LittleStomaks

Ask the Expert – Snacks at Mealtime

by TwinToddlersDad on February 9, 2010

Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

This week, Dr. Dina Rose offers a few handy tips on what to do if your child has a snacking habit and if he wants to eat snacks even at regular mealtimes.

Dina R. Rose, PhD

PhD Sociology from Duke University
15 years of experience in teaching and research
Expert in feeding habits of kids
Writing a book “It is NOT about nutrition: The Art and Science of Teaching Kids to Eat Right”
Website: It’s Not About Nutrition
Twitter: @DrDrRose
LinkedIn Profile
Contact: via email Dina@DinaRose.net

Question: My child wants to munch on snacks all the time. How can I manage it so he can still sit with us for dinner and eat a regular meal?

Answer:

Lots of kids want to snack all day long and with all the tempting stuff out there, can you really blame them? But snacking, as I’m sure you know, is a problem on many fronts. For starters, most snack foods are nutritiously inferior, so when snacking replaces regular meals, kids end up missing out on a lot of important nutrients. More importantly, though, kids who constantly snack develop a snacking habit and snacking, experts agree, is one of the main causes of obesity in America.

If you want to cut back on your child’s snacking you have to figure out why he prefers to eat in-between, rather than at, meals. Is he stuck in a cycle where he doesn’t eat enough at breakfast so he over-snacks before lunch, so he isn’t hungry for lunch and then over-snacks …? In this case, simply cut out (or cut back) the mid-morning snack. Lunch should improve, which will reduce your child’s need for an afternoon snack so dinner…

Alternatively, is your child reluctant to eat at mealtime because snacktime is on-the-go? Lots of kids go through a stage where they’d rather play than eat, particularly if they’re not that interested in food to begin with. If this is the root of your problem, try letting your child eat (at least some of) his meals while he’s playing. After all, it’s not a hard and fast rule that all meals must be eaten at the table. You also could start serving snacks at the table. That would reduce the time your on-the-go-eater spends eating them.

Finally, if your child prefers to hold out for snack time because that’s when the fun items are served — crackers, sweetened yogurt, cookies — change the kinds of foods available for snacking. After all, if your child was eating his daily allotment of fruits and veggies for snacktime, you would probably be less worried about mealtime.

Of course, no matter which path you pick, be prepared for a meltdown. Changing the game might be necessary but don’t expect your child to see it that way.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

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5 Things to Know About Thiamin aka Vitamin B1

by TwinToddlersDad on February 8, 2010

in Food Facts, Science of Food, Vitamins

If you read nutrition facts labels, especially on breakfast cereals, you may have noticed thiamin in the long list of vitamins and minerals. In case you have wondered what it is and why it is needed, here is some research for you in a simple Q&A format. I am following up on my article on vitamin A from a couple of weeks ago. Let me know what you think of this format and if you have any other questions that I did not cover here. I will get them answered by one of our experts and post them under Ask the Expert column.

What is Thiamin?

Thiamin is also known as vitamin B1, one of the 8 B vitamins needed for many important cell functions inside our body. In short, they are needed for healthy functioning and growth of child’s body. Together they are also known as vitamin B complex especially in nutritional supplements.

Thiamin, like the other B vitamins, is soluble in water. It was one of the first chemicals to be considered a vitamin early in the 1930’s when researchers discovered that thiamin deficiency caused beriberi (also known as extreme weakness). People with beriberi have difficulty standing, walking and controlling their muscles.

Why does my child need it?

According to the 2nd edition of the PDR for Nutritional Supplements, Thiamin is involved in the conversion of carbohydrates into energy required for cell functions. It also helps convert some of the amino acids into proteins.

How much Thiamin should my child be getting?
What are good sources of Thiamin?

For infants, the FDA has recommended a daily amount of 0.3 – 0.5 mg. And for toddlers less than 4 years old, the recommendation is 0.7 mg. Pregnant and nursing women are recommended to take about 1.7 mg per day. Healthy adults are advised to take about 1.5 mg per day.

The best sources of Thiamin are whole grain foods and fortified cereals. Most cereals are fortified thiamin hydrochloride and thiamin mononitrate (check the label). Here are a few examples of different food sources and amount of thiamin per serving:

Whole wheat bread, one slice = 0.1 mg
Brown rice, cooked, 1 cup = 0.19 mg
Enriched white rice, cooked, 1 cup = 0.26 mg
Fortified breakfast cereals, 1 cup = 0.5 – 2.0 mg
Lentils, cooked, 1 cup = 0.17 mg
Pork chopped, cooked, 3 oz = 0.8 mg
Orange juice, 1 cup = 0.1 mg
Sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup = 0.8 mg
Spinach, cooked, 1/2 cup = 0.09 mg
Wheat germ cereal, 1 cup = 4.47 mg

As you can see, thiamin is naturally available in many common food sources. There is really no need to look for a nutritional supplement for thiamin although you will find many multivitamin products on the market. Check out my review of some of the popular kids brands of multivitamins.

Research has not shown any harmful effects of overdose of thiamin from foods or supplements. Oral thiamin is well tolerated upto 200 mg daily or higher (it is over a 100 times more than the recommended value). There is no reason, however, to take a high dose of thiamin supplement.

What happens if my child does not get enough thiamin?

According to the PDR for Nutritional Supplements, thiamin deficiency can cause any of the following conditions:

Cognitive and emotional changes – in short, it may affect memory and mood.
Although anemia (decrease in number of red cells) is not a direct result of thiamin deficiency, certain kinds of anemia respond well to thiamin treatment. It is understood this could be due to reduced absorption of thiamin or problems in conversion of thiamin inside cells.
Extreme deficiency of thiamin causes beriberi. Dry beriberi affects the muscles in the lower legs and feet. Wet beriberi involves the heart and blood circulation. The most extreme form of wet beriberi is called Shoshin beriberi, which can result in death if not promptly treated. Another form of beriberi is cerberal beriberi (Wernicke-Korsakoff) which affects the nervous system and causes problems with eye movement and even mental health.
Although not well-researched, some people think that thiamin deficiency may be involved in ADHD.

Thiamin deficiency is generally a problem with severe sustained malnutrition and alcohol abuse. Most healthy kids and adults with normal eating habits and lifestyle should not have to worry about it.

Should I be concerned about thiamin deficiency?

Since thiamin is so commonly available in many foods and cereals, it should not be a big concern. However, we live in the world of fast food which is usually made from refined carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates, unless enriched, do not contain enough thiamin. In fact, the reason why they found out about beriberi was because it was first seen in people of Asia who mainly ate polished rice. If your child’s diet is mainly junk food and not enough whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables, you may want to pay attention to his vitamin B needs.

What do you think? What changes, if any, would you consider making to your child’s diet so she gets enough thiamin? Do you have recipes that use food sources rich in thiamin? I would love to hear from you!

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Five for Fridays – Feb 5, 2010

by TwinToddlersDad on February 5, 2010

in Five For Fridays

Greetings! Here are 5 nutrition related articles that caught my eye this week. Enjoy and drop me a comment to share your thoughts.

Vitamin D is big business these days

According to the Nutrition Business Journal quoted in a recent New York Times article, consumers gobbled up $235 million worth of vitamin D supplements in 2008 compared to a mere $41 million in 2001! Also, more physicians are ordering vitamin D tests for their patients and prescribing supplements to correct for low vitamin D levels.

This is incredible! Clearly, there is a buzz about vitamin D these days. Screaming headlines about low levels in children and adults followed by all kinds of studies claiming a “role” of vitamin D in diabetes, heart disease and cancer are creating a mass hysteria. The message is – pay attention to your vitamin D level and start loading up on it just in case because otherwise you will have a high risk of getting these terrible diseases. This is quite misleading in my opinion.

I am not against taking a vitamin D supplement. But there are few things you should consider before you take that step.

There is a reason why the current recommendation of 400 IU per day of vitamin D has not been revised. A lot of people believe that this amount is too low. Still, there are no clinical studies which show a prevention or treatment effect of vitamin D for these diseases. Taking high doses of vitamin D (like 1000 or 2000 IU per day) is no guarantee of good health and prevention of diseases if the overall nutrition and lifestyle is poor. Supplements are not a drug folks, even though some people may try to sell them to you like that.

Bottom line – rely on food sources for your vitamin needs first, not on supplements. And if you do have a medical condition, talk to your doctor and ask for a pharmaceutical grade vitamin supplement. Here are 5 ways to tell if our child may have a vitamin D problem.

Tax soda like cigarettes – here we go again

The state of New York is on a mission to tackle the problem of obesity. While it is a worthwhile goal, which will surely have a positive impact on long term public health and healthcare costs, their approach to solving this problem is not smart at all. In fact, I think it is driven purely by politics and motivated by their deficit problem.

Tax sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) including soda they say, because that will cause people to drink less of it, which means they will not become overweight or obese since SSB’s are known to cause obesity. They have released a sugar sweetened beverage tax toolkit to provide a rationale for this tax, which in my opinion is a lot of mumbo-jumbo and twisted logic. Still, it makes an interesting read and gives you an insight into the limited range of creativity among public health officials and regulators.

I no fan of soda. But I am totally against another tax in the name of trying to improve public health when the real motivation is to fix the deficit problem. I continue to believe that soda tax will do nothing to reduce its consumption, at least not in any significant way. There are many other ways to discourage soda makers to produce healthier products or encourage the public to limit their soda consumption. But then they are not as easy as slapping another tax!

Manage salt for better health

Salt is something we can’t live without. It is also something we consume too much of and – if we continue this way – there is little doubt that most of us will not live long enough to enjoy it for long. Dr Ayala has a nice article this week on her blog about how too much of (cheap) processed food in our diets is causing us to consume way too much than just a pinch of salt we need for good health. It is a great reminder because this week is world salt awareness week.

The food industry is taking notice. Many companies are quietly working on reducing the sodium content of their products while preserving taste and texture. New salt reduction technologies are being developed and deployed in these products. Some may still have an issue with it; but I have a more pragmatic approach. There is a reason why processed food sells – it offers convenience at a reasonable price. There is no reason to completely eliminate it, just balance it with more cooking at home, read the nutrition facts labels and select the right products. Try to limit daily sodium to less than 2300 mg (1 tsp of salt) and avoid products where a single serving has any more than 15 – 20% of this daily value. Another thing you can do is to reduce the portion size of these foods both at home and in restaurants.

5 out-of-the box ideas for helping your kids eat well

Jenna of KidAppeal has a great blog post this week with a few out-of-the box ideas for you if you need help getting your kids to eat well (who doesn’t!). I really liked her idea of “making food relevant” and “having fun”, because you do need to be able to engage them at the table. We have recently discovered that story telling works with our twins in capturing their attention long enough for them to try the food at the table. Talking about diesel food for a diesel engine does not make sense to an adult, but it captures my son’s attention! You can also play a game, read from their favorite book, solve a puzzle or simply have a conversation about what they did at school or daycare. It will help if the TV is off so they can focus on you and the food.

By the way, Jenna has a weekly feature Big Words Little Foodies every Tuesday where she invites parents to share funny things their kids say about food. Check it out and share your funny stories!

Food rules from Michael Pollan

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants”. This is the essence of Mr. Pollan’s message in his new book Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual which gets a nice review in this week’s New York Times. I think this is sound advice, one that was commonly practiced as late as just a few generations ago prior to the modern day (processed) food revolution. But it also requires not only a change in your mindset about food but also a change in lifestyle. Giving up the western diet (meat, refined sugars, fat and salt via processed food) may sound simple in a book, but difficult to accomplish and sustain unless you make significant changes in your lifestyle.

What food rules do you live by these days? What changes, if any, do you plan on making in the near future?

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: adactio on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2010 Littlestomaks.com

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Product Review – Dried Apricots

by TwinToddlersDad on February 4, 2010

in Product Reviews

Dried apricots are very common in almost all supermarkets. We like to grab a box once in a while from our local Publix supermarket. Recently, we found that our twins liked to munch on them as a snack, so I decided to write a short review here.

Here is what we like about this product -

Great, convenient energy-packed snack – one serving of about 1/4 cup (4-5 dried apricots) packs 120 calories
11 g sugar but it also has 2 g fiber per serving
No fats
Rich in beta-carotenes – 1 serving has 10% daily value of vitamin A
Great source of vitamin C (35%), iron (10%) and calcium (2%)
Unlike fresh fruit which has a limited shelf life and not always convenient to carry, dried apricots can last for weeks.

Here is what we don’t like about this product -

Dried apricots are treated with sulfur dioxide during processing. This is done to preserve their orange color and enhance the shelf life. People with asthma can be particularly sensitive to sulfur residues. You need to wash them before eating.

A quick tip – if your child is suffering from constipation, dried apricots with yogurt can be a good way to relieve him!

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Simple Recipes – Chicken Quesadillas

by TwinToddlersDad on February 3, 2010

in Having Fun, Simple Recipes

Quesadillas are so easy to make and, lucky for us, our twins like them a lot! Not only that, recently we realized that this way we could also involve them in a cooking project for some fun in the kitchen. They took turns spreading the chicken, shredded cheese and cilantro over a tortilla.Then came the second tortilla on top, next a little olive oil with a brush and then it was ready to go on a hot grille.

Ingredients

Flour tortilla, about 12
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, fully cooked
Shredded cheese
Chopped cilantro
Olive oil
Salsa and yogurt

Method

Cook chicken and shred it into bite size pieces. We cook chicken pieces slowly inside a covered saucepan on oven top. You could also bake or grille. Place one flour tortilla on a flat surface like a cutting board and spread a few pieces of chicken, cheese and chopped cilantro. Cover with a second tortilla and brush lightly with olive oil. Place inside a hot grille at 400 ºF and cook until a crispy finish. Serve with salsa and yogurt.

It is easy to get creative with quesadillas. Instead of chicken, you can also use grilled vegetables, rice and beans or even ground beef. The possibilities are limitless!

What is your favorite quesadilla recipe?

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Give Me Some Vitamin W Soup

by TwinToddlersDad on February 2, 2010

in Having Fun, Simple Recipes

I don’t quite know why, but my son’s favorite number is the letter “W”! Comments like “I am W years old”, or “This diesel has W freight cars” make perfect sense to him, while everybody else has to scratch their head to crack his code! Sometimes he also simply replaces a letter with “W” mid sentence to create his own emphasis. Quite silly of course, but the way he says it comes out very funny!

In the spirit of sharing funny mealtime stories and funny comments as part of Big Words Little Foodies from Jenna of KidAppeal, I thought of writing about how he responded to TwinToddlerMom’s simple, yet nutritious orzo soup with carrots:

Me: Hey guys! Look what we have for dinner today! This is a yummy soup! And look at those carrots – they have so much vitamin A which is good for your eyes.

Daughter: They have vitamin A? That is so silly….I want to try, I want to try….

Son: No. They have vitamin W. Mom – can you give me some vitamin W soup?

I waited patiently to see if they would actually try the soup and nibble on a few carrots from the soup. While my daughter enjoyed it, No such luck with my son - he took a few spoons of the soup, but the carrots were untouched.

Me: How many carrots did you eat today?

Son: (Pause) Hmmm…W Carrots!

This was not going the way I had anticipated!

Then we tried to offer him a raw, uncut baby carrot out of our salad to see if he would go for that. Sure enough, he took it and started nibbling on it. Guess, he just likes them crunchy!

Here is the recipe for the orzo-carrot soup if you want to give it a try -

Ingredients:

2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1-2 medium tomatoes, diced or crushed in a food processor
1/2 cup orzo
1/2 cup uncut baby carrots, washed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Method:

Add olive oil to a 1 quart saucepan and mix in tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Add water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add orzo and carrots and simmer until orzo is cooked and carrots are soft. Add in cilantro or parsley. Serve with lemon.

Enjoy!

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Ask the Expert – Multivitamin and Kids

by TwinToddlersDad on February 2, 2010

in Ask The Expert, Vitamins

This week, Registered Dietitian Liz Marr explains why you need to exercise caution when considering a multivitamin for your child.

Liz Marr

Education: Master of Science, Food Science & Human Nutrition, Colorado State University
Experience: over 20 years as a food & nutrition educator
Expertise: food, nutrition, family nutrition, food safety
Website: http://www.lizonfood.com
Twitter: @lizmarrmsrd
LinkedIn Profile
Contact: via via Web form on www.lizmarr.com (but I don’t address consumer questions directly)

Question: How important is taking daily multivitamins and when should kids start?

Answer:

While parents may worry that their toddlers are not taking in adequate nutrients, normal, healthy children, even picky eaters, typically don’t need multivitamin supplements. According to the American Dietetic Association, the best strategy for meeting nutritional needs, for children and adults alike, is eating a wide selection of nutritious foods. Studies suggest that positive health outcomes are related more to overall dietary patterns rather than intakes of individual nutrients. Foods contain an array of health-promoting substances beyond vitamins and minerals, for example flavonoids.

Parents believe supplements provide children nutrients that may be lacking in their diets, according to research. However, by introducing supplements at an early age, parents may be unwittingly sending the message to children that supplements are a substitute for healthful eating patterns.

No solid evidence exists that children’s health is improved by multivitamin supplements. Nonetheless, about one third of children in the United States take multivitamin supplements. However, that figure is down from the 1970s. Compared to infants and adolescents, children ages 4-6 are most likely to take supplements. Interestingly, national surveys suggest that supplements may be taken by those who have healthful diets and lifestyles more often than those at a greater risk for vitamin and mineral inadequacies.

Because many foods that are consumed by children are already fortified with various vitamins and minerals, children are probably consuming more nutrients than parents might think. For example, many foods common in children’s diets are typically fortified, including breakfast cereals, breads, dairy products and juices.

One nutrient for which some infants and children may require supplementation is vitamin D. Because of the role of vitamin D in healthy bone formation, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 IU of supplemental vitamin D for the following:

Breastfed infants
Non-breastfed infants consuming less than one quart of vitamin D-fortified formula
Children consuming less than one quart of vitamin D-fortified milk
Adolescents with intakes less than 400 IU per day.

So, if parents choose to give children multivitamins, they should make sure the supplement contains vitamin D.

A particular caution with keeping multivitamins (children’s or adult’s) in the house with young kids, is risk of overdoses. Of particular concern with multivitamins is iron, an overdose of which can be fatal. Many children’s vitamins are designed for kid appeal, available in a variety of colors, flavors and branded characters. And children may view them as candy. If parents choose to keep multivitamins in the house, the supplements should well out of reach of young children.

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Why You Should Care About Vitamin A Overdose

by TwinToddlersDad on February 1, 2010

in Vitamins

Getting enough vitamin A through diet (preferably) or supplements (carefully) is very important for growing children. In response to a reader comment to last week’s post 5 Things to Know About Vitamin A, I decided to write a follow up post on risks of vitamin A overdose and what you can do to protect yourself or your child.

Risks of vitamin A overdose

According to the 2nd edition of the PDR for Nutritional Supplements, overdose of vitamin A can be very serious in infants or children, and even adults:

A single dose of 25000 IU per kilogram of body weight causes acute toxicity – vomiting, high pressure in the brain and death may occur (recommended daily dose for children less than 4 years old is 2500 IU)
High amounts of vitamin A causes chronic toxicity – early signs are dry rough skin, cracked lips, sparse coarse hair and hair loss of the eyebrows. Late signs are irritability, headache, high level of liver enzyme in blood and liver disease.
Supplemental daily doses of 10,000 IU or more taken by pregnant women have been reported to increase the risk of birth defects.
Too much vitamin A can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Clearly, you have to be careful not to exceed the recommended dosage and frequency if you are using a vitamin A supplement.

This is another reason why you should mainly rely on getting this nutrient from dietary sources such as carrots, sweet potato, cantaloupe, dairy products, eggs, green vegetables (spinach, collard greens), cod liver oil etc. Except cod liver oil, where it may be possible to get a lot of vitamin A at one time, all of these sources contain moderate amounts of provitamin A. There is no way you can get an overdose by consuming these sources.

Factors affecting vitamin A levels in the body

The amount of vitamin A finally delivered into your body from provitamin A depends on the type of provitamin A (beta carotene, alpha carotene or beta-cryptoxanthin). Carrots, sweet potato, spinach and collard greens are good sources of beta-carotene, which is the more effective form of provitamin A. For example, 1 IU is equal to 0.6 micrograms of beta-carotene and 1.2 micrograms of other mixed provitamin A. Here is a nice table showing amount per serving of vitamin A from different foods. 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables will provide about 3 – 6 mg of beta-carotene a day, enough for maintaining healthy levels of vitamin A in the long run.

Another factor affecting the vitamin A level is the amount absorbed in the small intestine after eating these foods. Efficiency of absorption can range from 9 – 22%. That is, out of the 3-6 mg daily beta-carotene, only about a tenth or a fifth will be absorbed. You can improve it by cooking the food and adding a little fat to the recipe. Absorption can be severely affected by certain medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis (pancreas), Whipple’s disease (small intestine), Crohn’s disease (intestines), ulcerative colitis (large intestine) and chronic liver disease.

Many processed foods are fortified with vitamin A, that is they contain added vitamin A mostly in the form of retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate. The efficiency of their absorption is much higher, typically around 60-90%.

A third factor that affects the amount of vitamin A levels is the amount stored in the body in the first place. Vitamin A is fat soluble and your body typically stores excess vitamin A in the liver. The half life of vitamin A is about six months, which means that it takes about 6 months for its level to fall down to half of the original levels. That is why it takes a long time of poor nutrition for vitamin A deficiency to show up.

5 actions you can take to be safe

Bottom line: vitamin A is vital for your child’s growth, but there are serious risks of accidental overdose or sustained high levels of vitamin A supplementation. Here are a few things you can do to be safe:

Rely on fruits, vegetables and dairy products to meet your growing child’s vitamin A needs. Check out these simple vitamin A rich recipes.
Reduce or limit processed foods, they are artificially fortified with vitamins (including vitamin A). While one serving of a particular food item may not have a lot of vitamin A, when you add all the processed food together, you can end up consuming a lot of them.
Check the nutrition facts label on your child’s multivitamin if you are using one. Vitamin gummy bears are very popular!
Talk to you doctor about a suitable vitamin A supplement if your child has a medical condition. Do not make this decision yourself and do not pick up any random over the counter supplement yourself.
Get an annual eye exam for both you and your child to catch early eye health problems

Are you using a vitamin supplement for your child? Have you checked the label? Share your thoughts and concerns in a comment below.

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Product Review – Buddy Fruits

by TwinToddlersDad on January 28, 2010

in Product Reviews

I stumbled upon this product in my local Publix supermarket on a recent shopping trip. I was intrigued by the “pure blended fruit to go” and “all natural, no sugar added” messaging on the front of the package. So I decided to give it a try. The twins loved it! It was convenient no doubt, but they also had a lot of fun squeezing the fruit puree from the tube directly into their mouth.

Here is what we like about this product -

Super convenient, kid-friendly and fun
No added sugar, all real fruit
Contains fiber
Does not need to be refrigerated if unopened. After opening, you can keep the leftover in the fridge for 24 hours
No preservatives, no colorings, no additives, no fat, no GMO, nothing artificial
Several fruit options available

Here is what we don’t like about this product -

Can be a little messy if the child squeezes the tube before putting the open top end in the mouth
High cost; 1 packet costs over a dollar
It is not organic

Overall, we like it even though the cost is high. It can be a convenient healthy snack your child can enjoy once in a while.

Disclaimer – I have not received any sponsorship or free samples of product from Buddy Fruits for writing this review. For complete nutritional information and other products, visit Buddy Fruit’s website.

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5 Vitamin A Rich Easy Recipes You Must Try

by TwinToddlersDad on January 27, 2010

in Simple Recipes, Vitamins

Earlier this week I wrote about 5 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin A. This is a very important vitamin especially for growing children. It is required for their eye health, immune system, healthy skin, bone development, brain development and development for blood cells. A severe deficiency is known to cause night blindness.

As a follow up, I decided to scan a few of my favorite recipe sites for kid-friendly and easy-to-make recipes rich in Vitamin A. Check them out and be sure to visit these blogs for more great recipes.

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Bisque on Chow and Chatter

This recipe has a tripe-dose of vitamin A rich vegetables – sweet potato, carrots and butternut squash! Strictly speaking, bisque is a thick soup, but this recipe could easily be turned into rich, creamy dip for french bread or baked chips. I would skip the wine, of course, when offering it to your kids! Check it out.

Sweet Potato Quesadilla on Fix Me A Snack

This is such a cool idea for a quick snack rich in vitamin A! It uses sweet potato, applesauce and optionally cranberry sauce and of course cheese and tortillas. Our twins love crunchy quesadillas, so we are definitely going to give it a try!

Chili Mac ‘N Cheese with a Healthy Makeover on Meal Makeover Moms

Kids love Mac ‘n Cheese, but the problem is the fat and refined carbs from the usual ingredients – pasta, milk and cheese. The Meal Makover Moms did a simple and clever ingredient swap to make this a healthier option. Vitamin A comes from the milk, cheese and the vegetarian chili.

Börek – Spinach Pastry on Binnur’s Turkish Cookbook

This is our family favorite! Spinach filling and a liquid mix made up of milk, egg and olive oil are added between layers of phyllo pastry and the whole stack is baked in the oven for a crunchy, yet soft spinach pastry. It is a great snack or an appetizer before a meal.

Butternut Squash Soup on Littlestomaks

We have made this recipe several times now and it has become one of our favorites. It takes a little longer to cook, but it is very good! The good thing is that you can make enough to last for a couple of days. Butternut squash is a great source of vitamin A and other vitamins.

Enjoy these recipes and let me know what you think!

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← Previous Entries

Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition

Ask the Expert – Snacks at Mealtime

Question: My child wants to munch on snacks all the time. How can I manage it so he can still sit with us for dinner and eat a regular meal?

Answer:

5 Things to Know About Thiamin aka Vitamin B1

Five for Fridays – Feb 5, 2010

Vitamin D is big business these days

Tax soda like cigarettes – here we go again

Manage salt for better health

5 out-of-the box ideas for helping your kids eat well

Food rules from Michael Pollan

Product Review – Dried Apricots

Simple Recipes – Chicken Quesadillas

Give Me Some Vitamin W Soup

Ask the Expert – Multivitamin and Kids

Question: How important is taking daily multivitamins and when should kids start?

Answer:

Why You Should Care About Vitamin A Overdose

Risks of vitamin A overdose

Factors affecting vitamin A levels in the body

5 actions you can take to be safe

Product Review – Buddy Fruits

5 Vitamin A Rich Easy Recipes You Must Try

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