Vitamin C

When the twins were three months old they both developed bronchiolitis. This is fairly common and is even more prevalent in pre-term babies.
Unfortunately poor Sophie ended up in hospital and we were informed they would most likely develop asthma later on.
One of the best ways to combat respiratory ailments is through increasing the intake of Vitamin C.
Vitamin C has now become so important as it strengthens the immune system. Vitamin C is the primary antioxidant in the bronchi and the lungs and helps prevent attacks caused by allergens. So how do we get more of this vitamin into our diets?
Cherries are particular rich in Vitamin C and others that require attention are
broccoli,
citrus fruits
kiwi fruit
(Capsicum) peppers,
pineapple,
papaya,
all green vegetables,
strawberries
tomatoes.
If you are going to supplement with Vitamin C just remember that it is utilized and used by the body within 4 hours, so divided dose is required.

MSG and flavour enhancers

Flavour enhancers are added to a range of savoury foods to add flavour where it has been lost in the manufacturing process.

Chips, deli meats, noodles, soup, sauces, biscuits, to name a few, are loaded with these bad boys.

Some research has shown that these additives can cause reactions from headaches, hyperactivity, and depression to asthma, IBS and heart problems. These reactions are seen more in children, which makes you wonder!

Just remember flavour enhancers are added to cheap, unnutritious foods to make them more tempting. These foods have no nutritional value and really aren’t needed to be fed to our kids.

Here is another lot of lovely numbers too keep your eye on.
Ø Glutamic acid (620)
Ø Monosodium glutamate (621)
Ø Monopotassium glutamate (622)
Ø Calcium glutamate (623)
Ø Monammonium glutamate (624)
Ø Magnesium glutamate (625)
Ø Disodium guanylate (627)
Ø Disodium inosinate (631)
Ø Disodium 5’ribonucleotides (635)
Ø Hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP)
Ø Hydrolysed plant protein (HPP)

Teeth

We have three teeth between two babies and oh, it has been painful!!

The girls are really struggling and putting everything they can find into their mouths- pretty much anything they can get their hands on and shove into their mouths is fair game.

Finger foods seem to help them so I have been trying a few different ideas.

* Sticks of cool watermelon- they are tasty, antioxidant, antibacterial and are soothing on the gums.

* Cooked steak to suck and chew on (after six months breastfeed babies require extra iron so this also doubles to increase iron content in the diet). Keep in mind you don’t want them to bite it off, so keep steak in a large bit that they can suck and hold without the risk of swallowing.

* Oven baked apple and pear cut into large segments (this is nice and soft so if they bite bits off they can chew and swallow easily).

A baby’s immunity also drops while they are teething, and is why a lot of babies get colds or flu at the same time.

Try adding 125mg of vitamin C twice a day either too food or in a bottle to increase immunity. Also cut back on dairy products during this time as dairy is mucous producing and doesn’t help with colds and flu.

Numbers - what do they mean?

I hate it when I am shopping and I am in the health food section of the supermarket and I pick up a “healthy” snack and the ingredient list is full of numbers! I have decided that each week I will pick out a group of additives to investigate.

Sulphites (220,221,222,223,224,225,228)
· Found in dried fruit, canned fruit, cordials, juices, potato products and processed meats.
· Destroys Vitamin B1 in the body.
· Known to provoke gastric irritation, nausea, diarrhoea, skin rash, asthma attacks and difficult to metabolise for those with impaired kidney function.
· Should be avoided by anyone suffering from respiratory ailments.

Makes you think twice doesn’t it? Next week I will look at Flavour enhancers.

A day in the life of the twins.

The twins have progressed well on eating solids and are now having three hearty meals a day. I try to make all my own food for the girls, so I thought I would pass on a few that they can’t get enough of.
Breakfast – Baby porridge with berries and poached pear.
1 cup of organic oats
2.5 cups of water
Heaped tablespoon of berries (not strawberries)
Combine all ingredients on the stove bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 mins, you may need to add a little more water. Cooking the oats for 15mins helps to break them down making it easier on little tummies. When cooked puree in food processor.

Poached pear
I like to do a lot of pears and freeze them for the week.
6 pears peeled and sliced, cover with water and simmer till very soft. Remove from heat and puree in food processor.

Pears are great for babies being so high in fibre, is a great one to give to bubbas who may have a little constipation.

Lunch – Mashed banana and avocado
The girls love this and it is so easy! Make sure you use a ripe banana as under ripe bananas can give babies a sore tummy.

Dinner – Vegies and brown rice.
I throw in whatever vegies I can find.
Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, parsley, one clove of garlic and a cup of brown rice. Put all ingredients in a pot, cover with water and simmer for around an hour. You really want the rice to be very soft. (Brown rice requires more cooking than white rice.) Then puree in food processor. With vegies I try to avoid using plain potatoes, they can constipate babies and have a habit of fermenting in the gut.


All these meals can be frozen and defrosted as needed.

Help my toddler won’t eat VEGIES!!!!!

Lilly is a shocker with vegetables much to my disgust. She loves potatoes, could eat them all day but almost everything else is a chore. So I have created this sneaky little pasta sauce that she loveeeesss using gluten free or rice pasta.

7 vegetable pasta sauce
1 clove of garlic (sliced thinly)
½ an onion (diced)
½ a zucchini
½ a carrot
1 squash
Handful of peas
A few mushrooms
A few florets of broccoli
Tin of organic chopped tomatoes
Serves at least four so there is plenty to freeze if you only have a couple of kids.

Fry up garlic and onion until fragrant, add roughly chopped vegies and tinned tomatoes. You may need to add a little water to cover vegies. Bring to the boil and simmer for about half an hour or until the vegies are soft. Here is the sneaky part, blend the pasta sauce so all vegies magically disappear. Either add directly to pasta for a vegetarian meal or use as the basis of a bolognaise.

To grain or not to grain?

The twins are now on solids, so the old question of “what do I start with” has come up again. I am a firm believer of the fact that fruits and vegetables are easier on little tummies to digest than grains. I understand that rice cereal is given as it is the right consistency for babies but it requires alot more from the digestive system to break it down.
So rather than using grains I started Lilly and now the twins on avocado. Avocado’s are great starter foods for babies as they can be pureed down to a smooth paste that when mixed with a little breast milk or formula is easy eat. Avocado’s are a great source of fat and vitamins for babies. They contain unsaturated fats, which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain.