Peri-Conceptual Nutrition

Peri-conceptual nutrition, nutrition prior pregnancy, is just as important as consuming adequate nutrients throughout the pregnancy. Receiving proper nutrition prior to pregnancy can ensure the body has adequate nutrient stores which will be used throughout the pregnancy allowing the fetus to properly develop.

Therefore, it is important for women thinking of becoming pregnant to evaluate and make any necessary changes to their diet three months to a year before getting pregnant. In doing so it can significantly improve the overall health for the mother and baby.

A diet rich "in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and dairy products" (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/preconceptionnutrition.html) can supply the body with the necessary vitamins and minerals. However, because majority of pregnancies are unplanned and the pregnancy may got undetected until she is a couple months along, it is important for women of childbearing age to follow the below recommendations along with a nutrient filled diet prior to pregnancy to ensure proper development of the fetus.

• Folate/Folic Acid: 400 micrograms/day. It can be obtained through dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains and fortified breads and cereals. Consuming adequate amounts reduces neural tube defects like spina bifida.

• Calcium: 1,000 mg/day. It can be obtained from dairy products such as cottage cheese, low-fat yogurt and seafood products like sardines, oysters, clams and molasses almonds. Dark green leafy vegetables like broccoli, kale, mustard greens are high in calcium. However, dark green food items are also high in oxalate and phytate, which decrease Ca absorption.

• Avoid caffeine, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and tobacco

Source

"Pre-Conception Nutrition" American Pregnancy Association. March 2011. 6 June 2012. <http://www.americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/preconceptionnutrition.html>

Minimizing Effects of PMS

How can one minimize the symptoms of PMS and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder? The answer is diet and lifestyle changes.

• Exercise regularly 
• Practice relaxation techniques
• Proper sleep patterns
• Eat a balanced diet
• Avoid overeating
• Consume small frequent meal
• Increase trypotophan levels by consuming foods rich in carbohydrates
• Take magnesium, calcium, vitamin D and B6 supplements
• Limit caffeine and salt intake
• Minimize or avoid tobacco
• Reduce alcohol intake

If you would like to minimize the effects of PMS it is best to keep a food journal to track specific symptoms and aid in assessing any changes that may need to be made. Include any food products that are consumed along with how you felt (physically or emotionally). Then record changes that reduced the symptoms or made them worse. Should self-treatment not work or if the symptoms are severe enough that you are unable to function seek help from a health care provider.

PMS

Anyone who knows me knows I have a terrible time during that lovely time of the month. When I was younger it was easy breezy...no problems and no crazy emotions. However, as I've gotten older it kills me and I become crazy. Anyways point is in going to school I've realized that there is a real diagnosis for this. I knew that some people like me had a difficult time each month but I did not realize that there are real disorders for it. Well I'm pretty sure I have it. Let me explain more about the disorders.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) takes place about 5 to 11 days before a woman's cycle. Symptoms include:

• fatigue
• headache
• tender breasts
• abdominal bloating
• swelling of hands or feet
• nausea
• depression
• irritability
• mood swings
• anxiety
• social withdrawal
• clumsiness
• constipation or diarrhea
• food cravings
• intolerance for lights or noises
• confusion
• difficulty focusing or concentrating
• forgetfulness
• sleeping problems, either too much or not enough

A person is diagnosed with premenstrual syndrome when they experience one to five of these symptoms in two consecutive luteal phases (or second half of their menstrual cycle) and the symptoms are so intense that they disrupt work and/or one's social life. Approximately 5-10% of women experience this.

The second disorder related to this lovely time of month is known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder. This is more severe than PMS. It is diagnosed when five or more PMS symptoms occur in two consecutive menstrual cycles. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder usually takes place a week before and symptoms lessen once the period begins.

For those that experience either one of these disorders it can be much like a rollercoaster due to the many physical and emotional changes occurring in response to hormone changes.

...Oh the perks of being a girl. Isn't it wonderful. Luckily there are things a person can do to lessen these symptoms.

Watch for a later post on what one can do to lessen the symptoms.

"Premenstrual Syndrome". PubMed Health. 16 June 2010. Web 17 May 2012. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002474/)

A New Focus

So for school reasons I focused on children nutrition the first few months of this blog. With the class being over I thought it would be fun to go through the various topics throughout one's life and include all the fun things I've learned this semester life. I'll with a girl's menstrual cycle and then into birth, infant, toddler stages, etc..

If you would like to hear more about a particular topic let me know and I'll focus a little more in that area. Otherwise I will just go throughout one's lifespan. Every so often I may add something that is nutrition related that I find interesting. But overall this is the goal for the next couple of months. I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions let me know.

Mealtime Shapes

Creating shapes with food is not only fun for many kids but can encourage many children to eat healthy products; therefore, enhancing their nutrition intake. An easy way to incorporate shapes is to use a cookie cutters, especially for products like sandwiches, eggs, toasts, and pancakes. Click here for the links to various cookie cutters available. Another way to include shapes in meals is to create an image out of cut food items. Below are a couple of ideas.

Sun Pancakes. Ingredients: strawberries, blueberries and instant pancake mix. Wash and slice strawberries down the middle, set aside. Wash blueberries. Make pancakes as directed on package. Once cooked, set one pancake on plate and allow child to be strawberries around the pancake. Then create a face on the pancake with blueberries.

Note: Pancakes could also be cooked from scratch.

Ants on a Log. Ingredients: celery, peanut butter and raisins. Wash and cut the celery lengthwise. Add peanut butter and put the raisins on each celery/peanut butter stick.

Sources
"A Shaped Sandwich Makes a Great Kids Sandwich." Squidoo. <http://www.squidoo.com/shaped-sandwich-kids-sandwich>

Borboa, Michele. "Fluffy Fun Pancakes." Sheknows.com. 21 December 2008. Web 1 April 2012. <http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/807085/how-to-make-shaped-pancakes-for-kids>

A Healthy Easter

Do you have plans this Easter season for baskets filled with candy? Why not opt for a healthier Easter? There are several ways one can help create a healthier Easter. One way is to replace the traditional candy filled baskets and plastic eggs with healthier products. Below is a list of products to choose from.

• Dried fruit (i.e. box of raisins)
• Fresh fruit (i.e apple, orange)
• Fruit roll-up
  
• Cereal (i.e. cheerios)
• Graduates fruit puffs
  
• Nuts
• Trail mix
• Pretzels
• Granola
• Mini-popcorn packs
• rice cakes

Another idea to try this holiday season is to use baby carrots in your holiday meal so the kids can eat like the bunnies.

There are also several fun Easter recipes to try as well. Below is one of my favorite Easter recipes for kids.

Easter Bunny Salad

Ingredients: lettuce, halved pears, fat-free cream cheese, raisins, apple slices or almonds and miniature marshmallow, frozen yogurt or cottage cheese

Begin by washing and drying romaine lettuce. Place lettuce on plate with a halved pear (the bunny) on top. Apply a dab of fat-free cream cheese to the raisins and place them on the pear as the facial features (eyes and nose). Use apple slices or almonds to create ears. Last put a little cream-cheese on a miniature marshmallow and place on the opposite of the pear as a tail. Frozen yogurt or cottage cheese can be used in place of the marshmallow.

Once the bunny has been made if desired a baby carrot can be placed beside the bunny.

Source

Paige, Michelle. "10 Non-Candy Fillers." Blogger. 23 March 2012. Web 24 March 2012. <http://michellepaige.blogspot.com/>

Shields, Sandra. "Bunny Pear Salad and Bunny Biscuits." The Epoch Times. 21 March 2008. Web 23 March 2012. <http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/8-3-21/67852.html>

Nutrition Facts Panel

When putting together meals it is important to be able to understand nutrition labels. The nutrition facts panel/label provides information about the particular product and general nutritional information as well. Being able to decipher this information can help provide a healthy meal. The problem is nutrition facts are designed for adults. This doesn't mean that it still can't be useful when serving children you just have to be careful when evaluating the facts for a child. Below are some steps and tips to help one understand what to look for when checking the nutrition facts for children.

1. Examine the serving size of the product and the servings per container. Use this information to compare with the portion size being consumed. It's important to know that the serving size is does not mean that it is the recommended amount. It is given to allow you to know how much nutrients you are consuming based on the amount you eat. For example, if a person eats double that serving size then the nutritional intake will be doubled.

2. Check the total caloric intake and the calories from fat. This will help to monitor caloric intake.

3. Limit saturated fats, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. Remember when consuming fats aim to consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

4. Consume adequate amounts of dietary fiber. Recall recommendation for fiber from an early post.

5. The daily values footnote includes general information about nutrition not necessarily the product itself.

6. Percentage Daily Value. The percent daily value (DV) compares what nutrients are in the product’s serving size to what an adult should consume based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Since a child has different nutrient needs (in regards to amount) the percentage daily value would not be helpful.

However, another useful way to monitor the nutritional value is to check the ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. When checking the ingredient list avoid foods that have the following ingredients:
• Hydrogenated oil (partially hydrogenated oil)
• High fructose corn syrup
• Enriched and bleached flour

Tip: A general guideline to remember is one serving of food with 5% or less of the daily value is considered low and one serving of a food with 20% or more of the daily value is considered high.

Sources
Wikipedia. June 2011. Web 18 March 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition_facts_label>

Dietary Reference Intakes

The various nutrition and energy requirements can be hard to remember. However, many people like to get a better feel for what their child should be consuming by becoming familiar with the dietary reference intakes. Since the levels vary at different points throughout a child's life. The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) has established various age group classifications. Below are the classifications for children in the DRIs.

• 1 – 3 yo
• 4 - 8 yo
  
• 9 – 13 yo (for both girls and boys)

Fat
For ages 2 and up 20 - 35% of total daily calories from fat. Aim for unsaturated fats while limiting saturated and trans fat.

Sources: Olive, sunflower, safflower, canola and peanut oil, avocados, nuts, peanut butter, flaxseed, salmon, tuna and soymilk

Cholesterol
After 2 yo less than 300 mg.

Carbohydrates
All groups described above should consume 130 g/day. Carbohydrates are made of sugars and provide glucose, which in turn supplies energy. There are two types of carbs: simple carbohydrates, which are more easily broken down, and complex carbohydrates, "that take longer to absorb and digest" (Crawford, Nicaela. “The Six Major Kinds of Nutrients.” Livestrong. 1 August, 2011. Web 9 March 2012).

Sources: Brown rice, whole wheat and pasta, beans, fruits and vegetables

Fiber
Indigestible carbohydrates and ligins is known as fiber. There are two categorizes of fiber: insoluble, aids in elimination of bulk waste. Therefore, preventing constipation and reducing colon cancer. Soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. While fiber is an important part of a healthy diet providing too much or a high-fiber diet to your child can impact mineral bioavailability, limiting the amounts of some nutrients like iron and calcium, and growth. It can also cause dehydration and gas. Therefore, it is important to follow the recommendations listed below to ensure proper amounts are achieved.

• 1-3 yo: 19 g
• 4-8 yo: 25 g
• 9-13 yo (girls): 26 g
• 9-13 yo (boys): 31 g

Sources: whole wheat and grain, rice bran, oats, nuts, soy, fruit and vegetable skins

Protein
Protein provide building blocks for the body. Recommendations include:

• 1-3 yo: 13 g
• 4-8 yo: 19 g
• 9-13 yo (boys and girls): 34 g

Sources: eggs, soy, beef, fish and beans

Vitamin A
Helps with vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division and differentiation. However, too much vitamin A can result in liver abnormalities and reduced bone mineral density. There are a few forms of Vitamin A. The safest form that can be consumed is beta carotene. No toxicities are associated with beta carotene. Good sources of beta carotene includes: carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, winter squash and cabbage. Below are the requirements for vitamin A.

• 1-3 yo: 300 μg
• 4-8 yo: 400 μg
• 9-13 yo (boys and girls): 600 μg
  

Calcium
It important for developing strong bones.

• 1-3 yo: 500 mg
• 4-8 yo: 800 mg
• 9-13 yo (boys and girls): 1300 mg

Sources: milk, yogurt and cottage cheese

Vitamin C
Helps the immune system to prevent colds.

• 1-3 yo: 15 mg
• 4-8 yo: 25 mg
• 9-13 yo (boys and girls): 45 mg

Sources: oranges, kiwi, guava, red and green sweet peppers

Iron
Iron aids in the building of muscles and production of blood.

• 1-3 yo: 7 mg
• 4-8 yo: 10 mg
• 9-13 yo (boys and girls): 8 mg

I've listed the nutrients commonly found on nutrition fact labels. For additional nutrient intake requirements refer to the dietary reference intake table. If these values are confusing and hard to remember it may be easier to follow the basic guidelines found in an earlier post to help fulfill your child's requirements.

References:

(Crawford, Nicaela. “The Six Major Kinds of Nutrients.” Livestrong. 1 August, 2011. Web 9 March 2012) <http://www.livestrong.com/article/507441-the-six-major-kinds-of-nutrients/>

Cooking With Kids

Many kids love to cook. Having your kids help prepare and cook healthy meals on a regular basis can not only be fun for them but it can teach them how to cook healthy food products. This also encourages them to eat healthier.

There are all kinds of healthy recipes any child can help make. Below are a couple of healthy, fun and easy recipe ideas.

This strawberry smoothie recipe can be a wonderful choice, especially for kids who are lactose intolerant. Ingredients include: 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt, 1/2 cup strawberries, 2 ice cubes and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. All the child needs to do is measure out the ingredients and then put in a blender for mixing until smoothed. Of course make sure to monitor and supervise them.
(Etinger, Mark. “Cooking With Children: Healthy Ideas.” Ezinearticles. 21 November 2010. Web 3 March 2012.)

Another yummy and healthy recipe is chicken wraps. Ingredients include: 4 tbsp of olive oil, one garlic clove, chicken breasts, carrots, cucumber, romaine lettuce and spinach-enriched tortilla wrap. For this recipe some adult help with be needed. Begin by cooking the chicken in a pan with 4 tbsp of olive oil and chopped garlic until the chicken becomes golden brown. Next, let the chicken cool. While the chicken is being cooled carrots will must to be shredded, cucumbers should be minced and lettuce needs to be torn apart. The child can help at this time by tearing apart the romaine lettuce while you prepare the rest. Note: if the child is old enough they should be able to help prepare the other vegetables as well. Once the chicken has cooled it should be cut or shredded into pieces that are small enough for the child to eat without choking. The child can then mix the chicken with the shredded carrots, cucumbers and romaine lettuce. Finally, wrap the mixture in a spinach-enriched tortilla wrap. (Ince, Sarah. “Healthy Kids Cooking Ideas.” eHow. Web 2 March 2012.)

For more recipe ideas click here.

However, having the perfect easy recipe doesn't always mean it will be unstressful. There will be times that cooking with kids will seem unproductive and in a busy world that can be frustrating. Remembering to keep an open and positive mind along with some humor can help ease these frustrating situations and create a very fun learning environment. Here are some other things to do to help provide a fun experience.

• Allow them to see what's going on at all times.
• Give them an apron.
• Assign a task to each child. For smaller children you can have them wash vegetables.
• Provide the child with their own measuring cups and utensils to use.
  

(Zedman, Stella. “Cooking with Kids: Tips on Stirring Up Some Cooking Fun.” Kaboose. Web 2 March 2012.)

References/Sources

Etinger, Mark. “Cooking With Children: Healthy Ideas.” Ezinearticles. 21 November 2010. Web 3 March 2012. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Cooking-With-Children:-Healthy-Ideas&id=5420994>

Ince, Sarah. “Healthy Kids Cooking Ideas.” eHow. Web 2 March 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/info_7912205_healthy-kids-cooking-ideas.html>

Zedman, Stella. “Cooking with Kids: Tips on Stirring Up Some Cooking Fun.” Kaboose. Web 2 March 2012. <http://recipes.kaboose.com/cook.html>

Food Intolerances and Allergies

Food intolerance is a reaction from the digestive system, that takes place when food is unable to be broken down adequately or digested properly, resulting in irritation. This is different than food allergies,which is a reaction from the immune system in response to a protein. Food allergies develop when immunoglobulin E or IgE, a disease fighting antibody, is created upon initial introduction of a protein. When the protein is encountered a second time it believes it is harmful and IgE is released along with other chemicals such as histamine. The common food allergies include milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, walnuts, soy, fish and shellfish.

Source: Allergy Resources and Immune System Disorders

Both food intolerances and allergies can result in uncomfortable responses. However, food allergies may result in life-threatening symptoms. Since food allergies impact "approximately 1 in 20 children" (Food Allergy: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 23 February 2012. Web 24 February 2012) and can be life-threatening it's important to be able to recognize the symptoms. Below is a list of food allergy symptoms.

• rash, hives or itchy skin
  
• swelling and narrowing of airways, shortness of breath
  
• chest pain
• anaphylaxis/anaphylatic shock
  
• nausea
• diarrhea

It's also important to be able to distinguish food allergy reactions from food intolerance responses. Unlike food allergies, food intolerance does not occur ever time a particular food is ate. It may also only be triggered when one eats a large portion of a particular product. Symptoms include:

• nausea/vomiting
• heartburn
• gas, cramps, stomach pain or bloating
• diarrhea
  
• headaches
• nervousness, irritability
  

There are few ways one can determine the source of their problem. A fairly simple test that can be done, to identify any food allergies one might have, is an oral food challenge test. It must be administered at a hospital in case of an allergic reaction. Diagnosing food intolerances will require trail and error or through food elimination. Keeping a food journal during this time can be helpful in finding the source of one's symptoms.

It's important to note that children may outgrow their food allergy. Therefore, it is advised to have periodic testing to determine if any food allergies still exist.

Treatment includes avoiding the food or ingredient that is causing the problem and finding other sources to replace any nutrient that may be lost from the elimination. Preventing any reaction is the key. However, if you or someone you know begins to experience severe symptoms it's important to seek medical help.

References

“Food Allergy: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 23 February 2012. Web 24 February 2012. <http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/clinical/Pages/patients.aspx>

“How to Identify Food Allergies & Intolerance.” Allergy and Immune System. Web 21 February 2012. < http://allergyimmune.com/food-allergy/identify-food-allergies>