Does anyone want to start a healthy kid foods recipe exchange?

Early Learning Early Learning General Discussions
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Does anyone want to start a healthy kid foods recipe exchange?

The premise that nutrition affects children’s ability to learn is not new. The link has been recognized for some time through scientific evidence and, more recently, through controlled research studies. This research on the link between nutrition and learning from the prenatal through school years only shows the importance of nutrition as a tool in learning.

Since there are so many cultures represented in this forum, all geared towards helping our kids learn, I just thought it would be nice to have an exchange, and try some new flavors.

Any takers?

Here is some info from this site I found:
[b]
http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/nutrition.htm

Excerpt:

NUTRITION AND LEARNING: PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL YEARS[/b]

Iron deficiency is one of the most prevalent nutritional problems of children in the United States. Iron deficiency in infancy may cause a permanent loss of IQ later in life. Iron deficiency and anemia lead to shortened attention span, irritability, fatigue, and difficulty with concentration. Consequently, anemic children tend to do poorly on vocabulary, reading, and other tests (Parker, 1989).
Several studies have found effects of hunger and poor nutrition on cognitive ability. One such study found that among fourth grade students, those who had the least protein intake in their diets had the lowest achievement scores (ASFSA, 1989).

A laboratory study that involved healthy, well-nourished school-aged children found a negative effect of morning fasting on cognitive performance. A test of the speed and accuracy of response on problem-solving tasks given to children who did or did not eat breakfast found that skipping breakfast had an adverse influence on their performance on the tests (Pollitt et al., 1991).

Children who are hungry or undernourished also have more difficulty fighting infection. Therefore, they are more likely to become sick, miss school, and fall behind in class.

MESSAGES TO CHILDREN ABOUT NUTRITION

With the increase in the number of working parents and the ubiquity of fast-food establishments, children are eating more meals away from home than ever before. One study found that children in urban areas obtain more than half their calories outside the home (Citizen’s …, 1990). Fast foods, although convenient, tend to be high in fat and increase children’s risk of becoming obese and of developing various chronic diseases in adulthood.
Children receive messages about food and nutrition from television and food packaging. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit nutrition advocacy organization, determined that nine of ten food commercials on Saturday morning television advertised foods high in sugar, salt, or fat. Children also learn about nutrition from what they observe around them at school and at home. One study found that preschoolers were better able to describe the food their parents ate than parents were able to describe what their preschoolers ate (Hellmich, 1992).

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Oh, also some links to recipes within online sites if that’s easier. Thanks.

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I’d be very interested in a kid food recipe exchange… recipies that are ‘kid tested’ already… that our own kids really like… or maybe also our little tips/ideas for getting more nutrition into our kids (for example putting out a raw veggie tray w/ dip for them to munch on while we are preparing dinner). Perhaps some easy ideas for baby food that are better than feeding them out of a jar… (mashed avocado and banana for example… quick and very nutritious). Sometimes you just get into a rut meal-planning-wise and it’s great to get some refreshing new ideas that will work for a busy ‘professional mother’.

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Yes! Cool.

As for getting kids to eat veggies, my son 23 mos., eats salads. He didn’t always - this is a recent thing. I’ve been putting it out with his meals for some time, and he would eat maybe a tiny piece, and sometimes no part of the salad. Through trial and error, I figured out that salad that is cut tiny or julienned works best with him and a combination of creamy and savory salad dressing (Ott’s Famous and HV Ranch), though now, I alter it and modify the mix - adding Asian, etc. Not drenched, moist, though. At first he would only eat it if it sat a little while and got a bit soft, but now he eats it. I started adding cilantro, spinach - smallish and just a little. Also, I would feed it to him before the meal in a tiny amount, then I’d let him feed himself while I finished dinner, and now he eats it with dinner.

I think persistence pays off, more than anything. I tell him it’s refreshing, like wind in his tummy and he gets excited.

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Right now we are in the baby food stage, so I can’t really give any recipes for toddlers, but for baby food I have been going to this website:

www.wholesomebabyfood.com

They have great information about how to buy a specific product, different methods to prepare it, information about storage, freezing, alergies and baby food, etc… It also has a chart with the foods that you should be introducing depending on their age and it gives samples of menus to follow if you are not sure what to give to your child in a day.

I always though I would buy baby food in jars, but decided to give it a shot. It is sooo easy and I actually enjoy making her food. :yes:

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I would be very careful giving commercial salad dressings to your child!

Most of them ( if not all) are not recommended for healthy adult’s diet. Much less for children or babies. Lets take Ranch dressing for instance, it is owned by Clorox (!?) of cleaning detergent fame, and they are boasting of its extremely long shelf life ( I think something like 150 days!), which is not a good news in itself. If they put the cocktail of preservatives, which prevents this stuff from getting spoiled for 5 months, what would it do to our body?

Let’s take a peek into its ingredients…

For starters, a serving is about 140 calories, 130 of them from fat! In fact, there are 14 grams of fat (22% of the maximum daily allowance) and 2.5 of those are saturated fats. Sat fats are what drive up bad cholesterol levels in blood. Fats in itself might not be too bad for the growing toddler, but you do want to chose fats that you give, and stir to better fats… However this is not the main problem. Here is the list of typical Ranch ingredients:
Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolk, Sugar, Salt, Cultured Nonfat Buttermilk, Natural Flavors (Soy), Spices. Less than 1% of Dried Garlic, Dried Onion, Vinegar, Phosphoric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Modified Food Starch, Monosodium Glutamate, Artificial Flavors, Disodium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid and Calcium Disodium EDTA as Preservatives, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate.

Soybean Oil – oil is actually a healthy idea to add to a salad dressing because it help the body absorb some vitamins better. Just hopefully non-GMO soy beans are used….
Natural Flavors (Soy) – It’s a natural flavor, and it’s based on soy. We are not sure on what it is exactly….
Spices – no names
phosphoric acid (E338) -An artificial additive that provides a tangy taste for a much cheaper price than lemons. It is also used in soft drinks. Some studies have linked it to lowering bone density. Definetly not so good for a growing child.
Xanthan Gum (E415) – increases the viscosity of a liquid.
Modified Food Starch – an additive used as a thickening agent, stabilizer, or an emulsifier. In salad dressing it behaves as an emulsifier to keep oil and water from separating.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) (E621) – used as a flavor enhancer. In the past was derived from wheat gluten, but now it is mostly made from bacterial fermentation. Some people are sensitive to MSG. Lots of allergies linked to MSG usageArtificial Flavors This doesn’t look too good…
Disodium Phosphate - additive used as an emulsifier. Also increases shelf life.
Sorbic Acid (E200) – antimicrobial agents often used as preservatives. Prevents the growth of mold, yeast and fungi. Derived from the fruit of the European Mountain-ash (Sorbus aucuparia )
Calcium Disodium EDTA - A preservative with a mildly salty taste. May cause kidney damage, and blood in urine.
Disodium Inosinate (E631) and Disodium Guanylate (E627) - a food additive used as a flavor enhancer in order to lessen salt content. It is produced from dried fish/seaweed. Used in conjunction with MSG. Not safe for babies and young children, and should generally be avoided by asthmatics and people with gout.

This is just a short overview… I would think it would be safer and better to prepare a home-made simple salad dressing, which would have a shorter shelf life :biggrin: :biggrin: , will have the ingredients you will chose to give your child, and will have the nutritional value to it… Here for example just one idea for the substitute salad dressing ( I think this one is from All Recipes website)

• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Place sour cream and buttermilk into a mixing bowl. Season with parsley, chives, garlic powder, dill, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Its pretty easy, and you can modify it.

Children acquire tastes. They would not know the difference between commercial and homemade salad dressing, if they have not tried the commercial one. And later in life, when they have established healthy cravings and tastes, if given choices they will go for better and healthier ones. But it is our responsibility as parents to help them to build that. In the long run, it will result in healthier person.

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I second Joha, www.wholesomebabyfood.com was my fave go-to website for baby food, it works well even with working moms. Then i transitioned to Wholesometoddlerfoods.

But I still am looking for recipes for my childs lunchbox as her montessori provides lunch but its not very healthy and she does not eat it either so poor thing she stays hungry till about 40 mins past her lunch time . thats when I pick her up.

If anyone has any ideas for a lunch box recipes, please please share.

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Agree with that! So actually thought to add a little something to my previous post. As you noted MSG is an important ingredient of many commercial products, in this particular case we looked into a salad dressings.

Here is an interesting information on link between MSG and ADD ( Attention Deficit Disorder) ( I will just summarise it and put some links):

Decreased Levels of dopamine have been recently linked to ADHD:

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2007/08/06/hscout607086.html

The link between MSG and ADHD now becomes even clearer - since glutamate in animal studies decreased dopamine.

In the December 2003 issue the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, it was reported that researchers found increased levels of glutamate in the brains of children who suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In those same children, levels of Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA), were decreased.

Here is what the Center for Science in the Public Interest has to say about ADD:

http://cspinet.org/diet.html

In addition there is new research that points specifically to MSG as the cause of both ADHD and autism - both unheard of before 1950…

There some more infor on MSG on the http://www.msgtruth.org/

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Hi,

I am the mother of a 25 month old. He loves to eat healthy food. Green beans are one of his favorite foods.

I would love to have a healthy kids recipe exchange. I have many recipes I can contribute - everything from homemade crackers to fruit juice sweetened cookies and cakes. Should we just start posting recipes here? Or would you like direct email? Is there a particular type of recipe you are most interested in?

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Lisa,

That is great! You got me at “healthy food”. I think it would be nice to post the recipes here so everybody can have access to them. Since I’m not a great cook :frowning: I would be interested in healthy, easy to make recipes. :wub:

Looking forward to your recipes… :yes:

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My son had an oral texture issue - he wouldn’t eat pureed ANYTHING so his first foods were “Crunchies” as we called these baby meatballs… (got the recipe off the internet somewhere)

Baby Meat Balls*

Ingredients:
Ground Turkey, Beef or chicken
Plain baby cereal (boxed type)
Pureed veggies or fruits
Spices as desired
Wheat Germ

Directions:

  1. Place 1 part lean ground beef/turkey or chicken into a mixing bowl
  2. Add 2 parts baby cereal and 1/2 part wheat germ. Use Spices that you find appropriate (you may use bread crumbs if you choose)
  3. Add pureed veggies and/or fruit to moisten the mixture
  4. Mix together as you would when making “adult" meatballs.
  5. Bake in an oven at 400 degrees until brown and cooked thoroughly – Cover with tinfoil, be sure not to burn the meatballs as they will become tough on the outside and baby may not be able to eat them.

My notes:

  • I pureed anything that I had on hand - one time it was brocolli, cauliflower, sweet potato, red & gr peppers, carrots, peas (all at once!) and other times it was only brocolli or sweet potato… (often I’d get overly zealous with the amount of veggies and it would be a fairly wet mixture - be careful)
  • I rolled the “balls” in crushed cornflakes (hence the name “Crunchies”)
  • I pressed the meat into patties about the size of my hand then froze them. When I wanted to bake them up, I cut a pattie into tiny cubes and let them thaw a bit - THEN rolled them in the cornflakes and baked them.
  • He ate them hot or cold. If I went anywhere I thought he might get fussy at, I’d pack these (with an icepack) - they were always a hit!
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Nice recipe idea, kizudo!

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Way to go, Lisa! I think we can either start posting here, or start a thread for different kind of healthy recipes. This way it will be accessible for everyone ( better then just a PM to one person), and it will be easy to refer to.

Looking forward!

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Me too! (Looking forward to ideas, that is)

I’d be particularly keen on getting your cracker recipe, Lisa.

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OK! Here’s an easy wheat germ cracker recipe.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons low sodium baking powder (regular works fine too)
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cold water

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Mix together the dry ingredients.
Cut in the butter. Mix in the water.
Roll into a ball and put on a floured surface. Flatten with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (depends on how crispy you want them). You may need to sprinkle a little extra wheat germ on your rolling surface to keep them from sticking. Cut into 2" squares or use small cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Bake on non stick baking pan about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

You can make variations of this with different flours or by topping with a little cheese or even finely ground seeds or nuts.

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Tofu popsicles

If you are not a fan of tofu these frozen treats might change your mind :biggrin:

These are approximate measurements because I mixed this up the other day and didn’t measure anything. The basic idea is equal amounts of tofu to fruit

Mix in a blender about 3/4 cup silken tofu (that’s teh soft tofu) with about 1 cup fresh sliced strawberries (almost any fresh fruit would work) and 1/2 ripe banana. Pour into plastic popsicle molds and freeze. (This makes 4 with the molds I have)

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We don’t eat white flour(in fact I try to avoid wheat as much as possible), pasteurized dairy or sugar of any kind, it’s hard to find good recipes that meat my criteria, I’m very strict. Hopefully I’ll find some good recipes in this thread :slight_smile:

Almond pancakes:
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
agave sweetener
pinch of salt

mix all the ingredients and make yummy pancakes :slight_smile: