By :  JJ Levenstein, MD, FAAP
Your baby’s brain grows 180% by weight the first year of life.  This explosive development relies on a rich source of nutrients and drives your baby’s appetite. This growth naturally slows down to 20% by year two, so appetites fall naturally.  If baby has started his/her years eating bland, processed food, it almost guarantees frustrating limitations in your child’s future dietary preferences!
Picky eating can, however, be avoided. Here are 12 concepts you can use to set your child up for a lifetime of healthy eating!

Choose …

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My husband and I had been trying to conceive for a year and from the moment I saw that blue stripe on the EPT stick, I was euphoric knowing I was finally going to be a mother. I’d be lying however, if I didn’t admit to being almost equally ecstatic about the plethora of foods I was free to eat with reckless abandon now that I had the dietary equivalent of a license to speed. After years of having to be conscious of my aistline, I was seriously looking forward …

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by Tara DelloIacono Thies RD
Chief Nutrition Strategist at Clif Bar & Company, makers of LUNA Bar
Feeling a bit moody and tired throughout your days? Pregnancy will do that to even the most active and healthy women. The good news is that by snacking smart, you can help alleviate these low points and boost your energy.
Snacking is an important opportunity for nourishment and will help you feel better, especially during pregnancy:

Blood sugar typically dips several hours after eating, and small, frequent snacks smooth out those energy peaks and valleys, fight fatigue, …

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NUTRITION & WELLNESS WEEK
TWITTER PARTY
MAY 15th
7pm PST / 10pm EST
Follow us @PregAwareness & Join the party #MayPAM
Special Guests:
Dr Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, PAM Advisor, Plum Organics Expert/Pediatric Advisor
www.DrGreene.com
On Twitter: @DrGreene
Catherine McCord – PAM Advisor and Founder of www.Weelicious.com
On Twitter: @Weelicious
Tara Dellolacono Thies, RD – PAM Advisor and Chief Nutrition Stategist at www.lunabar.com
On Twitter:  @LUNAbar

 
WIN ONE OF FOUR
Over $100 value of Plum Organics Baby Food pouches plus Plum Baby Gear and a copy of Dr. Greene’s book Feeding Baby Green
Developing an adventurous eater begins with the first bite.  Plum Organics’ believes …

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by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff- Executive Director/CEO Healthy Child Healthy World www.healthychild.org
The irony of pregnancy is that the actual 40 weeks is referred to as nine months. This is an especially bitter pill to swallow in the last few weeks, when you may be inclined to remind friends, family and even strangers that, technically, you have been pregnant for 10 months.
But the reality is that the first few weeks, which doctors count as part of the 40, actually take place before you’re even pregnant. This is the time between the first …

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Eating a varied, well-balanced diet is important for us all, but even more so for babies who are rapidly growing and developing every day. Feeding your little one a diverse range of foods is also an eye-pleasing way to help cultivate their adventurous spirit. Fruits and vegetables come in a variety of stunning colors and flavors, but their real beauty lies on the inside. Colorful foods are nature’s way of signaling the beneficial nutrients within. They are not only full of antioxidants, nutrients, vitamins and minerals, but are also fun …

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By Tara DelloIacono-Thies RD
Pregnant women seem overwhelmed by the idea of putting on weight. As a dietitian and mother of two young boys, I recommend that you “let go of the numbers”.  Put your scale away and let your doctor, midwife, and appetite be your guide.
Of course it’s important that you eat nourishing foods during pregnancy; but, how much weight you gain or don’t gain should take much less of your attention. You need to trust your ability to apply common sense without checking in on the scale and know …

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Pregnant women often feel inspired to learn how to better nourish their bodies and their babies during pregnancy and what a great time to educate yourself!  Nutrition plays an enormous role in the health and strength of the baby, and in the development of organs. Nutrition also plays a very important role for the mother as it can improve and prevent pregnancy discomforts, and give her energy for the birth.
Most people do not realize that nutrition also plays a huge role in perineum integrity. A skin fed with white flour …

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Traditions.
Ahhhh, it’s that time of year again. The holidays. A time when in theory, we are meant to gather and be thankful, celebrate one another and reflect on the past year. And in theory a time when we come together and create ritual in the name of hope, love, joy and peace. Well, it seems to me we have forgotten all that and in the last, say, 25 years or so in the age of mass consumerism and technological advancement Christmas or the holiday season has morphed into stressful, endless …

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Anna and I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Greene for the past 5 years in a variety of endeavors and projects, he was interviewed for the Pre & Post Natal Yoga Work-out DVD, and has been an Advisor for P.A.M., sitting on expert panel at all of the last 4 Launch Events!  We fully support his WhiteOut Now Campaign, and never-ending efforts to educate and lobby for healthier food options for infants, toddlers and children.  It is with his permission that we re-post this blog that he …

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