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Three Meals a Day?
Your program recommends that I eat three meals plus snacks. How will I lose weight if I am always eating?
In order to keep your metabolism running at its optimal state, you have to eat. When you skip meals the body begins to think it is in a starvation state, and as a result your metabolism will slow down. When you skip meals you are actually more likely to consume more calories than if you were to eat frequently throughout the day.
Eating three regular meals and snacks helps you address your hunger before you get to the point of feeling famished and overeating. However, it is important that you eat and snack wisely. Your dietitian can help you choose healthy meals and snacks that are appropriate for you and your goals.
Veggie Skins
I have a silly mom question. I was under the
impression that lots of nutrients are in fruit and veggie
skin...so when I peel things for my baby, I eat the skin myself. Is
that cuckoo?
That is definitely not "cuckoo." Most of the vitamins, nutrients,
and
fiber are found in the skin of fruits and veggies. So as long as you
enjoy
eating it, go right ahead!
I am assuming that your little one is too young
to eat the skin and that is why you are peeling it? As soon as he/she
is
able to chew the skin, you should start to offer it so that he/she
gets used
to eating it and also gets the benefits of the vitamins, nutrients and
fiber.
Eating Healthy for Pregnancy
What foods should I eat and what foods should I avoid when trying
to get pregnant?
The best "pre-baby diet" is a well balanced diet that contains lots of
fruits and veggies (lots of colors) in addition to good sources of protein
(remember those plant based protein sources like beans and legumes), calcium
rich foods (don't forget about nuts, green leafy veggies and dried fruits in
addition to dairy products to meet calcium requirements) and whole grains
(try some new whole grains like quinoa, millet and barley in addition to
whole wheat breads, pasta and brown rice). Have 3 meals and 2-3 snacks,
start a light exercise routine (always consult your doctor first), if you
are not exercising now and stay hydrated. Try to choose organic food when
possible and stay away from processed foods (think foods without food labels
or foods with short ingredient lists) to stay as natural as possible. Avoid
alcohol and caffeine completely! You might also want to start to limit
luncheon meats, as they might contain listeria and is something that you
won't want to come in contact with once you become pregnant. Raw meats,
soft cheeses and undercooked eggs are also foods that you might start
limiting as they can have bacteria that can potentially harm the baby when
you become pregnant! Now is the time to keep your body extremely healthy
and to either start or maintain healthy habits that you will want to keep up
as your little one grows.
Help! Peanut Allergy
I have a 4.5 year old son who has
a life-threatening peanut allergy. He is about to start at a new school.
Wondering if you know if there are any nut butters that are not cross
contamintated by peanuts? The school asked and I have not seen any.
Thanks.
I would not recommend any of the nut butters for your son if his allergy is
very severe... Many allergists even recommend staying away from all nuts
(even if they are only allergic to peanuts) when children have severe
allergies due to the risk of cross contamination. Sunflower seed butter is
usually peanut free, however many allergists do not recommend this in a
young child since there have been a few studies which document allergic
reactions and the latest research shows that the more then child is kept
away from any possible exposures to peanuts, the chances of out growing the
allergy are increased. If your son is still allergic to peanuts at around 5
or 7 years old, then sunflower seed butter might be an alternative. Soynut
butter would be the only thing that is generally free of cross contamination
but I would suggest calling the company if they don't have an allergy
statement on the label.
The Grazer
My 4 year old daughter seems to graze for food especially when she
gets a little bored and can't find anything else do. What can I do to help
her not be so geared towards food during the day?
It's great to hear from you! I have found that when I work with little ones
that some are more geared towards food and others are not, just like adults.
It's totally normal! It is extremely important for all kids (and adults) to
have scheduled meals and snacks. She should be eating every 2 1/2 to 3
hours... that way she has enough time to get hungry between meals but not
too hungry that she will need an extra snack. Since she tends to use food
as an activity, like you said when she is bored, make sure to have lots of
fun things for her to do... Save certain things for those times, redirect
her attention and let her know that there will be a meal or snack in a
little while. When children are confident that they will be fed when they
are hungry and be able to stop when they are full, some of these behaviors
subside.
Eating Enough to be Healthy?
I have a 18 month old boy and his intake is so variable, and much less than it used to be… I'm worried that he is not getting the nutrition that he needs to grow and develop properly.
During the second year of life (12-24 months of age) your baby’s rates of growth slow significantly as compared to the first year of life. This is reflected in the amount of food that he eats. In addition, it is no coincidence that right around the time your child learns to walk — usually between 9 and 16 months — he becomes much less interested in food. When there's so much to discover, who has time to eat? Try to keep “the division of responsibility in feeding” in mind: the parent is responsible for the what, where and when of feeding and the child is responsible for the how much and if of eating. Provide your child with 3 meals and 2-3 snacks daily. Offer at least 1 preferred food at each meal and snack in addition to food “challenges” so that he is exposed to new textures and flavors. Rather than get hung up on the fact that your child has refused everything you put in front of him today, consider his food intake over the course of one week. Parents are often surprised to find that their child's food intake balances out. Something must be fueling all of that energy!
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