Category: Nutrition

How memories can influence eating habits…

It’s been a while, work and family and the dog and growing veg has all meant no time for writing posts.

Also, I am vegan now – as of Monday. So I haven’t been feeling creative with food as have been wanting to stop eating dairy, eggs and fish which were the last animal products still in my diet.

So it’s just me in my family whose vegan at the moment, they don’t know it but eventually I will only be cooking vegan meals at home, it’s a time of transition.

Anyway, I’ve had this short blog post in my mind for a long time.

Carrots

My mum was ahead of her time in many ways. She worked Earthscan publishing, and I can remember on one of our visits to Wales her taking us to the newly established, Centre for Alternative Technology, she also stayed at the Findhorn Garden and was very much a free spirit. One year, I can’t remember whether it was 1976 or 1977 – we went on a train to Wales to go to a festival at Tipi Village. We hitched a lift with friends and stayed in their tipi.

I will never forget that weekend, though it’s very vague now. But one thing has stayed with me – carrots. There were sacks of carrots scattered around the site – and all the children would grab a carrot as they ran past. I can remember cantering round the site, pretending to be horses and munching carrots.

Now, most times I go shopping, I buy organic British carrots (non organic and/or imported just don’t have that carroty flavour).  I eat them whole on the way home. And yes I don’t wash them but with them being organic, I don’t have to worry about pesticide residues.

Every time I eat one I think of that festival, every time. My children usually have one and though it might not be as exciting as a festival, maybe when they grow up, sometimes they’ll eat carrots whole and remember being with me.

Food Associations

So it’s not a randomised control study, it’s anecdotal evidence. But it illustrates if you give fruit and veggies to children at celebrations, events and special times,* they will associate them with positive feelings and memories and by doing so, you’re helping lay down healthy eating habits for adulthood.

*Also I’d say every mealtime and snacks too but really that goes without saying.

Toddler trials and tribulations and avoiding them at mealtimes

DSCN7424

My two year old is very wilful which I love. Why would I ever want her to be a compliant follower? I want her to be fierce and strong and kind too.

We have tantrums and frustrations regularly. Quite often over getting undressed, “I want to do it” she tells me through cries and stamping her feet. it’s tricky to try and get your elbow out of a sleeve isn’t it!

Parenting makes me want to be the best person I can. In the midst of these moments I try and draw on strength to keep the boundaries in place with kindness so I am doing so with an understanding heart. That way I hope teach my children how to be strong and kind too.

If the boundaries are allowed to be pushed we end up in a power struggle where no one wins, and I don’t want to go there.

But I’m not moaning, because most of the time, she’s just about perfect to me.

Food

This is the age (usually from around 18 months depending on the child) when fussy or picky eating can start. And this is what’s happening for me! So I am having to remind myself of the basic advice that I usually give to parents. It’s pretty simple.

Start as you mean to go on

As long as your little one has been able to play and explore food from weaning age, had a wide variety of different (unprocessed) healthy foods, not been given salty/sugary foods regularly, then fussy eating shouldn’t be a problem long term.

From what I have experienced, children who have only ever been spoon fed (no finger food) and especially readymade meals can tend to be fussy eaters. Imagine if all that you’ve eaten has always had similar taste and texture and you’re not used to touching food. You would be a fussy eater too.

Whether you wean traditionally with  a combination of finger food and purees/mashed food or go down babbled weaning route, either of these approaches will give your little one a good start.

If your child won’t eat veg at all, there is a great resource designed by Dr Lucy Cooke at UCL. The pack is called Tiny Tastes and costs £7.99 including p&p. It’s been evaluated and the results, showed this approach had positive impact on children’s eating habits. Findings were published in the peer reviewed journals including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Psychology Science. For extreme fussy eating you need to speak to your GP who can refer you to your local dietetics service.

New foods

Up until around 18 months babies are open to trying new foods. Research shows that giving a new food once in the first year can double a baby’s intake of that food when a parent offers it again at mealtime.*

When toddlers start to walk and become more mobile, some develop neophobia (a fear of new foods). Academics think that young children have evolved in this way to prevent them from eating toxic or poisonous substances that they might come across in their immediate environment. So any food that they do not recognise as ‘normal food’ is seen as a potential danger and is a means to protect them from being poisoned. It tends to peak at between 2 and 6 years old but older children can be neophobic , particularly if parents/carers limit the variety of foods they eat.**

So you have about a year from weaning to introduce as many different foods as possible. And as much as possible.

Food refusal

For some children refusing to eat food they’ve happily eaten before is a great way to get your attention. So don’t give too much, just tell them it would be great if they do eat it. And if they do give them lots of praise and if they don’t then take the plate away at the end of mealtime without saying anything. Vying for attention with a sibling can be another motivation.

Sometimes too,  it can be a way to exert their independence.

It’s all about taking the charge away from food (i.e. keep it neutral) so that it’s not something they can use to get a reaction out of you.

I do find this particularly hard, I pretty much cook from scratch all the time, so when food’s pushed away, I have to keep a poker face.

If your child refuses to eat their main meal then do offer them a pudding, as again this keeps things neutral. You just need to make it something that nutritious! So something that’s fruit based and/or dairy based. And not high in sugar, that’s right, not high in sugar!

Never withhold food as a punishment.

Also if they’re hungry just before bed and this is may be due to not eating enough at teatime, then make them something plan like bread and butter.

Refusing old favourites

Sometimes children will suddenly hate or dislike something they’ve happily eaten for ages. It’s possible their tastes have changed, but sometimes it can be a way to get attention/exert independence. So the best thing to do is still offer the food, a little on their plate (not touching other foods if need be!) and praise them if they eat it or take it away at the end of the meal without comment if they don’t.

Try it

If they tell you they don’t like something or they won’t eat it. Just suggest they try it and that they don’t have to eat it, just trying is enough.

Peers

Research shows that when children eat with their peers their more likely to try previously refused foods. Lots of parents will find children happily eat foods at nursery that they refuse at home, part of the reason for this can be because their being influenced by other children. So if you know any children who eat really well get them round for tea!

Childcare

A good barometer is what your child eats with other people. If your childminder or nursery tells you that they eat well, then there may be a power play going on at home. So look for ways to address it.

Boundaries

So try not to change the foods you’re giving them,  don’t offer more appealing (salty/sugary) foods because you know they’ll eat them happily. This way they’ll just learn that if they refuse the healthy stuff they’ll be offered the treat stuff.

It can be so tricky – last week the toddler had molars coming through too which added another reason not to eat.

Writing this has helped remind me of what I need to do, if you’ve got any other ideas of things that help you please comment – its always good to hear about other people’s experiences and ideas!!

*Reference quoted in a section I contributed to Soil Association’s Nursery Food Report : Birch et al (1998). Development of eating behaviours among children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 101, 539-549. Quoted in Dovey TM et al. Food neophobia and ‘picky/fussy eating in children: A review. Appetite (2007) doi:10.1016/j.appet,2007,09.009.

**Reference again quoted in Soil Association’s Nursery Food Report : Rozin P, (1979) Preference and affect in food selection in JHA Kroeze (Ed). Preference, behaviour and chemoreception (pp 289-297) .

Green juice with watermelon rind and chlorella

IMG_3437Argh!!! This blog post has been sitting in “drafts” for ages. New job, demanding toddler and other things that keep me in the present moment means blog posts tend to languish in drafts or floating round my head!

Anyway…

Like most people with juicers I go through phases of using mine daily and then something will happen, a change in routine and then suddenly it’s back in the cupboard and forgotten about. Initially when I started juicing around 10 years ago, my juices were probably two thirds fruit to a third veg. And now they tend to be mainly vegetables with one or two pieces of fruit to add a little sweetness but not too much sugar.

Juicing is a great way to use up produce that would get thrown out (as long as it’s not too far gone!). This can make for some interesting juices, and you might find some tasty combinations.

Juices and smoothies made mainly from fruit have a high sugar content, so while they’ll be providing you with lots of vitamins and minerals, they will also be contributing to your sugar intake.

Don’t forget your straw

The one thing that’s missing from this photo is a straw, as I had run out of them. Straws help protect your teeth against any free sugars in the juice. If you don’t have a straw have a glass of water after your juice to wash away any lingering sugars.

In this juice:

1 stick of celery

¼ cucumber

Few handfuls of mint from the garden

2 apples

Half a fennel bulb

Chunk of ginger

Watermelon rind

Teaspoon chlorella powder

I would usually put a lemon in too (peeled).

Also I always put green some leafy veg like kale or spinach.

Watermelon rind

My lovely friend, Julie Ann put me onto the idea of using water melon rind in juices. It’s great as means you get no waste at all. The seeds too can be lightly toasted too. Watermelon rind is high in phenolic antioxidants, lycopene, flavinoids and vitamin C . Diets rich in all of these help to reduce our risk of getting cancer.

Chlorella

Chlorella is green algae. As a supplement it comes in a powdered or tablet form. It’s been popular for some time in Japan. And there is evidence that it could help removing heavy metals from the body.

It’s reported to be the richest natural source of chlorophyll which makes plants green transforming sunlight energy to plant fuel.

In one study (which is small) 44 pregnant women’s blood, fat stores, breast milk, placenta and cord blood were measured for dioxins. Half the sample took chlorella supplement and the other didn’t. The researchers found that women who took the supplement had 30% lower levels of dioxins, compared to the control group.

There is also research that suggests that chlorella helps to remove toxic heavy metals out of the body (not clear whether just from digestive tract or also from tissues and muscle). It is thought  that the cell wall binds to the toxins so that they are excreted with the cell walls when stools are passed.

It has a thick cell wall that human enzymes cannot break down, so if you buy it you need to ensure you are buying broken cell wall chlorella.

One study found that it may support immune system. You can read more about it’s possible positive effects at the Linus Pauling Institute page

It’s high in fibre, vitamin B12 (so a great source of B12 for vegans – Vitamin B12 is found in Meat, fish and dairy products in the main, so is a vitamin that vegans need to ensure they get enough of in their diet ).

It’s high in iron too. Because it’s from a plant source this means it is better absorbed alongside vitamin C, so including it in your juice as powder or taking the tablets with your juice is the perfect way to take it, as the juice will be contribute lots of vitamin C.

It’s also high in Vitamin D2 and iodine.

In terms of meeting nutrient requirements (for a woman aged between 19-50 years*), a teaspoon of chlorella will provide at least 100% of your recommended vitamin B12, and over a quarter of your recommended iron intake. It will also provide just under a fifth of recommended iodine intake (iodine supports thyroid function). Vitamin D2 is the plant form of vitamin D and is not so well absorbed by the body as far as we know but it may contribute some depending on how it’s stored and processed and metabolised by the body.

*If you’re interested in knowing how much of these nutrients chlorella would contribute to the diets of other age groups, send me a comment, happy to look this up for you (will be based on UK Recommended intakes).

Chlorella references

Information from Linus Pauling Institute : http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/chlorophyll-chlorophyllin

Morita K, Ogata M, Haegawa T. Chlorophyll derived from Chlorella inhibits dioxin absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and accelerates dioxin excretion in rats. Environ Health Perspect. 2001 Mar; 109 (3) 289-294 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240248/

Nakano S, Takekoshi H, Nakano M. Chlorella (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) supplementation decreases dioxin and increases immunoglobulin a concentrations in breastmilk. J Med Food 2007, Mar; 10(1) 134-42.

http://examine.com/supplements/Chlorella/

Sweet tooth

You can’t have missed the headlines last week about children’s dental health. A survey by government agency, Public Health England, found that on average 12% of 3 year olds have suffered dental decay. Rates were particularly high in Leicester, at 34%.

The BBC stated that “Researchers also said that some children had a particular type of decay known as early childhood caries. This affects the upper front teeth and spreads quickly to other teeth. It is linked to the consumption of sugary drinks in baby bottles or sipping cups.”

It’s interesting that they didn’t mention the increased use of puree pouches. Dentists have previously raised concerns about infants sucking the puree directly from the pouch. This also puts their front teeth in contact with more of the puree than spoon-feeding and so could also be a contributing factor to tooth decay, if consumed in this way regularly.

Pouches

Unfortunately pouches like the ones in the photo do not include recommendations on the packaging stating that they should not be sucked directly from the pouch but served in a bowl.*

Sweet treats

The best way to limit tooth decay is to limit sweets and sugary foods. It’s as simple as that, and everyone knows it. But it can be hard in a culture where sweet treats have become an every day occurrence, to swim against the tide.  Overwhelmingly the foods that are promoted to children – be it Cheerios, Frosties, Penguin bars, Haribos, or Ribena – are high in sugar. Parents get blamed if their children are overweight or have tooth decay. The buck stops with us. But our efforts to get our children to eat healthily are undermined by food industry promotions.

If you give your child sweets or chocolate, smoothies or cake the ideal time is after their main meal, when their teeth are protected by the other foods consumed. It’s also recommended to drink water after eating something sweet to remove at least some of the sugars in the mouth. Drinking through a straw can reduce sugar coming into contact with teeth. Delaying brushing teeth until at least an hour after eating sweet food is also recommended to as tooth enamel is softened in the hour directly after consuming sugars.

Sugar in fruit

Of course, sugar doesn’t just come from sweets, chocolate, cakes biscuits and soft drinks.

Sugar in a whole unprocessed piece of fruit is inside the fruit cells – “inside” means intrinsic. Because they are held inside the cells they come into less contact with the teeth compared to extrinsic sugars. Fruit is therefore fine as a snack between meals as long as it’s not consumed excessively.

Yes you’ve guessed it – “extrinsic” means outside the cells. If you process fruit – whether it’s making a smoothie, pureeing, juicing or drying it, this changes the fruit structure so that sugar is released – becomes extrinsic and therefore comes into more contact with teeth. This means regularly consuming fruit in these forms in between meals leads to greater risk of tooth decay.

The term non milk extrinsic sugars refers to these sugars, and whilst sugar in milk is extrinsic, it doesn’t cause dental decay – which is why they’re called “non milk”.

Snacks

Generally, the advice is to avoid giving sugary food and drinks including smoothies, purees, dried fruit, fruit juice and sugar sweetened milkshakes, between meals.

So that includes these dried fruit snacks (below) and similar types of dried fruit bars and strips. They contain concentrated sugars that stick to teeth. Basically if it looks and tastes like a sweet, even if it is made of 100% fruit, then treat it like a sweet.
DSCN6817

Research from the British Dental Association has found that the acidity ph for smoothies was below 5.5, at which teeth are more likely to become eroded.

Drinks

The best drinks to protect children’s teeth and health are water and milk. Fruit juice can be drunk at mealtimes, watered down so it’s half water half juice. But is not needed as an every day drink. If you are already giving juice, squash, sugary drinks or fizzy drinks to your children try and reduce gradually over time, with squash and juice you can gradually water it down so that it’s more water eventually and then switch over to water. Making changes to children’s diets that are gradual tends to works well.

Even sugar free drinks can be damaging to teeth if consumed between meals as they can be acidic. Also they are usually sweetened with artificial sweeteners, which are not recommended for young children. (Under EU regulations any weaning food or drink is not permitted to contain artificial sweeteners).

Never give a soft drink in a sippy cup or bottle as again, the sugars come into contact with teeth more. Advice is to give young children drinks from a free flowing cup.

Brushing teeth

Start brushing teeth morning and evening as soon as teeth appear. Reading a story at the same time, singing a song or getting them to brush their dolly’s or teddy’s teeth can help. Or brushing your own at the same time. If they’re old enough to appreciate stickers you could try using them as a reward. Your little one will get used to the routine. Also dentists recommend helping your child brush their teeth until they are 7 as they’re not able to get to all the nooks and crannies.

Ideas for healthy snacks

So having outlined what isn’t recommended, it’s only fair to give some examples that are recommended. Here are a few ideas of snacks, am sure there are lots of other ideas out there too… if you have any to share please post a comment as am always looking for ideas.

Here a few ideas off the top of my head:

Fruit of any kind (undried, not juice)
Vegetable sticks with or without dips like cream cheese
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Home made plain popcorn (more for older children – as can be a choking hazard for younger children)
Bread roll
Bread sticks
Crackers with cheese
Unsweetened pancakes (I’ve adapted this recipe so it has no added sugar and relies just on the vanilla extract for sweetness)**
Rice cakes (spread with nut butter or cream cheese)
Handful of nuts (again for older children – they can be chopped into smaller pieces for younger children but not given to babies)
Crumpets with butter
Oatcakes (with cream cheese or butter)

Guidance on snacks for 1-4 year olds and 5-11 year olds has also been produced by Dr Helen Crawley when she worked at the Caroline Walker Trust.

Of course there are going to be times when your children have sweet things between meals, it’s really just about setting healthy eating habits for life so making everyday snacks healthy and breaking the rules every so often.

*They do suggest serving from a spoon or bowl. but ideally they should specifically warn against sucking directly from the pouch.

** If you’re making pancakes, use all the mixture and if you have left over pancakes, freeze them for snacks.

More than tea and toast…

There is nothing quite like the tea and toast the midwife brings you after you’ve had a baby. It marks a pause between birth and parenthood, a comforting, gentle return to reality – well a new reality at least. And it feels especially well-deserved after what you’ve just been through.

With my second I had thought I would be at home drinking champagne to celebrate the birth. But actually tea and toast does very nicely as a celebration.

And maybe it’s a good thing that you forget, or if it’s your first time, don’t know yet, quite how much tea and toast you might be eating in the coming weeks, grabbed between feeds, naps and nappy changes.

With my first baby I couldn’t understand why she spent so long feeding. My mum told me that her babies fed for about 20 minutes at a time. But I think she must have forgotten the early days (you do tend to block it out), as it is so normal for babies nurse long stretches at a time, between short naps. It helps to increase milk supply. Worth remembering too that with a stomach the size of a walnut babies seem to constantly needs filling.

And so do you – or that’s how it feels. People talk about “eating for two” when you’re pregnant but initially at least it’s more fitting for nursing mums, if you’re exclusively breastfeeding, you can need up to an extra 300 kcals a day.*

A few tips

With your body producing milk you will be thirstier, if you don’t already have a jug or bottle, get one so you can have it by your chair and/or bed and drink as you need it.

Follow your body’s thirst and hunger cues. Don’t worry in the early days about loosing weight, just try and eat well and give your body time to recover from pregnancy and birth. In the long term, breastfeeding is associated with a reduction in BMI.

Below are some ideas that might give you a bit of inspiration.

Leftovers

It doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but you’re not really looking for culinary adventures. Leftovers in the fridge can help you get through the day. Cook an extra portion or 2 of the evening meal so you have ready made lunch the next day. Soups and stews are particularly good. You can freeze the extra portion if need be for another day.

Cook and freeze

Classic advice for pregnant women is to cook and freeze meals in the lead up to their due date. Also for friends and family to bring home cooked meals round when they visit.

Grabable

Whatever is easy to grab in your fridge or your cupboard will be eaten, so make sure you have fruit (if you’ve got pineapple or melons and cut them up in one go and put what you’re not ready to eat in a container in fridge) and vegetables that can be eaten raw like carrot and celery. Yogurts are good too – I buy Greek organic because although it’s higher in fat it has a higher protein content and organic standards stipulate that organic cows have to be pasture fed. Milk from pasture fed cows (organic) has a healthier saturated fat profile compared to cows that are grain fed. Keep pitta breads, wraps and rye bread in the freezer so you always have something in the kitchen as a basis for lunch. Nuts and seeds keep well and are good snacks and can be added to yogurts along with fruit.

5 x 5 minute meals

There is nothing amazing about these meals, except I was able to cobble them together from what was in my kitchen. So they are quick to make, nutritious and can be eaten with one hand. Even if you don’t make the these meals, they might give you some inspiration to come up with ideas for your own. Also they can be adapted depending on what you’ve got at home and how much time you have.

  1. Hummus and seasonal vegetablesI know this doesn’t look like much, but I think looking back I tended to eat little and often, so lunch was small and sometimes elevenses and late lunch. If you want to make this more substantial add pitta bread.

    Hummus

  2. Veggie omelette 

    I think I made this one with 2 large eggs. Eggs make a great, quick and nutritious lunch anyway. First I fried red pepper and mushrooms in a frying pan with some olive oil until soft then I added the beaten eggs. After turning over the omlette (you could grill the topside if you don’t want to try turning the omlette) grating some parmesan cheese on top and adding some rocket and tomatoes to the middle before folding over. Not beautiful but tasty, healthy and eaten with one hand (with a fork of course). DSCN3398

  3. Salmon and salad in seeded tortilla bread
    I found these seeded tortilla’s in my local supermarket. The salmon was leftover from the night before. I just put put it in a wrap along with rocket, tomato, cucumber and a little mayonnaise mixed with horseradish (optional but nice for flavour). Hummus with grated carrot and peppers works well in these too. Or leftover chicken with salad. You can freeze tortillas – so they don’t go off. I usually put parchment paper between each tortilla so they don’t stick together.DSCN4363
  4. Tinned sardines, avocado, rocket and tomato on toasted rye breadToasted rye bread is delicious and you can add just sliced avocado and/or tomato and/or tinned sardines or fresh mackerel or salmon with salad leaves on top.
  5. Falafels in pitta bread with saladToast the pitta bread and fill with the falafels, sliced tomatoes and salad leaves. Am sure you could think of other good fillings for these.

Grabable  is key, you need to make sure a lot of the food that’s to hand is healthy – but if you aren’t able to eat as healthily as you’d would like to, don’t stress about it, just do your best, as your body is will still make good quality milk for your baby.

*This is based on latest evidence based guidance from SACN which was published in 2011.

Post note This post has been sat in my drafts folder for months. I’ve just been prompted to publish it as the subject has come up in a conversation on Facebook. Also, First Steps Nutrition are soon to publish their guidance for parents of newborns, which I will review on the blog when it’s published, so I thought I should get this in quick before their report is published instead of letting it languish in the ether.

Eat the seasons

Something I have done since  my eldest daughter was a baby is eat by season. My time working at Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming is probably where I first started. All the recipes on this blog use fruit and/or veg that’s in season.

There are lots of reasons for eating seasonal fruit and veg: reducing your carbon emissions, it’s cheaper, it tastes better, we need to support British farmers and it’s likely to have higher levels of vitamins, like Vitamin C compared to produce shipped/flown in from overseas. Have a look at the www.eatseasonably.co.uk for more info.

It’s not about abstinence but enjoying fruit and veg at its best.  It’s about connecting you with the seasons and where your food comes from. This time of year is a bit hard – I miss my salads and tomatoes, my eldest daughter misses strawberries and blueberries.* I know though as soon as those seasons come in we’ll be making the most of the produce they bring. 

With fruit this time of year, you don’t have to stick to apples and rhubarb. Buying fruit from Southern Europe, gives you more choice and buying kiwi fruit from Italy rather than Australia or South America is better for the environment. Bananas are a must have all year round too – always go for fairtrade.

I promise you, if you haven’t already tried eating seasonally,  I’m sure you and your family will grow to love it – give it a year and see. For information on what’s in season right now go to eattheseasons.co.uk  and like their Facebook page for recipe ideas and inspiration.

Navel oranges are in season at the moment …I cut some easy-to-handle slices for the babster but she went for the whole half an orange and tucked in, getting very messy.

Image

She’s just over a year now, and one of the ways I help her to feel independent and in control is by giving her choices, so I’ll put two types of fruit in front of her and ask which she wants to eat. Toddlers from around 18 months are learning to be in control and independent and they often do this by refusing food. One of the ways I get round this (hopefully – it worked with the eldest) is by giving choice.

I’m also buying organic kiwi fruit from Italy at the moment, I peel most of it and leave the bottom with the skin on to make it easy for my daughter to hold.

DSCN5508

Pomegranates are next on the list… highly nutritious and fiddly as anything – they should keep her busy for a bit …

*When blueberries, and other berries are in season, freeze some for Winter months as a treat, or you can buy frozen blueberries – they’re softer so easier for little ones to eat whole. For younger babies it’s a good idea to squish them rather than give them whole. If you live near Wimborne in Dorset (or are on holiday down that way) you can always go to Trehane Nursery and buy frozen blueberries or pick your own in July/August and freeze some. Or even better buy some blueberry plants from there, like I did.

Birth dates

One of the bits of information I found when I was researching all things labour and birth in my last pregnancy, was that eating dates may help you have a natural, shorter labour.

A study carried out by researchers at Jordan University was published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology investigated the effect of eating dates on labour and delivery outcomes.

The sample size was 69 women who ate 6 dates each day for 4 weeks before their estimated due date compared with a control group of 45 women who ate no dates.

The research team found that women who ate the dates had a significantly higher mean cervical dilatation upon admission compared with the non-date fruit consumers (3.52 cm vs 2.02 cm, p < 0.0005). They also had a significantly higher proportion of intact membranes (83% vs 60%, p = 0.007).

Of the women who ate dates, 96% of those went into spontaneous labour, compared with 79% women in the non date  consumers (p = 0.024). Only 28% of the women in the date eating group needed prostin/oxytocin (for inducing/augmenting labour), which was significantly lower than the 47% who needed induction in the control group (p = 0.036). On average too, the latent phase of the first stage of labour was shorter in women who consumed date fruit compared with the non-date fruit consumers (510 min vs 906 min, p = 0.044).

The researchers concluded that date fruit consumption “in the last 4 weeks before labour significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labour, and produced a more favourable, but non-significant, delivery outcome. The results warrant a randomised controlled trial.”

The sample size was small, and the researchers stated that the research findings indicate the need for a randomised control trial (RCT) as RCT’s are widely recognised as the best study design.

Even if it makes no difference to your labour, there’s no harm in eating them and just 6 a day could make a difference. While they are high in sugar, they have a GI of just 42,  because of the high fibre content, and therefore release their sugars at a slow steady pace.* They are  super-high in vitamin B6 and provide good amounts of potassium (which is needed for good muscle contraction). They also contribute small amounts of calcium, iron and B vitamins to the diet.

*For this reason too (and also because of the potassium) they make a great snack to have during labour.

So, does the latest research prove that baby led weaning is better than traditional?

Well, short answer is, no. But as to the reasons why, read on…
DSCN4462

I was very interested to see the pretty definitive statements in last week’s Daily Mail “Spoon-fed babies are ‘more likely to become obese’ because their bodies don’t recognise when they are full” and in the Independent “Spoonfed babies more likely to be overweight”. 

What is Babyled Weaning?

Babyled weaning is an approach advocated by Gill Rapley where whole foods are offered to babies from the start of weaning (about 6 months) and no spoon-feeding or help is offered by the parent.

What is “traditional” weaning?

Babies are offered either wholly spoon fed pureed food (moving from pureed to chopped through the weaning process) or a mixture of spoon fed purees alongside finger food that they can hold and taste themselves. The age that parents introduce finger foods  varies. The ideal is to wean around 6 months with a mixture of purees alongside finger food.

As the Caroline Walker Trust state in their Eating well: first year of life practical guide, “Many of the ideas from baby-led weaning already form part of the good weaning practices currently recommended. Encouraging babies to be involved in meal times, to eat similar foods to those enjoyed by others at the table, to hold finger foods and spoons and to try to feed themselves are all recommended practices.”

The research

The research that the papers reported on was conducted at Swansea University by Dr Amy Brown and Michelle Lee and was published in Pediatric Obesity. I won’t report on the details of the study as you can read it in the Journal and it does make for interesting reading. The findings suggest that babies who were baby led weaning (based on the researchers categorisation) may respond better to satiety signals and may also be less likely to be overweight.

The sample was made up of  298 parents who completed  questionnaires at both stages of data collection. Participants were self-selecting which means that they elected to take part in the research and were not therefore randomly selected. So the sample cannot be said to be representative of the general population.

The data was self-reported, in questionnaires, including an estimation of the child’s weight and therefore may be subject to responder bias. For instance parents who adopt baby led weaning approach may have strongly believed in it and its outcomes and this may have had an impact on their responses in the questionnaire.

The baby led weaning group was identified as those who pureed/spoon-fed 10% or less of their baby’s food. So the spoon fed weaning group (SW) was  made up of mothers who introduced pureed and finger food at the beginning of weaning or introduced finger food later and mothers who wholly spoon fed. To include such wide ranging approaches in one group does not make sense. Perhaps stratifying into different groups, would have given more insight into how different weaning approaches impact on satiety signals at a later stage.

The researchers demonstrated a correlation between infants who were spoon fed 10% or less and higher responsiveness to satiety signals. It does not demonstrate causation, so  no link has been found between the two.

The difficulty with this type of research is that it is social science, so is not carried out in the lab. So there is always a certain amount of pragmatism needed when designing such studies – there is always a tension between keeping the situation as real to life as possible and maintaining a good level of scientific rigour. The researchers did not interfere or observe the weaning process. Which in itself could have changed behaviour of participants.

The researchers accepted the limitations of the study and conclude that this research indicates that further research using a randomised control trial is needed.

How you wean

Parents need to wean in a way that suits their baby’s and their own needs.

What research tells us is that handling food is an essential part of the weaning process as it encourages babies/children to accept different textures and consistencies and be open to trying new foods.

This is not unique to baby led weaning, good practice traditional weaning consists of pureed foods/spoonfed alongside finger foods from the beginning – around 6 months.

If babies are wholly spoon fed and therefore not able to explore food with their hands it is possible that this can lead to “fussiness”. If babies are fed mainly or wholly ready made baby food this can lead to food fussiness as jars or sachets have same consistency and flavour, unlike freshly prepared foods.

Conversely, the possible downsides of baby led weaning is that baby may not choose to eat as wide a variety of foods as parents would include in purees/chopped up foods. They may also play with food more than eat it. Also early on in the weaning process when baby is getting used to grasping and handling food, they may not eat enough protein, iron, or zinc to meet their nutrient needs.

Be responsive to your baby’s cue’s too. If 90% of our communication is body language, it’s not hard to tell if your baby likes what they are eating, is full or wants more, give them time to pause and chew.

You know your baby and their needs best, do what suits them and you, just let them make a mess whether it’s babyled or finger food and purees.

Weaning post #5: An apple a day?

Everyone knows apples are good for you and British Heart Foundation researchers at Oxford University have put the Apple a day proverb to the test in research published in the BMJ this week.

Drawing on existing data and using mathematical models they assessed the affects of eating an apple a day, compared to taking statins, in the over 50’s.

They worked out that prescribing an apple a day (with estimated 70% compliance which is optimistic) to all adults over 50 in the UK would prevent about 8,500 deaths a year from heart attacks and stroke and have fewer side effects than statins. While prescribing statins to people who are not already taking them would prevent a similar number (9,400).

Though they are careful to point out that people who are taking statins already shouldn’t stop.

They also estimated that prescribing statins would lead to 1,000 extra cases of muscle disease and over 10,000 extra diagnoses of diabetes.

I know which I would opt for.

Nutrition

Apples are high in vitamin c, soluble and insoluble fibre. The latter gives them a lower GI which means they release their sugar into the blood much slower than other fruits (38 compared to 65-80 for melons)

They’re also a rich source of phytochemicals, many of which have antioxidant properties – which means the neutrilize free radicals which cause ageing and degenerative diseases like heart disease and cancer.

And so it follows that there are studies that show that people who eat apples are less likely to suffer from a stroke. Eating apples regularly was also found to reduce “bad” cholesterol in women, the risk of type II diabetes and may help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers disease.

Babies

So how does this news relate to weaning? The first 5 years of life a crucial in setting eating habits for life. If your baby or toddler eats apples then chances are they will eat them when they are adults. Within those 5 years the first 18 months is probably the time when your child is most open to new foods.

Raw

Raw apples are one of the foods that baby could easily choke on, because they are small and hard.

A good way to give raw apple to your baby is to give a whole apple with the skin on, with a few chunks bitten out by you so it’s easier to gnaw on. They will be able to bite into it, but because their grasp is not strong they will not be able to bite off big chunks.*

You could also try grated apple.

Steamed or boiled

Core an apple, peel and slice into rings and then steam or boil for 2-3 minutes to soften (then putting under a cold running tap to stop the cooking and to cool) is a great way to give apple as a finger food.*

Apple rings
Apple rings

They make a good snack food to take out and about, and as a pudding you can serve with full fat yogurt.

Baked apples

Once your baby is about 1 year and you’re able to brush their teeth. You can make baked apples. Cooking apples are called Bramley’s. They are less sweet than eating apples so you need to add a little natural sweetness.

The reason I say to wait until your baby is about a year as you will then be able to brush their teeth to protect them against dental caries. It’s worth remembering that it’s not recommended to give any added sugars to babies.

To bake the apple, core it. I put foil in the base of the hole. Then pile in dried fruit and add a teaspoon of maple syrup (the foil keeps the syrup in). Cook in the oven in a baking tray (at about 180-200 degrees C or gas mark 5) for about 20 minutes and serve with custard.*

Baked apples with maple syrup, dried fruit and custard
Baked apples with maple syrup, dried fruit and custard

And what about you?

Babies learn eating habits from their parents. So don’t forget to eat your apple a day too.

Which reminds me of the great Michael Pollen Food Rule : If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you’re probably not hungry.

So at this festive time when we tend to over-consume, try to balance the treats with the healthy stuff and before you reach for that mince pie eat an apple first. Have a Merry Christmas and a great 2014. I’m off to eat my apple.

*Remember to feed your baby safely. Never leave them while they are eating, have them sitting upright (if they are tilted back this increases the risk of choking). Do a first aid course so you know what to do if your child chokes.

What is a Registered Nutritionist?

DSCN1133 As this is the title I use, I thought it would be a good idea to write a quick post on what it means. The title, Registered Nutritionist refers to a nutritionist who has registered with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN), and who use the letters RNutr after their name to indicate registration. Registered Nutritionists are qualified to provide good, evidence-based nutrition information and are usually qualified in nutrition science with either a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Masters of Science (MSc) degree with 3 years professional experience. Any applicant without a nutrition degree who can demonstrate  scientific knowledge acquired through 7 years peer-recognised professional experience in nutrition can also become registered as a nutritionist.

What are Registered Nutritionists qualified to do?

  • Provide advice, based on scientific evidence, on general and specific aspects of nutrition in relation to life and health in individuals and populations.
  • Practise independently in relation to nutrition and health both for individual clients and for groups of people or populations.
  • Practise as part of a team under the supervision of a suitably qualified doctor contributing to the management of people with medical conditions.

They are not permitted to use their title to make claims unsubstantiated by peer-reviewed and published scientific evidence to directly endorse or validate a specific food or supplement. They can give information about food and healthy eating but not special diets for medical conditions.

The title “nutritionist” is  not protected by law so anyone can use it, irrespective of qualification. However, only registrants with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists can call themselves a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr). This means that if you’re getting nutrition advice from someone, at the very least you need to know what qualification(s) they hold and also find out whether they are on the UKRVN register.

For more information on the differences between Dieticians, Registered Nutritionists and  Nutrition Therapists go to British Dietetics Association website. In the interests of balance, the Nutritional Therapy Council  also outlines the differences.