A WeeMunch Guide on Water

When we first brought Ilan home from the hospital we were visited by a public health nurse. I can’t remember a thing she said…I was just too exhausted and excited and frazzled. One thing that did stay with me from her visit was the notion that you don’t give water to babies. And, further that some newborns, when given large quantities of water, can have seizures.

That said, water is a critically important part of your growing child’s nutrition. So how much, how often and when should you offer your little one water? Here’s a WeeMunch guide.
1.) You can begin to offer your baby water at about six months. Until then, s/he gets all the hydration s/he needs from breastmilk or formula. Water is a great way to introduce using a cup to your little one. I have friends whose children never used a bottle or sippy cup. They went straight from breastfeeding to using a cup. And, quite well.

2.) Before six months, the introduction of water can interfere with a baby’s ability to absorb nutrients in breastmilk. And, both breastmilk and formula contain water, so it’s completely unnecessary.

3.) Large amounts of water can curb an appetite and create fullness.

4.) In rare cases, offering water to a baby that is less than six months old can cause a condition known as water intoxication, which can cause seizures and even a coma. This happens when too much water dilutes the concentration of sodium in the body, upsetting the electrolyte balance and causing tissues to swell.

5.) After six months, you can introduce water and solid foods in small amounts to your little one. But you still don’t want to overdo water. Our little ones are pretty smart and will guide us as to how much water they want to consume. Just don’t overdo it.

6.) After one year, your toddler can drink as much water as they like. It’s still best to offer water between meals (not with meals). Ideally we should get in the habit of offering water 20-30 minutes before meals or 2-3 hours after. Note: this is simply a guideline for best digestion/absorption of nutrients and can be somewhat flexible.

7.) Parents often find that their children do not want to drink water. We suggest that you continue to offer it in its plain and glorious state. If they refuse it, then fine. But, juice drinks diluted with water, are not really considered water consumption. To give some taste to your little ones water add a splash of lemon juice (a great liver tonic) or put a small berry or piece of fruit, or its juice in a glass with water. This gives them something fun and tantalizing to look at and seems to peak interest.

8.) Why do we drink water? It’s a great cleanser for the body and the tissues. It’s basically essential to life! And, teaching our little ones to enjoy it for what it is…is an important life lesson that will stave off false hunger, aid healthy digestion, headaches and beyond.

Source: This piece was written using content from babycentre.com.

Having Fun with Raspberries

Raspberries are the fourth in the WeeMunch Berry Series. These are definitely one of my favourite berries, partly because they are fairly low-maintenance to grow and overall an easy berry to incorporate into many a great baked goodie. I certainly wouldn’t turn down a fresh one ever, and thanks to my neighbors’ sky-high groves of them I have been enjoying them for several weeks now.

Those velvety, luscious Rasberries are best picked when they reach a deep pink/red, almost purple colour. This hue shows its rich nutrient content. One of those notable nutrients is ellagic acid which is present in many red fruits and berries, including raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, pomegranate and some nuts including pecans and walnuts. The highest levels of this acid are found in raspberries. So if you’re looking for a source of antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, they are your berries.

Raspberries also help prevent unwanted damage to cell membranes and other structures in the body. As with all berries, raspberries' have antioxidant properties, as well as some antimicrobial ones, including the ability to prevent overgrowth of certain bacteria and fungi in the body. So get out there and get your hands on some soon before they are gone and enjoy their many benefits!

Note: You’ll still get the nutritional benefits from frozen berries, a great option for storing your fresh berries for the winter.

Fun ways to use raspberries

1. Add raspberries to your apple crumble recipe.
2. Add fresh or crushed with honey if tart to fresh ice cream
3. Make an instant jam by simply crushing them with a fork and adding raw honey (as with strawberries)
3. Awesome enhancement to salad dressing!
4. One of the best berries for using in pies.

Raspberry Pie Recipe

Crust:
2.5 cups fine-ground spelt flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. unrefined sugar
Put these 3 ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times.
Add 1 cup of cold, unsalted butter, chopped into tbsp. sized cubes.
¼ to ½ a cup ice-cold water
Process butter into mixture about 10 seconds (using pulse) until it becomes a coarse meal consistency.
Have water ready (1/2 cup) and add in slow steady stream while blending just until it holds together.
(*Note: You may not need the full ½ cup of water).
Now it’s ready to roll!
*Fork the bottom of the crust if you are baking it empty.
Freeze for an hour or so before putting in filling.

Berry/fruit pie contents:

¾ - 1 cup unrefined sugar
¼ sifted spelt flour
1 tsp.cinnamon and ¼ tsp. nutmeg
Add all above ingredients together, then add 4 cups of chosen berries (I like a mixture of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and huckleberries)
*If your berries are frozen you may want to defrost somewhat and drain excess water to avoid an overly juicy pie.
1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice + ½ tbsp zest
1-2 tbsp butter cut into pieces

Put fruit mixture into pre-frozen pie shell with butter pieces scattered over top.
*If very juicy add egg yolk to bind.

Preheat oven to 450 then reduce to 350 and put pie in oven. Bake 40-50 minutes, check after about 35 minutes. It’s done when the crust starts to brown slightly at the edges.

Oh Those Ruby-Red Strawberries!

This is the third berry post in the WeeMunch Summer Berry Series (see the first Salmon Berry post, or the most recent Huckleberry post).


Now it is time to honour the strawberry. Our strawberries have been ripening the past two weeks and are absolutely delicious! There's nothing quite like a fresh-picked strawberry from a sun-ripened vine. I prefer them straight-up, unadulterated and still warm from the sun.

Strawberries, particularly organically grown ones, are rich in vitamin C and higher in iron and potassium than other berries. Strawberries, like other berries, are famous in the phytonutrient world as a rich source of compounds called phenols. One family of those phenols is called anthocyanin, the water-soluble plant pigments responsible not only for the blue, purple, and red color of berries, but also for many of their health benefits—a heart-protective, an anti-cancer, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one.*

Choosing/Storing your strawberries:

Store-bought prepared baby foods containing berries are devoid of healthy anthocyanins and other nutrients such as Vitamin C that are only measurable in fresh and whole, frozen berries, but not in their processed counterparts.

A study from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found anthocyanins, among other beneficial nutrients, were almost undetectable in canned foods, bread, cereals, and baby foods containing berries, even in baby foods prepared from fruits high in anthocyanins such as blueberries.*

So choose fresh, raw as much as possible and try to retain their nutrients by freezing them whole in a well-sealed glass jar or tupperware container if you are not consuming them within a day or two of picking.

Creative ways to prepare your fresh strawberries:

1. Homemade strawberry slushies—just add ice and maple syrup if they’re a little tart (mom can always sneak a little tequila in hers and make it a margarita—nobody will tell).

2. A great ice-cream accompaniment—served raw or cooked, like many other berries.


3. Strawberry tarts or shortcake. Alter your favourite recipe and use fine-ground spelt flour and unrefined sugar, for a much healthier version, instead of white flour and white sugar.

4. Strawberry purée for your baby. Note: strawberries should not be introduced in your baby’s first year if you are at all concerned about their status as a common allergen.


5. Smoothie or Lassi, a traditional drink from India. Plain organic yogourt and strawberries are nice blended together as a smoothie. To make a Lassi, add yogourt, strawberries, ice, a bit of lime juice and/or rosewater.

*Source Cited

The Silent Epidemic: Vitamin D and Sun Exposure

Our awareness of Vitamin D deficiency is to the 2000s what a toxic liver was to the 1990s. Studies show that Vitamin D deficiency is a “silent epidemic” at record lows, and that 3 out of 4 Americans are deficient. Adults and children require Vitamin D to protect against numerous different types of cancer—lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, for example—and a multitude of other diseases. Vitamin D deficiency in infants in the first several months can put them at risk for several major diseases later in life.

Why have we become so deficient? We’ve become incredibly vigilant about reducing exposure to the sun for fear of skin cancer and sun damage to the skin. Since Vitamin D is made in the skin through exposure to the sun there does seem to be an uncanny relationship between our newfound sun consciousness and vitamin D deficiencies.

97% of cancers are linked to vitamin D deficiency. That means that only 3% of cancers are linked to overexposure from the sun. So add it all up and you’ll realize that you’re much better off being in the sunshine, as long as you don’t burn. So don’t be afraid of the sun, just be smart.

“Depending on your age, what type of skin you have, where you live and what time of the day and year it is, your need will vary. The farther you live from the equator, the more exposure to the sun you need in order to generate Vitamin D. For instance, a fair skinned person, sitting on a New York beach in June, in the middle of the day, for about 10-15 minutes (enough to cause a light pinkness 24 hours after), is producing the equivalent of 15,000-20,000 IU’s of Vitamin D. But the same person living further north in the U.K, or Canada would need 20-30 minutes to get that light pinkness, which is all one needs. Also, people with dark skin pigmentation may need 20-30 times as much exposure to sunlight as fair-skinned people, to generate the same amount of Vitamin D,” writes Dr. Frank Lipman.

For adults, the best measure is to have your vitamin D levels tested. It’s a little trickier for children as we’re not going to willingly take them for a blood test when they are young.

Here are some of Dr. Frank Lipman’s Tips on healthy sun exposure and increasing your Vitamin D levels

1. It sounds obvious, but ALWAYS avoid a sunburn.
2. Dr. Lipmann suggests getting 15 to 30 minutes of sunscreen free exposure to the sun 2 to 4 times a week (particularly, believe it or not, in the peak sunny hours of the day is when the most beneficial UVB rays are strongest). For children we suggest more caution. So less time, such as 5 to 10 minutes, spread out over the week.
3. Get frequent, short exposures to the sun. This is much safer than long and infrequent sun exposure. Note: You cannot generate Vitamin D from sun exposure behind glass.
4. After your safe sun exposure, sunscreen and hats/protective clothing is key. Consult the Environmental Working Group’s safe sunscreen list here. Remember, once you apply sunscreen your body is no longer producing Vitamin D.
5. Foods can boost your internal sunscreen are an abundance of fruits and veggies, such as greens, blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, pomegranates. Fish oils also help to generate internal sun protection.
6. Food sources of vitamin D include: Fish liver oil, fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring and sardines, free-range, grass-fed meat (including liver) butter and eggs. Food and supplements are not enough Vitamin D. So don’t rely on food alone, as your body would require large amounts of it to get its daily needs. Vitamin/mineral-fortified foods may provide enough nutrients to keep you from major deficiencies but they are of low quality and should not be relied upon to provide your daily required amount of vitamins and minerals.
7. Vitamin D supplements are only a viable option if you are Vitamin D deficient, if you don’t get healthy sun exposure.

As always, the choice is up to you! Consult your doctor if you have concerns about you or your little one’s vitamin D levels. Enjoy the sun safely.

Source: For more information on Vitamin D consult the Vitamin D Solution by Dr. Michael Holick. This piece was written using source material from goop.com.