So, I know Autumn is still 6 weeks away from 6 months old, but I've started researching how and when and what to introduce as first solids. I've decided that I really do want to wait until at least 6 months and see if she is ready then. I know some doctors say after 4 is okay, but based on a few stories I've heard and the low risk of allergies I figure it doesn't hurt to wait. AAP and WHO recommend waiting until after 6 months. Every baby is different, but this is what I'm comfortable with. From what I've found these are the signs of readiness.
1. Loss of tongue-thrust reflex
2. Ability to let you know she is full from a "meal" with signs such as turning away from the bottle or breast. (which Autumn does not do yet - she still at times still eats until her tummy looks like it is going to burst and then give a big spit up - icky)
3. Ability to sit up and hold head up unassisted
4. Doubling of birth weight
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/readyforsolids.htm
I thought I had decided to do fortified rice cereal as Autumn's first food, however now I'm pretty sure ground red quinoa will be my 1st food of choice. It has more iron than fortified rice cereal, is low allergenic, and is gluten free. I can't wait!
http://www.vegfamily.com/babies-and-toddlers/starting-solids.htm
I know food is a touchy subject and every does it different - but after watching a couple of food documentaries and reading articles - here are the things I want to commit to for my children.
1. Organic unprocessed foods
2. Homemade and not from a jar.
3. A diet with lots whole grain and fresh fruits and vegetables
My own diet -
I feel like I've been a pretty healthy eater my whole life (doing lots of research as a middle schooler and trying to keep up) - however, I have learned a lot in the past 2 years about processing, additives and such that I didn't prioritize before now. Here are some of the changes I am trying to make and commit to. I need to put my money where my mouth is (literally) and start doing my grocery shopping differently. I will point out my weaknesses as I list my priorities.
1. No High Fructose Corn Syrup - this means no Gatorade, no Soda, using organic dressings, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, and many other sauces, many breads, crackers, snacks and other foods also contain HFCS - so lots of label reading!
2. No Artificial Sweeteners - This is a hard one - I like the occasional Diet Soda - but guess I will stop and wait for a fizzy pop with stevia for my occasional indulgence. So for now and for most of the time - lots of water, tea and 100% juice. About 2 1/2 years ago we were introduced to Stevia and use it often - it is now more common and available - but enjoy Sun Crystals (5 calories of cane sugar and stevia - no artificial fillers) or 100% Stevia Drops from the natural food stores. https://www.suncrystals.com/difference/stevia-and-sugar-cane/ http://www.stevia.net/
3. Limiting preservatives -Plan to eat more raw fruits and veggies and limit processed foods. The great thing about raw foods is that they are fast and convenient - banana - peel and eat, Pepper - slice and eat, baby carrots - just eat!!!
4. Very very little fast food. I admit - I like Arby's, the occasional Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich and McDonalds Eggnog shakes. However I really don't want my children to think we get it more than a couple times a year - so that means I will only get it a couple times a year!
5. No trans fat - I changed this habit about a year ago - I kind have a thing against saturated fat, so this was a brain shift for me. Transfat is a horrible thing for our body - so I decided since I don't cook with much fat anyway, having a better fat was good. I now use oil and applesauce or real butter to bake with and oil to cook with (olive oil for baking - not good at high temperatures, canola for skillet cooking) and I buy SmartChoice for Aaron to spread on things like toast and corn. http://www.bantransfats.com/
6. #6 is the change that I'm challenged by - because it is so expensive - organic, locally grown meats. I can buy a bag of chicken at Sams for super cheap - but it isn't telling the huge corporations that I disagree with they way they handle my food, the GMOs, hormones and icky treatment of animals. So this is my next challenge - buying local or organic meats. This is where my pocket book is going to take a hit. So as soon as the meat is eaten out of my home, the challenge begins. The first step might be to reduce the protein in our diet, as we certainly don't need as much as we like. I'm sure I'll have updates on this - I have a lot to learn about how to do this in an affordable fashion! Maybe someday we can live on a shared farm with other families and raise our own chickens and cattle?? (-:
So - there is my health challenge for 2010! God challenges everyone in different areas at different times - so please don't feel like I'm judgmental about these issues - this is just where I'm at right now as I feel like I'm needing to make decisions for our family with children - a new thing! God Bless you for seeking His will for you and attacking the things he has to show and change in you in 2010!
8 comments:
Thanks for your great post, its a challenge to me to eat better...I'm so bad.
Anyway, I hope you won't mind my two cents...
Be careful with "organic" produce. I worked as a research assistant with the department of Bioagricultral sciences and Pest Management for over 4 years while I was in college. As a research assistant, I helped run experiments testing the effectiveness of organic/traditional pesticides (among many other things). In addition, a significant portion of my studies as a Sociology major (minoring focused on sustainable farming practices.
Many "organic" methods of farming are just as destructive to our environment as "traditional methods and are just as harmful to us. Many of the pesticides that organic farmers can use (which they do!) are scary. I'd be willing to get a list of these pesticides from my former employer if you are interested.
I really like your idea of eating local produce. You can often form a relationship with local farmers where you can truly get to know their farming practices. It also brings the buyer closer to their food, which I think is important. I would prefer to buy fresh produce from a farmer at a farmers market any day, than run to Whole Foods and pay half my pay check to purchase food grown in California by a farmer whose practices, both environmentally and ethically (labor) may not be something I wish to support.
Anyway, I hope you don't mind my blabbing. I'm just pretty passionate about some of these issues.
Glad to see my friends becoming more aware of their food choices. I need to get back to that place again!
P.S.
I'd LOVE to raise chickens and other free range, fresh meet with you!
Mindy - Thank you for your 2 cents!
Hum... well, what do you do then? Non-organic fertilizers/pesticides are no good - but I realize necessary to not have crop die. For things like soybeans, corn and canola - organic is important to me because it means it isn't GMO and supporting bio-diversity.
What is best then? Local and home grown, but what if that isn't possible?
Hey Tara. It's interesting to read about your new food convictions. After listening to a podcast interview with author Jonathan Safran Foer who wrote the book "Eating Animals" I have begun to question the meat I buy too. Suddenly the cheap meat doesn't seem so appealing. I'm all for trying to find a local farmer and paying a little extra for meat I know was raised with integrity. Here's the link to the interview if you're interested in listening:
http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/eating-animals
As far as the other issues you addressed, I agree with the artificial sweetener, of course I've never liked the stuff in the first place; so really my issue lies with sugar intake in general. I hear the book/movie "Food, Inc." is causing some waves in the media. It was all the talk at work today, I guess the author was on Oprah yesterday.
Aaron watched food inc a few weeks ago, I saw a little and got the gist from Aaron. We watched The truth about food and Supersize me in Hawaii. /it is all pretty scary - we are too removed from our food source and I'm afraid regulation makers are not to be trusted and don't have our health as their first intere$t. Thanks for the Podcast! If you learn anything about affordable local meats let me know!
I'm on board with you!! Food Inc. was a real eye-opener and pretty tough to watch parts of. Oh man, is this food thing a challenge these days or what?! It's so hard in our society to eat right and it does cost more, no doubt about it. I'm starting to formulate a plan for my family to eat similar to what you've talked about, more local produce, no GMOs, more organic and the meat thing-that's the hardest challenge. It would be so nice to raise chickens and cows free range and know that what we are eating is good.
Honestly, it's such a huge undertaking that I'm just taking baby steps right now so I don't burn myself out on the idea. Starting with eliminating high fructose corn syrup and lots of the other processed food junk is an easy first step for us. We aren't huge into that stuff anyway!
Good luck and keep us all updated on info you find and how things are going. I'll do the same!
Happy eating!
Great post, Tara! I used the wholesomebabyfood.com website when we were making decisions about what and when to feed Karamea different foods and we ended up making almost all of the food she ate as baby.
As far as the local/organic food issues go, we are good in some ways and bad in others...but sometimes it is easier and more sustainable change when taken a step at a time (I say this to encourage myself to keep working at it...) We have had amazing success growing tomatoes and zucchini the last few summers and if we were around in the summer more, I would do many more fruits/veggies. It is SO cheap! And as far as the meat goes, we "harvest" venison from my parents property. We feel much more comfortable knowing where our meat comes from. We buy leftover doe licenses from the division of wildlife, and it is nice knowing that they set the limits on hunting in order to keep the population healthy. I don't know how you feel about hunting though. But if you guys are ever interested in getting a deer, I'd be happy to talk to you about it. We get about 50 lbs of meat from a deer and figure it comes out to about $2.60/lb, which is great for the steaks we get (we pay a local butcher to process it) We haven't figured anything for chicken, so I will be interested to hear what you find out as you research it. We plan on starting to can venison and other foods in the near future too, which will help save on freezer space.
Anyway, I am glad you brought the issue up on your blog; it is so much easier to live sustainably if we all chip in and share ideas!
hey tara,
i waited until my son was six months to introduce solids. his first food was sweet potatoes but i don't remember my reasoning (if any) behind that choice. my mom got me a magic bullet and it made homemade baby food so quick and easy to make. i poured the purees into ice cube trays and then stored the cubes in ziploc bags. then when it was time to eat i'd just microwave the cubes and serve. i've seen those little magic bullets at tj maxx for around $40 i think. way easier than a standard blender, especially when you go to clean up.
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