Lucid Nutrition

My Interview with Dr. David Ludwig: Introducing Solid Food to Infants

Described as an “obesity warrior” by Time Magazine, Dr. David Ludwig has fought for fundamental policy changes to restrict food advertising directed at young children, improve quality of school nutrition programs and increase insurance reimbursement for obesity prevention and treatment programs. He has appeared frequently in the national media, including New York Times, Time Magazine, National Public Radio, Pubic Broadcasting System, Dateline NBC and The Today Show. He is also the infamous doctor who sparked outrage last year by his claim that some parents should lose custody of their severely obese children.

I recently interviewed him to see what he believed were the best food choices to make when introducing solids to infants (and to my daughter).

We went over the big myths on baby food. One major myth states that introducing rice cereal to infants helps them sleep through the night.  Another says that they require iron supplementation as early as 4 months old. I learned that feeding babies rice cereal is more of a cultural thing rather than a health necessity, and mothers are often cajoled into feeding their baby way too soon by family, friends, and some misinformed pediatricians. 

According to Dr. Ludwig, grain products that are often given to infants as first foods are metabolically identical to sugar. The rice cereal typically bought in the baby aisle of your grocery store has been pulverized, meaning the structure of the grain has been destroyed.  The baby's body digests this edible-food-like-substance into sugar very rapidly. So, giving rice cereal is one of the worst things we can do nutritionally and metabolically for our children.

Commercially available grains are a poor way to transition from breast milk, which should be exclusively given to your baby for the first six months of his or her life. Giving processed rice cereal can program the infants body in an unfortunate way that can have short and long term negative implications such as juvenile diabetes, susceptiblity to adverse metabolic input, fat tissue, and abnormal hormonal pathways in parts of the brain that regulate appetite and metabolism.

So, what are the best first foods for our children?

There are many other kinds of foods we can introduce to our babies. We should do so when an infant can sit up on his/her own and can safely ingest the food without choking.

Dr. Ludwig recommended providing our daughter with a high quality diet of vegetables and fruits and properly prepared grains and legumes. This means organic whole grains and legumes should be soaked overnight to release enzyme inhibitors, which makes them much easier to digest.

When we give food to our infants, we should do so with the knowledge that it is primarily for the sensory learning experience.  Nutritionally, breast milk is still the best option for the first year of life.  Exposing infants to new taste sensations and textures early on makes for a richer palette, unlike the majority of today's kids who are hooked on highly processed, highly sweetened fast foods and junk foods.

Fruits are nature's candy, but many children today find them dull and boring.  As a result of the advertising and marketing of hyper-processed junk foods to children, most would rather have the junk bag of chips or sugary cereal than the apple, banana, or kiwi.  We can override these insidious influences right from the start by introducing a range of diverse flavors and taste sensations.

What I feed my daughter:

She is 8 months old this Saturday! She is primarily breast fed with an occasional once-a-day snack of mashed avocado, sweet potato, or butternut squash. It really just depends on what we are having for dinner! She seems to be enjoying the experience of food, but really eats no more than a few tablespoons per day.  With just a few bites, she is still as healthy as can be, has the cutest chubby legs and cheeks, and is developing beautifully!

Read more about David Ludwig's work here and check out his book, Ending the Food Fight: Guide Your Child to a Healthy Weight in a Fast Food/Fake Food World

Further Reading:

Solid foods and the breastfed baby and toddler

Is iron supplementation necessary

Why delay solids

 

Strong4Life Obesity Campaign Sparks Consciousness & Controversy

Strong4Life is a movement created by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to ignite societal change to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in Georgia. The state has the second-highest rate of childhood obesity in the nation and if ignored, this generation of children could live shorter lives than their parents. Despite the magnitude of the problem, there is little acknowledgement of the crisis. Strong4Life surveyed parents of overweight or obese children in Georgia and found that 75 percent did not recognize their child’s obesity or the associated health risks.

Their video ad campaign has ignited a full force controversy over whether the ads are creating a sense of shame and demeaning people who are obese. Regardless, the videos are addressing a very important concern for us all: the health and well being of our nation's children. The ads are made to speak to the hearts and minds of parents of overweight children, who are also, most likely, obese. Literature suggests that so called ‘negative advertising’ such as these are an effective way to encourage behavioral changes.

The intent of the first phase of the Strong4Life campaign is to capture the attention of caregivers who are ignoring the severity of the health crisis of childhood obesity. Raising awareness is just the first step of their campaign, and the campaign is only one part of the Strong4Life movement. 

Strong4Life proclaims that the intent of the ad campaign is to alert – not offend. Obese children can develop health issues that are typically seen only in adults, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, joint problems and chest pains. All language used in the ads comes from actual facts or statements made during their research with focus groups.

The ads are not the only piece of this. Strong4Life programs have already trained over 1,000 physicians on how to address the issue of childhood obesity with their patients. They are working on tools to put in schools and daycares statewide that teach kids how to make healthy choices. http://www.choa.org/Child-Wellness/Strong4Life-Programs

Here is a comment from Cindi Caine Dowler, an overweight women who watched the ads online with her overweight son.

Okay...I'm usually not an "out there" type person, but this particular subject is one that is of great concern to me. I had obese parents, I was an obese child, I am now an obese parent and I have an obese child. This was not what I wanted for myself or my son. I do not intentionally ignore our health and eating habits...but I do know how ignorance and denial perpetuate this problem. I am a widow and living in a low income household. My husband died at 38 of a massive heart attack. He also had diabetes. Obesity was a factor as well as high blood pressure and heart disease. These illnesses run on both sides of my family. My son and I both watched the commercials on the website. When the one came up with the child who asked his mother "Why am I fat?" I turned to my son and asked him "You do know why we're fat, right?" He answered with ,"We eat more than we exercise off". Basic, but he's 13, and that is the truth. I have many MANY fears and concerns for my son, but I'm not afraid of his feelings being hurt because someone calls him fat. He is. His self esteem comes from his value as a person, his security in being loved and wanted, his belief in his ability to manage and cope and overcome obstacles, from his awareness of the joy and sorrow in life and his appreciation for his own life...not from whether he is fat or thin or black or white or rich or poor. We struggle and have been struggling with this issue, both of us, for our entire lives. We gain some control, lose it, gain it again...it's a cycle that is more easily broken with a LOT of support. I hope that your organization is prepared to provide support for those people who need that slap in the face to sit up and take a real honest look at their lives and habits...and what it's doing to their kids. There is no easy answer or formula to "fix" this. But I applaud you for having the desire to stir peoples consciousness.

This might be exactly what this country needs, a wake up call. Second step: Health Education! People need to learn how to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables and how to prepare them at home. It is so simple and delicious to eat healthy and everyone must learn in one way or another. Maybe all of that vital learning will come after reflecting on a "negative ad" by Strong4Life.

Negative advertising can effectively communicate certain public health messages and serve to counter corporate disease promotion. For example, remember the theTRUTH.com anti-smoking campaign? That worked. Smoking is not cool anymore and not as socially accepted. Now, if only negative ads were directed at the big boogers that do us no good: processed foods. Can you imagine sitting in front of the tele and seeing a Strong4Life video come on and then immediately afterward being flashed with an advertisement for some junk/fast/processed, edible-food-like substance? Which should piss us off and offend us more? The chicken or the egg? Thoughts?

Sources: Turning negative into positive: Public health mass media campaigns and negative advertising.

 

Breeze Holiday Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh organic cranberries

1 organic red pear (not too ripe) chopped

3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup raw local honey

2-3 tbsp organic brown sugar

2 3-inch organic cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

Starfruit for garnish

Preparation:

So simple! In a saucepan over medium heat combine the cranberries, pear, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, and orange juice and simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cranberries have burst and the mixture is consistency you desire. Transfer the sauce to dish of your choice and let cool. The sauce may be made 2 days in advance, kept covered, and chilled to let the flavors really come to life. I like it served any way: room temp, cold, and also slightly hot. Have it your way and enjoy! :) 

 

 

Annual Texas Action for Healthy Kids Summit 2011

Do you have a child enrolled in a Texas Public School? If so, do you know what they are being served to eat during lunch? Now is your chance to attend a very important conference in Austin Texas to get the latest updates on nutrition policy, gain a better understanding of the reality of school meals, and find out how to start a school garden, see successful Farm to School programs, and more!

Food for Thought:
School Nutrition in Texas

When:

November 4, 2011
from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Where:
JJPickle Commons Center
Austin, TX

Keynote Speaker: Gracie Cavnar, Writer, Philanthropist, Founder, President & CEO of Recipe for Success

Topics to be covered:

Nutrition – Getting Kids to Learn it and Eat it!

Texas School Nutrition - Policy and Programs     
Texas Dept. of Agriculture
New federal regulations as well as state policies on school meal programs.
USDA Healthiest School Challenge. 
Meet the latest resource from Texas Department of Agriculture – Nutrigram

Also Hear From:
Aramark Chef Patrick Sandoval, Lindley Gundling RD. – How have school meals changed; The Inside and Out of Texas School Lunches

Dora Rivas, Child Nutrition Director, Dallas ISD  – Running an effective, healthy school meal program

Strategies for Your Campus/District:
School Gardens -Jess Guffey, Sustainable Food Center
Farm to School — Andrew Smiley, Sustainable Food Center
Eliminating a la Carte — Meg Domas, North East ISD
School Salad Bars & Programs – Nona Evans, Whole Kids Foundation/Whole Foods

Get tickets here.

How to Store Fruits and Veggies

It was a sad day in our kitchen when a couple of days after receiving our CSA share from a local farm, I found our sweet basil shriveled down with black leaves, our cilantro slimy, and our eggplants mushy! What a disaster. We only got one caprese salad out of that sweet smelling basil and I had so many ideas for new recipes to try. For the record, I prepare and cook 90% of our meals at home, so its not because we simply forgot about the produce and left it stting in the fridge for weeks. No, our produced degenerated because I other than knew how to store it properly. Time to learn!

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw away nearly 31.6 million tons of food every year. And a recent University of Arizona study found that the average family tosses 1.28 pounds of food a day, for a total of 470 pounds a year! That's like throwing away $600!

When we buy fruits and vegetables and bring them home they sit on our counter or in our refrigerator where ethylene gas accumulates and accelerates the ripening process. Experts think that the ethylene gas acts as a signal to other plants to synchronize and coordinate ripening, thus maximizing the appeal of the plant to their seed disseminators (e.g. birds) and assuring the dispersal of their seeds. Wow. Even after harvest, fruits, vegetables, and flowers are still alive continuing their biochemical processes, including ripening and the generation of ethylene gas. Bruising or cutting some fruits and vegetables can even cause them to increase their ethylene gas production.

Thank goodness for the following chart made for SparkPeople, SPARKing millions of PEOPLE to live healthier lives and reach their goals. I am going to print this out and keep it in my kitchen drawer until I memorize it! Hope it helps you too!

Store in Refrigerator: 

Keep these away from other fruits and veggies:

Apples (storage >7 days)
Apricots
Cantaloupe
Figs
Honeydew

Unwashed in a single layer:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries 

Artichokes
Asparagus
Beets
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cherries
Grapes
Green beans
Herbs (except basil)
Lima beans
Leafy vegetables
Leeks
Plums
Spinach
Sprouts
Summer squash
Yellow squash
Zucchini

Unwashed in a plastic bag:

Broccoli, Celery, Carrots, Cauliflower, Corn, Green Onions, Lettuce, Peas, Radishes

 In a paper Bag:

Mushrooms, Okra

COUNTERTOP:

Keep these away from other fruits and veggies:

Apples (storage < 7 days)
Bananas
Tomatoes

Basil
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Ginger
Grapefruit
Jicama
Lemons
Limes
Mangoes
Oranges
Papayas
Peppers
Persimmons
Pineapple
Plantains
Pomegranates
Watermelon

Store these in a Cool, Dry Place

Acorn squash
Butternut squash
Onions (away from potatoes)
Potatoes (away from onions)
Pumpkins
Spaghetti squash
Sweet potatoes
Winter squash

Ripen these on the counter away from other fruits & veggies, then refrigerate:

Avocados
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums

 

Say No to GMO's! Awareness Week

Eat healthier and the way nature intended YOU to eat! Leading a busy life doesn't mean forsaking good nutrition and settling for genetically engineered foods and ingredients. Celebrate GMO Awareness Week with Mercola.com, the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), and the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) from October 2-8, 2011 and start making that healthy change in your diet.

Here is a great article listing TEN REASONS TO AVOID GMO's!

To learn more about GMOs, consult the books Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M. Smith or Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food by Andrew Kimbrell. Information on GMOs is also available at www.CenterForFoodSafety.org and www.HealthierEating.org.

Download the NO-GMO brochure which is a Shopping Guide designed to help reclaim your right to know about the foods you are buying, and help you find and avoid GMO foods and ingredients. (It does not cover all of the other potentially harmful ingredients, allergens, colors or additives.)

A model for changing bad eating habits

Almost 20 years ago, two well-known researchers, Carlo C. DiClemente and J. O. Prochaska, introduced a five-stage model of change to help professionals understand their clients with addiction problems and motivate them to change. Their model is based not on abstract theories but on their personal observations of how people went about modifying problem behaviors such as smoking, overeating and problem drinking, all of which can cost people their lives far too soon.

The six stages of the model are:

• precontemplation
• contemplation
• determination
• action
• maintenance
• termination

Precontemplation

Individuals in the precontemplation stage of change are not even thinking about changing their eating behavior. They may not see it as a problem, or they think that others who point out the problem are exaggerating.

There are many reasons to be in precontemplation, and Dr. DiClemente has referred to them as “the Four Rs” —reluctance, rebellion, resignation and rationalization:

• Reluctant precontemplators are those who through lack of knowledge or inertia do not want to consider change. The impact of the problem has not become fully conscious.
• Rebellious precontemplators have a heavy emotional investment in eating and in making their own decisions. They are resistant to being told what to do.
• Resigned precontemplators have given up hope about the possibility of change and seem overwhelmed by the problem. Many have made many attempts to quit or control their eating habits.
• Rationalizing precontemplators have all the answers; they have plenty of reasons why eating is not a problem, or why eating is a problem for others but not for them.

Contemplation

Individuals in this stage of change are willing to consider the possibility that they have a problem, and the possibility offers hope for change. However, people who are contemplating change are often highly ambivalent. They are on the fence. Contemplation is not a commitment, not a decision to change. People at this stage are often quite interested in learning about eating healthy and treatment. They know that their way of eating is causing problems, and they often have a mental list of all the reasons that it is bad for them. But even with all these negatives, they still cannot make a decision to change.

In the contemplation stage, often with the help of a treatment professional, people make a risk-reward analysis. They consider the pros and cons of their behavior, and the pros and cons of change. They think about the previous attempts they have made to stop eating badly, and what has caused failure in the past.

Determination: Commitment to Action

DECIDING TO STOP eating poorly is the hallmark of this stage of change. All the weighing of pros and cons, all the risk-reward analysis, finally tips the balance in favor of change. Not all ambivalence has been resolved, but ambivalence no longer represents an insurmountable barrier to change. Most individuals in this stage will make a serious attempt to kick the bad food habit in the near future. Individuals in this stage appear to be ready and committed to action.

This stage represents preparation as much as determination. The next step in this stage is to make a realistic plan. Commitment to change without appropriate skills and activities can create a fragile and incomplete action plan. Often with the help of a treatment professional, individuals will make a realistic assessment of the level of difficulty involved in eating healthy. They will begin to anticipate problems and pitfalls and come up with concrete solutions that will become part of their ongoing treatment plan.

Action: Implementing the Plan

Individuals in this stage of change put their plan into action. This stage typically involves making some form of public commitment to stop eating crappy food in order to get external confirmation of the plan. If they have not done so already, individuals in this stage may enter counseling or tell their family members and friends about their decision—or all of the above.

Making such public commitments not only helps people obtain the support they need to recover from compulsive eating, but it creates external monitors. People often find it very helpful to know that others are watching and cheering them on. What about the others who may secretly, or not so secretly, hope/believe they will fail? For people who get healthier and stay healthy, one of the many pleasures is to disprove the negative predictions of others.

Nothing succeeds like success. A person who has implemented a good plan begins to see it work and experiences it working over time, making adjustments along the way. The many things that food may have taken from the person begin to be restored, along with hope and self-confidence and continued determination not to eat poorly.

Maintenance, Relapse and Recycling

The action stage normally takes three to six months to complete. Change requires building a new pattern of behavior over time. The real test of change is long-term sustained change over many years. This stage of successful change is called “maintenance.” In this stage, a junk -free life is becoming firmly established, and the threat of a return to old patterns becomes less intense and less frequent.

Junk food addicts who relapse learn from the relapse. The experience of relapsing and returning to a healthier lifestyle often strengthens a person’s determination to stay healthy.

Termination

The ultimate goal in the change process is termination. At this stage, the compulsive eater/ex-junk food lover no longer finds that food presents a temptation or threat; he/she has complete confidence that he/she can cope without fear of relapse.

Understanding your readiness to change by being familiar with the six-stage model of change can help you choose treatments that are right for you.

As a health counselor, I am trained to  understand where you are in terms of readiness to stop bad eating habits and help you find and maintain the motivation to choose a healthier lifestyle now and continuously. Choose Life!

The Principles of Mindful Eating

Mindfulness is:

• Mindfulness is deliberately paying attention, non-judgmentally.

• Mindfulness encompasses both internal processes and external environments.

• Mindfulness is being aware of what is present for you mentally, emotionally and physically in each moment.

• With practice, mindfulness cultivates the possibility of freeing yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and acting.

• Mindfulness promotes balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of what is.

Mindful Eating is:

• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.

• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.

• Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without judgment.

• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

Someone Who Eats Mindfully:

• Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying degrees of awareness       surrounding the experience of food.

• Accepts that his/her eating experiences are unique.

• Is an individual who by choice, directs his/her awareness to all aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis.

• Is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health outcome of that choice.

• Is aware of and reflects on the effects caused by unmindful eating.

• Experiences insight about how he/she can act to achieve specific health goals as he/she becomes more attuned to the direct experience of eating and feelings of health.

• Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and cultural practices and the impact of his/ her food choices has on those systems.

~The Center for Mindful Eating.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Season 2, Episode 1

The Five Food Contemplations

The following is a beautiful description of Mindful Eating as practiced at The Wake Up House Austin:

This orange is an ambassador from the entire cosmos.

Eating a meal mindfully can be a meditative and nourishing practice. As we serve our food we can already begin practicing. Serving ourselves, we realize that many elements, such as the rain, sunshine, earth, air and love, have all come together to form this wonderful meal. In fact, through this food we see that the entire universe is supporting our existence.

We are aware of the whole community as we serve ourselves and we take an amount of food that is good for us. Before eating, the bell will be invited for three sounds and we can enjoy breathing in and out while practicing the five contemplations.

We can take our time as we eat, chewing each mouthful at least 30 times, until the food becomes liquefied. This aids the digestive process. Let us enjoy every morsel of our food and the presence of the brothers and sisters around us. Let us establish ourselves in the present moment, eating in such a way that solidity, joy and peace is possible during the time of eating.

Eating in silence, the food becomes real with our mindfulness and we are fully aware of its nourishment. In order to deepen our practice of mindful eating and support the peaceful atmosphere, we remain seated during this silent period. After twenty minutes of silent eating, two sounds of the bell will be invited. We may then start a mindful conversation with our friend or begin to get up from the table.

Upon finishing our meal, we take a few moments to notice that we have finished, our bowl is now empty and our hunger is satisfied. Gratitude fills us as we realize how fortunate we are to have had this nourishing food to eat, supporting us on the path of love and understanding.

1. This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard work.

2. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.

3. May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.

4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, and preserve our planet.

5. We accept this food so that we may nurture our sisterhood and brotherhood, strengthen our Community, and nourish our ideal of serving living beings.

Can you imagine how your eating habits will change if you were to simply & slowly recite the 5 contemplative eating contemplations before each meal? I invite you to experiment with me.