Introduce fruits the easy way

Why bananas are great

Bananas are convenient and nutritious as a baby food! We thought of giving you some easy ideas with this fruit to introduce your baby. This fruit is so easy to prepare and to digest for your young one. Bananas are in season all year round so keep them around. However, it differs from baby to baby- so be careful on introduction and watch out for any adverse effects.

Ideas with this easy fruit:

-       Simply peel a ripe banana and mash it for a fast and convenient food

-       Add some formula or breast-milk to make the taste more familiar to the baby

-       As your baby gets older, the mashing can get less as your baby can get rougher textures

-       Pieces of banana can be rolled in baby cereal or crushed baby biscuits to make it more appealing and easy to grab

-       Freeze ripe bananas if you cannot use all at once. Peel them, cut them and freeze them in plastic containers

-       Make Banana Custard with some home made custard with mashed banana added

-       Add a drop or two of lemon or orange juice to prevent the banana from turning brown

How can I incorporate it into food?

-       Stir mashed banana into infant cereal that your baby is already used to such as porridge, oats or other products

-       Mash banana together with any other fruit or vegetables such as soft cooked apple, pear, melon, sweet potato, pumpkin and so much more

-       Just as you make a smoothie with different fruits, add banana, now you drink half and let your baby enjoy the rest with a spoon

BANANA RECIPES

These recipes was obtained from homemade-baby-food-recipes.com where you can find lots of yummy recipes for your baby.

Banana Rice Pudding for your Baby

1C cooked brown rice
½ cup milk warm milk (use infant formula or even breast milk)
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
drop of vanilla essence
1 tbsp raisins, soaked in warm water or apple juice to soften them
1 small, ripe banana (sliced)

Chuck it all in the food processor and blend to a smooth consistency

 

Popsicles for Summer (the family might just love these too!)

½ cup berry juice

1 cup natural or vanilla yoghurt

½ cup fresh berries such as strawberries

1 medium banana, slices

Again, put everything in the food processor and blend well. Now freeze them in lolly-moulds that you buy at most stores selling plastic-ware

Freeze and enjoy

11 Tips for Eating Out

The Good Life Dietitians were asked to assist in this article that was recently published on the SHAPE website and we finally share the full article with you.


Are you eating out over weekends and feel guilty about your choices every time? all foodies should know how to eat out the smart way, enjoy!

The idea of eating out scares a lot of healthy eaters and people on weight-loss eating plans. Here are ways you can enjoy lunches and brunches and dinners the healthy and guilt-free way.

Whether it’s lunch with the girls or a romantic night out, we often make bad choices or ignore what we are guzzling down. Here are 11 ways you can eat out and stay trim and healthy.

1. Don’t go hungry

Good Life Dietitians suggests you have a healthy snack before you go out for a meal. “This will prevent you from being overly hungry when you arrive at a restaurant, and less tempted to over-order or make poor choices.” So fill up on a piece of fruit and water.

2. Make the reservation

“Offer to make reservations when out with others. Select restaurants that you know have healthy options available. This will help you prevent feeling overwhelmed when faced with a new menu,” recommends the Good Life Dietitians.

3. Downsize

Restaurant meal portions have increased over the years with an emphasis on getting more food for money. The next time you’re out, order a half portion or ask the waiter to pack half your main meal in a “doggie bag” before it’s even brought to the table.

4. Watch the condiments

Ask yourself: Do you really need the extra cheese in your wrap or the creamy pepper sauce over your steak? These extras are loaded with kilojoules and sugar. If you need to have sauce, then use lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper, mustard, salsas and Tabasco sauce.

5. Go for grilled

Anything braised, boiled, grilled or baked are signs of a healthier meal. Avoid all fried, battered or creamy foods. “Remember the smaller the fried food item, the larger the surface area exposed to oil, therefore the more fat is absorbed. That is why chips are higher in fat than burgers,” says dietitian Karen Protheroe-Downie.

6. Avoid high-kilojoule drinks

“Don’t underestimate the amount of energy that drinks may contribute to your diet,” warns the Good Life Dietitians. Fill up on cold water or sparkling water with lemon or mint and stay away from soft drinks and high-sugar alcoholic drinks like cocktails. Think of the kilojoules you can save – even enough to treat yourself to a dessert!

7. Watch that salad

Think ordering a salad will help you cut kilojoules? In many cases you might as well be eating a hamburger. Watch out for creamy dressings and salads containing fried croutons, bacon bits, cheese, or other high fat ingredients, explains the Good Life Dietitians. Rather dress your salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

8. Ask the chef

Don’t be afraid to ask the chef what’s in your food. A good chef will be happy to tell you in detail. Think of questions such as: Does your sushi have mayonnaise or cream cheese? Or are the vegetables grilled?  “Just ask for your sandwich or salad to be made without mayonnaise, salad dressing or margarine,” says Protheroe-Downie. This can be a big kilojoule saver!

9. On the side-line

Side dishes are just as important. According to the Good Life Dietitians, dishes containing mayonnaise should be avoided; this may include traditional coleslaw, creamed spinach and potato salads. Opt for steamed rice, or a baked potato instead of chips, or onion rings.

10. Don’t deny yourself

It’s never easy to watch your gal pals dip into a gooey chocolate fondant, while you sip your water. So allow yourself dessert but share it with a friend or two. Otherwise opt for a low-fat option like some fresh fruit or sorbet.

11. Savour the meal

Dietitian Ria Catsicas, says people who eat slowly and who are aware of their feelings of satisfaction find it easier to exercise portion control than people who eat fast.  If you eat fast you can take in a lot of food but you won’t feel satisfied. So enjoy each moment and savour the aromas of your meal.

Good Life in CLEO magazine

We give some tips for beating exam stress with Brain Food on page 100 of the October issue CLEO magazine

HEART HEALTHY TIP #3

Another Heart Healthy tip to start your day! keep up die Good Living!

Hypertension: The Silent Disease

Hypertension is a condition where blood pressure is too high. Hypertension is often called a silent disease since there may be no signs or symptoms that you have it. A normal blood pressure is 120/80mmHg. This measurement shows the pressure at which the heart is contracting (systolic blood pressure- 120) and relaxing (diastolic blood pressure- 80). A person is diagnosed with hypertension when they have a consistently high blood pressure of above 140/90mmHg.

Symptoms of hypertension may include frequent headaches, impaired vision, and shortness of breath, nose bleeds, chest pain, dizziness, and poor memory. Hypertension almost doubles a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke. If left untreated high blood pressure can also lead to heart and kidney failure, as well as loss of sight.

In last week’s post we focused on one aspect of lowering blood pressure: cutting back on your salt intake. Unfortunately for some though treatment of high blood pressure requires more than just a low salt diet. If you are hypertensive, follow these tips on dietary and lifestyle changes to help lower your blood pressure.

Check your blood pressure on a regular basis

If you have high blood pressure, buy a blood pressure machine (also called a sphygmomanometer) from your local pharmacy or Dischem. Keep a record of your blood pressure. 

If you are overweight, lose weight

Losing weight will naturally help to lower blood pressure. Studies have shown that blood pressure increases with increasing weight. A weight loss of just 5kg has been shown to lower blood pressure. Aim for a desirable body weight at a BMI below 25kg/m².

If you chose to drink alcohol, do so sensibly

A high alcohol intake has been shown to increase blood [pressure. Limit to 2 alcoholic drinks per day for men, and 1 alcoholic drink per day for women and light-weight individuals. One drink is the same as one beer, half a glass of wine, or 30ml of spirits,

Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are high in potassium, a mineral which has been found to help lower blood pressure when eaten in large amounts. Oranges, potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkin, squash and avocado are all high in potassium.

Fruits and vegetables are also naturally low in salt, as well as low in calories to help in weight loss. Increase your intake of fresh fruits to 2 portions per day and vegetables to 4-5 portions per day.

Be active

Increase your exercise levels to at least 2-3 times per week for 30-45 minutes. For more on exercising in hypertension, go to http://www.nicolepicasbiokinetics.blogspot.com./

A stressful lifestyle can increase your blood pressure further

Be sure to take time to relax and decrease your stress levels

 

Look for Heat Mark products

The Heart Mark is a guideline for shoppers to instantly identify healthy products on the supermarket shelves. Products approved by the Heart Foundation are lower in cholesterol, lower in saturated fat, lower in salt (less than 450mg per 100g of a product), high in fibre (where applicable), and lower in added sugar. This means that all products with the Heart Mark are the healthier choices.

 

Do you or someone you know have high blood pressure?

Contact us if you would like a consultation with a dietitian: goodlifedietitians@gmail.com

Source

Appel JL et al. Dietary Approaches to Prevent and Treat Hypertension: A Scientific Statement. Hypertension. 2006; 47: 296-308.

Escott-Stump S. Nutrition and diagnosis-related care. Sixth edition. 2008.

Heart Foundation. www.heartfoundation.co.za

Getting started on Solid Foods

Last week the Good Life Dietitians brought you “When to Wean and Why”. The next question you might ask is “HOW”? We give you a few pointers on getting your little one started on solid foods

What is the first step?

Start by giving your infant starch based food such as infant cereal once per day while still maintaining milk feeds for the rest of the day. Remember that a small amount is sufficient, the amount can be increased as your infant gets used to eating. 1-2 teaspoons of cereal once per day will be enough to start with and may be increased to 4 teaspoons once or twice per day

Introduce one food at a time, this way you will be in full control of what your baby takes in and will be able to detect any food that may cause adverse reactions, allergies and intolerances. This means introducing infant cereal for a week or two, depending on how quickly your infant accepts the food, then continue to next food, e.g mashed banana etc. It is generally recommended that a new food is only introduced after about 5 days, but you do not have to rush and should rather follow the comfort and ability of your baby.

Introduce the food until your baby accepts them. Remember that your infant has never eaten solids foods get used to them. After repeated attempts, without force feeding, the child is likely to accept the food. Once he/she is used to one food e.g cereal, introduce another food, such as one teaspoon vegetables in the same meal to slowly introduce the new taste.

Choose a spoon that is small, and has smooth sides like a plastic or plastic/rubber covered spoon.

Which foods should I start with?

Choose foods that are easy to digest and without any strong flavours. The texture should be thick but still soft and semi-liquid

-         Infant cereal – preferably fortified

-         Soft porridges, oats

-         Fruits

-         Vegetables

What should I avoid?

-         Strong flavours such as broccoli, cabbage. Foods which are hard to digest, these will be introduced at a later stage

What if my infant spit out the food?

It may seem that your baby is spitting out the food. This is not because they want to but because of the sucking motion that they know very well. A new feeding technique must now be learnt. Create a calm atmosphere and be prepared to be very patient. Either laughing or getting angry may bring up unwanted effects.

More feeding tips:

-         Hold a tiny spoonful of food at your baby’s lips to have a little taste. With some luck he will like what he tastes and will open up his mouth

-         Putting food on the front of the tongue will be difficult to swallow and be pushed out

-         Big spoonfuls may cause gagging reflexes

From here on your baby is no longer a starter eater. Your infant will become more confident in eating and to try out new tastes and textures. Do not be scared to try a new food- the sky is the limit.

Keep your eye on Mommy-Mondays for more information as your baby grows to be a more confident and mature eater