Hi.... A couple questions for you about my son who is a year old:
1) I'm having a hard time getting my son to eat meat. The only meat he will readily eat well is ham. I'm worried about his iron and protein intake. Any suggestions to increase this intake or other foods that can be substituted?
2) My son drinks homo milk, but I'm lucky if he drinks 3-4oz in a day. He loves water. I offer homo milk at meals and snack. He still breastfeeds morning and night and will eat cheese and yogurt. Should I be concerned?
1)Some children don’t like the taste or texture of meat or they find it hard to chew. Beans, lentils and tofu are meat alternatives you can try. You could add them to soups, stews, casseroles, chili or pasta. Another way to serve the beans and lentils is mash them slightly and moisten with some water. Or, puree them (or fork mash well) and add them to tomato or cheese sauce and mix with pasta or cooked vegetables. Medium or firm tofu can be cut into small pieces and served as finger food or mashed and cooked with scrambled eggs. Silken tofu can be added to a smoothie or blended into soups, stews, sauces. Continue to offer beef, pork, poultry, lamb, fish, etc. Make sure it is tender and juicy so it’s easier to chew and that the pieces are very small, about ½ a centimeter. Ground meat may be more acceptable because it is tender and easy to incorporate into other foods your child may like already (pasta, soup). Keep in mind that meat is rich in protein and iron and children don’t need large amounts to help meet these nutrient needs. Serve small amounts. Start with 1 tbsp. Your son will let you know if he wants more.
2)Milk is a great source of calcium and Vitamin D. Regarding calcium; your son may be doing just fine depending on the amount of cheese and yogurt he eats. He needs 700 mg of calcium/day. In addition to his 4 oz of milk, if he eats ½ cup yogurt and about 1 oz. of cheese he’ll be getting approximately 530 mg of calcium. He’s also getting some calcium from breastmilk. Regarding his Vitamin D intake - Children 1-3 yrs should get 600 IU of Vitamin D each day. He gets about 50 IU from 4 oz of homo milk. He will also get some Vitamin D from the cheese and yogurt if it’s made from milk that contains Vitamin D. Check the label of these products to see. (Some yogurt and cheese products are clearly marked that they contain Vitamin D. On others, look at the nutrition facts table.) Even if the cheese and yogurt contain Vitamin D, he would need to be eating quite a bit in addition to drinking his milk to meet his Vitamin D intake. Continue to offer homo milk at meals and snacks. For suggestions to increase your son’s milk intake, see the response to the ‘Ask Us’ question about the 1 year old who doesn’t drink milk. There are also non-milk based foods that contain some Vitamin D. Some examples include salmon, egg yolk and margarine. Visit www.eatrightontario.ca for more food sources of Vitamin D that are not milk based. If you determine that on most days he isn’t meeting his Vitamin D intake from milk and food, you can give him a Vitamin D supplement – the one you used when he was exclusively breastfed, you just might need to adjust the amount – until he is getting his intake from milk and food. And, of course, keep breastfeeding! Michele, RD
Hi Confused Pasta Lover, Thanks for your question. We agree some food labels and nutritional claims can be confusing and make it hard to know what the healthiest product is. Although whole wheat pasta and high fibre white pasta may seem nutritionally equal because they provide the same or very similar amounts of nutrients. It is the ingredient list that sets them apart.
High fibre white pasta is made with white (refined) flour. Which means the outer bran layer and the germ have been removed from the grain. The outer bran layer contains almost all of the fibre while the germ is a rich source of nutrient, antioxidants and healthy fats.
Whole grain pastas are made with whole grain flour. The bran and germ have not been removed and as a result are higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants.
To make high fibre white pasta, isolated fibres such as hulled oat fibre and/or inulin are added to the white pasta. Inulin is a type of fibre that is naturally present in many vegetables and fruit we already eat such as asparagus, onions and bananas.
Inulin has shown to improve the good bacteria in the colon and can help promote the feeling of being full after eating. However we do not know if isolated fibres like inulin have the same benefits as fibres from whole grain foods.
The healthier choice would be to choose the whole grain pasta but if you don’t like whole grain pasta, high fibre white pasta is more nutritious than regular white pasta.
I have a 1 year old child who doesn't like to drink much milk. What are the best alternatives to ensure she gets enough dairy throughout the day? I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but any information would help!
Milk is a great source of Vitamin D and calcium. Your child should be getting about 2 cups (500 ml) of whole (homogenized) milk a day. To get an idea of exactly how much milk your child consumes in day, pour 2 cups of milk into a separate container and serve your child from that container. You might find your child is consuming more than you think and is closer to meeting the 2 cup recommendation than you thought. Here are some tips to increase your child’s milk intake and meet the recommended 2 cups/day - offer small amounts, about ½ cup at each meal and snack - serve milk in a special cup - try serving it at a different temperature. You can make it really cold by adding an ice cube or you can heat it to make it warm - drink milk yourself - prepare food with milk when possible. For example, cook oatmeal in milk instead of water; make a smoothie with milk, yogurt and fruit; make homemade pudding with milk. Yogurt, hard cheese, fortified soy beverage and tofu made with calcium (check the label) are other sources of calcium. Some yogurts and cheeses may contain Vitamin D. You need to check the label. Fortified soy beverage is also a source of Vitamin D. If you choose a fortified soy beverage for your toddler, check that it has a comparable amount of fat as whole milk. Visit www.eatrightontario.ca for more tips on helping your child meet the recommended milk intake and for food sources of Vitamin D that are not milk based.
Thank you for your question. To answer it I am going to refer you to a Diet Review article by webMD http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-review-the-caveman-paleo-diet.
This article reviews what a “paleo” diet is and the health claims that are made. It also provides expert’s views on the diet. Shannon RD
The simple answer is no but before I get into the why here is what you need to know about fat. Fat in food can be classified into one of four categories: saturated fat, unsaturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol.
Saturated fat is solid at room temperate like butter and lard and comes from animal sources of food such as skin on poultry and white marbling in beef. Saturated fat also comes from tropical oils like coconut oil and palm kernel oil.
While, unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature and usually comes from vegetable or other plant sources such as canola, olive and peanut oils.
It is always better to choose an unsaturated fat instead of a saturated fat when you can. Why? Because saturated fat increases you LDL cholesterol in your blood (also known as your bad blood cholesterol) while unsaturated fat decreased your LDL cholesterol and increases your HDL cholesterol (also known as your good blood cholesterol).
People with high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. That is why I would recommend substituting canola/olive oil for butter or coconut oil. For example a lot of my muffin recipes call for melted butter instead I would substitute equal amounts of canola oil.
I regularly host meetings and events for my job and like to provide people with a snack in the morning. What are some healthy snack suggestions that I can use without breaking the bank?
I've been trying to lose weight but it doesn't budge one way or the other. Does the timing of exercise relative to when a meal is eaten have any effect on weight gain or loss?
Thanks for your question. I consulted with Sarah Merkel, one of our physcial activity health promoter at PDHU. Here is what Sarah had to say.
There is limited evidence on the subject of specific timing of exercise relative to when a meal is eaten. When it comes to losing weight, it is important to keep in mind that there are many different factors that can affect weight loss. These include, but not limited to:
Healthy Eating - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/best-weight-loss-diet/ An interesting read from CBC News http://cbc.sh/wudKOAD
Physical Activity – The timing of exercise has not yielded a large enough sample of studies to give a specific answer to your question. What you should keep in mind is making the effort to make physical activity become a part of your everyday life. At first, this can be a challenge for some people, but I find writing it into my calendar helps me to stick to the plan. If you are self-motivated, this can be as simple as going out for a walk and trying to get your heart rate up. If you’re like me and depend on others to get you motivated, schedule walks with a friend or co-worker, or maybe join an exercise class.
The key is to follow the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. http://www.csep.ca/english/view.asp?x=804 More activity generally yields better health outcomes. Getting your heart rate up does wonders for your cardiovascular system. Weight loss can be a great goal, but also appreciate that becoming more physically active improves how your body works on the inside. This can lead to decreased blood pressure, more energy and weight loss.
My fiancé had gained 30 pounds while he lived in Ottawa for a year. When he moved back to Stratford, he decided that he wanted to lose the weight he gained. Rather than weighing in every week, he weighed in once a month around the same time every time. A scale doesn’t necessarily reflect the changes that are taking place in your body. Your body composition can change when you are eating healthier and exercising more, but this doesn’t necessarily reflect itself on a scale. I would suggest that you record your body measurements every two weeks to see if there are changes being made to your body composition. You could measure your bust (around your chest), your waist (around the belly button point), your hips and around your thighs. My fiancé found this very encouraging. He ended up losing the 30 pounds and then some. Below is a website that offers tips on becoming more active. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/pa-ap/07paap-eng.php
"My new year’s resolution is to lose weight and I've heard cutting out carbs is the way to do it. Is this true?"
Great question! I found this article by Harvard School of Public Health. It explains the different weight loss results from four different energy restricted diets http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/best-weight-loss-diet/
I log my caloric intake on myfitnesspal.com. An ad for a low cal, high fibre pasta caught my eye. What do you think of NuPasta? http://www.nupasta.com/the-low-calorie-pasta.html?gclid=CNKI0LSUt84CFQkFaQod6pYItw
We haven’t heard about this product. Based on the information on their website it seems like a low calorie substitute for typical pasta. It’s also labeled as gluten-free but unless you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity you won’t get any benefit from that.
Other options you may want to consider are spaghetti squash or making zucchini noodles. We have some information on how to roast spaghetti squash http://diariesofadietitian.blogspot.ca/2012/10/how-to-cook-roast-squash.html and there are also lots of ideas on Pinterest.
Hi....
ReplyDeleteA couple questions for you about my son who is a year old:
1) I'm having a hard time getting my son to eat meat. The only meat he will readily eat well is ham. I'm worried about his iron and protein intake. Any suggestions to increase this intake or other foods that can be substituted?
2) My son drinks homo milk, but I'm lucky if he drinks 3-4oz in a day. He loves water. I offer homo milk at meals and snack. He still breastfeeds morning and night and will eat cheese and yogurt. Should I be concerned?
Hi
DeleteGood questions.
1)Some children don’t like the taste or texture of meat or they find it hard to chew. Beans, lentils and tofu are meat alternatives you can try. You could add them to soups, stews, casseroles, chili or pasta. Another way to serve the beans and lentils is mash them slightly and moisten with some water. Or, puree them (or fork mash well) and add them to tomato or cheese sauce and mix with pasta or cooked vegetables. Medium or firm tofu can be cut into small pieces and served as finger food or mashed and cooked with scrambled eggs. Silken tofu can be added to a smoothie or blended into soups, stews, sauces.
Continue to offer beef, pork, poultry, lamb, fish, etc. Make sure it is tender and juicy so it’s easier to chew and that the pieces are very small, about ½ a centimeter. Ground meat may be more acceptable because it is tender and easy to incorporate into other foods your child may like already (pasta, soup). Keep in mind that meat is rich in protein and iron and children don’t need large amounts to help meet these nutrient needs. Serve small amounts. Start with 1 tbsp. Your son will let you know if he wants more.
2)Milk is a great source of calcium and Vitamin D. Regarding calcium; your son may be doing just fine depending on the amount of cheese and yogurt he eats. He needs 700 mg of calcium/day. In addition to his 4 oz of milk, if he eats ½ cup yogurt and about 1 oz. of cheese he’ll be getting approximately 530 mg of calcium. He’s also getting some calcium from breastmilk.
Regarding his Vitamin D intake - Children 1-3 yrs should get 600 IU of Vitamin D each day. He gets about 50 IU from 4 oz of homo milk. He will also get some Vitamin D from the cheese and yogurt if it’s made from milk that contains Vitamin D. Check the label of these products to see. (Some yogurt and cheese products are clearly marked that they contain Vitamin D. On others, look at the nutrition facts table.) Even if the cheese and yogurt contain Vitamin D, he would need to be eating quite a bit in addition to drinking his milk to meet his Vitamin D intake. Continue to offer homo milk at meals and snacks. For suggestions to increase your son’s milk intake, see the response to the ‘Ask Us’ question about the 1 year old who doesn’t drink milk. There are also non-milk based foods that contain some Vitamin D. Some examples include salmon, egg yolk and margarine. Visit www.eatrightontario.ca for more food sources of Vitamin D that are not milk based. If you determine that on most days he isn’t meeting his Vitamin D intake from milk and food, you can give him a Vitamin D supplement – the one you used when he was exclusively breastfed, you just might need to adjust the amount – until he is getting his intake from milk and food. And, of course, keep breastfeeding!
Michele, RD
Hello
ReplyDeleteCan you explain the newer product pastas which are both "high fibre" "white"? How do they make them? Are they as healthy as whole grain pastas?
Thanks
confused pasta lover
Hi Confused Pasta Lover,
DeleteThanks for your question. We agree some food labels and nutritional claims can be confusing and make it hard to know what the healthiest product is. Although whole wheat pasta and high fibre white pasta may seem nutritionally equal because they provide the same or very similar amounts of nutrients. It is the ingredient list that sets them apart.
High fibre white pasta is made with white (refined) flour. Which means the outer bran layer and the germ have been removed from the grain. The outer bran layer contains almost all of the fibre while the germ is a rich source of nutrient, antioxidants and healthy fats.
Whole grain pastas are made with whole grain flour. The bran and germ have not been removed and as a result are higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants.
To make high fibre white pasta, isolated fibres such as hulled oat fibre and/or inulin are added to the white pasta. Inulin is a type of fibre that is naturally present in many vegetables and fruit we already eat such as asparagus, onions and bananas.
Inulin has shown to improve the good bacteria in the colon and can help promote the feeling of being full after eating. However we do not know if isolated fibres like inulin have the same benefits as fibres from whole grain foods.
The healthier choice would be to choose the whole grain pasta but if you don’t like whole grain pasta, high fibre white pasta is more nutritious than regular white pasta.
Thanks again for your question.
Shannon RD
I have a 1 year old child who doesn't like to drink much milk. What are the best alternatives to ensure she gets enough dairy throughout the day? I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but any information would help!
ReplyDeleteMilk is a great source of Vitamin D and calcium. Your child should be getting about 2 cups (500 ml) of whole (homogenized) milk a day. To get an idea of exactly how much milk your child consumes in day, pour 2 cups of milk into a separate container and serve your child from that container. You might find your child is consuming more than you think and is closer to meeting the 2 cup recommendation than you thought.
DeleteHere are some tips to increase your child’s milk intake and meet the recommended 2 cups/day
- offer small amounts, about ½ cup at each meal and snack
- serve milk in a special cup
- try serving it at a different temperature. You can make it really cold by adding an ice cube or you can heat it to make it warm
- drink milk yourself
- prepare food with milk when possible. For example, cook oatmeal in milk instead of water; make a smoothie with milk, yogurt and fruit; make homemade pudding with milk.
Yogurt, hard cheese, fortified soy beverage and tofu made with calcium (check the label) are other sources of calcium. Some yogurts and cheeses may contain Vitamin D. You need to check the label. Fortified soy beverage is also a source of Vitamin D. If you choose a fortified soy beverage for your toddler, check that it has a comparable amount of fat as whole milk. Visit www.eatrightontario.ca for more tips on helping your child meet the recommended milk intake and for food sources of Vitamin D that are not milk based.
Is the "paleo" diet or way of eating good for you?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your question. To answer it I am going to refer you to a Diet Review article by webMD
Deletehttp://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-review-the-caveman-paleo-diet.
This article reviews what a “paleo” diet is and the health claims that are made. It also provides expert’s views on the diet.
Shannon RD
Would you recommend substituting coconut oil for butter and/or canola/olive oil?
ReplyDeleteThe simple answer is no but before I get into the why here is what you need to know about fat. Fat in food can be classified into one of four categories: saturated fat, unsaturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol.
DeleteSaturated fat is solid at room temperate like butter and lard and comes from animal sources of food such as skin on poultry and white marbling in beef. Saturated fat also comes from tropical oils like coconut oil and palm kernel oil.
While, unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature and usually comes from vegetable or other plant sources such as canola, olive and peanut oils.
It is always better to choose an unsaturated fat instead of a saturated fat when you can. Why? Because saturated fat increases you LDL cholesterol in your blood (also known as your bad blood cholesterol) while unsaturated fat decreased your LDL cholesterol and increases your HDL cholesterol (also known as your good blood cholesterol).
People with high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. That is why I would recommend substituting canola/olive oil for butter or coconut oil. For example a lot of my muffin recipes call for melted butter instead I would substitute equal amounts of canola oil.
Thanks for your question,
Shannon RD
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI regularly host meetings and events for my job and like to provide people with a snack in the morning. What are some healthy snack suggestions that I can use without breaking the bank?
Thanks!
I've been trying to lose weight but it doesn't budge one way or the other. Does the timing of exercise relative to when a meal is eaten have any effect on weight gain or loss?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question. I consulted with Sarah Merkel, one of our physcial activity health promoter at PDHU. Here is what Sarah had to say.
DeleteThere is limited evidence on the subject of specific timing of exercise relative to when a meal is eaten. When it comes to losing weight, it is important to keep in mind that there are many different factors that can affect weight loss. These include, but not limited to:
Healthy Eating - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/best-weight-loss-diet/
An interesting read from CBC News http://cbc.sh/wudKOAD
Stress - http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/c.pvI3IeNWJwE/b.3581755/k.34E2/Heart_Disease__Reduce_your_stress.htm
Sleep - http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health
Physical Activity – The timing of exercise has not yielded a large enough sample of studies to give a specific answer to your question. What you should keep in mind is making the effort to make physical activity become a part of your everyday life. At first, this can be a challenge for some people, but I find writing it into my calendar helps me to stick to the plan. If you are self-motivated, this can be as simple as going out for a walk and trying to get your heart rate up. If you’re like me and depend on others to get you motivated, schedule walks with a friend or co-worker, or maybe join an exercise class.
The key is to follow the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. http://www.csep.ca/english/view.asp?x=804
More activity generally yields better health outcomes. Getting your heart rate up does wonders for your cardiovascular system. Weight loss can be a great goal, but also appreciate that becoming more physically active improves how your body works on the inside. This can lead to decreased blood pressure, more energy and weight loss.
My fiancé had gained 30 pounds while he lived in Ottawa for a year. When he moved back to Stratford, he decided that he wanted to lose the weight he gained. Rather than weighing in every week, he weighed in once a month around the same time every time. A scale doesn’t necessarily reflect the changes that are taking place in your body. Your body composition can change when you are eating healthier and exercising more, but this doesn’t necessarily reflect itself on a scale. I would suggest that you record your body measurements every two weeks to see if there are changes being made to your body composition. You could measure your bust (around your chest), your waist (around the belly button point), your hips and around your thighs. My fiancé found this very encouraging. He ended up losing the 30 pounds and then some. Below is a website that offers tips on becoming more active.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/pa-ap/07paap-eng.php
Shannon RD
I was recently emailed this question
ReplyDelete"My new year’s resolution is to lose weight and I've heard cutting out carbs is the way to do it. Is this true?"
Great question! I found this article by Harvard School of Public Health. It explains the different weight loss results from four different energy restricted diets http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/best-weight-loss-diet/
Shannon RD
I log my caloric intake on myfitnesspal.com. An ad for a low cal, high fibre pasta caught my eye. What do you think of NuPasta? http://www.nupasta.com/the-low-calorie-pasta.html?gclid=CNKI0LSUt84CFQkFaQod6pYItw
ReplyDeleteHi Healthy Eater,
DeleteThanks for your question.
We haven’t heard about this product. Based on the information on their website it seems like a low calorie substitute for typical pasta. It’s also labeled as gluten-free but unless you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity you won’t get any benefit from that.
Other options you may want to consider are spaghetti squash or making zucchini noodles. We have some information on how to roast spaghetti squash http://diariesofadietitian.blogspot.ca/2012/10/how-to-cook-roast-squash.html and there are also lots of ideas on Pinterest.
Shannon RD