David + Jen = Max: Plant Based Food

Showing posts with label Plant Based Food. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Do Babies Need Cow's Milk When They Turn 1 Year Old?

As Max's first birthday is approaching I have been researching what is next on the milk front. Of course we all have heard that as soon as your baby turns 1 year old you are to give them whole cow's milk. But why do we do that? Well I've always heard for fat and calcium. I sought out to figure out if it's really necessary. Of course I am going to talk to my pediatrician first, but I wanted to share with you some interesting research that I found.

I started following a few blogs that focus on healthy eating and a lot of plant based foods. Whole Food Mommies has a GREAT post on the International Dairy Food Association (IDFA). Did you know that milk and dairy products (in particular butter and cheese) are the major source of saturated fat consumed by Americans…and saturated fat has the most powerful causative relationship with heart disease and cancer? (Disease Proof Your Child, Dr. Joel Fuhrman).

Milk is convenient-Milk provides a convenient source of fat, protein, calcium, and vitamin D for growing bodies. But, in today’s average food lifestyle, these building blocks can be more than adequately supplied in other areas of a balanced diet. (source)

Myth: Babies Need Calcium That is Found in Milk- Let's explore calcium in whole milk. Please read their other post here about where to find other sources of calcium. When you eat healthy whole food plant based foods (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds) it is IMPOSSIBLE not to obtain sufficient calcium. Everything that grows from the ground has calcium in it- in particular our green vegetables.

Our body absorbs the calcium differently from different foods and absorbs calcium most efficiently from VEGETABLES. Only about 32% of the calcium in milk is absorbed (most of the calcium is lost in the urine- see below for more details), while 53% of the calcium in broccoli is absorbed.

CALCIUM found in common foods
Raw Almonds (1/2 cup) 180 mg
Broccoli (1 cup) 180 mg
Orange (2) 120 mg
Sesame seeds (1/4 cup) 350 mg
Spinach (1 cup) 244 mg
Milk (Whole) 1/2 cup 145 mg (but only 32% is absorbed)

(Disease Proof your Child, Dr. Joel Fuhrman)

She also goes on to talk about Osteoporosis. "Osteoporosis is usually not a condition of inadequate calcium intake. Rather, it is a condition of overly rapid calcium loss. (The Cancer Survivor’s Guide, Neal D. Barnard
Epidemiologic studies have linked osteoporosis not to low calcium intake but to various nutritional factors that cause excessive calcium loss in the urine. I have stated this before, but it is worth repeating:

Osteoporosis tends to occur in countries where calcium intake is highest and most of it comes from protein-rich dairy products.

What About the Fat Babies Can Get from Whole Milk-
From WFM: Our brains are mostly made from DHA fat. For our brain to work at it's best...we need to have the right ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fats. When our children consume the right mix of these EFA's they maximize their brain development. (Check out her last blog here for details about omega-6 and omega-3 fats).

The following WHOLE foods provide our bodies with the needed FATS to produce DHA:
FLAXSEEDS, WALNUTS, SOYBEANS & LEAFY GREENS. Other great sources are avocados, nut butters (like tahini, which is raw sesame seed butter), and hummus.

She has great recipes which I'll do a separate post on to get these seeds and other leafy greens into your childrens food on a daily basis.

What Am I Going to Do With This Information-
At this point I am going to be giving Max Almond Milk with meals or in smoothies (he already is having these). I will be trying my own homemade almond milk. I will also try to incorporate those good fats and greens needed for Max (and us). I will be looking into a vitamin D supplement, too.

Other discussions on milk and linking to cancer can be found here. Information on a Vitamin D supplement found here.

What are your thoughts on this? I am really interested to hear from you, especially if you are already implementing some of these with your kids.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Green Fruit Smoothie

As the new year gets underway I know a lot of people have been trying to eat healthier (our family included) so I wanted to share this smoothie recipe that we've been enjoying. I adapted the recipe a little from Whole Food Mommies (great site if you haven't been). The proportion sizes of all the fruits/veggies you put in will vary depending on your blender. I used our magic bullet, but the bigger container (but it's not the size of a full blender) so keep that in mind. The one on Whole Food Mommies is a HUGE blender so I basically cut the recipe in half.

Green Fruit Smoothie-
1/2- 3/4 cup red grapes
1/4" slice of lemon, peel and all (you can leave this out if you don't have it, it can be a little strong if you use to much and make you want to add vodka to the smoothie. Then again that might not be a bad idea, kidding.)
1/4 of cup canned or fresh cut pineapple
1/2 of a banana (I freeze my banana halves and then just pop them in)
1 cup frozen fruit (I use strawberries, but the mixed bags would be great too)
1-2 TBSP of ground flax seed
1 cup of almond milk
Spinach- Fill the rest of your smoothie up with spinach

*A few notes: I also threw in fresh blueberries so you really can't go wrong with the fruits you are choosing. For a richer more nutrient dense smoothie you can use kale instead of spinach, I haven't been brave enough yet (I've never had kale). Don't be afraid of the color, depending on how much spinach you put in, it will be green. Put it in a cup that you can't see through if your ~~mom~~ kids refuse to try it.

I love that I can make a batch and have enough for me to put in a big cup to go, give some to Max and have some left for my mom (David leaves too early to share). You also get a lot of servings of fruit and veggies right at breakfast. It keeps me pretty full (about 2-3 hours or so) before I want another snack (I do munch on toast with it).

Flax seed is very good for you, there’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. It has Omega-3 essential fatty acids, Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities and fiber. Another interesting fact about flax seed that I just read was that it has been reported that 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed mixed into cereal, juice, or yogurt twice a day cut women's hot flashes in half.

Almond milk- This fortified beverage, made from almonds, has a surprisingly rich and creamy taste. Lower in calories and fat than regular cow's milk, it is high in vitamins, such as vitamin E. It also has just as much calcium as cow's milk. Here is an interesting article about the diff. types of milk out there. This has definitely peaked my interest in making my own almond milk and learning about kefir.

Spinach- Low in calories and high in vitamins, spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in existence. One cup of the leafy green vegetable contains far more than your daily requirements of vitamin K and vitamin A. Read more.

Give it a try!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Plant Based Food Meals

We recently watched Forks Over Knives and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on netflix. It made us realize how many health benefits plant based foods have and we wanted to try it. It does mean no meat or diary (there are substitutes). A lot of myths are out there that say that you need meat for protein, but there are tons of plant based foods that you can get protein from. I'm not saying we're going full force, but at least we can try it and stop surrounding our meals around meat. David is wanting to do a juice fast for a little first since he has been eating so bad and it would be easier if he travels. Mom and I (and David) made a commitment to try a plant based diet for the rest of the week, starting today! We are off to Trader Joes to start our shopping. We are only going there because we need wine and what better place to start eating better than there.

Here is our menu for the rest of the week:

Lentils vinaigrette with lemon-parsley orzo and summer squash