Baby’s First Food!

Sorry I’ve been MIA recently…I promise to start blogging more regularly again!  In addition to posts about healthy eating, nutrition tips, and easy meals I’m also going to be doing some posts about feeding babies!

This past weekend, our now 5 month old Hannah ate her first solids!

The current recommendation is to give your baby solids between 4-6 months.  Talk to your pediatrician before doing so.  Why did we decide to give Hannah her solids at 5 months?  Here were the queues that she was ready:

• She can sit up with support
• She does not thrust out her tongue anymore when something goes in her mouth
• She is interested in food (she watches me eat and reaches for my plate when I have her on my lap).

What to give baby first?

• Baby rice cereal is recommended as the baby’s first solid food.
• Baby rice cereal is a very low allergy food.

How to Feed Baby:

• Choose to feed your baby when he or she is happy and not starving or very full.  Usually halfway between feedings is a good time to do so.
• Take 1 Tablespoon of baby rice cereal and mix with a few Tablespoons of breast milk or formula.
• Use a soft spoon so you don’t harm baby’s gum.
• Take a tiny bit of the cereal on the end of the spoon and touch to baby’s lips.
• This is totally new to the baby and she or he might be very apprehensive at first.  Some babies eat with gusto at first, while others shy away.
• Be very patient with the baby and continue to give him or her tiny bits more.
• When he or she starts turning her head away and closing his or her mouth when you bring the spoon close, then consider the feeding done!
• You can start off once or twice a day.
• The first feedings are meant to get your baby used to the spoon and food, and getting used to eating rather than drinking.
• Don’t be concerned if they only take a couple tiny bites.  This is a learning process!

 

Breastfeeding Diet Breakdown

You now have an extra 500 calories per day in your diet, but you may be wondering what types of foods you should eat.  You certainly don’t want those 500 calories coming from an ice cream sundae daily.  Your nutrition now is very important.

Here’s what you need more of:

Protein: Make sure to have some source of protein with each meal and snack.  Most people don’t have to worry about their protein intake (even when breastfeeding) unless you eat a low protein diet or are vegetarian or vegan.  Foods high in protein are: poultry, beef, fish/shellfish, pork, eggs, dairy, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy.

Calcium: Low fat and fat free milk, yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese.  Other foods that are high in calcium are calcium-fortified orange juice, tofu, leafy greens, canned salmon with bones, sardines and almonds.

Zinc: Plant and animal proteins, oysters and wheat germ.

Folic Acid: Beans and dark-green leafy vegetables

Vitamin E: Vegetable oil, wheat germ, nuts, and dark-green leafy vegetables

Vitamin B6: Meat, whole grain cereals, dark-green leafy vegetables, potatoes, and bananas

Vitamin C: Citrus fruit, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, kiwi, cauliflower and kale

Vitamin B12: Animal protein

Ribloflavin: Animal protein, mushrooms,dark-green leafy vegetables, and fortified grains

Vitamin A: Organ meat, fortified dairy products, dark-green leafy vegetables, deep yellow/orange colored fruits and vegetables

As you can see if you eat a varied diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fat you will likely get all that you need and take your prenatal vitamin to fill in any gaps.

The Breastfeeding Diet

After giving birth you may think about going on a diet or cutting calories in order to lose the baby weight.  If you are breastfeeding it’s really important not to try to lose the weight too quickly otherwise you may compromise the quality and quantity of your breast milk.  Once breastfeeding, some women drop the weight very quickly and others hold on to the weight and have trouble dropping the rest until they stop breastfeeding.  Either way, know that your diet right now is very important so if you are not able to maintain a good diet with adequate calories then breastfeeding may not be right for you.

During the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy you needed extra calories.  But guess what, while breastfeeding you have to keep those extra calories up or have even more!  Approximately an extra 500 calories are needed while breastfeeding.  And those calories shouldn’t come from junk (a little is ok).  You want to make the quality of your diet as good as possible.

Guess what?  You can now say hello to: sushi, deli meats, unpasteurized cheeses, runny yolks and sprouts!

Things to Keep in Mind While Breastfeeding

• Continue taking your prenatal vitamin!
• Key nutrients are: protein, calcium, zinc, folic acid, and vitamins E and B6.
• Hydration is very important – make sure to have a large glass of water whenever you are nursing.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol
• Fish recommendations remain the same from pregnancy
• Sugar substitute recommendations are the same from pregnancy

For Baby: The only supplement your baby needs while breastfeeding is 400IU of vitamin D.  This is essential since the mother’s milk does not provide enough vitamin D.

Many women miss alcohol during their pregnancy, so it’s ok to have some while you are breastfeeding.  Try to have the drink right after your nurse.  I really enjoy a glass of wine now and then.  Right now I feed Hannah around 7pm and she goes to bed by 8pm.  We have dinner once we put her down for the night and it works perfectly to have a glass of wine with dinner since I just fed her.  It’s a great way to relax and unwind (not every night though!).  If you still feel the effects of the alcohol then it’s best not to nurse and instead pump and dump the milk.

Next Post: Breastfeeding Diet Breakdown

To Breastfeed or Not

As a new mom I’ve learned how much pressure new moms feel to breastfeed.  As a dietitian breastfeeding was something I always wanted to do since I know how great it is for mom and baby.  However, it does not always go as smoothly as everyone hopes.  Luckily, Hannah is a good eater and we haven’t had any issues thus far.

The pros of breastfeeding for baby:

• optimal nutrition
• it’s easy for the baby to digest
• strong immune component for baby
• reduced risk of respiratory infection, gastrointestinal infections, asthma, obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, hypercholesteremia and childhood lukemia
• reduced rates of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)
• promotes bonding with mother
• reduced rates of allergies and intolerances
• helps promote proper jaw and teeth development
• may increase intelligence and school performance through adolescence

The pros of breastfeeding for mom:

• it’s free and doesn’t involve any preparation
• promotes strong bond with baby
• helps shrink uterus
• helps mom return to pre-pregnancy size sooner
• reduces postpartum bleeding
• decreased risk for: type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and postpartum depression
• improved bone density

Even though there are so many benefits of breastfeeding it does not mean that formula is bad!  You have to make the right choice for your own lifestyle, comfort level and medical situation.  Some women just don’t produce enough milk.  Some babies are not able to latch on properly.  Some women are not around their babies enough to do so and pumping may not be realistic.  Whatever your reason is, it’s important not to feel guilty if you are not able to breastfeed.

Since I have returned to work part-time I pump enough milk to provide Hannah with breast milk even when I’m not home.  I also give her bottles when we’re out in public which makes me more comfortable.  Again you have to do what is right for YOU!  This has been working really well for us and I hope to continue doing this till she is at least 6 months and I’ll evaluate at that point whether I want to continue or not.

Coming up in my next post:  The breastfeeding diet!

I’ll leave you with a couple photos from our recent trip to Bermuda.

Corn & Mango Salad

Corn & Mango Salad

I love all summer fruits and vegetables.  One that I will definitely miss is corn!  There’s nothing like fresh sweet summer corn.  I made this salad recently and can’t wait to make it again before all the delicious fruits and veggies are out of season.  You should try it too!  This made a lot of salad!

Ingredients

• 3 ears of corn, cooked, and sliced off the cob
• 1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, diced
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)
• 1 mango, diced
• 1/3 cup cilantro, minced
• 1 TB olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 TB sherry vinegar (you could use red wine vinegar)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Avocado (optional)

Toss all the ingredients together (except for the avocado).  Let marinate in the fridge for a couple hours, it tastes better with time!  Top with avocado if you like, for me the avocado added a whole other lay of flavor to the salad.

Make it a meal by topping it with grilled chicken or shrimp.  Delicious!

I love making large batches of salads that can stay in the fridge.  It makes for a really easy meal.  If you don’t have any extra chicken lying around but want some protein to round out your meal try having a yogurt for dessert and you’ll be nice and full.

Another Simple Healthy Dinner

As you can tell one of my main priorities right now is putting a healthy dinner on the table.  Since time is hard to come by simple is the key!

Baked salmon with roasted asparagus and kombucha squash.

The prep time was 15 minutes!  For this dinner, once everything is prepped you just let the oven do the rest.  The result: a healthy and delicious dinner on the table.

Here’s the prep:

Kombucha Squash: The cutting of the squash took the most prep time out of all.  Make sure to be careful, cutting hard squash can be dangerous!  I sliced the squash and tossed it with some spices (cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, pepper, a dash of sugar and olive oil).

Roasted Asparagus: I washed the asparagus, trimmed off the tough ends and placed the asparagus on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.  Tossed with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Salmon: One of my favorite ways to prepare salmon is to top it off with a little Soy Vay.  You can easily make your own similar marinade, but again when I’m crunched for time using some help from the store is the way to go!

As you can see I lined all my baking dishes with aluminum foil to allow for easy clean-up.  I know it’s not that environmentally friendly but the last thing I want to do at night is scrub baking dishes, they are a real pain to clean!

I preheated the oven to 425 degrees.  The squash takes about 40 minutes total.  So I put the squash in first.  After 20 minutes, I flipped the squash and then added the salmon and asparagus to the oven.  The greatest part about oven dinners is that you can do other things while the oven is doing the work.  In no time dinner was ready.

I try to make salmon one time a week since it’s so healthy.  It’s also very easy to cook.

What’s your favorite way to prepare salmon?  Have you ever tried Kombucha Squash?  More about salmon and kombucha to come!

Super Simple & Healthy Dinner

These days I’m looking for dinners that I can make in very little time and with few ingredients.  I usually want to spend no more than 15 minutes prepping dinner.  One of my favorite proteins to cook with is chicken sausage – it’s fully seasoned, very flavorful, healthy and easy to cook with!  This past week I made a simple saute of chicken sausage with peppers and onions.  I served it with an ear of corn and some roasted broccoli.

This dinner came together in a matter of minutes.

For the chicken sausage with peppers and onions all I did was saute the onions in a little olive oil, once soft I added the bell peppers.  Then I added in the chicken sausages and cooked until heated through.

For the corn on the cob I simply husked the ear of corn, wrapped it in a damp paper towel and microwaved it for 3 minutes.  When corn is fresh you don’t need to add a thing, it’s so flavorful!

For the roasted broccoli, I just coated it with cooking spray, salt and pepper and roasted it in a 450 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

As you  can see – the only prep work was cutting onions, peppers and broccoli and husking the corn!  In 20 minutes I had a very nutritious meal that provided protein (chicken sausage) carbs (corn) and fat (olive oil) and lots of vitamins and minerals from all the vegetables (onions, peppers, broccoli and corn!).

Make Things Easy!

When you have a baby your life literally gets turned upside down.  If you were an organized person who liked to plan a lot (like me!) suddenly you can’t do that anymore!  You have to go with the flow.  Right now I’m having a hard time finding time to do anything because Hannah refuses to nap 🙂

Even though life is crazy and being organized is not really happening, it’s not an excuse to lead an unhealthy lifestyle.  So what do I recommend?  You must make things easy on yourself!  Here are some recommendations:

1. Get groceries delivered!  I’ve spoken about Fresh Direct before, but now I’m even a greater advocate.  Having your groceries delivered is definitely the way to go.  At night once Hannah goes to sleep I can try to think about what I need in the apartment for some simple meals and snacks and place an order.  It’s so simple!
2. Buy prepped food.  You will pay extra, but if it actually makes you use the food then it’s worth it!  Buy the pre-chopped fruits and vegetables.  Spring for the thin cut chicken cutlets.  Choose the lettuce in the bag (even though you should still wash it before eating).
3. Treat yourself!  You may not have the time to make a salad – all the chopping and prepping can take a lot of time.  So treat yourself to a salad out – this way you know you’re getting in a healthy meal, and not spending all the time making it yourself!
4. Keep frozen meals on hand.  Eating fresh is the way to go, but sometimes it is just not possible!  Keep frozen meals around so you can have a quick meal in a pinch.  My favorites are Kashi and Amy’s.  Bulk them up with frozen vegetables, you can microwave them all together.   And it’s healthier than takeout!
5. Buy pre-made food from your local health food store.  If you have a Whole Foods near by or something similar shop from their prepared food section.  There will be lots of healthy choices and all you have to do is warm it up!  At Whole Foods you can buy pre-made salmon or chicken, lots of wonderful veggies and delicious whole grains.  Just be careful that the things you choose aren’t swimming in oil – just because it comes from a health food store does not mean it’s healthy!

How do you make things easier on yourself?

Quick & Healthy Lunch

The baby is sleeping…so I can squeeze in a quick post.

I wanted to show you what I ate for lunch today, it took less than 5 minutes to prepare and it was delicious and healthy!

I made a turkey sandwich which consisted of:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• Applegate Farms turkey breast
• 1 Light Laughing Cow wedge
• Dijon mustard
• Romaine lettuce
• Roasted red peppers

On the side I had cole slaw that I made for dinner last night using this recipe – I highly recommend it!  I made a few changes – I omitted the onions and peppers (didn’t have any) and used less oil and sugar.  I also enjoyed an organic peach from my CSA.  Actually a lot of the food was from my CSA: romaine lettuce, cabbage and the peach!

I love this meal because it’s high in fiber (whole wheat bread, lettuce, peppers, cabbage, and the peach) and high in protein (turkey).  It’s full of color which means it contains a wide variety of nutrients and will keep me full do the combination of protein and fiber!  Add in deliciousness and it’s a winning combo!

If I can make a healthy lunch in minutes with a screaming baby in my arm – you can too!

Here’s a recent photo of us from the July 4th weekend:

I’m Back with a Baby!

Sorry I’ve been MIA this past month – things have been quite busy!

On Friday May 21st at 5:40 in the morning I gave birth to my beautiful daughter Hannah at 7lbs 4oz.  She is amazing and makes us so incredibly happy.  But at the same time, I’ve never felt busier and more tired in my life!  You’ll have to bear with me as I slowly ease my way back into blogging.  Free time is very hard to come by these days – and I haven’t mastered typing and holding a baby at the same time.   The little free time I do have has been spent going for walks, attending mommy groups, and attempting to cook or clean!  Meals have been super simple.  One thing I will cover in the coming weeks will be how to maximize the little free time you have and still manage to eat healthy when you don’t think you can!

Here’s a photo of us from when she was a few days old:

This photo is from when she was 9 days old:

And I’ll leave you with a photo of me the day before I gave birth, make-up free heading to the hospital:

Thanks for being patient!