TIME OUT

This Tip of the Week is a mental, spiritual tip. A request that we take time out for our loved ones and for our own spiritual health, to not not be so tied to the busyness of our lives and careers. To realize at the end of our life, having a healthy spirit will be so much more important then a healthy bank account.

LOOKING AGAIN AT INFANT FEEDING

Since this topic is such an important one... and we first brought you this chart when we launched, we have decided to post it again! This food chart has very important, useful information.

Prevention of Food Allergies
1) Exclusively breast feed for the first six months.

2) Maternal avoidance of highly allergenic foods during lactation such as egg, cow milk, peanuts.

3) Colostrum ASAP after birth provides protection to the digestive lining.
No exposure to formula in the hospital because:

• IGE (an immune cell) is the highest at birth to protect baby from parasites. This also puts the baby at a high potential for allergic response. Even one exposure to formula in the first few days of life can trigger a sensitization to cow milk and cause reactions to dairy proteins in the breast milk.
• An infant’s digestive mucosa is highly permeable to large molecules in cow milk.

4) Foods must not be introduced too early because:

• Digestive enzymes for protein are only 20% of that of an adult at 6 weeks
• Pancreatic amylase needed for starch digestion doesn’t appear until 9 months.
• Follow the below food guide for the age of your child.
  

Food Introduction
1) Apply new food to cheek and wait 20 min. If no reaction, apply to infant’s lips. If no reaction, give 1tsp and observe for 4 hours. You are looking for red cheeks, irritability, runny nose, colic, constipation or diarrhea, gas, insomnia or other skin reactions.

2) If no reaction, give 2 tsp, 4 hours later. Watch again for 24 hours and if no reaction, give more of the same food on the 3rd day. Watch again for 24 hours. If still no reaction, the food is considered “safe.”

General Guidelines
1) Delay grains, cereals and legumes until 9 months

2) Delay the following until 12 months
Yogurt, cheese, eggs
Fish, chicken, soy
Wheat, citrus, tomato

3) Delay highly allergenic foods until 2 years
Shell fish, cow mils,
peanuts, chocolate

4) Ensure fruits are cooked between 6 to 12 months; have them raw after 12 months.

Formulas
Less Allergenic – Nutramigen, Alimentium
More Allergenic – Carnation Good Start

AGE	VEGGIES	FRUIT	GRAIN	PROTEIN
6 to 9 months	carrot , broccoli , asparagus, squash ,zucchini, sweet potato, turnip, beet, dark leafy greens	pear, peaches, blue/blackberry, currents		breastmilk
9 to 12 months	potato, cucumber, celery , peppers onion , cauliflower, brussel sprouts , green bean, peas	banana , avocado, kiwi, cherry , plum, prune, apricot, raisin, apple, pineapple	millet, amaranth, quinoa , rice, buckwheat, flax	breastmilk
12 to 18 months	cabbage, corn , tomato	citrus , strawberry, mango , raspberry, figs	oats, rye, barley	breastmilk lentils, beans, seeds , goat milk, yogurt
18 to 24 months		orange, wheat		chicken, beef, lamb, fish, pork
2 years and up				cow milk, shellfish, egg, peanut, soy

SOME TID BITS ON SUGAR

According to a 1997 study as little as six teaspoons a day can reduce the immune response by 25%. Rather frightening when you consider that most foods particularly those geared towards children contains a substantial amount of sugar. This can have a dramatic effect on your children and babies health.

A study conducted in a California School District stopped offering foods with high sugar content. In one year scores on a standardized achievement test went up by 8 percent in one year.

In early 1991 a study revealed that children were bombarded with a total of 222 junk food commercials when watching cartoons for a four-hour period on a Saturday morning. The products advertised were candy, chips, cookies, sugar-coated cereals, fruit flavoured drinks, chocolate syrup, fast food meals and pizza.