Prenatal Nutrition

Now that I'm pregnant with our second baby, as many of my friends are expecting too, I've been looking into the best diet to keep me healthy so I can grow a nice healthy baby. Most of what I've found goes right along with what I preach all the time. But there are a few things to avoid and also some things to make sure you're including in your daily eating habits.

We've all heard the phrase "eating for two." And I will admit that I have used this on occasion when I'm looking to excuse the extra piece of pizza or my second helping of dessert I'm about to indulge in. But then I remember that my baby is only 4 inches tall, and doesn't need a whole piece of pizza. I'm not saying I never give in to that craving, but in reality, a pregnant woman only needs to consume about 300 more calories than she was previously, unless she was underweight or on a restricted diet.

Pregnancy isn't the time for a free for all on what you eat. Yes, there may be some cravings, and it's ok to give in to these from time to time, but during pregnancy it is so important to eat the best you possibly can for your baby. During these nine months, clean your diet so your baby is getting all the nutrients he or she needs. Give your baby the best start you can by eliminating chemicals and toxins from your body. There are so many toxins that we come into contact with on a daily basis, from the air and water, cleaning products, beauty products, etc. So control the things that you can. And diet is one of the things you have control over.

A prenatal diet is based on the same principles of healthy eating. This means eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. You've probably heard the list of foods to avoid or limit - fish with high mercury content, raw or undercooked seafood, undercooked meat, poultry, eggs or deli meats, unpasteurized dairy, and soft cheeses. Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine should all be eliminated as well. I also recommend eliminating artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and artificial ingredients. And limit white sugar, white flour, salt, processed foods and fried food. These are things I recommend whether pregnant or not. Pregnancy is the perfect time to eat better because it not only will improve your health (and make shedding that baby weight easier) but your baby will be much healthier. Babies are so vulnerable so it's important not to load their little bodies up with toxic substances. And what every expectant parent really wants is a healthy baby.

Now, what to eat? Whole foods - foods in their purest state, unprocessed without any added chemicals or preservatives - are the easiest for your body to digest and use, and your baby will be getting what she needs. Healthy eating can be based around a whole foods diet. A good rule of thumb, for nutritious eating all the time, is to imagine the source of the food you're about to eat. For example, it is very obvious where a fruit or vegetable came from. You can imagine the wheat used in whole grain bread and you know where dairy products come from. If it's something you could make in your own kitchen (theoretically, we're not all master chefs!) than it's probably made from whole foods. But, if you can't possibly imagine how to make something like a Cheeto or a Twinkie, it's not made from whole foods. Look at food labels and if the ingredients sound like real food and not artificial additives, it's going to be better for you and your baby.

There are a few nutrients that are essential to your body while pregnant, much more so than when you're not pregnant. Talk to your doctor about getting a prenatal vitamin that will fit your diet and lifestyle. Here are things to look for in your diet:

Folate and Folic Acid (a B vitamin) will help prevent birth defects. You need about 1,000 micrograms per day while pregnant. Spinach, beans, asparagus, peanuts and oranges all contain folate naturally, while many cereals are fortified with Folic Acid.

Calcium will help you and your baby have strong bones and teeth. You need 1,000 milligrams a day (1,300 milligrams for pregnant teenagers). Dairy products are good sources of calcium and so are salmon, spinach and fortified juices and cereals.

Protein is essential for your baby's growth. You need about 70 grams of protein a day while pregnant. Lean meat, poultry, fish and eggs contain high amounts of protein, but you can also get it from beans, peas, nuts, tofu and dairy products.

Iron will prevent anemia. Look for 27 milligrams a day. Lean meat, poultry, fish, spinach, beans and fortifies cereals are good sources.

Look for nine servings of whole grains, five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, and two or more servings of protein rich foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans or nuts. Again, it is so important to nourish your baby with nutrient dense, whole foods.

And lastly, WATER, WATER and more WATER!! Water carries the nutrients you eat to your baby. It will also "help prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, excessive swelling, and urinary tract or bladder infections (Mayo Clinic)." I'm going to pass on all those. Not to mention you will have more energy and feel better if you're hydrated and eating a balanced, nutritious diet.

Much of my information came from www.mayoclinic.com.

Simple Dinner

I love meals that incorporate many food groups into one dish. And the ones with just a few simple ingredients are my favorite. I made this pasta dish tonight and the whole thing was on the table in about 20 minutes. It tasted good and was healthy, that's about all I can ask for some days! So keep it simple, and use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge at the moment. Here's what I did.

1 package whole wheat penne pasta
about 2 cups baby spinach, chopped up
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil (I didn't measure, you might need more)
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan for sprinkling

Cook the pasta according to the directions and prep the veggies you'll be adding. Chop up the fresh garlic and add it, along with some salt and pepper, to the olive oil. When the pasta is done, drain. Add the olive oil mixture until well coated, then add your fresh veggies. Add salt, pepper and Parmesan after serving.
I cut up a cucumber as a side dish, along with a loaf of whole wheat artisan bread. Keep it simple and enjoy!

Milk and Honey Raisin Bread

This bread is amazingly delicious, made with whole grains and low in sugar. It is perfect lightly toasted with some butter on it. It is from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., & Zoe Francois. I love this cookbook for a couple reasons. First, I love carbs! And second, the recipes are healthy and easy to make. You make large batches and can bake however much you want at a time. Most of the doughs will keep for 10-14 days. There is also no kneading, so I just put all the ingredients in my big mixer and then let the dough rise in that bowl. You read that correctly, NO KNEADING! The recipe for the Milk and Honey Raisin Bread will make 2 large loaves. You can either bake both loaves at the same time (which I did and then froze one) or you can bake them as you want them. This dough will keep for 10 days in the refrigerator.

4 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets
1 tablespoon salt (increase or decrease to taste)
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 cups milk
2 cups lukewarm water
1/3 cup honey or agave syrup
2 large eggs
3/4 cup raisins
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing the top
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients and mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you're not using a machine.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 10 days.
5. On baking day, grease an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut off a 2 pound (cantaloupe size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
6. Elongate the ball into an oval and place it in the loaf pan; your goal is to fill the pan about three-quarters full. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 90 minutes (or 40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, with a rack placed in the center of the oven.
8. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crust with egg wash, then sprinkle with raw sugar.
9. Bake for about 45 minutes, until richly browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.
10. Remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.

Hamburger

I just had to share this information I just read. Something everyone should know, so pass this on. It's by David Zinczenko, author of Eat This, Not That, the article is called The Truth About Your Weight Gain. Here is the excerpt that was most disturbing to me:

"Most fast-food hamburger patties begin their voyage to your buns in the hands of a company called Beef Products. The company specializes in taking slaughterhouse trimmings—heads and hooves and the like—that are traditionally used only in pet food and cooking oil, and turning them into patties. The challenge is getting this byproduct meat clean enough for human consumption, as both E. coli and salmonella like to concentrate themselves in the fatty deposits.

The company has developed a process for killing beef-based pathogens by forcing the ground meat through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas—the same chemical you might use to clean your bathroom. Not only has the USDA approved the process, but it's also allowed those who sell the beef to keep it hidden from their customers. At Beef Products’ behest, ammonia gas has been deemed a “processing agent” that need not be identified on nutrition labels. Never mind that if ammonia gets on your skin, it can cause severe burning, and if it gets in your eyes, it can blind you. Add to the gross-out factor the fact that after moving through this lengthy industrial process, a single beef patty can consist of cobbled-together pieces from different cows from all over the world—a practice that only increases the odds of contamination.

Losing weight starts in your own kitchen, by using the same ingredients real chefs have relied on since the dawn of the spatula. If you’re set on the challenge of eating fresh, single-source hamburger, pick out a nice hunk of sirloin from the meat case and have your butcher grind it up fresh. Hold the ammonia."

He says it better than I could, so I am going to leave it at that. Yuck.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-weight-gain

Minestrone Soup

I love soup. There are so many different soups that I love so much, I could eat soup every day. But I have a hard time finding a variety of soup in a can that meets all my nutritional guidelines. For starters, many soups have a chicken or beef broth base, and being vegetarian, it's a no go. Then I have to filter out anything with MSG (monosodium glutamate), corn syrups and hydrogenated oils. Not to mention trying to find something that is nutrient dense and tastes good. So my solution is to make my own soup. I like to make large batches and freeze it in single portions for convenience. Most of us don't have the extra time each day to spend hours in the kitchen, so having a quick, easy, nutritious meal in the freezer leaves no excuse for you to even be tempted by the drive-thru.
Here is a recipe for the minestrone soup I made today. The original recipe is from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook (which I got at Borders for around $6!), but as usual, I didn't follow it exactly. So here is what I did.

Minestrone
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: about 1 hour

1 can kidney beans
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tomatoes, peeled* and chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped parsley
9 cups vegetable stock
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup sliced green beans (I used frozen)
1 cup macaroni elbows
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Heat oil in a pan, add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft.
2. Add the tomatoes, parsley, beans and stock. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes. (The original recipe said to simmer for 2 hours, but I didn't have that much time!)
3. Add the carrot, turnip, potatoes, celery and tomato paste. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.
4. Add zucchini, green beans and macaroni elbows. Simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables and pasta are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with shavings of Parmesan cheese.

*To peel tomatoes: Cut a cross in the bottom; put into boiling water for 2 minutes. Plunge into cold water, remove and peel.

Helpful Tip: When I find a recipe that sounds good, I will make a little shopping list of all the ingredients I need. That way, when I decide to try it, I am ready to grab it and hit the store. If you have little ones, you know that when it's time for grocery shopping, it's a get in, get out event. You don't want to waste time looking up recipes or racking your brain to figure out what you need.

Lowering Cholesterol

Recently, my mom called to talk to me about her cholesterol. She's had high cholesterol and recently the doctor wants to start her on medicine to control it. She and I both believe that anything that can be controlled without the help of pharmaceuticals should be done that way. I won't even take Advil for a headache! So she doesn't want to take any drugs, but has been trying to lower her cholesterol through her diet and it was still higher than a year ago when she last had it checked. So she is frustrated. So I started digging into her daily diet, and yes, she still eats ice cream once or twice a week and has cheese on a regular basis. And while she doesn't eat a lot of eggs or red meat, she does have some.
Having high cholesterol is part genetics and part environment (diet). Here's my short advice: Eat more beans, fruits and vegetables. Eat more fiber.
"Soluble fiber may form a sticky substance in the intestines and help flush away excess cholesterol. Oatmeal, oat bran, beans, peas, barley, citrus fruits and rice bran contain high amounts of soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber foods such as whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, cabbage, carrots and cauliflower may not lower cholesterol but help with the digestive process to keep a healthy weight. (www.livestrong.com)" Fish, nuts (especially walnuts) and extra virgin olive oil are also foods that will lower cholesterol.
An average person should limit their daily intake of cholesterol to no more than 300 mg per day. Someone with high cholesterol should limit to it no more than 200 mg per day. According MayoClinic.com, one large chicken egg contains 213mg. LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) is found in animal products - meat, eggs, dairy.
It is so important to develop healthy habits for a lifetime and not get caught in fad diets. You want a diet that you can sustain for a long time (or the rest of your life) and stay healthy. The Mediterranean diet can do that and help you lower your cholesterol. It incorporates tons of fruits, vegetables, is high in fiber uses olive oil in place of butter and other fats. It also incorporates fish in place of meat. This diet is taken from the countries of the Mediterranean, where they typically have lower instances of heart disease. Couple this with regular exercise for a healthy lifestyle.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/267100-type-of-foods-to-lower-cholesterol-naturally/#ixzz12fZLFub4

Eggplant Recipe

Tomato-Chickpea Eggplant Shells
4 servings

2 eggplants
1 onion
2 large tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained and washed
4 cloves chopped fresh garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh side deeply in a crisscross pattern. Brush with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. Put the eggplants flesh side down and brush the skin with olive oil. Add about 1/8 of an inch of water in the pan and roast for about 25 minutes. You may need to add water so check after 10-15 minutes. Once removed, spoon out the flesh and save for later. Be careful not to tear the skin...although you can always chop it up and throw it in the whole mix! That's what I ended up doing, oops!
In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook about 4-5 minutes, until onion starts to brown. Add tomatoes (with juice), chickpeas, eggplant flesh and salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 5 or so minutes.
Spoon the mixture into the shell of the eggplant and enjoy! This recipe is so easy and quick to make and also nutritious-we love that!

Healthier Eating Habits For Your Child

Here are a few tips for getting your little one to eat healthier:

1. Give your child milk or water to drink throughout the day. She doesn't need juice at all. Whole fruit is much better for them. One glass of juice has way more sugar than a piece of fruit and no fiber. If you do decide to give her juice, either make your own fresh or buy juice that is not from concentrate and has no added sugar. And then cut it in half with water to minimize the amount of sugar she is getting. The only juice I give to Joy is what we make ourselves. And I always combine fruit and vegetable juices. Since she has never had juice from the grocery store, she doesn't know any different and loves it. We made bok choy and orange juice the other day and I couldn't believe how much she drank. Vegetable juices are great because they provide a ton of vitamins and don't have much sugar. But if your little one isn't as brave as Joy, you can do orange/carrot or cucumber/apple. I will still add water or at least ice cubes to cut it down. Joy will also drink what juice is left after we finish watermelon or pineapple. I just pour it into a cup and add a little water. And we aren't spending any money on juice or creating any extra waste.

2. Offer your kids vegetables. Offer them again. And again. Studies have shown that some kids won't even taste a food until it's been offered 10-15 times. And it might take trying it over and over to actually like it. So put a little on his plate and offer him bites of what you are eating. We all know that whatever is on our plate is way more appealing than whatever is on his plate. Joy loves to "share" mommy's food. Also, when you are cooking, put out a little bowl of veggies as "appetizers" before dinner. Frozen peas, baby carrots or green beans are good for munching. Your little one might be more willing to eat some vegetables before he's full from his dinner. I will also put out fruit or veggies while Joy is playing, so if she is wanting to snack, but not really hungry, she has a much healthier option than cheese crackers or cookies.

3. Get sneaky. If you've tried all of the above suggestions and your little one still won't touch anything green, puree some vegetables and add them to what you are cooking for him. I will add some recipes later, but here are a few simple ideas. I will add pureed carrots or sweet potato to macaroni and cheese, scrambled eggs and breads. I will add pureed spinach to spaghetti sauce. Or, add some vegetable juice to her orange juice (if you're giving her juice). Some things are acquired tastes. So the more you add vegetables to anything and everything, eventually, the taste will grow on your child and she will start to like the taste. So eventually she will eat a carrot. Or a pea or squash or whatever you are preparing. So whether you are offering her straight vegetables or sneaking them in wherever you can, you ultimately want her to like vegetables so that she will grow into a healthy adult. It is so important to expose kids to whole fruits and vegetables in as many ways, shapes and forms as possible. And remember, you are her number one role model, so set a good example of healthy eating. Give her a healthy start and develop good habits now that she can carry into adulthood.

4. Try to give your little one as many whole foods as possible and avoid processed foods. I know it is so much easier to grab pre-packaged food for lunches and snacks, but look at the label to see what ingredients are really going in there. So be prepared. Cut up apples the night before, put baby carrots into baggies, wash enough fruits and vegetables to get through a day or two and have them easily accessible. Try making macaroni and cheese from scratch and not a box. Make home-made soup and freeze part so that you have a healthy meal ready for those days you just don't get dinner on the table and would otherwise order a pizza. The freezer is your friend! Freeze chopped or pureed veggies in small serving sizes that you can throw into a dish later. For example, you can pull out 1/2 cup pureed spinach in the morning and by that evening it is ready to go into the pasta sauce. The bottom line is that the fresher the food is that you give your children, the fewer preservatives and chemicals you are feeding your little one. Home-made cookies are even better than packaged ones...and it's so much fun cooking with the little ones!

Pita Bread

Here's a recipe for my whole wheat pita bread. We love dipping it in hummus, but there are so many things you can use it for. You can spread peanut butter and jelly on it too. My mom gave me this recipe; she uses it for pizza and breadsticks. I just substituted whole wheat flour for white flour and evaporated cane juice for white sugar. It's so easy to make, and I can let it rise as long as I need to, so I will mix it up when I have 20 minutes and then I'll usually bake it at night after Joy is sleeping. I double the batch and freeze half (after baking and slicing). I use a pizza stone to bake it on so it's done evenly and the bottom doesn't get too crispy.

1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons organic sugar - evaporated cane juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons organic olive oil
3 cups whole wheat flour

Combine yeast, water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. The yeast will bubble, that means it is still good. Add remainder of sugar, salt, oil and slowly add the flour. Knead well. Cover and let rise for at least 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll out about 1/2 inch thick and let it rise for another 20 minutes. I will usually spray olive oil on it and sprinkle with garlic and a little salt. Then bake for 10 minutes or until done. It might have air bubbles, so I try to cut it as soon as it comes out of the oven. This keeps it from crumbling too much later.

Note for picky eaters:
You can do 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups white flour or half and half. White flour gives it a little fluffier and smoother texture, so for the picky little ones (or big ones) try mixing the white and whole wheat flours.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is the most concentrated source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. Ground flaxseed can be used as an egg replacement...use 1 tablespoon (15 g) ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water (45 ml) whisked in a blender or food processor until thick and creamy for each egg you are replacing*. You can buy ground flaxseed (sometimes called flaxseed meal) or whole flaxseeds and grind them yourself in a coffee grinder. After you grind them, keep them in a glass, airtight container in the refrigerator. This makes it easy to add it to whatever you are preparing. And let's be honest, if it takes more time to eat healthy we aren't going to do it. So make it easy on yourself, be prepared ahead of time. Even if you aren't using it as an egg replacement, add ground flaxseed to oatmeal, smoothies, cereal, pancakes, cookies, etc. Aim for 2 teaspoons a day.

You can add whole flaxseeds to dishes, baked goods, oatmeal and salads, too. But nutrients are better absorbed when food is properly broken down and digested. You know how your grandmother told you to slow down and chew your food? She was right. Food that isn't chewed up takes longer to digest and can pass through your system undigested. Which means your body isn't getting those nutrients. So by grinding up the flaxseed, we are ensuring that your body will get all the nutrients. Plus, sometimes the smooth texture goes down easier, especially in baked goods. And if you have picky kids, you know it's best if they don't know just how healthy it is!

Hearty Oatmeal (my original creation!)

1/2 cup old fashion oats
2 teaspoons ground flaxseed
1-2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 cup water

Mix together in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Add milk or water if needed and slice 1 banana into the oatmeal or add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries. You can always adjust your nuts and fruits to your taste. This is a great way to set the tone for how healthy you eat all day.


*Sources: The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau