Another organic something to try...

I picked up a new snack for Kyle yesterday, although they will also be great as a quickie to throw in with his lunch or dinner. There is a line of dried food products called Just Tomatoes, oddly enough though, they offer more than just tomatoes. I picked up the Organic Just Veggies (pictured here) and also the Organic Just Fruit Munchies. He absolutely loved the dried veggies, especially the peas. He also seemed pretty happy with the Fruit Munchies, although I was a little worried about the dried raisins in the mix - they are rock hard, so I ended up picking those out. I love that they are offering a decent selection of organics in addition to their conventional veggies and fruits. We'll definitely keep these around for healthy munching.

Organic Food Must-buys

With all of the changes in our lives over the past couple of years (being pregnant and now having a toddler) we have become much more aware of what we are eating. We attended a "Moving through Pregnancy" course during my first trimester, at which we heard from a nutritionist. When I mentioned to her that we were avoiding foods with high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fats as much as possible, I think that she actually scoffed at me and said "Good luck!" It hasn't been easy, but with a lot of reading labels and buying organic foods (Safeway has been a lifesaver in that department over the past year), we have been able to eliminate a lot of the usual sources we had of those ingredients.

I was shocked at how many of the big brands use HFCS and hydrog-fats. It definitely seems that we have to spend more to be more healthy, but if that is what it takes, we're committed to making a difference in our lives as well as our kids. Along the same line, I have been trying to buy fresh organic produce as much as possible. Here is the list of the top twelve items to buy organic (taken from the CHEC website)

1. Peaches - Summer’s blushing fruit contains high residues of iprodione, classified as a probable human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and methyl parathion, an endocrine disruptor and organophosphate (OP) insecticide. Methyl parathion has caused massive kills of bees and birds. According to Consumer Reports, single servings of peaches "consistently exceeded" EPA’s safe daily limit for a 44-pound child.
2. Apples - Apples may contain methyl parathion. Both fresh apples and baby food applesauce can also contain chlorpyrifos, an OP which has caused large bird kills. CORE Values IPM apple growers are trying to phase out OPs.
3. Pears - Pears, both fresh and in baby food, can also come with methyl parathion, as well as the OP azinphos-methyl, which is toxic to freshwater fish, amphibians and bees.
4. Winter Squash - Dieldrin, a chlorinated, carcinogenic insecticide, exceeded the safe daily limit for a young child in two-thirds of positive samples. Another potent carcinogen, heptachlor, also showed up. DDT and its breakdown product, DDE, were detected in baby food squash.
5. Green Beans - Green Beans can contain acephate, methamidophos and dimethoate (three neurotoxic OPs), and endosulfan, an endocrine-disrupting insecticide, which showed up in baby food, too. Acephate disorients migrating birds, throwing them off course.
6. Grapes - U.S. grapes contain methyl parathion and methomyl, a carbamate insecticide listed as an endocrine disruptor; imports may contain dimethoate.
7. Strawberries - The enhanced red color of strawberries comes from the fungicide captan, a probable human carcinogen that can irritate skin and eyes, and is highly toxic to fish. While the lethal soil fumigant methyl bromide doesn’t show up on the fruit, it has harmed California farm workers, and depletes the ozone layer.
8. Raspberries - Watch out for more than thorns! These berries can contain captan, iprodione and carbaryl, a suspected endocrine disruptor that has also been found in plum baby food
9. Spinach - Permethrin, a possible human carcinogen, and dimethoate dominate spinach’s toxicity ratings, but CU notes that residue levels have been declining as U.S. farmers reduce use of these insecticides. DDT has been found in spinach, which leads all foods in exceeding safety tolerances.
10. Potatoes - Pesticide use on potatoes is growing, CU warns. They may contain dieldrin and methamidophos, and children eating potatoes risk getting a very high dose of aldicarb, CU says.
11. Tomatoes - high in chlorpyrifos or other pesticide residues
12. Cantaloupe - high in chlorpyrifos or other pesticide residues

The more I read, the more I think that I should try to buy everything organic if possible!

Other sites listing foods to buy:
Consumer Reports
Delicious Organics

Snack Foods

Kyle and I recently attended a "party" for the conclusion of his music class. Snack were graciously provided by one of the other moms, and I realized that I had never given Kyle such foods before (Pepperidge Farms Goldfish Crackers, Nabisco Teddy Grahams, etc). Once I read the lists of ingredients however, I remembered why. They were packed with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and other garbage - YUCK!

So, at Safeway today, I was very excited to find an alternative to these treats - Annie's Bunny Grahams and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. (Additionally, they were on sale!) Each of these are available in a few different flavors and are proudly labeled with the following info:

Cookies:

• Made with Organic Wheat Flour (No GMO's)
• Made with Organic Cane Juice
• Excellent Source of Calcium (20% of Daily Value)
• NO Refined Sugars
• NO Hydrogenated Oils
• 0 grams Trans Fat
• 0 grams Saturated Fat

Crackers:

• Made with Real Cheese
  
• 0g Trans Fat
• No Artificial Flavors
• Made with Organic Wheat Flour
• Baked, not Fried!

These haven't yet been taste tasted by myself or Kyle, but if he enjoys it as much as he does Annie's Microwavable Macaroni & Cheese or the Annie's Organic Bernie O's, then I am sure that they will be a hit. It is great to be able to find an alternative to the junk foods that pass as kids snacks these days, and also another option to the Safeway O Organics for Toddler snacks (cookies and crackers) that I typically buy.

If you haven't already seen the Annie's brand in your local store, you can search for a store that carries their products here. Alternatively, you can also purchase their products through their website.

More on green veggies

When we went in for Kyle's 12-month check up, the topic of a well-rounded diet of course came up, and I mentioned that I really have trouble getting Kyle interested in veggies (this isn't a surprise to those who have read through earlier postings on the blog)

Because Kyle has loved the freeze dried mango, pineapple, and strawberries that we have been getting from Trader Joe's lately, I was thinking that maybe I should look for a similar product for veggies. After seeing a bag of Snapea Crisps while on vacation at the beginning of the month, I thought we should give it a try. They are GREAT! I opened the bag while Kyle was napping, and I am surprised that there were many left by the time that he woke up. He loved them too, and couldn't get enough, every time I gave him another one, he'd do a little happy dance for me. The only thing that I regret is that they are a little salty, so I am going to have to limit his intake of these. There are two flavors, Original and Caesar. I haven't tried the Caesar yet, as they have even more added ingredients. I've picked these up at both Trader Joe's and at Safeway (in the produce section), additionally, there is a list of retailers on the company's website.

Healthy snack food

I've seen these in the stores for a little while, but finally picked up a bag while I was at Target the other day. These are advertised as being baked snacks with wholesome goodness, and upon reading the package, I was shocked to learn that they are made by Frito-Lay! On top of being "good-for-you" they were actually very tasty, and even my husband who gets a little wary of "health food" agreed that they were very good. To date, I've only tried the Cheddar flavor, but will pick up a couple of more to try soon. The texture of the chip is even good for Kyle to be able to munch on and he enjoyed them.

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Apple Cinnamon Grove Flavored Baked Fruit Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Farmland Cheddar Flavored Baked Veggie Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Garlic & Herb Field Flavored Baked Veggie Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Peach Mango Paradise Flavored Baked Fruit Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Tangy Tomato Ranch Flavored Baked Veggie Crisps

Frito-Lay : FLAT EARTH Wild Berry Patch Flavored Baked Fruit Crisps

Transitioning to Whole Milk

We've made the transition to whole milk, and Kyle loves it! Before doing so though, I asked advice from my pediatrician-friend (thanks Christian!)

Her words of wisdom were that some babies can be a little sensitive to the change. So while you can just jump right into cow's milk, it might be easier on their tummies to transition slowly, and this can be done as slowly as you like. She suggested doing 25% whole milk/75% formula on Day 1, 50% whole milk/50% formula on Day 2, 75% whole milk/25% formula on Day 3, and finally 100% whole milk on Day 4. I had some formula to use up, so I actually stretched this out over a week.

We just checked in with his doctor for his 12-month check up, and she advised that he should be drinking about 16 ounces of milk per day, and that he shouldn't fill up on milk as he has to get other nutrients from his well-balanced solid diet. Unfortunately, he is still getting used to the idea of well balanced, and I struggle to get him to eat his vegetables, although he has no problem with fruits!

Sample One-Day Menu for a One-Year Old

I spoke with Kyle's doctor today. We initially had his 12-month check up scheduled for the day after his birthday, but had to reschedule it for two weeks later as the doctor will be out due to jury duty. So since it was postponed, I wanted to check with her if she was OK with me starting whole cow's milk, or if we should wait until Kyle was seen at the appointment. She said go for it, so we won't have to be buying anymore formula after this week! Here's a good Babycenter.com article I found regarding making the transition to cow's milk.

Other changes I am looking forward to... not being as wary about products containing whole eggs or honey. Right now, I am working on incorporating more snack times into Kyle's schedule, so am thinking he will have breakfast as usual around 7:30, nap from 9:30-10:30, snack when he wakes up, lunch around 12 or 12:30. Nap again from 1:30-2:30, snack again a little after he wakes up and then dinner around 5pm. With all of this food coming his way, he'll definitely be a growing boy!

Sample One-Day Menu for a One-Year Old

Taken from the AAP "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child Birth to Age 5"

This menu is planned for a one-year-old child who weighs approximately 21 pounds.

1 teaspoon = 1/3 tablespoon (5 ml)
1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounce (15 ml)
1 cup = 8 ounces (240 ml)
1 oz = 30 ml

BREAKFAST
1/2 cup iron-fortified breakfast cereal or 1 cooked egg (not more than 3 eggs per week)
1/4 cup whole milk (with cereal)
4-6 oz. juice
Add to cereal one of the following:
1/2 banana, sliced
2-3 large sliced strawberries

SNACK
1 slice toast or whole wheat muffin
1-2 tablespoons cream cheese or peanut butter
1 cup whole milk

LUNCH
1/2 sandwich - tuna, egg salad, peanut butter, or cold cuts
1/2 cup cooked green vegetables

SNACK
1-2 ounces cubed cheese, or 2-3 tablespoons pitted and diced dates
1 cup whole milk

DINNER
2-3 ounces cooked meat, ground or diced
1/2 cup cooked yellow or orange vegetables
1/2 cup pasta, rice, or potato
1/2 cup whole milk