LilSugar

Did You Change Your Diet Before Conception?

LilSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

When couples plan conception they generally prepare by tracking ovulation and take all the helpful hints they can get.

I recently stumbled on Cooking to Conceive: Fertility-Boosting Foods & Recipes to Help You Get Pregnant ($17) at the bookstore and was intrigued by the concept. It focuses on healthy dishes filled with veggies that add extra calcium, folate, and antioxidants to your diet (no champagne and oysters, but chocolate makes the cut!). It's all logical stuff, but I was impressed by the lineup. Did you change your diet when trying to get pregnant, or did you eat the same until you were eating for two?

Did You Cut Diet Out of Conversation With Your Children?

LilSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:00:46 -0700

Mom might feel fat, but her kiddos shouldn't have to hear it. More and more parents are cutting "I'm chubby" exclamations from their conversation diet as mothers become concerned with the ill effects the statements have on their offspring, particularly impressionable daughters. Some families have even cut the word "fat" from their vocabularies despite a world that is now seemingly obsessed with childhood obesity, trans fat and exercise.

Twenty-three years ago, a front page Wall Street Journal article shook-up beliefs about when girls become body conscience. The reporter interviewed 100 fourth-grade girls and discovered that 80 percent were dieting. The writer recently revisited several of his interview subjects and found that most felt today's grade-school aged girls face greater weight pressure than previous generations.
Do you think body image issues have gotten better or worse?

Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me: Asparagus

babysugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:00:34 -0700

Mothers take classes on breastfeeding and even meet with lactation consultants on a weekly basis, but those experts don't tell her that if she eats asparagus, she's going to smell it hours later in her son's diaper!

The other night I hesitated before taking a bite, but caved to my craving and ate a few of the tasty green spears. As expected I paid the price in my own way, but the next morning, I smelled the asparagus aftermath elsewhere. Uncertain of its origin, I sniffed around and finally found the culprit! My lil man, a breastfed baby, had a pungent diaper thanks to his mama's diet. The next time I'm served long green stalks, I'll think twice. Have you noticed this is true with other foods?
Source

The Last Time I Really Enjoyed a Candy Bar I Was Seven

LilSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:00:53 -0800

Ignorance is bliss when it comes to some childhood habits like eating junk food. A chocolate bar tastes ten times better when you don't know how many calories it has or care. Kids pick their favorite flavor of ice cream based on the color or amount of bubble gum chunks it contains. As adults we worry about food dye, processing, trans-fats, sugar, sodium and whatever other substance is headlined in the articles we devour and then decide to limit from our lil ones.

A recent New York Times article explored food worries and potential eating issues in today's children. While an 8-year-old stresses about sodium increasing his heart rate - his mother was proud of his nutritional awareness. The report said:

While scarcely any expert would criticize parents for paying attention to children’s diets, many doctors, dietitians and eating disorder specialists worry that some parents are becoming overzealous, even obsessive, in efforts to engender good eating habits in children. With the best of intentions, these parents may be creating an unhealthy aura around food.

I primarily feed my tots an organic and non-processed diet, but every blue moon - I let them have cake for breakfast. How do you balance this with your kids?

Source

Baby Bump: Prenatal Diet May Mean Early Periods

babysugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:00:03 -0700

What you eat while pregnant, may affect more than your waistline. A recent study claims that a woman's prenatal diet may influence the age at which her unborn daughter will begin to menstruate. For expecting ladies who indulge their taste buds with ice cream, cookies and other fattening treats, this news may be unwelcome.

Doctors from the University of Auckland conducted a study using pregnant lab rats. During their pregnancy and nursing period, some were fed high fat diets. The remaining rats were given standard rat fare. In addition to the mother's diet being monitored, the researchers monitored the baby rats' diets, which were also divided into fatty and regular food. The results showed that regardless of the baby rat's diet, the rats whose mothers were fed high fat diets while in utero started to menstruate earlier than their counterparts.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Deborah Sloboda said:

This might suggest that the fetal environment in high-fat fed mothers plays a greater role in determining pubertal onset than childhood nutrition.

Source

Would these findings affect your food choices?

Diet Influences the Sex of Babies?

LilSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:30:44 -0700

I wasn't much of an eater until after I had my daughter, maybe that's how I ended up with a son.

A recently released study claims that a woman's eating habits prior to getting pregnant may influence the sex of her children. To get the details, read more.

A Guardian article said:

The discovery points to a natural way for women to boost, if only slightly, their chances of having a boy or a girl, depending on whether they consume large amounts of foods such as bananas and cereals, or have a more restricted diet.

When it came down to the calories of the 740 women who were studied, it didn't matter if they were fats or carbs. But, 56 percent of women in the high calorie group had boys compared to 45 percent in the lower one.

Did this prove true for you?
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Are Your Kids Healthy Eaters?

LilSugar — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:00:12 -0800

As parents, we want to feed our children the healthiest choices available and specialty stores like Whole Foods have made it all the easier. Even mainstream supermarkets are offering more organic and natural options. But, sometimes time, money and temper tantrums make it hard to get kids to eat what's best for them.

Do your kids have a healthy diet or do they munch on happy meals?

Source

Homemade Baby Succotash

Lil Community — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:32 -0800

This recipe comes from the group The Children's Table from member lauren.

I have an amazing brother and sister-in-law, who had their first child this last year and in hopes to make sure my niece's diet is full of healthy and tasty things, they have been making homemade baby food. They received the Beaba Babycook as a shower gift and trust me they have been using this handy contraption nonstop! I am sure you could make the same recipe on the stove but this definitely, in my aunt opinion, makes it much easier!

To get the recipe, read more.

Homemade Baby Succotash
Recipe from Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months

Ingredients

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup lima or butter beans, frozen
1 cup corn kernels frozen
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

With the beaba babycook, steam the frozen lima beans and corn kernels. Save the liquid in case, so it can be added back for a smoother texture.
Remove the stemming bowl from the beaba and place the cooked beans and corn in blender portion. Add the butter, salt and paprika and stemming liquid, if needed. Quickly blend to the desired consistency.
Let cool and feed your cute babe!

Print recipe with images | without images
Do you have a favorite product or recipe that your tots love? Share it with other lunch making mamas in The Children's Table group over in the LilSugar Community!

When Vegetarians Raise Vegetarians

babysugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:08 -0800

For some, dinner is just a meal. For others, it is a way of life and a testament to their beliefs. Carnivores may not give much thought to the burger on their plate, but vegetarians might. They often take comfort in the fact that no animals were harmed in the making of their cuisine - a mindset many would like to pass onto their offspring. Some vegetarian moms limit their children to a strict greens and fruits diet, and others allow their children to choose meals for themselves - meat included. While the choice may seem insignificant to some, others believe a parent's push to be strictly vegetarian may have negative consequences.

Instead of forcing a child into vegetarian restrictions, Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic, thinks children who can select their own food may experience less peer pressure than their limitless foodies in the lunch room. Furthermore, she argues it may even cause a child to feel stressed out if she is not limited to parent-approved choices when out on her lonesome. To avoid setting children up for failure, Nelson recommends this tidbit of advice:

You should offer age-appropriate explanations for why they don't eat meat . . . Then give children reassurance and strategies for making food choices when they're not with you.

So tell us, would you raise your child to have the same eating habits as you or would you allow them to test things out for themselves?

Did You Start Eating Better Once You Entered Motherhood?

babysugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:44 -0700

Before baby arrived, mama may have occasionally skipped dinner or even resorted to a liquid diet at the local happy hour. But when there's a wee one in the family, mommy's schedule shifts and often, so does her eating habits. Pregnancy usually kicks a woman's bad eating habits to the curb, giving her a head start on better food choices. When her child reaches the 6-month mark and starts eating solid foods, mum may find herself eating better than ever before. If she's making her own babe's pureed broccoli, chances are she's nibbling on the crowns, too and upping her own folic acid and iron intake.

Did you start eating better once you became a mama?

Share your favorite dishes and family foodie tips in the The Children's Table group over in the LilSugar Community!