just won't play restaurant and make 3 different meals (same goes for Kevin, haha) there's always at least 2 other things on your plate you're going to like, so try the third and if you can't love it now, try again next time. Now I have a boy who's favorite food is broccoli and asks for fruit smoothies and hummus. I'm seeing Karter on the same track already, and am so glad.
How to raise a non-picky eater.
This book:Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater
Adventures in eating
So, Karter's started eating some solid foods. I know my ways are a little different from the norm, but also in a growing movement of baby feeding across the nation. But, also how babies are fed worldwide is very different than here, this jarred food stuff is an American thing. So, we will navigate it one food, one step at a time, and with a lot less worry.
I waited longer this time around, which is closer to the AAP guidelines for solids foods (6 months) even though doctors tell you to go ahead at 4 months, conflicting anyone? When he started grabbing things and eating them, I figured that was his sign he was ready. With Kian I started around 5 months with some purees that I made from fruits and vegetables. Because i do lots of reading (read: obsessed with Internet) I had come across the child-led feeding/weaning school of thought. I was intrigued and incorporated both in my feeding of Kian. At one meal he'd have rice cereal with peaches and also be gnawing on a broccoli stalk. Kian was easy, wanted to eat anything and everything, nothing bothered him, not flavors, not textures, etc. So, it worked and by 9 months he was eating mostly along with us, purees left in the dust by then. Easy, peasy.
Things are a bit different with Karter as he has the milk allergy and the reflux still pops up from time to time. Yes, still. They say milk allergy can disappear at 6 mos, 1 year, 3 years or never. Well, he's about 6 months and guess what, I tested it again and still tons of spitting up, gurgly reflux that night and nasty diapers. We really aren't missing the dairy, except occasionally when I see someone with a steamy, gooey piece of pizza. Knowing his system was already sensitive, I held off on trying solids. Until that fateful night, holding them both on my lap, Kian's banana in my hand, in front of Karter's face. Chomp. He was in love. He went to town. Then a few nights later he grabbed my cracker and devoured it before I even noticed. All in the mouth, not fell on the floor like I thought. Okay, so he's ready for food, let's try this.
Let me interject on myself here and explain why I love this child-led feeding so much. For one, it's easier, on your time, energy, and wallet. No extra foods to buy, no special jars or toddler foods (that, my friends, is just a cash gimmick. No reason gerber needed to make "toddler foods" except for more moola, but that's another post.) whatever baby eats should already be in your home. No need to prepare anything extra on top of what you're already making for the rest of the family. I just take out a portion before adding any salt or spicy seasonings to the meal and it's "baby friendly".
Second, in working at daycares and in Early Intervention, there are a TON of kids who have texture issues, who have oral motor problems, etc. Why? one school of thought is that these pureed foods don't lend to learning how to chew properly (you just suck if off the spoon, like soup, no jaw movement involved). Also, giving a baby soft, mushy foods for months, then throwing adult-like food at them can be confusing and they will continue to prefer the soft textures and resist anything chunky, clumpy, crunchy, etc. And another thing, you don't sit there and push mashed, stinky peas in their mouth, spit it out, push it in, spit it out, over and over. You give the child the control over eating. Since breastmilk (or formula) should be their man nutrition for the first year, you don't need to worry about how many tablespoons of x,y,z they just ate. You read their cues on hunger. This also helps with diet and portion control later in life.
Okay, so, yeah. Baby-led. Let's also be honest, I don't have time to try to shove jar food in his mouth or make my own this time around as much as I would like, working and all. Superwoman, I am not. Besides, this boy, he loves his mama milk and is just all about tasting things for now. So, how does it work? Why did I decide this route? Because after the banana incident, I tried oatmeal. I tried it 1. because I fell prey to the old wives' tale that it would make him sleep better at night (didn't work for Kian either) and 2. I figured that was the next step I should take. Wrong. After several attempts at oatmeal and rice, with or without banana, he spit it out and refused. And I began noticing he was chewing. Chewing the oatmeal that really couldn't be chewed. I gave him a whole banana. He chewed and chomped and sucked and mashed and ate some, but mostly just tasted. Afterall, tasting is only one of the senses involved in eating. At a restaurant you want your food to look and smell good too, right? Then he tried a cocopop and loved it. Perfect baby food, by the way, rice, corn, melts in your mouth.
*Research shows that babies have a very sensitive gag-reflex. This means that if something too big comes in contact with the back of their throat they will gag it out. Not vomit it, not choke on it. It won't become stuck in their windpipe or esophagus because they gag it out before it even gets close. If it's small enough, it goes down nicely. This is why you can give them real foods and not worry about them choking, their built-in gag-reflex keeps it safe. (most of the time, granted you still have to be careful, you know, common sense!) Karter did gag out a piece of banana that was too big, then continued eating the rest of it.
Karter tries some food about once a day. Not even every day. We had rice for dinner, he tried some of that. He sucked on a plain piece of chicken. He had some carrots that were in our pot roast. He had some chunks of avocado and mango. At this point, the bigger the chunks, the better so he can grab and gnaw at it. Besides the obvious dairy, egg, nut, and tomato (too acidic) there's not much that's off limits. Think about it, in Japan they're eating fish, rice, sushi, etc. In third world countries where there is no such thing as jars of baby food, they eat warthog, native vegetables, whatever is it that the family eats. =) And, it works for us. It's less time consuming. It's less money on my grocery bill (well until he gets a big appetite like Kian and Kevin!) and it allows Karter to take the lead on what and how much he wants to eat and he gets real food from the get to, no transitioning over from pureed to chunky to table foods. And these days, I need easy!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning
I waited longer this time around, which is closer to the AAP guidelines for solids foods (6 months) even though doctors tell you to go ahead at 4 months, conflicting anyone? When he started grabbing things and eating them, I figured that was his sign he was ready. With Kian I started around 5 months with some purees that I made from fruits and vegetables. Because i do lots of reading (read: obsessed with Internet) I had come across the child-led feeding/weaning school of thought. I was intrigued and incorporated both in my feeding of Kian. At one meal he'd have rice cereal with peaches and also be gnawing on a broccoli stalk. Kian was easy, wanted to eat anything and everything, nothing bothered him, not flavors, not textures, etc. So, it worked and by 9 months he was eating mostly along with us, purees left in the dust by then. Easy, peasy.
Things are a bit different with Karter as he has the milk allergy and the reflux still pops up from time to time. Yes, still. They say milk allergy can disappear at 6 mos, 1 year, 3 years or never. Well, he's about 6 months and guess what, I tested it again and still tons of spitting up, gurgly reflux that night and nasty diapers. We really aren't missing the dairy, except occasionally when I see someone with a steamy, gooey piece of pizza. Knowing his system was already sensitive, I held off on trying solids. Until that fateful night, holding them both on my lap, Kian's banana in my hand, in front of Karter's face. Chomp. He was in love. He went to town. Then a few nights later he grabbed my cracker and devoured it before I even noticed. All in the mouth, not fell on the floor like I thought. Okay, so he's ready for food, let's try this.
Let me interject on myself here and explain why I love this child-led feeding so much. For one, it's easier, on your time, energy, and wallet. No extra foods to buy, no special jars or toddler foods (that, my friends, is just a cash gimmick. No reason gerber needed to make "toddler foods" except for more moola, but that's another post.) whatever baby eats should already be in your home. No need to prepare anything extra on top of what you're already making for the rest of the family. I just take out a portion before adding any salt or spicy seasonings to the meal and it's "baby friendly".
Second, in working at daycares and in Early Intervention, there are a TON of kids who have texture issues, who have oral motor problems, etc. Why? one school of thought is that these pureed foods don't lend to learning how to chew properly (you just suck if off the spoon, like soup, no jaw movement involved). Also, giving a baby soft, mushy foods for months, then throwing adult-like food at them can be confusing and they will continue to prefer the soft textures and resist anything chunky, clumpy, crunchy, etc. And another thing, you don't sit there and push mashed, stinky peas in their mouth, spit it out, push it in, spit it out, over and over. You give the child the control over eating. Since breastmilk (or formula) should be their man nutrition for the first year, you don't need to worry about how many tablespoons of x,y,z they just ate. You read their cues on hunger. This also helps with diet and portion control later in life.
Okay, so, yeah. Baby-led. Let's also be honest, I don't have time to try to shove jar food in his mouth or make my own this time around as much as I would like, working and all. Superwoman, I am not. Besides, this boy, he loves his mama milk and is just all about tasting things for now. So, how does it work? Why did I decide this route? Because after the banana incident, I tried oatmeal. I tried it 1. because I fell prey to the old wives' tale that it would make him sleep better at night (didn't work for Kian either) and 2. I figured that was the next step I should take. Wrong. After several attempts at oatmeal and rice, with or without banana, he spit it out and refused. And I began noticing he was chewing. Chewing the oatmeal that really couldn't be chewed. I gave him a whole banana. He chewed and chomped and sucked and mashed and ate some, but mostly just tasted. Afterall, tasting is only one of the senses involved in eating. At a restaurant you want your food to look and smell good too, right? Then he tried a cocopop and loved it. Perfect baby food, by the way, rice, corn, melts in your mouth.
*Research shows that babies have a very sensitive gag-reflex. This means that if something too big comes in contact with the back of their throat they will gag it out. Not vomit it, not choke on it. It won't become stuck in their windpipe or esophagus because they gag it out before it even gets close. If it's small enough, it goes down nicely. This is why you can give them real foods and not worry about them choking, their built-in gag-reflex keeps it safe. (most of the time, granted you still have to be careful, you know, common sense!) Karter did gag out a piece of banana that was too big, then continued eating the rest of it.
Karter tries some food about once a day. Not even every day. We had rice for dinner, he tried some of that. He sucked on a plain piece of chicken. He had some carrots that were in our pot roast. He had some chunks of avocado and mango. At this point, the bigger the chunks, the better so he can grab and gnaw at it. Besides the obvious dairy, egg, nut, and tomato (too acidic) there's not much that's off limits. Think about it, in Japan they're eating fish, rice, sushi, etc. In third world countries where there is no such thing as jars of baby food, they eat warthog, native vegetables, whatever is it that the family eats. =) And, it works for us. It's less time consuming. It's less money on my grocery bill (well until he gets a big appetite like Kian and Kevin!) and it allows Karter to take the lead on what and how much he wants to eat and he gets real food from the get to, no transitioning over from pureed to chunky to table foods. And these days, I need easy!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning
*Many parents are used to the idea of giving babies puréed food and to some, giving such a young child finger food might sound dangerous. However, babies weaned using the baby-led method are actually less likely to choke on their food, as they are not capable of moving food from the front of the mouth to the back until they have learned to chew [1]. In turn, they do not learn to chew until they have learned to grasp objects and place them in their mouth. Therefore the baby's general development keeps pace with her ability to manage food.
If a child gets a piece of food too far back in their mouth, they will generally promptly clear it themselves by gagging or coughing the piece out [1].
Food should not be placed in the baby's mouth for him or her. If the baby is unable to pick up and grasp the food, it is believed that the baby will also be unable to cope with chewing and swallowing it. It is also very important that the baby is sitting up straight and well supported during mealtimes and never left unattended while self-feeding.
Confessions of a dairy free cow: I don't really miss it
So, I have been officially off dairy for 2.5 months now. Yes, there is the occasional slip up when eating out or like at holidays when everyone else was cooking. It's hard for me to say no when it's in front of me, so I'd have a few bites here and there. But, overall cow's milk has been replaced by rice milk (soy was attempted but Karter reacted to that as well, and Kian broke out in a rash all over his face with it) butter by margerine, olive oil, etc.
It's stretched my cooking creativities to replace things or make them another way. By and large, most recipes that call for mlik can use water. If not, then I just try things another way. It hasn't been too bad. And it has caused us to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. Most processed foods have milk, whey or casein in them to add protein or calories, so it's limited processed foods, which is a good thing! Gone are the days when I'd chomp on granola bars on the fly, crackers and cheese are out the window (most crackers have whey in them!) I'm much more conscious of what I eat now. And I thought I was good at it before! Reading labels and such...
I always made healthier choices, but not it's a necessity. And, I feel better for it. Yesterday my mom brought a crackers and cheese plate, and Savannah and Kiara made chocolate truffles with heavy cream...temptation! I tried the truffles-delish! And while cleaning up there was 2 lonely pieces of cheese left. I should have thrown them out. But, my impulsiveness overtook me and before I knew it those 2 pieces were in my mouth, after all I haven't had cheese since mid-September. Bad choice. Poor Karter's been up all night reflux, rumbly tummy and projectile vomiting across the couch. And has a little rash. That's fun. (Makes me wonder what would happen if I was the kind of mom who ignored the signs of the milk allergy and kept eating/drinking dairy or if I was a formula mom--he'd be the most miserable baby and have tons of problems!) So, it's just not worth it! Plus last night after those few dairy things I noticed myself clearing my throat a lot and having some extra mucous in there-haha sorry to share!
Overall, I do not miss it. I was never a milk drinker, just splashed some in my cereal. Rice milk takes care of that. I've figured out lots of ways to make things dairy free. Casseroles are a bit of a stretch because they all call for cheese or cream soups. I'm still working on that one! I did make a spaghetti/chicken/spinach casserole thing using broth. Not quite the same, but hey, they ate it! I do not miss milk at all, I don't really miss cheese, ice cream? not so much, there's plenty of great sorbets and fruit pops. Spinach artichoke dip would put me over the edge if I saw it, but I'll just keep that out of my mind. Mashed potatoes can be made with plain rice milk and margarine and I don't notice a difference--I'm sure hardcore dairy loves might, but not me. Cheese on tacos and other Mexican foods is replaced with olives and avocado chunks; this gives that fat that cheese used to put on there (but the good fats!) and adds better flavor too. I haven't really had a craving for any dairy products at all. Kevin is the only one who continues to want cow's milk, but will use margarine and all my other substitutes. The farther away I get from it, the better I feel. Sometimes I consider going vegetarian, since we're almost there with our barely eating meat ways. Shopping and creating these foods is harder task than not eating or not wanting it! I'm just over dairy I guess. =)
It's stretched my cooking creativities to replace things or make them another way. By and large, most recipes that call for mlik can use water. If not, then I just try things another way. It hasn't been too bad. And it has caused us to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. Most processed foods have milk, whey or casein in them to add protein or calories, so it's limited processed foods, which is a good thing! Gone are the days when I'd chomp on granola bars on the fly, crackers and cheese are out the window (most crackers have whey in them!) I'm much more conscious of what I eat now. And I thought I was good at it before! Reading labels and such...
I always made healthier choices, but not it's a necessity. And, I feel better for it. Yesterday my mom brought a crackers and cheese plate, and Savannah and Kiara made chocolate truffles with heavy cream...temptation! I tried the truffles-delish! And while cleaning up there was 2 lonely pieces of cheese left. I should have thrown them out. But, my impulsiveness overtook me and before I knew it those 2 pieces were in my mouth, after all I haven't had cheese since mid-September. Bad choice. Poor Karter's been up all night reflux, rumbly tummy and projectile vomiting across the couch. And has a little rash. That's fun. (Makes me wonder what would happen if I was the kind of mom who ignored the signs of the milk allergy and kept eating/drinking dairy or if I was a formula mom--he'd be the most miserable baby and have tons of problems!) So, it's just not worth it! Plus last night after those few dairy things I noticed myself clearing my throat a lot and having some extra mucous in there-haha sorry to share!
Overall, I do not miss it. I was never a milk drinker, just splashed some in my cereal. Rice milk takes care of that. I've figured out lots of ways to make things dairy free. Casseroles are a bit of a stretch because they all call for cheese or cream soups. I'm still working on that one! I did make a spaghetti/chicken/spinach casserole thing using broth. Not quite the same, but hey, they ate it! I do not miss milk at all, I don't really miss cheese, ice cream? not so much, there's plenty of great sorbets and fruit pops. Spinach artichoke dip would put me over the edge if I saw it, but I'll just keep that out of my mind. Mashed potatoes can be made with plain rice milk and margarine and I don't notice a difference--I'm sure hardcore dairy loves might, but not me. Cheese on tacos and other Mexican foods is replaced with olives and avocado chunks; this gives that fat that cheese used to put on there (but the good fats!) and adds better flavor too. I haven't really had a craving for any dairy products at all. Kevin is the only one who continues to want cow's milk, but will use margarine and all my other substitutes. The farther away I get from it, the better I feel. Sometimes I consider going vegetarian, since we're almost there with our barely eating meat ways. Shopping and creating these foods is harder task than not eating or not wanting it! I'm just over dairy I guess. =)
Hidden calories...in your drink?
Following on the tails of yesterday's post, I thought I'd delve a little more into hidden calories. I briefly mentioned drinks in our house and that we don't have many of them. We mostly drink water. Kevin drinks lots of water and eats all the vegetables and "crap" I make and his family still cannot believe it. I got him out of his hamburger helper upbringing hehe.
But, they also think I'm weird when I tell them that Kian cannot have more juice, cannot have xxx whatever to drink. He and I have a little orange juice (or which ever juice we bought that week) in the morning with breakfast, and that is it. He loves water and asks for it often. If he asks for milk he can have it, but I don't offer it. I always just give him water unless he specifies. (Side note is that I stopped buying cow's milk for him this month so Kevin is the only one who has it in the house, and Kian drinks rice milk with me. He gets plenty of calcium and protein in other ways.) This is odd to many people who repeatedly fill their child's cups (and *gasp* bottles) with iced tea, koolaid, and juice.
[Please note, that at holidays, birthdays, special things, I do let him have other drinks and other foods that I normally say no to, he's not deprived.]
Anyways, the point of this is to talk about the hidden calories in drinks. People really do not pay attention to what their are drinking a lot of the time. They will down a snapple or soda with dinner and not think twice. Many people try to lose weight and don't understand why they can't lose that last 5 pounds. Nix the sports drink, the glass of wine at night, the Pepsi with dinner and voila! You will have lost it.
Reading the label and understanding that one bottle of Snapple, Arizona tea, Sobe, whatever it is, is not just one serving-it's two! That means you might think you're only drinking 150 calories, but that's a serving size and your bottle is 2 servings. If you down that thing in one sitting, or with a meal, you're taking in an extra 300 calories you don't even think about. One day spent with my mother I watched her drink 2 huge fancy coffee/latte things and yet not eat all day. She kept saying she wasn't hungry. Then I realized and said "that's because you just drank your days' worth of calories. You took in your calories in liquid form instead of food form, (and also missing vital nutrients in the process)".
Most drinks do not provide the vitamins and minerals and nutrients needed, especially those ones that contain little or no real juice. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of sugar in these drinks. Going to the dentist often for cavities? Check your drinks! A can of coke or Pepsi has 12 teaspoons of sugar-twelve!! I watched Supernanny measure it out for a dad one day, he finally got it and got rid of it for the kids. Soda tends to be acidic, weakening the enamel on the tooth, and also full of sugar, which then attaches to that weakened tooth enamel, causing lots of dental problems. Not cool!
So, this is why my child drinks mostly water. This is why I limit his juice intake and decline other drinks. This is why pediatricians are telling parents to follow the 4 oz of 100% juice per day. That is not much, it's one small juicey juice box. Most kids are getting 4 times that each day. This is why we're seeing obesity rising in children...well that and the crazy amount of video games and tv time they get. I know that I am a 'health nut' or 'food fanatic' or whatever else you want to call me, but the more I learn and know about our bodies, and how food can help, heal, restore or break it down, the more careful we are with what we put in it. I know there's going to be a day when my children eats tons of garbage at school or with their friends or when they're on their own, but at least right now I can start them off right and hope it sticks with them!
And I realize I jumped from hidden calories in drinks to healthy eating back to drink and all over the place. I had to really stop myself, I could have gone on all day with this healthy eating post. I should pick a day and implement healthy eating/living ideas...
But, they also think I'm weird when I tell them that Kian cannot have more juice, cannot have xxx whatever to drink. He and I have a little orange juice (or which ever juice we bought that week) in the morning with breakfast, and that is it. He loves water and asks for it often. If he asks for milk he can have it, but I don't offer it. I always just give him water unless he specifies. (Side note is that I stopped buying cow's milk for him this month so Kevin is the only one who has it in the house, and Kian drinks rice milk with me. He gets plenty of calcium and protein in other ways.) This is odd to many people who repeatedly fill their child's cups (and *gasp* bottles) with iced tea, koolaid, and juice.
[Please note, that at holidays, birthdays, special things, I do let him have other drinks and other foods that I normally say no to, he's not deprived.]
Anyways, the point of this is to talk about the hidden calories in drinks. People really do not pay attention to what their are drinking a lot of the time. They will down a snapple or soda with dinner and not think twice. Many people try to lose weight and don't understand why they can't lose that last 5 pounds. Nix the sports drink, the glass of wine at night, the Pepsi with dinner and voila! You will have lost it.
Reading the label and understanding that one bottle of Snapple, Arizona tea, Sobe, whatever it is, is not just one serving-it's two! That means you might think you're only drinking 150 calories, but that's a serving size and your bottle is 2 servings. If you down that thing in one sitting, or with a meal, you're taking in an extra 300 calories you don't even think about. One day spent with my mother I watched her drink 2 huge fancy coffee/latte things and yet not eat all day. She kept saying she wasn't hungry. Then I realized and said "that's because you just drank your days' worth of calories. You took in your calories in liquid form instead of food form, (and also missing vital nutrients in the process)".
Most drinks do not provide the vitamins and minerals and nutrients needed, especially those ones that contain little or no real juice. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of sugar in these drinks. Going to the dentist often for cavities? Check your drinks! A can of coke or Pepsi has 12 teaspoons of sugar-twelve!! I watched Supernanny measure it out for a dad one day, he finally got it and got rid of it for the kids. Soda tends to be acidic, weakening the enamel on the tooth, and also full of sugar, which then attaches to that weakened tooth enamel, causing lots of dental problems. Not cool!
So, this is why my child drinks mostly water. This is why I limit his juice intake and decline other drinks. This is why pediatricians are telling parents to follow the 4 oz of 100% juice per day. That is not much, it's one small juicey juice box. Most kids are getting 4 times that each day. This is why we're seeing obesity rising in children...well that and the crazy amount of video games and tv time they get. I know that I am a 'health nut' or 'food fanatic' or whatever else you want to call me, but the more I learn and know about our bodies, and how food can help, heal, restore or break it down, the more careful we are with what we put in it. I know there's going to be a day when my children eats tons of garbage at school or with their friends or when they're on their own, but at least right now I can start them off right and hope it sticks with them!
And I realize I jumped from hidden calories in drinks to healthy eating back to drink and all over the place. I had to really stop myself, I could have gone on all day with this healthy eating post. I should pick a day and implement healthy eating/living ideas...
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