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!

1. Choose fresh food whenever possible. Jarred and processed foods are often preserved with chemicals, and contains less vitamins, flavor and fiber than homemade food.
2. If your doctor approves, introduce your baby to fruits and veggies before bland cereals.  Babies love the bright color of produce, which has more flavor, vitamins and fiber than cereals.
3. Never rush through eating. Try to seat your baby at the table with others at least once a day to introduce him/her to the social side of mealtime. Rushed or stressed emotions during feeding times can transfer to your child.
4. Vary your child’s snacks.  Replace puffs and crackers with a daily rotation of fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole grain carbs. By the end of the week, you will have fed your child a variety of nutrients, and trained him/her to accept produce and protein as appropriate snacks.
5. Feed baby in an attractive, well-lit area. DO NOT feed your child in front of the TV.  Encourage your child to pay attention while eating by serving naturally colorful food on/in bright plates and bowls.
6. Babies are more likely to self-feed when they can handle their food. Cut food into corn kernel-sized pieces for infants as they learn to grasp with a pincer.
7. Older children appreciate creative touches. Use cookie cutters to cut food into fun shapes for tots. Check out this site for ideas.
8. If you get sun on a balcony, porch, or yard, start a small vegetable garden. Help your tot water the plants and watch his/her food grow.  Kids are more likely to try something they are invested in!
9. Engage your young children in shopping. Take them to farmers markets to sample fresh, beautiful food. Help them choose colorful produce for the week.  You may pay a little more, but you’ll waste less when your child feels involved in food choices! Localharvest.org is an excellent resource for finding your local market.
10. Outfit your tot with an apron and mixing spoon, and depending on age, let her pour, stir, season, and present your culinary creations.
11. Even though fast food restaurants cater to little ones, try to find child-friendly restaurants that serve healthier choices. Steer clear of children’s menus, which typically offer fried and carb-heavy items. Ask for an empty plate and share your  healthy order with your child.
12. Follow the food group proportions recommended by choosemyplate.gov. Fill half of your child’s plate with produce, and the remaining two quarters with a healthy whole-grain carb and a lean protein.  As your children get older, challenge them to serve themselves accordingly and praise them for making colorful plates.

And of course, an active lifestyle complements a beautiful diet.  Keep media to a minimum and encourage active play.

I hope this 12-step program helps both you and your child develop healthy habits to last a lifetime! Bon Appetit!

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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 to not giving a crap. I dreamed of indulging in hot fudge sundaes with mounds of whipped cream, and downing salty, pencil-thin French fries lathered in ranch dressing.

I was cured of these hedonistic (and incredibly naive) pregnancy fantasies at my first OBGYN appointment. My doctor enlightened me that my daily caloric intake could only increase by a few hundred calories (the exact amount differs from woman to woman). He also said in no uncertain terms that consumption of caffeine, alcohol (obviously), produce grown with pesticides, and raw fish (no sushi for 9 months?!) was forbidden. I was instructed to seriously limit my intake of sweets, trans-fatty foods, and all of those white flour comfort foods like pasta. Adding insult to injury, my husband, the person I had banked on being the Clyde to my Bonnie in a nine month culinary crime spree, did his own research and deemed that shellfish and a variety of other items be added to my ever-growing list of eating no-no’s.

After a few more days of wallowing in my selfish attitude, it finally set in that I had a totally dependent being inside me and it was my job to nurture the both of us. Instead of the 1500 calorie ice cream parfaits I couldn’t have, I focused on the extra 300-500 nutrient-packed calories I could enjoy. I’m talking 2 cups of Greek yogurt, 3 ounces of trail mix, or a small piece of wild salmon with a side salad, and doing my best to eat organic as often as possible. In addition to taking daily prenatal vitamins and supplemental Omega-3’s, I made sure I was consuming plenty of protein (which thankfully eases morning sickness) and foods rich in calcium, folic acid and iron.

Once I focused on the lasting impact of my food choices, the disappointment of not getting to eat Ben & Jerry’s for breakfast everyday was replaced with the greatest of joys: knowing that I was helping my baby boy’s brain develop, strengthening his cardiovascular and immune system, powering us both up for labor and improving my odds against having postpartum depression.

Also, I quickly found that the more nutritious the foods were that I ate, the better I actually felt. I had less constipation (oh yes, I could go on about that topic but I’ll spare you), heartburn, muscle cramps, morning sickness, and cravings for high fat/sugary foods. I made a commitment to breastfeed which, aside from it’s innumerable benefits, would allow me to shed baby weight more easily and more importantly, help keep me mentally happy. The healthier I stayed, the more optimistic I was.

Was mine the pregnancy most women dream about? It sure wasn’t the foolish vision I once had of myself lounging on the couch all day watching Oprah and shoveling Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups guilt-free into my mouth, but two kids and five years after that initial experience of being pregnant, watching the two mentally, emotionally and physically fit bodies tearing through my house, I have to say it should be.

Women making the choice to eat healthy during pregnancy is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children, and there’s no better day to start than today.

Catherine McCord is the Founder of weelicious.com and is a PAM Advisory Team member.

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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, and keep the metabolism humming.
• Eating several snacks a day helps curb cravings and prevents hunger pangs.
• Snacking adds structure to a daily eating plan, providing a boost even when schedules are erratic.

Smart snacking is about making SMART choices to get the nutrients your body needs and meet your cravings.

• Fruit and vegetables – eat as much as you want, especially the colorful ones, which are usually richer in vitamins and antioxidants
• Whole grains – oatmeal, whole wheat foods, brown rice
• Eat small and often – eating smaller more frequent meals curb the urge to binge on a big meal
• Make no food forbidden – allow yourself to indulge once in a while. (Remember, dark chocolate is chock full of antioxidants!)

Be proud of what you put into your body. Trust your gut to help you snack smart by honoring your cravings and enjoying nutritious, and sometimes indulgent, food.

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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

Developing an adventurous eater begins with the first bite.  Plum Organics’ believes every baby is a little foodie and deserves only the purest, yummiest nutrition right from the start.  All Plum products are made with best tasting organic ingredients.

·         BPA-free packaging
·         USDA certified-organic
·         Child safe cap
·         Convenient portable pouch
·         No added sugar, colors or flavors

This prize pack includes* (content may vary):

• A variety of Yum 1 Just single fruit ingredient pouches
• A variety of Yum 2 Fruit & Veggie blend pouches
• A set of Plum Dispensing Spoon by Boon for one-handed feeding.  Comes with carrying case and 2 reusable & dishwasher safe spoons.  PVC, BPA and phthalate-free materials.
• A Plumsie
• A copy of Dr. Alan Greene’s book Feeding Baby Green: The Earth Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nutrition During Pregnancy, Childhood, and Beyond

Worth over $150

WIN A BABY BULLET

Set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating and feeding – with the Baby Bullet! In just a few minutes, you can make an entire week’s worth of healthy, all-natural baby food, for less money than jarred baby food off the shelves.

The Baby Bullet Feeding System ($59.97) , Baby Bullet Turbo Steamer ($29.97), and Baby Bullet Deluxe Cookbook ($14.97), a total suggested retail value of nearly $110.

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Pregnancy Awareness Month is proud to present this weeks prize pack from our presenting sponsor, Plum Organics. This week we are giving you a chance to win a Plum Organics prize pack valued at over $100. You may enter via Facebook, Twitter and this website. Links to enter the contest and complete details are listed at the bottom of this blog post.

Baby Food Starter Kit

Developing an adventurous eater begins with the first bite. Plum Organics’ believes every baby is a little foodie and deserves only the purest, yummiest nutrition right from the start. All Plum products are made with best tasting organic ingredients. Plum Organics’ Baby Food Starter Kit has all the eating essentials you’ll need for your tiny taster!

· BPA-free packaging
· USDA certified-organic
· Child safe cap
· Convenient portable pouch
· No added sugar, colors or flavors

This first bundle includes* (content may vary):
A variety of Yum 1 Just single fruit ingredient pouches
A variety of Yum 2 Fruit & Veggie blend pouches
A variety of whole gain Infant Cereal
A variety of fruit & grain Super Puffs
A variety of Training Meals
A variety of Little Cremes organic rice milk snacks
A set of Plum Dispensing Spoon by Boon for one-handed feeding. Comes with carrying case and 2 reusable & dishwasher safe spoons. PVC, BPA and phthalate-free materials.
A Plumsie

A copy of Dr. Alan Greene’s book Feeding Baby Green: The Earth Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nutrition During Pregnancy, Childhood, and Beyond

Worth over $100
* flavors may vary and might be different as seen in this picture.

******************************************************

FOLLOW PLUM

www.PlumOrganics.com

www.Twitter.com/plumorganics

https://www.facebook.com/PlumOrganics

With Pregnancy Awareness Month contests you can enter on Facebook, Twitter AND our website. You also get bonus entries for every person who enters via your retweeted entry link!

ENTER ON FACEBOOK

http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/226431

ENTER ON TWITTER

http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/twitter/233/contests/226431

ENTER ON OUR WEBSITE

Click on the orange bar below to enter via our website.

TERMS

We will only use your contact information to contact you should you win. The winner will have 7 business days to respond to our email with their shipping details before we go to the alternative winner.

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Yoga Tree San Francisco has dedicated the entire month of May to celebrating Pregnancy Awareness Month.

Jane Austin, the Director of Women’s Yoga, talks about Yoga Tree’s inspiration to create a program, including 8 workshops, around Pregnancy Awareness Month focusing on women’s integrative health.

Watch this great video about Yoga Tree and learn a little about the workshops coming up this month.

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Thanks for checking back in for part two of my mommy-to-be fitness moves! These are designed to help keep you sexy and strong throughout your pregnancy. You’ll find the first two here and below are the other three.

Throughout the routine, I hope you’ll have fun, but moreover, you’ll get a total body workout that gets your energy up and your muscles toned.

You’ll need a chair and set of free weights, at least 5 lbs. I’d suggest performing all five moves in a circuit. Repeat two to three times through, depending on time and your energy level.

3. So Big! (sculpts & strengthens the legs, glutes, & shoulders):

Prepare your body for playing “So Big!” with Baby. I remind mommies-to-be that if you don’t learn how to do it properly, lifting your baby up over and over again can lead to back pain, so let’s practice correctly before Baby arrives! Begin seated in your chair with your legs at least shoulder width apart. Hold one weight in each hand at shoulder level. As you stand up, push your heels into the floor and press your weights up and together above your head, just as if you were raising baby up. Finish by sitting back onto the chair.

Repeat the entire sequence for 30 seconds. Remember, you are trying to initiate this movement from your legs, not your back, so try to stand up as straight as possible as you do this.

4. Bye-Bye-Baby (cardiovascular training &
sculpts the glutes/legs): Separation anxiety will be just one of the many hurdles of motherhood, so as a new Mama, I suggest teaching Baby that “Mama always comes back.” Besides, learning to wave and say “Bye, Bye” is one of the cutest things ever!

Part 1: Start standing next to your chair. Side step or shuffle your feet away from your chair for a count of four (Feel free to practice some coordination and wave “Bye, Bye.”).

Part 2: Then, walk back towards the chair and using the chair to help you balance, hinge forward at the hips and lift the outside leg. Engage your core (hug your baby closer to your spine) to maintain a nice flat back in the hinge. Stand up and get ready to repeat your side step or shuffle again.

Repeat the entire sequence (shuffle to the hinge) for 45 seconds. On your last rep, hold the one-legged hinge. and Squeeze your glutes and pulse your working leg to the ceiling for a count of sixteen.

Rest for 15 seconds, and execute on the other side of the chair to work the opposite leg.

5. Get Up (sculpts & strengthens the triceps): Afraid of becoming the pregnant woman who struggles to Get Up out of her chair? Start practicing early by
strengthening your triceps! Take a seat in your chair. Place your hands behind your glutes (fingertips face towards you) and slowly walk forward until you are no longer sitting on the chair. Press your shoulders away from your ears and lower yourself down in an attempt to form a ninety degree angle from your shoulders to your elbows. Then slowly push yourself back up. The farther you walk your feet away (NOT your glutes) the harder the exercise will become.
Repeat for 30 seconds. As your baby grows, your number of reps may decrease or you may need to take a seat on the chair in between reps.  That’s okay – just take a deep breath and begin again when you are ready.

Visit www.sarahaley.com to read more and purchase Expecting More, the entire 2 disc 6-workout program with a calendar to guide you through all three trimesters.

Sara Haley is a certified trainer and instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), as well as a member of the American Pregnancy Association (APA). Specializing in prenatal fitness, functional training and dance methodology, Sara has over twenty years of dance and fitness training, and has been a Reebok Global Master Trainer since 2008.

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Pregnancy is such an exciting time, but every day is different, and it can be challenging to feel your best when your body is going through so many changes.  Fitness has always been a great way to keep energy levels up and confidence at its highest, so I designed five unique prenatal exercises to interval train at a level appropriate for mommies-to-be.  You’ll find the first two here.  Check in soon for the other three.

In this fun and effective workout, you’ll alternate between cardio and sculpting moves to provide a complete body toning.  It’s designed to  keep you strong and fit during your pregnancy as well as to prepare your body for motherhood.

You’ll need a chair and a set of free weights, at least 5 lbs. Repeat these moves two to three times through, depending on your time and energy level.

1. Car Seat Pulls (sculpts & strengthens the back & core): Keep your back strong as you prepare to repeatedly move your baby’s car seat from the stroller to the back seat. Face your chair with your feet at least shoulder width apart (your stance will become wider as your baby grows), and hinge forward at the hips with a flat back. Place one hand on the seat of the chair. (If you have wrist pain or the surface of your chair does not feel supportive enough, feel free to hold a free weight in the supporting hand as well.) Use the other arm, to row back, as if you are pulling the car seat out from its holder. Lengthen the arm back down and repeat for 30 seconds. I encourage keeping the core activated by thinking of hugging your baby close to your spine. If you are comfortable, feel free to walk your feet out into a plank and perform the exercise here as well. Take a 15 second break before repeating for 30 seconds on the other side.

2. Peek-a-Boo: (cardiovascular training & sculpts inner thighs): Who’s baby doesn’t enjoy a good round of Peek-a-Boo? Before you know it, you’ll be hiding behind cribs and rocking chairs to engage your little one. No need to be huffing and puffing over a silly game, right? Practice with my choreographed game of Peek-a-Boo!

Part 1: Stand behind your chair and with your hands on your belly (your baby), march or jog in place for a count of eight.

Part 2: Place your hands on the chair and with your hips rotated out, step out to the right and sit into a plie squat. Then step back together and repeat by stepping out to the left. If you are comfortable, feel free to slide both feet apart into your squat and then back together. Use the chair to help support you.

Remember to always listen to your body. Remember to use the chair as your hiding place, and get low before you come back to your march or jog with a big, “Peek-a-BOO!”

More to come…

Visit http://www.sarahaley.com/ to read more and purchase Expecting More, the entire 2 disc, 6 workout program with a calendar to guide you through all three trimesters.

Sara Haley is a certified trainer and instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), as well as a member of the American Pregnancy Association (APA). Specializing in prenatal fitness, functional training and dance methodology, Sara has over twenty years of dance and fitness training, and has been a Reebok Global Master Trainer since 2008.

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It’s PAM’s Exercise Week

Join Us for Our Exercise Week Twitter Party

MAY 8th

10pm EST / 7pm PST

Our expert guests are:

@Strollerstrides @LisaDruxman and Tara Dellolacono

Our sponsors are:

NO RSVP Required.

CHECK OUT THIS PRIZE LINE-UP!

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Pregnancy Awareness has partnered with LUNA to bring you this weeks giveaway.

Snack in style with these eco-friendly goodies from LUNA:

A beautiful tote bag made of recycled plastic, a stainless steel lunch container, and three boxes of your favorite LUNA bar flavors.

Estimated retail value: $75.

FOLLOW LUNA

www.twitter.com/LUNAbar

https://www.facebook.com/luna

With Pregnancy Awareness Month contests you can enter on Facebook, Twitter AND our website. You also get bonus entries for every person who enters via your retweeted entry link!

ENTER ON FACEBOOK

http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/224197

ENTER ON TWITTER

http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/twitter/233/contests/224197

ENTER ON OUR WEBSITE

Click on the orange bar below to enter via our website.

TERMS

We will only use your contact information to contact you should you win. The winner will have 7 business days to respond to our email with their shipping details before we go to the alternative winner.

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