My Little Healthy Eater

Welcome to the November Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids in the Kitchen

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how kids get involved in cooking and feeding. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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This is my all-time favourite topic. I can talk about my sons healthy diet all day long. I have always had a passion for nutritional research... probably stemming from my own hang-ups with food, and I have spent many years devouring book after book on the topic of 'natural' nutrition. I have also completed a course in Natural Health and Nutrition through the International Academy of Health and Wellness.

I define the term 'natural' nutrition with eating as close to what nature intended as possible.

Long before I fell pregnant I decided that the mainstream diet that we are bombarded with from advertisers on television and in supermarkets is not conducive to a healthy mind, body and soul for our precious children. Through all my studies and reading in different books on the subject I came to a few conclusions. Firstly, that delaying the introduction of solids as late as possible is better for all involved. Find out more on my previous post regarding when to start solids here. The best first {solid} food for children is fruit. I have written on this topic previously and I do believe that it is valuable information so please find an excerpt from that post below, you can read the full post here.

Not only do I feel that babies are put on to solids too early, there are also some crazy choices that parents make as first foods. Babies have immature digestive systems and cannot chew properly until around 2 years old. Complex carbohydrates and proteins require chewing to start the digestive process off. Feeding your babies these foods means that they are not digested properly and ferment in the digestive tract. "By-products of fermentation are alcohol, acetic acid and ammonia, all of which can result in nappy rash, foul gas and stools, cramping, mucus, irritability and failure to thrive." (Healthy Kids, The Natural Way by Mary-Ann Shearer and Charlotte Meschede) 

There is, however, a perfect food. A food that is closest in its nutrient composition to mothers milk... and this is fruit. A food with all the protein and starch broken down into easily absorbable amino acids and glucose molecules, loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and many other valuable nutrients. Uncooked, ripe fruit meets most of your young child’s nutrient requirements. Babies love eating fruit as it is naturally sweet, just like mother’s milk. 

After much research I have discovered that fruit is the only food your baby will need until they are two years old (As long as you are practicing full term breastfeeding). From here on you may start introducing more complex carbohydrates like carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin. In my opinion rice cereals and other highly refined baby foods have no place in a healthy babies diet. Cereal has become infamous for being "babies first junk food". 

My son is now 11 months old. He has only now started eating solids with any regularity or quantity. On a typical day... my husband goes off to work at the crack-of-dawn (he starts at 6am in summer) and leaves Jesse and I asleep in bed. We wake up a *little* later... and after lots of nursing, we go sit on the verandah (porch) and eat some fruit for breakfast whilst watching the birds and squirrels. Sometimes my husband manages to join us. Summer is a great time to eat lots of fruit, there is so much in season.

This is what our breakfast looks like on a typical day.

Jesse has been fed solids in the baby-led weaning fashion. The result of this is that he has become very aware of different textures and knows exactly what he likes. His first love was apple... and his new love is watermelon. 

Why I don't usually use plates or tablecloths.

I am also a believer in the miracles of green juice consumption, and that introducing green juice to your child early on in his life lets them become accustomed to its taste. Jesse and I have just started drinking these every morning. Find my favourite recipe here.

Another awesome breakfast is smoothies. Our favourite blend is made up of two frozen bananas, a teaspoon of cinnamon (anti-oxidant) and a fresh date with a little filtered water added. Very yummy, but I don't do smoothies too often as I feel it is important for Jesse to get used to the texture of solid foods and to build his jaw muscles by using a chewing action. See more about this in my post on baby-led weaning here.

A lovely recipe for children for breakfast, that is so nutritious too, is Chia Pudding. Chia seeds are the seed of a herb grown in North and South America, and was once the staple food of the Aztecs. Chia seeds are highly nutritious, they contain Omega 3 and Omega 6 with the perfect ratio of Omega 3 to 6. Chia seeds contain water soluble fibre which is ideal for constipation and diarrhoea as it regulates bowel function. They also regulate the thyroid and other hormonal function. These seeds contain all 8 amino acids for complete protein and contain powerful anti-oxidants.

Chia and Dried Fruit Pudding

This recipe was adapted from Evie's Kitchen by Shazzie


When mixed with water Chia Seeds turn glutinous making a pudding with a consistency not unlike that of tapioca pudding. It definitely tastes better than it looks :)

200ml Warm Water
30g Raisins
20g Chia Seeds
20g Dried Apricots
20g Dried Pear

Finely chop the dried fruit and add the Chia seeds in a small bowl. Pour over the warm (not hot) water and leave for twenty minutes to thicken. Stir before serving.

Indeed any dried fruit can be used, I used dried cranberries, pears and gooseberries in the picture above. However the Chia seeds do not have a very distinctive flavour so it is best to use sweet dried fruit.

Sharing with Daddy

I realise that it is easy to talk of my sons healthy diet now, when he is still so young and it is simple to control his diet. Once he becomes older and has more of a will I do fear it will become harder and I will have to become more and more imaginative in my healthy meal offerings. Until then, I will continue to slowly introduce healthy food.





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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Baking & letting go — Cooking with kids can be a mess. Nadia at Red White & GREEN Mom is learning to relax, be patient, and have fun with the process.
• Family feeding in Child of Mine — Lauren at Hobo Mama reviews Ellyn Satter's suggestions for appropriate feeding and points out where her family has problems following through.
• Children with Knives! (And other Kitchen Tools) — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy teaches her children how to safely use knives.
• "Mommy, Can I Help?" — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes about how she lets her kiddos help out with cooking, despite her {sometimes} lack of patience!
• Solids the Second Time Around — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes recounts her experiences introducing solids to her second child.
• The Adventure of Toddler Tastebuds — The Accidental Natural Mama shares a few things that helped her daughter develop an adventurous palate.
• A Tradition of Love — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy looks forward to sharing the kitchen traditions passed on from her mom and has already found several ways to involve baby in the kitchen.
• The Very Best Classroom — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts reveals how her kitchen is more than a place to make food - it's a classroom!
• Raising Little Chefs — Chef Mike guest posts on Natural Parents Network about how he went from a guy who couldn't cook to a chef who wanted to teach his boys to know how the food we love is made.
• In the Kitchen with my kids — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares a delicious soup recipe that her kids love.
• Papa, the Pancake Artist — Papa's making an incredible breakfast over at Our Mindful Life.
• Kids won't eat salad? Try this one! — Tat at Mum in Search is sharing her children's favourite salad recipe.
• Recipe For a Great Relationship — Cooking with kids is about feeding hearts as well as bellies, writes Hannah at Wild Parenting.
• The Ritual of Mealtimes — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins writes about the significance of mealtimes in her family’s daily rhythm.
• Kid, Meet Food. Food, Kid. — Alburnet at What's Next? panicks about passing on her food "issues" to her offspring.
• Growing Up in the Kitchen — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares how her son is growing up in the kitchen.
• Harvesting Corn and History — From Kenna at School Garden Year: The kids in the school garden harvest their corn and learn how much history grows in their food.
• My Guiding Principles for Teaching my Child about Food — Tree at Mom Grooves uses these guiding principles to give her daughter a love of good food and an understanding of nutrition as well as to empower her to make the best choices for her body.
• Kitchen Control — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro writes about her struggles to relinquish control in the kitchen to her children.
• Food — Emma at Your Fonder Heart lets her seven month old teach her how to feed a baby.
• Kitchen Fun? — Adrienne at Mommying My Way questions how much fun she can have in a non-functional kitchen, while trying to remain positive about the blessings of cooking for her family.
• Kitchen Adventures — Erica at ChildOrganics shares fun ways to connect with your kids in the kitchen.
• Kids in the Kitchen: Finding the Right Tools — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares some of her favorite child-sized kitchen gadgets and where to find them.
• The Kitchen Classroom — Laura at Authentic Parenting knows that everything your kids want to learn is at the end of the ladle.
• Kids in the Kitchen — Luschka from Diary of a First Child talks about the role of the kitchen in family communication and shares fun kitchen activities for the under two.
• Our Kitchen is an Unschooling Classroom. — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle explores the many ways her kitchen has become a rich environment for learning.
• Montessori-Inspired Food Preparation for Preschoolers — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares lots of resources for using Montessori food preparation activities for young children in the kitchen.
• My Little Healthy Eater — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares her research on what is the best first food for babies, and includes a healthy and yummy breakfast recipe.
• Two Boys and Papa in the Kitchen: Recipe for Disaster? — MudpieMama shares all about her fears, joys and discoveries when the boys and handsome hubby took over the kitchen.
• Food choices, Food treats — Henrietta at Angel Wings and Herb Tea shares her family's relationship with food.
• learning to eat — Catherine at learner mummy reflects on little M's first adventures with food.
• The Night My 7-Year-Old Made Dinner — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares how her 7-year-old daughter surprised everyone by turning what started as an idea to play restaurant into pulling off making supper for her family.
• Cooking With a High-Needs Toddler — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how Montessori-inspired activities and a bit of acceptance have helped her overcome hurdles in cooking while caring for a "high-needs" child.
• Kids in the Kitchen – teaching healthy food choices — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her belief in the importance of getting kids into the kitchen using her favorite cookbook for kids to develop healthy food choices now and hopefully into the future.
• Make Milk, Not War — Tamara at Tea for Three remembers the daily food fights as she struggled to feed a picky eater.
• teaching baby birds about good food. — Sarah at Small Bird on Fire writes about the ways in which her family chooses to gently teach their son how to make wise food decisions.
• 5 Ways to Enhance Your Baby or Young Toddler's Relationship with Food — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares simple ways to give your child a healthy beginning to her lifelong relationship with food.
• Toddler at the Table: 10 Creative Solutions — Moorea at Mamalady shares tips for preventing meal-time power struggles.
• How My Child Takes Responsibility During His Mealtime... — Jenny @ I'm a full-time mummy shares how she teaches and encourages her 32 months old son on adopting good manners and responsibilities during his mealtimes...
• Kids in the Kitchen: 6 Tips Plus a Recipe — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares six tips for overcoming some of the the difficulties of cooking with multiple young sous chefs, and a recipe they all can agree on!
• How BLW has made me a better parent — Zoe at Mummykins shares how baby-led weaning has changed her approach to parenting.
• My Budding Chef — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom is no cook but is happy that her daughter has shown an inclination and manages to whip up yummy goodies for their family.
• Kids in the Kitchen: An Activity for Every Age — Gaby from Tmuffin describes how she keeps her kids busy in the kitchen, whether they are one week old or two years old.
• The Phantastically Mutlipurposed Phyllo — Ana at Pandamoly shares how Phyllo is used to create enticing dishes at home! Anything can be made into a Struedel!
• Kitchen Kids — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen shares her children's most favorite recipe to make, experience and eat.
• Independence vs. Connection in the Kitchen: won't you please get yourself your own snack already? — Lisa at Organic Baby Atlanta wishes her daughter would just go make a mess in the kitchen. But her daughter only wants to do it together.
• Grandma Rose's Kitchen — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter reminisces about her childhood and dreams of filling her kitchen with people, love, noise, and messes.
• Healthy Food Choices for Kids — Jorje offers one way to encourage children to make their own healthy food choices at MommaJorje.com.
• Cooking food to thrive rather than survive — Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales is trying to foster a lifetime of good food habits by teaching her children about the importance of avoiding junk, cooking healthy meals, and learning about the whole food process.
• Evolution of a self-led eater — Sheila at A Gift Universe shares the story of how her son grew from nursing around the clock to eating everything in sight, without her having to push.
• 10 Ways Tiny Helps In The Kitchen — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama explores the ways in which her toddler actively participates in kitchen-related activities.
• The Complexity of Feeding a Child — Feeding children a healthy diet is no straight-forward task, but Lisa at My World Edenwild shares some general guidelines to help your child thrive.
• Lactation Cookies — That Mama Gretchen shares a fun recipe that will benefit both mamas and babies!
• 50 of the Best Books, Websites, & Resources to Inspire Kids in the Kitchen — Need inspiration to get your kids in the kitchen? Dionna at Code Name: Mama rounds up some of the best books and websites that can serve as a source for ideas, recipes, and cooking with littles fun.
• A 4-year-old's smoothie recipe — Jen at Grow With Graces and her son set out to make a smoothie without the usual ingredients. She let him improvise. See how it turned out.
• Independent Food Preparation (My Toddler Can Do That?) — Megan at Montessori Moments shares simple ways for children to prepare their own healthy snacks.
• Follow Your Gut — Amy at Anktangle shares her philosophy about intuitive eating, and how she's trying to foster her son's trust in his own inner wisdom when he feels hungry.
• A TODDLER-STYLE LUNCH + RECIPE — Manic Mrs. Stone photographs how to have messy fun during lunchtime with a helpful toddler.