What IS healthy?

[hennaLisa]

I need some direction. I've read about cow's milk and soy milk being bad for you... and meat as well as tofu... I avoid sugar and fried foods... What is actually healthy especially for a nursing mom and a 15 month old boy?

[hennaLisa]

Can anyone suggest alternatives or what I should change to improve my son's diet, given the current research?

His actual diet consists currently of a lot of:

tofu (daily, he adores it cubed, not even cooked)
1 egg per day
beans (a few times a week, cooked from dry to avoid salt)
ground turkey (a few times per week)
chicken breast (a few times per week)

cream cheese (which he also adores)
plain yogurt (2x per day - another favorite)
cheese (daily)
Mommy milk (he nurses pretty often)

whole wheat bread (< 1 slice per day)
brown rice (daily)
whole wheat pasta (a few times a week)
oatmeal (a few times a week)
puffed wheat cereal (the plain kind, daily a favorite)
whole wheat crackers (a few times per week)

berries, banana, applesauce (not a favorite, 2 servings per day)
pees, corn, carrots, green beans (2-3 servings per day, from frozen)
sweet potato (he's been on a strike, but I'm planning to reintroduce it)

some olive oil mixed into his food daily
some milled flax mixed into his food a few times per week
avocado (he's been on a strike, but I'm planning to reintroduce it)
coconut milk (a few times per week)

[fresh_veggie]

I would stick to fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy oils, etc. Fermented dairy such as kefir is much easier to digest than fresh cows milk. Soy has a lot of "estrogens"...which in high quantities aren't that great. If you want meat, then stick to the whole lean grilled thing. A diet high in dark greens is great! Beans are good. I'd just try to work on having a balance - a little cream cheese here or there won't hurt. A wide variety of in-season fruits and veggies is awesome!

[mamadelbosque]

Sounds pretty healthy to me! I try not to eat/feed my family too much soy (we have tofu 1-2x a month, tops), but other than that we try to stick to whole foods & I try to make most of our food from scratch (though I am back to buying bread as I just haven't had the inclinatino to make it this summer).

[hennaLisa]

Which Dark Greens?

I've been struggling a little with how to get my son to eat dark greens, or which ones to give him. I tried cooking broccoli for him, but it seemed to come out not soft enough, so I've been waiting and plan to reintroduce it. He generally likes finger foods. When I think of dark greens, the main food that comes to mind is spinach. But I'm not sure if it would make a good finger food. Any suggestions of others to try, or ways to make spinach or broccoli into a good finger food? I was thinking I might try grinding it up and adding it to something else before cooking (like making a little omelet)...

[Alyantavid]

You can add spinach to anything.

It sounds pretty healthy to me. I, personally, would cut back on the tofu, but I'd also research that yourself and decide if you're comfortable with it.

[crunchy_mama]

I wouldn't do the tofu at all personally- if I was going to do soy it would be fermented.

I would check the quality of dairy if you want to do dairy- organic at the least and preferrably raw if it is in a littles diet.

I would focus on good quality meats ie grass fed as well and not try to be doing lean meats, especially for a little one w/ a developing brain.

I would be making sure he is introduced to a wide variety of vegetables and fruits- spices- textures, and flavors.

[staceychev]

You could put greens into smoothies with fruit.

I, too, would avoid tofu, especially for a 15-month old little guy.

Other than that, looks pretty healthy.

FWIW, I liked the book Superimmunity for Kids: What to Feed Your Kids to Keep Them Healthy Now, and Prevent Disease in Their Future.

[thismama]

I think it looks great. I would cut the tofu down to maybe once or twice per week. I'm an agnostic about the tofu drama, I don't know what to believe, so I do it in moderation.

[raksmama]

It seems pretty healthy to me except for, as others have already pointed out, the tofu. I would stay away from all unfermented soy.

Also many people are allergic to cows milk, so maybe replace it with yoghurt or kefir or goat’s milk. I am also undecided about dairy. Sometimes I think some of it is good, other times I think it is not

In regards to broccoli, DS ate it around that age. I steamed very small flowers lightly so they were soft but not mushy.

Of course stay away from non-organic spinach. Ds liked spinach cooked with lamb and rice,a dish we also ate, but his was mashed and later cut up small. At a young age I gave DS the same food we ate but mashed up so he got used to all kinds of foods.

[es1967]

I make a broccoli/leek soup that my DS loves. Here is the link. I also substituted celery last wk for the broccoli and it turned out great. He hates celery but loved the soup. Its pureed and then in each plate I add a dallop of sour cream.

http://www.oprah.com/recipe/omagazin...od_200601_soup

We do smoothies too-green ones, kefir and fruit smoothies

Hemp seed- we add this to our oatmeal along w flax,coconut oil etc.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

That depends on who you ask. We stick to an organic whole food diet. I eat things as close to there natural form as possible and stay away from industrialized food. If it's a new phenomenon, then it doesn't belong in my kitchen. If my great, great, great grandmother would recognize it, then we chow down. This means that we eat lots of meat (not just lean, we like the fatty cuts and eat chicken skin and such), vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. I don't believe for a second that cow's milk is bad for you, but won't touch soy milk with a 10 foot pole. I'm not a complete crazy person about it, I just make sure the bulk of our food consumption fits these rules.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

You may also find the book "Real Food for Mother and Baby" by Nina Planck extremely enlightening. There are sections on what to eat when trying to conceive, pregnant, nursing, and first foods for baby/toddler.

[mama1803]

I haven't read Real Food for Mother and Baby yet, but I did enjoy Real Food: What to Eat and Why by the same author. This book really did challenge alot of the beliefs I held about healthy eating and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to eat healthier.

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by hennaLisa

I need some direction. I've read about cow's milk and soy milk being bad for you... and meat as well as tofu... I avoid sugar and fried foods... What is actually healthy especially for a nursing mom and a 15 month old boy?

RAW milk is very good for you and especially for kids. Meat is GOOD as long as it is organic (chicken) or grass fed and free of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides (beef, bison). Wild Alaskan salmon is good. Homecooked is best.

Ordanic veggies, greens are great for you (especially raw). Organic nuts, coconut, coconut milk are great for you (especially raw). Fresh fruit and berries are great as long as you don’t eat too much (due to sugars).

[hennaLisa]

Finding Healthy Food...

Thanks for the great suggestions! I've never bought organic food (my Mom didn't and neither do my friends). I do know where to find it in the grocery stores. I'd love to know which veges are the most important to buy organic, because I don't think we can afford to buy all organic. Also, how would I find grass fed meat without hormones? Is it something I could find at the big groceries, or would it be a specialty store? What about raw milk? I've heard raw milk is dangerous, and I'm not even sure it's legal in GA. Thanks for the help! :

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by hennaLisa

Thanks for the great suggestions! I've never bought organic food (my Mom didn't and neither do my friends). I do know where to find it in the grocery stores. I'd love to know which veges are the most important to buy organic, because I don't think we can afford to buy all organic. Also, how would I find grass fed meat without hormones? Is it something I could find at the big groceries, or would it be a specialty store? What about raw milk? I've heard raw milk is dangerous, and I'm not even sure it's legal in GA. Thanks for the help! :

Look for farmer's markets. I wouldn't blindly buy organic though, I'd look for local food first. Alot of farmers don't spray but aren't certified organic so you might just have to ask around.

Eat Wild

Local Harvest

You might be able to find something through those sites or even check Craigslist. I've seen free fruit and veggies on ours, meat, really cheap pastured eggs, etc.

I've never bought raw milk, but I'd probably check out the dairy its coming from. I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all, but I do think there is a chance for not as high quality raw milk from some places. We drink organic, pastured, non-homogenized local milk.

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by Evie's Mama

I don't believe for a second that cow's milk is bad for you, but won't touch soy milk with a 10 foot pole.

Do you mean raw or pasterized milk? I'm too against soy. To the OP, tofu is not welcome in our family. Soy can do bad things to the body (dh got his thyroid messed up by soy).

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by hennaLisa

Thanks for the great suggestions! I've never bought organic food (my Mom didn't and neither do my friends). I do know where to find it in the grocery stores. I'd love to know which veges are the most important to buy organic, because I don't think we can afford to buy all organic. Also, how would I find grass fed meat without hormones? Is it something I could find at the big groceries, or would it be a specialty store? What about raw milk? I've heard raw milk is dangerous, and I'm not even sure it's legal in GA. Thanks for the help! :

I'd highly recommend reading this article, especially if you buy conventional soy products http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-Find-Out.aspx

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Originally Posted by Yulia_R

Do you mean raw or pasterized milk? I'm too against soy.

Raw for sure. I won't touch pasteurized milk. We get ours from a local farmer who also supplies our eggs (free-range only for us). You can find one in your area here.

You can buy grass-fed organic meat at some health food stores (such as Whole Foods), but it's usually cheaper and better if you can find a local farmer. I found mine through a farmer's market.