Happy New Year! Hope you all had a wonderful time with your loved ones over the Holidays.

I took a little break from blogging but now it feels great to be back! I am looking forward to continuing our journey in child nutrition in 2011, but first I would like to invite you to check out these top 10 posts of 2010 in terms of page views and comments. Some of them were written in 2009 and made the list then, but continued to attract interest in 2010. Science driven, yet practical, nutrition knowledge indeed can be timeless in some ways! Thank you for interest and support over these years.

Whether you are a brand new visitor – or a regular reader of this blog – I hope you will find them interesting and useful as you try to manage your growing child’s nutrition needs. Share your own experience, offer advice, or simply ask a question in your comments below. I would love to hear from you!

	Simple Recipes – Chicken with Quinoa   This is a very easy recipe to make! Quinoa, in my opinion, is the unrecognized superfood because it is a good source of protein and low glycemic index carbs. It also provides a good mix of vitamins and minerals.
	Milk Allergy and Ear Infections   Dairy allergy can be one of the underlying causes of recurring ear infections. This article by Jasmine Jafferali, MPH, explores this issue in a simple, yet practical, Q&A format.
	Ask the Expert – Sushi and Toddlers  If you are a sushi lover and you are thinking about introducing your toddler to sushi, you have got to read this informative piece from registered dietitian Janet Helm. She writes a great blog at Nutrition Unplugged with tons of excellent information about nutrition and food trends.
	All Natural Toddler Multivitamin   My review of Floradix Kinder Love Children’s Multivitamin Liquid Extract Formula attracted a lot of attention because it is based on herbal extracts and fruit juices. It claims to be easy on the child’s digestive system while providing vitamins A, B, C, D and E. It is not a good source of minerals.
	Looking for a Multivitamin Supplement?  This is a “mini” guide to toddler vitamin supplements on the market. If you are considering a supplement for your child, you can use a simple comparison chart in this post. Centrum Kids and Flintstones Complete offer a good balance of complete vitamins and minerals. But the most important advice is to rely on a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
	Product Reviews – Buddy Fruits  This is a simple fruit puree and makes a healthy snack when you are on the go. When we found it in our local supermarket early last year, it wasn’t as commonly available as it is now. Can be a little messy for small children, but overall not a bad choice for a quick snack.
	Basmati Rice: It is Very Easy to Cook and You Will Love It’s Flavor and Fragrance  We love basmati rice! It is an excellent source of low glycemic index carbohydrates. Try my simple recipe to cook it as a separate side dish. You can also try some of the links in this post for other great recipes.
	Simple Recipes – Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms  This is a simple variation of our recipe Chicken with Pasta and Vegetables. It hardly takes any time to prepare and we save it for those hectic days when we have to quickly put something together for dinner.
	Traffic Light and Food Labeling  Clearly, consumers want simple and easy to understand front of the box food labels. FDA is worried about accuracy and manipulation by the food industry. A traffic light based food labeling system is gaining popularity in UK and Australia. It is not perfect, but clearly a step in the right direction.
	Milk Choices for Toddlers   Registered dietitian Jill Castle offers an overview of several different milk choices for toddlers in case cow’s milk is a concern. Jill blogs about child nutrition at Just the Right Byte.

Web statistics are surely important, but here are a few of my personal favorites. I hope you will check them out and leave me a comment with your opinion!

1. Surprising easy solution for preventing childhood obesity
2. How worried should you be about your underweight child?
3. Do children need more vitamin D?
4. Nutrition trivia – 10 facts to know about protein
5. Resting metabolic rate and weight management

©2011 Littlestomaks.com

Over the weekend we had dinner at a local pizzeria and Italian restaurant. We got the usual kid’s cheese pizza for the twins while we ordered fried calamari as an appetizer for the two of us. I was surprised to see my son dig into the fried calamari for the first time as he reached for the crispy rings several times. Even though we often enjoy calamari, I didn’t know much about its nutritional value. After researching various sources, I compiled these 10 facts that will interest you!

1. Calamari, usually deep fried, is a popular appetizer in many restaurants. The word calamari comes from Italian and refers to squid.
2. Squid belongs to a class of sea animals known as cephalopods found in over 300 different species.
3. Squids can range in size from a few inches to several feet; the largest squid found so far weighed over 1000 pounds!
4. Squids are capable of swimming fast and many species can actually fly through air. They can also change color to camouflage against both prey and predator. Another weapon in their arsenal for survival is an ink like chemical they release when threatened. This ink is safe for human consumption; in fact several pasta dishes are made with it in the sauce.
5. Most squids have 8 arms and 2 tentacles. Most of a squid’s body is edible.
6. Found in oceans all over the world, squids are popular in many cuisines in Europe, Mediterranean, Asia and Japan. Over 2 million tons of squids were harvested
7. As a food source, it is very rich in selenium, vitamin B12 and riboflavin.
8. Squids contain a lot of cholesterol. Depending on the composition of batter and oil used to fry the calamari, it can have a lot of sodium, trans and saturated fats. Certainly moderation is advised even though it tastes good!
9. Squids do not have a shell, but they are related to shellfish. Although not very common, they can be a source of food allergy.
10. Although fried calamari is most popular,  squid sushi is also common.

Have you tried calamari with your kids? Please share your experience in comments below.

Photo: Wikimedia commons
©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! I am on business travel this week. That is why I have decided to pull out a few noteworthy reader comments from my archives this week instead of the usual Five for Fridays.

I am constantly inspired by your comments and I learn a lot from them. I want to say thanks to those who spend time reading my posts and leave a comment behind with some advice, helpful tips or a question for further research. Some of them have their own blogs, which I highly recommend you to visit whenever you get a chance.

Enjoy, and feel free to leave a comment of your own.

1. When a reader asked about food sources of vitamin D, Dr. Joanna Dolgoff listed these on her Ask the Expert post about Vitamin D deficiency
   

Foods that contain Vitamin D include fortified milk, fortified yogurt, fortified breakfast cereals, wild salmon, canned tuna, cod liver oil, sun-dried shitake mushrooms and egg yolks. I think the fortified milk, yogurt and breakfast cereals will work best for a toddler!

2. Nona Nita reminded us that dollars and sense is not everything in response to a Five for Fridays entry on home gardens:

Even if growing my own tomatoes will cost more, I like the idea that I am going to use heirloom seeds that have not been hybridized. I will be able to keep the seeds from my produce to grow more next year. Not only will I get tomatoes like they used to taste when I was a kid, but saving the seeds from the tomatoes to use next year will be a great lesson in the cycle of life for my grandchild. Hooray to the Obamas for being great role models! Hooray to you for a great blog!

3. Reiza was concerned about mercury in tuna when she read dietitian Janet Helms’s Ask the Expert article on sushi for toddlers

My kids have all eaten sushi since infancy. You raised some issues I never even considered. I don’t think we’ll stop (my twins are over 5, but not my son), but we’ll definitely be asking more questions.

One thing I want to know, though, is how much sushi with tuna would a child need to consume to be worried about mercury? I’ve always limited canned tuna, but I never thought mercury would be an issue with such small pieces like you find in sushi.

In response, Janet Helm added:

Thanks for your message. You’re right. The small amount of tuna in sushi should not be such a problem, since the recommended limit is 12 ounces per week. A 3-ounce portion is about the size of a deck of cards, so you can estimate the number of ounces your kids may be consuming.
So if you’re not eating tuna more than once a week, you’re probably well within the “safe” range for mercury.

4. Dr. Ayala offered her perspectives on healthy snacks and indulgences in response to a Five for Fridays entry on childhood obesity

I don’t particularly like the term “snack”, as it can mean a small meal, which could be very healthy, or, more commonly, a highly processed packaged food you can eat on the go anytime and anywhere.

I therefore don’t use “snacks”. No matter the name, I make the small meals between the other bigger meals healthy–fruits, vegetables, nuts, leftover food from yesterdays’ dinner. That’s what I serve my kids when they come home from school quite hungry and in between meals.

As for the indulgences that I do think should not be denied–I call them dessert, and my kids call them “junk”. A good time to eat them is after the meal. I think there’s a place for ice-cream, chocolate, cake or whatever indulgence one fancies, but the key to really enjoying those and eating healthily is moderation and great quality. A small dessert (when a kid isn’t too hungry) made of high quality ingredients is a pleasure. Snacking on chips, cookies and donuts (even if low-fat)is not particularly satisfying, doesn’t hit the spot, and is just a bad habit.

5. Alina shared her concern and hoped for better nutrition at schools in response to Ask the Expert article on managing concerns about daycare food

I like the idea of bringing food to daycare but unfortunately many daycares do not allow found to be brought in. Also, a toddler wants to eat what everyone else is eating since the kids all eat together. Improving the nutrition of daycare (and all school food in general) is a very important topic. It would be nice for policy-makers and law-makers to embrace the need for this change!!

Photo source: Robert Whitehead on Flickr
©2010 Littlestomaks.com

It has been an excellent year blogging about toddler nutrition! When I started writing back in the Fall of 2008, I did not realize how exciting it could be to learn and write about all aspects of a young child’s nutrition and growth. Blogging has also given me an opportunity to connect with both experts and moms in a unique way!

As we close on 2009, I would like to reflect upon the more than 220 posts I have published on this blog. Whether you are a brand new visitor, or a regular reader of this blog, I invite you to check out these top 10 posts of 2009 in terms of page views and comments.

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind!

	Attachment Parenting and Toddler Nutrition This post by Annie of PhD In Parenting explains what it means to feed your child with love and respect. It is one of the 8 guiding principles of Attachment Parenting.
	All Natural Toddler Multivitamin My review of Floradix Kinder Love Children’s Multivitamin Liquid Extract Formula attracted a lot of attention because it is based on herbal extracts and fruit juices. It claims to be easy on the child’s digestive system while providing vitamins A, B, C, D and E. It is not a good source of minerals.
	Simple Recipes – Chicken with Quinoa This is a very easy recipe to make! Quinoa, in my opinion, is the unrecognized superfood because it is a good source of protein and low glycemic index carbs. It also provides a good mix of vitamins and minerals.
	Ask the Expert – Sushi and Toddlers If you are a sushi lover and you are thinking about introducing your toddler to sushi, you have got to read this informative piece from registered dietitian Janet Helm. She writes a great blog at Nutrition Unplugged with tons of excellent information about nutrition and food trends.
	Looking for a Multivitamin Supplement? This is a “mini” guide to toddler vitamin supplements on the market. If you are considering a supplement for your child, you can use a simple comparison chart in this post. Centrum Kids and Flintstones Complete offer a good balance of complete vitamins and minerals. But the most important advice is to rely on a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
	5 Reasons to Consider a Multivitamin Supplement I heard a variety of opinions from Moms who took my Global Toddler survey about use of multivitamins. In this post, I highlight 5 main reasons why you might consider it for your child. Vitamins should not be used to “fix” nutrition and eating issues; rather you should rely on them to supplement a balanced diet.
	Basmati Rice: It is Very Easy to Cook and You Will Love It’s Flavor and Fragrance We love basmati rice! It is an excellent source of low glycemic index carbohydrates. Try my simple recipe to cook it as a separate side dish. You can also try some of the links in this post for other great recipes.
	Help! My Kids Don’t Eat Enough Fruits and Veggies! This is a very common concern of most toddler parents. In this article, pediatrician Dr Ayala Laufer-Cahana offers a few practical tips to get your kids interested in fruits and veggies. Check out her blog at Ayala’s Herbal Water.
	Traffic Light and Food Labeling Clearly, consumers want simple and easy to understand front of the box food labels. FDA is worried about accuracy and manipulation by the food industry. A traffic light based food labeling system is gaining popularity in UK and Australia. It is not perfect, but clearly a step in the right direction.
	Think Play-Nutrition-Rest for Long Term Health of Your Children Play is an important part of your child’s physical, mental and emotional growth. Combine it with good nutrition and enough rest for long term health of your toddler.

Web statistics are surely important, but there are a lot of other articles which I am particularly very passionate about. Here are a few of my favorites. I hope you will check them out and leave me a comment with your opinion!

1. Twinkie tax will do nothing to reduce the sweetness
2. Shaking off a sweet addiction
3. Why we must address childhood obesity NOW
4. Good nutrition key to managing food allergy
5. Healthy fats for children

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

In this week’s Ask the Expert, Registered Dietitian Janet Helm offered tips on how to safely introduce your toddler to sushi. She emphasized the need to be careful about bacteria, mercury contamination and parasites. Here are a few additional tips for you to enjoy the experience of sushi with your toddlers -

1. When eating out, always select a reputable sushi restaurants in your area. Read their reviews and check their safety records. There should be a restaurant food safety inspection program in your state which may publish their inspection records online. As an example, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation provides the food inspetion records of hotels and restaurants on their website. There should also be a way for you to register a complaint if you have a bad experience eating at a restaurant.
2. Ask questions about how the raw fish and rice is handled at these restaurants. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that raw fish needs to be frozen at -4 °F for 7 days or -35 °F for 15 hours to make sure that it does not contain any parasites. Rice should be prepared with rice vinegar so its pH is below 4.5. Overall sanitation, handling and hygiene practices of these restaurants should be of high quality. They need to also make sure that there is no cross contamination between raw and cooked fish.
3. When buying prepared sushi from a supermarket, follow the same advice and ask questions about the fish, rice and how it is made. You may find labels such as “sushi grade” or “sashimi grade” fish, but make sure to ask how the fish was frozen since these are not standard labels.
4. The best option may be to make sushi at home! You could try making a sushi roll without any raw fish and use vegetables or fully cooked fish instead. You can even involve your kids in a sushi making project – I am sure they will have a lot of fun playing with the sticky koshihikari rice! There are many instructional videos on making sushi at home; here is a good one:
   
   We haven’t tried making sushi at home so far, but after watching this video, I am planning to give it a try!
5. Learn to recognize the symptoms of illness from fish parasites. It can range from mild discomfort, nausea, cramps or diarrhea. In some extreme cases, the parasites can enter the stomach or gut lining which can cause severe abdominal inflammation and pain. Seek immediate medical help in such situations.
6. Like any other new food, it is better to go slow and introduce sushi in small quantities. Try to make it fun and interesting. The taste of soy sauce, wasabi and Japanese ginger may be strange at first, but in the long run your child may learn to like it. Eating fish, raw or cooked, has many benefits and if done right, you can safely enjoy sushi with your kids over a lifetime.

Have you tried sushi with your toddlers? Share your experiences and tips in your comments below.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

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, Registered Dietitian Janet Helm offers a few suggestions on how to introduce your toddler to sushi. She is also a Mom of twins and writes a very informative blog called  Nutrition Unplugged.

Janet Helm, MS RD B.S. in Mass Communications and Nutrition M.S. in Dietetics, Registered Dietitian 15 years in Nutrition Communications Freelance writer, nutrition consultant, blogger Website:Nutrition Unplugged Twitter:@JanetHelm Contact: via website

Question: I am thinking about introducing my toddler to sushi. What should I be concerned about?

Answer:

If sushi is something you enjoy, then no doubt you’d like to share it with your child.  I think it’s great to introduce children to a wide variety of foods early in life.  I’m a big proponent of developing the preschool palate and getting out of the chicken-nuggets rut. However, you’re right that there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, the official food safety stuff.  Raw fish can harbor bacteria and children under age 5 are considered to be especially susceptible to foodborne illness.  Young children — along with pregnant women, older adults and people with compromised immune systems – are advised by FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition to avoid raw fish or shellfish. So I would wait until at least age 5 before introducing raw-fish sushi.

You also need to think about mercury, especially in tuna sushi.  It’s best to limit tuna and other higher mercury fish like swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel to no more than 12 ounces a week.  A group called KidSafe Seafood, a coalition of chefs, pediatricians and sustainable seafood experts, is a great resource for parents.  They’ve identified the best seafood choices for children ages 3 and up that contain acceptable levels of mercury and other contaminants:  Wild Alaskan Salmon, Tilapia, Farmed Blue Mussels, Northern U.S. and Canadian Shrimp, U.S. Farmed Crayfish and Farmed Bay Scallops. You’ll even find recipes for kid-friendly “safe” sushi, such as California rolls with imitation crab meat and salmon rolls made with smoked salmon.

One last concern is the potential of parasites in raw fish, which can be particularly troublesome to small bodies.  One precaution is to eat only fish that has been previously frozen, which can help kill any parasites that might be hiding inside.

Yet with all of these caveats, it comes down to doing what you’re comfortable with and only going to sushi restaurants you trust.  I know a lot of parents who have been giving their children sushi at a fairly young age (almost always over age 2) and there’s never been any problem.  Afterall, children in Japan begin eating raw-fish sushi at a young age — although the Japanese do not eat as much raw fish as we think they do.

My twins are 5 and we haven’t been out for sushi yet, but that won’t stop us from going to a Japanese restaurant.  For now, I think I’ll start with vegetable rolls, tempura and rolls made with cooked fish.

Fortunately, they love fish that I make at home and I’m beginning to introduce new varieties.  Just be sure you talk with your pediatrician if your child has never eaten shellfish to discuss potential allergies.

Even if you decide to hold off giving your toddler sushi, perhaps you can have fun with this Sushi for Kids book or sushi toys.

©2009 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.