Busy Schedule, Going with it!

I know people are following my food intro schedule for Clara, so I'm finding time for updating, but it's tough! Our life is certainly hectic to say the least - 2 self-employed people, 3 kids, and my husbands 'part-time' life as a triathlete!
Anyway, because life is so busy I am not stressing about how much or how fast we intro, but focusing more on the quality of food. There have been days that I don't give any solids - I have allowed her bowels to catch up with the newness of solid food, which has been a good approach. Clara isn't 100% into food yet, which is normal. Most of her nutrition still comes from breast milk, which is how it should be still!
So since i've last written I've tried grating some frozen liver into her sweet potato (at the last stage of cooking before using the hand held mixer). The first day she didn't take to it much, but after a couple days of not having it she took it no problem. Liver is great for the iron that babies start to need more of at 6 months, but on days that she's not having that I throw a few leaves of organic baby spinach into her purees, an egg yolk or some green peas. I personally can't stand liver - not the taste OR the smell, but I realize it's nutritional value! I'm so surprised that a baby tolerates it! She loves avocado with banana, mango or blueberries, but i'm trying to hold back on the sweets in preference for developing her other tastes (in particular leafy greens!). When peaches were in season I let her share my peach (no skin, but she's use her gums to work on it - she LOVED the flavor). I also let her suck on a watermelon slice. Giving food in this manner is more 'baby led weaning' as it's not in puree form but more in it's natural state. I'm still cautious about choking so i don't allow many foods in this form. Clara seems to grab at the things that she 'shouldn't' be having yet - breads in particular, so i pull those away from her, which goes against baby led weaning! So I would say all is well, and we're going with it! Another update soon!

On a side note, I'm so happy to see all the recent weight-loss success stories in my patients. I love it when eating clean becomes a way of life for people and pounds start to melt away! These life changes is what I live for as a Naturopath!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Baby Food Intro Books and Baby Led Weaning

So here's part 2 of my food introduction with Clara. So as I was saying, we're doing things differently. It's part Weston-Price Foundation, part Baby-led weaning...but don't get overwhelmed by the terms and theories, there's a large portion that's just plain intuitive!
So if you're overwhelmed and not sure where to start, definitely visit a few websites such as http://www.westonaprice.org/and http://nourishedkitchen.com/ to find out the basic thoughts on this approach.
My patients probably know that my favorite book for children's nutrition is 'Whole Foods for Children' by Jude Blereau. I love this book because it discusses the importance of healthy fats being introduced into the diet from day one. Many other resources just recommend veggie or fruit purees without any added fats - when you think that breast milk is nearly 50% fat, it makes sense that we include healthy fats in foods as well. Babies need it for their developing adrenal glands and brain. The book takes you through food introduction into the toddler years and beyond. It discusses soaking grains (making them more digestible) and fermenting (developing healthy gut bacteria). I also like the fact that the emphasis early on is veggies, meat and fruit, then later on the gluten-free grains like quinoa, amaranth etc.
Looking back my middle child already had a healthy intro to foods than my first child - we did veggies and fruits first, and left grains till later, but I wish I had done more fats and nourishing foods like egg yolks, liver and broths! When I look back on my last pregnancy, I'm convinced that the reason it was my best (felt the best, great energy throughtout) was that I ate LOTS of healthy fats in my diet - it became by 'Aha' moment with my last pregnancy. I'm talking about avocado, raw nuts/seeds, nut butters, fish oils, lots of flax seeds, coconut oil and olive oil. Those around me couldn't believe my energy levels. Even post-partum I've had more energy than I've ever had with the other kids. So eat your fats!!
Yesterday Clara didn't get any solids (part of baby led weaning is not stressing about food intro since baby is still getting most of their nutrients from milk - it needs to be laid-back and enjoyable, not forced). I need to go to the farmer's market and get more veggies for her - I want her experience with veggies to be positive, so it means getting the sweetest, freshest in-season veggies. Today I put some banana slices in her tray, but they just slipped out of her hands! So I finally gave in and mashed them! I also pulled her carrot/apple/coconut oil puree out of the freezer and gave her that. I'll try to post more shortly but I think this is a good start for resources!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Baby Food Intro - 3rd time around!

So my third child Clara is 5.5months old and is REALLY interested in foods - grabbing at anything that comes within reach of her little body. It's been 5 years since my first child had solids introduced into his diet, and i'm certainly doing things differently this time around. As a 'new' mom I fell into the trap of introducing grains as a first food, but after several years of experience, research and experimentation I'm doing things differently. The enzymes to properly break down grains (amylase) are not developed until closer to 10 months, and gluten is one of the tougher ones to break down so that one can be save for closer to 12 months.
My patients know that I'm now recommending 'nourishing foods' be introduced first - these include a big focus on healthy fats, veggies and organic meats. It's very similar to the recommendations of the Weston Price foundation.
So examples of Clara's first foods will be sweet potato with egg yolks or coconut oil, avocado, various veggies with added fats and liver (we have a frozen organic liver which we will be grating into various foods for a source of iron, vitamin A, zinc and various other vitamins). I will be updating my progess as I go, and will share my experience if I can.
Today I let Clara sample a puree of organic carrots with touch of apple, and a warm egg yolk mixed in (soft boil an egg and scoop out the runny yolk). She gobbled it up. A note about egg yolks - unlike the protein-rich whites which are not recommended until 1 year of age, the yolk is high in essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). VERY good for the brain development in children!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!