Feeding your little monsters...
With so many babies around us these days (or is that just my clock ticking?), we are constantly being asked about nutrition for kids. "My kid is a picky-eater; what should my baby's first foods be?; my child doesn't like veggies" and so on. Let's discuss :)
WARNING: you are about to witness pictures of our adorable nephews!
Ideally, your baby should be exclusively fed breast milk for at least the first six months and beyond. If this is not an option, organic formula is the next best thing. Once your baby is sitting up on their own, starting to reach for your food, or beginning to mimic your hand-to-mouth movements at the dinner table, organic pureed fruits and veggies are a great place to start. Be wary of commercial baby food products. They are often packed with sodium or ingredients that aren't recognizable. The best foods that you can give your baby are ones that are prepared at home. Many pediatricians and books suggest rice cereal; however, processed rice is stripped of fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients that your baby needs.
WARNING: you are about to witness pictures of our adorable nephews!
Ideally, your baby should be exclusively fed breast milk for at least the first six months and beyond. If this is not an option, organic formula is the next best thing. Once your baby is sitting up on their own, starting to reach for your food, or beginning to mimic your hand-to-mouth movements at the dinner table, organic pureed fruits and veggies are a great place to start. Be wary of commercial baby food products. They are often packed with sodium or ingredients that aren't recognizable. The best foods that you can give your baby are ones that are prepared at home. Many pediatricians and books suggest rice cereal; however, processed rice is stripped of fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients that your baby needs.
Mashed sweet potato, avocado, carrots, bananas, and peaches are all soft and packed with nutrition. Introduce one new food at a time, waiting two to three days in between in order to monitor for food allergies and intolerances.
Kathryn's nephew Andrew (6 mos.) trying his first food, sweet potatoes!
As your child gets older, remember that they will eat what you feed them and that their preferences will form based on what they are exposed to. They can eat the same foods that adults do, as long as they are soft and cut into kid-sized pieces. Whole foods, not "kid foods" like chicken nuggets and processed cookies and crackers, will provide them with the nutrition they need to grow into healthy little humans :)

Carly's nephew Asher (18 mos.) wreaking havoc with broccoli and chicken
Does your child need supplementation?
This depends. If they are picky-eaters, have an aversion to veggies, or tend to gravitate toward "kid foods", then quality supplementation should be considered. And we ain't talkin' gummies and Flintstones :)
Addendum: as Asher got older, his desire for chicken and broccoli declined (but did any of that get into his mouth anyway?!). Now four and a half years old, his diet is 95% pasta, 3% cheese, 2% vegetables. To my surprise, he actually loves the supplements. We also don't hide what they are! He asks his mom for "fish oil, probiotic and vitamins"... he knows that probiotics are good for his belly, fish oil is good to protect his heart, and vitamins help his body grow. Andrew is still deciding if he likes sweet potatoes...avocado up next!

Multigenics Chewable

Chewable multi-vitamin and multi-mineral for children ages 2 to 7
https://nutritionalwisdom.mymetagenics.com/store/view/product/181
OmegaGenics DHA Children's

Chewable tutti-frutti fish oil soft-gel to support brain development and eye health
https://nutritionalwisdom.mymetagenics.com/store/view/product/665
UltraFlora Children's

Chewable probiotic to support GI and immune health for children 3 years of age and older
https://nutritionalwisdom.mymetagenics.com/store/view/product/737
Stay tuned for our upcoming lecture How To Feed Your Kids - coming soon!
Success Stories:
Congrats Virginia and Brandon!

Brandon - "For 20+ years I have had stomach pains and GI issues, which resulted in Western doctors telling me that I needed to be on prescription drugs for the rest of my life to cover the pain. In that time and under that approach, I developed a lot of bacterial growth, gluten, dairy, soy, and egg intolerances, extremely low SIgA levels, etc. Carly's approach to actually finding out what the root of the pain was and correcting that has resulted in a much higher quality of life, much less pain, and all of my food intolerances are gone. Craziness! This was all done in a little over a year with a change in diet and addition of probiotics (not to mention all of the wisdom that she gave me). I have already reduced my Western prescription medications quite a bit and will continue to slowly get 100% off of it. Not to mention I was able to take off over 5 pounds of pure fat and add 5 pounds muscle. Thanks Carly!"
Recipe of the Week:
Spaghetti Squash Crusted Breakfast Quiche
Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash (2 pounds), cut in half lengthwise
¾ pound pork breakfast sausage
6 eggs, whisked
½ tablespoon dried parsley
½ tablespoon dried basil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 cups raw spinach
Ghee or coconut oil, to grease pie plate
Scallions, for garnish
¾ pound pork breakfast sausage
6 eggs, whisked
½ tablespoon dried parsley
½ tablespoon dried basil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 cups raw spinach
Ghee or coconut oil, to grease pie plate
Scallions, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake squash for 20-25 minutes or until you can press on the outside of the squash and it gives a bit. Once spaghetti squash is done cooking, remove from oven, scoop out the seeds and excess strings and let cool while you finish the rest of the quiche. Once spaghetti squash is cooled, use a fork to remove the threads. Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Place breakfast sausage in a medium pan over medium heat. Break up and cook until there is no pink left. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat, if needed. Whisk together eggs, parsley, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pull out a pie plate and grease thoroughly with coconut oil. Add all the spaghetti squash threads to the pie plate and press down into the plate and up onto the sides. Try to make it even throughout. Pour the eggs into the plate, then add the crumbled sausage, on top with sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with a bit more salt on top. Place in oven to bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until eggs are cooked through in the middle. Let rest before cutting into it. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is served!