Oliver's Menu

I've had numerous questions from parents wanting to know more about baby's first foods.

I'm of the school that grains aren't the best way to start. Rice cereal became a popular first food because it does not pose allergen risk (untrue), it is easy to digest (untrue), the added vitamins and minerals were beneficial (I prefer naturally-occurring nutrients from whole foods) and it is easy to manipulate into different textures for different stages (okay, I'll give you that). With all that said, I don't think rice is a horrible baby food - I just think there are better choices like fruits and vegetables.

Although I am a huge believer in baby led weaning and introducing finger foods for baby to self-feed from a young age, it's not something that works for our family. Because I have a severe (severe, severe, severe) choking phobia that has actually caused me to be on liquid diets and go 24 years without taking a capsule or tablet, I had trouble watching Oliver eat anything more than a puree until recently. Since he has mastered his beautiful two teeth and has proven to me that his gag reflex is sufficient, he has been enjoying finger foods. (I can't say I have been enjoying them however - panic attack!)

I want to share a list of the foods Oliver has been introduced to, at various stages, to give you some idea of what I think is appropriate through the first year of life.

Birth - 5 months old

• Breast milk
• Organic coconut oil - I gave him 1/2 tsp on my finger occasionally to introduce healthy fats. I was comfortable letting him try it early because I had already been using it on his skin since birth

5 months

• Organic green peas, cooked and pureed
• Avocado, fork mashed - I don't buy organic every time because pesticides do not permeate the avocado's skin (studies show) however organic is still a good choice for the environmental sustainability and for the health of the farmers
• Organic mango, steamed and pureed
• Organic carrot, steamed and pureed 
• Organic apple, steamed and pureed
• Organic squash, steamed and pureed
• Brown rice teething cracker - This was more to chew on, I don't think it ever entered his stomach, ha ha

6 months

• Organic banana, fork mashed
• Lentils, cooked and pureed - Hates them

7 months

• Organic sweet potato, steamed and pureed
• Organic apricot, ingredient in an organic sweet potato baby food by Dr. Sears
• Organic peach, ingredient in a baby food by Dr. Sears
• Cinnamon - Began adding to foods for taste, especially bananas and squash
• Organic spinach, steamed and pureed - Loves with pureed apple
• Organic pears - steamed and pureed - Also introduced steamed and cut into finger-sized pieces at 8 months - Loves to chew on them
• Organic broccoli, steamed - Pureed at 7 months, given as finger food at 8 months
• Organic nectarine, steamed and pureed - Great as a blend with apples
• Beef - I had made a super plain hormone-free roast and let him taste a tender piece. I also gave him the stock (the remainder of water in the crockpot after cooking) to puree other foods
• Kiwi, fork mashed (very ripe)
• Organic brown rice cereal (not a baby version with added nutrients, just 100% rice)

8 months

• Papaya, fork mashed - My grandpa is slowly turning Oliver Brazilian when he can
• Egg yolk, cooked - This is dry as heck so he likes a cup of water with it
• Organic strawberries, fork mashed
• Organic turkey, potato, millet, garlic, oregano - Ingredients of a baby food by Dr. Sears
• Plain, organic yogurt with added maple syrup (my own) 
• Organic hummus (chickpeas, oil, tahini, garlic) - He had already eaten sesame seeds off the floor one day when I dropped a bagel so I wasn't worried about seed allergy
• Organic corn - Pureed baby food
• Oranges - Enjoyed sucking on them at Calvin's parents' house
• Organic quinoa, cooked - If I add extra stock or water it makes a soup and he goes nuts for it - Also good "sweet" with bananas or berries
• Blackberries, fork mashed

Oliver turns 9 months this weekend and I have, sadly, noticed he is starting to wean off breast milk. Because of his age I'm not okay with him giving up nursing completely (I have committed to nursing him a minimum of twice daily until 1 year) but I know that part of "on demand" feeding is letting them skip feedings when they want to. He tends to nurse a lot in the morning and evening but during the day when he has his foods he's less interested. Oh, my baby is growing up.

Next thing you know he'll be able to point to the moon when you ask him to (started doing this on Saturday).

If you want to know more about feeding your baby check out my friend Joni's page - Feeding Little Foodies.

New Things to Try

I've been trying so many new and wonderful things lately I just had to write a post updating you on each and every one of them! Keep in mind I am doing this under the supervision of a highly active, almost Mogli-style 8-month old that gets annoyed if I so much as glance at something other than him, so I am going to much effort to tell you about these things! (And he just smirked as he pulled a shredded hardcover Douglas Coupland novel from his mouth... cute.)

Wild Sweets Sesame-Wakame Chocolate  



The first is my Easter chocolate! My mom popped down to the health food store and had a staff member, Andy, point out whatever he thought I'd like. He hit the nail on the head: a natural chocolate bar with added sesame seeds, sea salt and wakame seaweed. So delicious! I have been savouring every square of it, attempting to combat the temptation of eating the whole bar at once, and I still have about 10% of it left so I'd say I've succeeded. Nothing beats chocolate and salt together! Good job Andy! You can find this at Quarter Master Natural Foods if you live in London, Ontario.




Boscia BB Cream
So I said that there isn't really a natural form of BB cream? I was wrong! A helpful Sephora employee kindly pointed out that Boscia mades an SPF 27 BB Cream but that I might not know about it because it is constantly sold out! She was able to slip me a sample and I'm absolutely in love with what I've tried. I can't wait to get my hands on a full size.

I will be writing more on this product in the future. For now, ask a Sephora employee if it's available in your store.

See the original post here.
See the UPDATE here.


Camino Hot Chocolate

Camino has quickly become everyone's favourite Canadian, Fair Trade, organic chocolate purveyor, fervently producing chocolate products with the highest quality ingredients and supporting family farming in South America along the way. (Okay, I can't say all that without mentioning my friend Dave's new business - Habitual Chocolate. This stuff goes beyond what you can find in a grocery store. It is artisan quality products made with ingredients that aren't just sourced ethically but personally, by Dave's many trips to producing countries. A real treat!) Camino's dark hot chocolate powder is rich and full of flavour. I like to warm milk to the perfect temperature then pseudo-froth it using a French press, for those days when starting up the espresso machine just seems like a lot for one mug of hot chocolate.

Lush BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask

Lush never ceases to amaze me with their willingness to give out samples. Recently while killing time in a mall while other people had shopping to do (I hate shopping) I spoke with an employee long enough that she wanted me to take home some seaweed face mask. The stuff is fresh enough that you actually need to get it in the fridge within 4 hours. It smells like a basement (love it) and feels great on the skin. I can't speak for the ethics of this company, as they've come into question within the past few months, but I do know they use some nice ingredients and are hand-crafted.

Sircuit Skin Savant Vitamin-A Alternative Serum 

I've always known how great vitamin A, or retinol, can be for your skin but it's not always an option for everyone. Particularly pregnant women really need to watch how much vitamin A they are taking in, even if its not through food or internal supplements - facial products are very readily absorbed in the blood stream. Sircuit Skin Cosmeuticals has come out with an alternative serum that is formulated with botancials that act like retinol called Vita-a-like. It hydrates and smoothes but doesn't cause irritation like retinols can. It is an amazing anti-aging serum because it treats fine lines, wrinkles, photo-damage and hyper pigmentation, and it can be used for any skin type.

You Need Magnesium!

So you may have picked up that I have a lot of experience with natural health products. I also have a lot of experience viewing the success or failure of said products on friends, family and clients' ailments. Some products seem downright ineffective (many weight-loss "solutions", certain root-based beverages to substitute delicious coffee, expensive skin creams to make you look younger) but some seem to have a near perfect success rate - maca to balance hormones, sulforaphane for skin problems - but above them all is magnesium. It is a miracle product. Time and again, when I recommend magnesium people come back with accolades for how well it works.

With the popularity of Dr. Carolyn Dean's book  "The Magnesium Miracle" more people are discovering this once rarely known mineral. Your body's muscles run on two main minerals - calcium to contract, and magnesium to relax. That doesn't mean magnesium will force them to relax (spontaneously falling to the ground - not fun) but it means that when you require a relaxed muscle, magnesium is the tool your cells are looking for.

This has many implications. Headaches are often the result of a tense muscle - in your face or neck. Menstrual cramps and certain menopausal symptoms are related to muscle tension. Constipation is another common one. Sore muscles after working out, leg cramps during pregnancy, or dehydration (or let's be honest - a night of drinking) - all muscle related. Not to mention nervousness, inability to sleep, some heart problems and ADHD... Magnesium deficiency is serious and very common. 

 

A lack of magnesium also causes poor calcium uptake in the bones so instead calcium circulates in the blood which not only doesn't help with osteoporosis but also puts you at risk of arterial plaque which is heart attack material.

Did you know? Craving chocolate is a sign of a magnesium deficiency. It so often occurs during a woman's "time of the month" - your body's natural way of telling you to intake some magnesium to prevent the muscle cramping pain. Thanks, body!

There are a few problems with attempting to get all of your required magnesium from foods - first of all, most magnesium-rich foods also contain calcium, and although they're often said to be a great combination, what we're looking for is a higher ratio of magnesium to calcium, thus promoting relaxation. Also, magnesium is one of the nutrients that is severely depleted from our soil and hence, our food supply. So even eating healthy isn't enough.

There is one magnesium supplement I recommend over and over: Natural Calm. It is a delicious drink mix that gives you a needed magnesium punch to calm even the twitchiest eye, the most over-active hands, or the most restless of legs. Take it before bed and you'll drift into a peaceful sleep. The mix comes in a powder that you mix with hot water. You can either use all hot water, or simply a little to dissolve the powder, and then finish with cold water for a chilled version. I use the lemon-raspberry flavour. It is well absorbed because it is in a water-soluble form (ionic). You can find out more on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NaturalVitalityLifeNutrified

Check out the Nutritional Magnesium Association for more information.

 

What the heck is BB cream and is there a natural one?

If you watch any TV at all (and here's hoping you don't, but let's be honest) you've probably seen commercials for the new "BB creams". These commercials have tons of flawless models, stroking their faces and using set lighting to their advantage, but what they don't have is any explanation as to what a BB cream is! Well, My Idea of Happiness blog to the rescue!

BB cream was invented in Germany but became extremely popular in Asia. Its popularity in Asia has led to its spread into North America, where many major brands are catching on to the trend. Essentially what it is is an all-in-one cream for your face. And when I say all in one, I really mean it...

Most BB creams take the place of your acne treatment, foundation, moisturizer, toner, powder and sunscreen. Phew.

While it doesn't do quite all of these duties, the closest to a natural BB cream is Tarte's Smooth Operator. The company does use some unpronounceables, but in general does a great job of including nature's treasures in their formulas, for instance using camellia and chamomile in this product to soothe irritated skin, as well as using natural mineral pigments to act as a tinted moisturizer, and using all natural Earth-friendly soy ink on their packaging.

Apparently, Missha and SkinFood - cosmetic companies out of Korea - make "natural" BB creams but their information in English is pretty limited and I doubt they are available in Canadian retail stores.

Tarte can be found at Sephora as well as purchased online.

*UPDATE* See my new updated post here.

LaraBars!

Sometimes people looking for nutrition advice ask me: What is your go to packaged snack? My answer is simple. Larabars!

If you have never heard of Larabars before I am very pleased to be the one to tell you about them.

Here is the first and probably only thing you need to know about Larabars: Their ingredients list is plain English and features less than six ingredients per bar that are entirely fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or chocolate chips. This is the kind of food label that makes a granola like me very happy. Because they use such minimal and natural ingredients, they are certified kosher, vegan and gluten free.

Oh, and there's something else I should mention: the flavours. Here are a few of my personal favourites:

• Pecan pie
• Peanut butter cookie
• Banana bread 
• Cashew cookie
• Coconut cream pie
• Chocolate chip cookie dough

The US even has flavours like Cappuccino and Ginger Snap. Mmmm, get me on a bridge to the States. (Incidentally, I actually do often see great prices for full cases of Larabars in the States - check Target next time you're there.)

Larabars are a great alternative to the high-sugar, high-calorie processed bars on the market today. Most "granola bars" and "protein bars" are not what I would consider healthy. They contain either white sugar, corn syrup or artificial sweeteners - not my idea of happiness. But Larabars have only real ingredients, no added sugars or fat. Because they use pureed dates as a main ingredient they give you sustainable energy and tons of vitamins and minerals. They are healthy as heck, but still taste amazing - the apple pie flavour is loaded with walnuts, raisins and cinnamon. Oh so good. You can grab one for a snack on the go, a pick me up during class, or for a long evening bike ride. They keep well so they're awesome to store at home for kids lunches, or bring along to a camping trip.

And now you know my not-secret-at-all snack food.