With chic online baby boutiques and trendy stores in nearly every city, new moms are offered limitless choices that include hybrid strollers, baby wipe warmers and baby bling pacifiers. It’s tough to keep straight – especially if you’re like me, and all that nursing has turned your brain to mush. Fortunately, what your baby needs on the inside is pretty straight forward. The essentials for your budding baby are:

FATS
Yes. Fats. Of course I mean the right kind of fats. Most infants receive 40 – 50 percent of calories through fats in breast milk or formula. After one year your baby will drink whole cow’s milk or soy milk. Don’t introduce any low-fat foods until after two years of age. The healthiest fats are unsaturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated which are better absorbed by the body. You can find these fats in avocados, fish oil, peanuts, almonds, soy oil, safflower oil and olive oil. Saturated fats come mostly from meat, eggs and dairy. Never restrict fats in a child under two. You on the other hand have to keep track. (more…)

Confucius said a lot of smart things in his day. But I’ll bet if he’d spent any time as a mother, he’d have also said: “A happy baby is a happy mommy.”

Look around any airport or mall, and you can see the relationship between what children eat and how they behave and learn. Chances are, the child dangling from the light fixture ate too many swizzle sticks and malt balls.

Studies show that the relationship between behavior and learning begins with the brain. A baby’s brain triples in size by the first birthday. Since the baby’s bloodstream feeds its nutrients first to the most vital organs, the brain gets the first helpings. Mozart might help, but a developing brain craves three types of foods:

Mood Foods

The brain uses 20% of the body’s carbohydrate supply. That affects behavior and learning. Foods that contain sugars (complex carbohydrates) released into the bloodstream at a slow and steady pace are:

Cereal and grains like oatmeal and brown rice.
Fresh fruits like apples and oranges (fruit juices don’t provide the necessary fiber needed to release sugar over a sustained period of time)
Veggies and Legumes, like sweet potato and lentils.
Dairy products, like milk or yogurt (but beware of the added sugar in many flavored yogurts) (more…)

There’s a holiday that celebrates chocolate? Who wouldn’t love Valentine’s Day! Americans devour about 11.7 pounds of chocolate per person annually. Today when you want to buy chocolate there are more choices than ever. Everything from Artisan, Organic, Fair Trade and Save The Rainforest chocolate bars are available to American consumers. And in moderate amounts, chocolate can also be good for you! Where do I sign up?

The cocoa beans in chocolate contain flavanols, which have been linked to blood vessel and cardiovascular health. Tannins in chocolate can prevent cavities from forming ( a fact I won’t be sharing with my children) But read the labels, chocolate must contain at least 70% cocoa to have a healthful amount of flavanols. Those that have less than 70% cocoa tend to contain more sugar which can have a negative effect on the teeth and hips. (more…)

Getting a meal on the table is a nightly challenge—throw in the extra commitments that come with the holiday season and it can seem impossible to feed the kids without turning to fast food. Luckily, there are great new options for quick-and-easy meals that are easier than loading up the car and heading to the drive-thru.

First, it’s time to reconsider that old staple: mac ‘n cheese. Today’s boxed, instant options can be found with organic cheese, low sodium and high-fiber pasta, and are incredibly easy to make—after all, who can’t boil water and open a box? Boost the meal’s nutritional impact by replacing saturated fat and whole milk with olive oil and 1% lowfat milk. Add some frozen vegetables such as peas, carrots and green beans. Dinner is served in less time than it takes to call for pizza delivery. (more…)

The holidays are upon us! This is such a joyous season, a time to give thanks for our beautiful families and all the abundance that we can provide for them. However, in between shopping, planning, cooking, and cleaning it can be difficult to take the time to figure out how to integrate new eaters into the holiday meal. But, with just a few quick tips, you can turn your holiday party into a festive and nutritious occasion for every member of the family!

Since tiny tummies can only accept one new flavor at a time, seasonal favorites like root vegetables and winter squashes are perfect beginner foods and an easy way to expand your baby’s palate. While steaming and roasting both retain more nutrients than boiling, roasting vegetables brings out the full flavor and provides a nice flavor change for your entire family table. (more…)