photo credit: maia hopes.

My daughter loves Froot Loops^® for breakfast. Every morning she likes to have a bowl of these colorful rings with milk. As if it is not sweet enough for her, she squeezes a generous dose of honey over it from her Honey-Bear bottle. It has become her daily routine. She does not want to eat any other cereal. In fact, we carried two boxes of Froot Loops with us to India because we knew she was not going to touch anything else in the morning!

I know, it is not really healthy. Surprisingly – and to our great relief – she is not big on other sugary stuff, which is why we don’t try to stop her from enjoying her favorite breakfast cereal. Because eating breakfast each morning is very important, we have accepted her preference.

Still, we have been trying to find a way to reduce the sugar level in her breakfast bowl. This weekend, we stumbled upon Fruity Cheerios® which looked almost identical to the box of Froot Loops sitting on the nearby shelf. Since Cheerios is one of our favorite food brands, we decided to give it a try!

We also bought a box of our regular Froot Loops, just to be safe!

Front of the box labeling on Fruity Cheerios emphasized whole grain, calcium and vitamin D. But on a closer look, as shown in the following table, it has lower sugar and higher levels of other vitamins and minerals compared to Froot Loops.

When I showed the Fruity Cheerios box to my daughter, she paused for a moment but then happily tried it instead of the Froot Loops. Just for the record, I did not try to trick her into thinking that I was giving her the usual Froot Loops. Plus she can now read the box anyway!

She still added the regular dose of honey….oh well!

Overall, I think it is a better choice, but in some ways you could call it the lesser of the two evils. There are, no doubt, healthier breakfast choices, but then we don’t have that option right now. We plan to slowly start introducing her to other foods at breakfast.

What do you think? Share your child’s breakfast favorites in comments below!

Disclaimer – I have not received any sponsorship or free samples of product for writing this review. For complete nutritional information check out Fruity Cheerios and Froot Loops.

©2011 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.

Worried your toddler is not getting enough fiber? How much should he consume on average each day? Check out these handy tips from Registered Dietitian Keri Gans!

Question:How much fiber should a 4 year old be getting in his diet? How can I get him to eat fiber rich foods?

Answer:

I really love that you are asking this question. Too many children (and adults) today fall very short on meeting their fiber needs. AND fiber is important for 2 main reasons:

1. Promotes regularity and prevents constipation.
2. May help reduce risk of heart disease and certain cancers later in life.

So how much is needed for our children?
1-3 years: 19 grams
4-8 years: 25 grams
boys 9-13 years: 31 grams
girls 9-13 years: 26 grams

First thing you need to do to get your child to eat fiber rich foods is be a role model. If you aren’t eating them and they are not in your house how can you expect your child to? So pack your kitchen with whole grains, fruits and veggies and encourage your child to eat them the following ways:

1. serve fruit with the skin on them, like apples and pears
2. have fruit cut-up in the refrigerator for easy grabbing, such as pineapple and melon
3. top breakfast cereals with berries instead of sugar
4. serve a breakfast cereal with minimum 3g fiber per serving (if they don’t love start by mixing a lower fiber cereal with it and then gradually increasing)
5. make waffles or pancakes with whole wheat flour
6. use whole wheat bread for sandwiches
7. slice a banana on a peanut butter sandwich
8. whip up afternoon smoothies for a snack that include low fat milk, low fat yogurt and fruit
9. keep raw veggies on hand for munching with lowfat dips
10. make whole wheat pasta and wild rice for the whole family

©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.

Just like thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, which I wrote about recently, Pantothenic acid is another B vitamin commonly known as the B complex. 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. 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 Pantothenic Acid?

Pantothenic Acid is also known as vitamin B5, 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.

Pantothenic Acid, like the other B vitamins, is soluble in water. The name pantothenic acid is derived from the Greek word pantothen, which means from everywhere! Clearly, it is an essential component of all plant and animal life. Inside the living cells, it is found in the form of coenzyme A (CoA). A coenzyme is a kind of a “helper molecule” inside our cells which attaches to an enzyme involved in a variety of biochemical reactions. In some ways, living cells are like tiny factories where these biochemical reactions take place and enzymes are responsible for speeding up those reactions.

Why does my child need it?

According to the 2nd edition of the PDR for Nutritional Supplements, pantothenic acid is involved in a number of biological reaction, including the production of energy from carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acids. It is also required for production of cholesterol, steroid hormones and neurotransmitters. Even though we hear cholesterol as a bad word and something to be avoided, there is also good cholesterol that our body needs.

Coenzyme A is also required for production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the hormone melatonin. It also plays a role in making heme, which is a component of hemoglobin. In short, it does a lot of important things inside the body which are needed for sustaining life and healthy growth.

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

For infants, the FDA has recommended a daily amount of 3 mg. And for toddlers less than 4 years old, the recommendation is 5 mg. Pregnant and nursing women are recommended to take about 10 mg per day. Healthy adults are also advised to take about 10 mg per day.

Pantothenic acid is usually present in organ meats (liver, kidney), egg yolk, avocados, cashew nuts, peanuts, brown rice, soya, lentils, brocooli and milk.  Here are a few examples of different food sources and amount of pantothenic acid per serving (source: wikipedia and Linus Pauling Institute):

1. Avocado, 1 whole = 1.9 mg
2. Chicken, 3 oz, cooked = 0.98 mg
3. Lentils, 1/2 cup, cooked = 0.6 mg
4. Milk, 1 cup = 0.8 mg
5. Cod fish, 3 oz, cooked = 0.15 mg
6. Broccoli, 1/2 cup = 0.48 mg
7. 1 Large egg = 0.61 mg
8. Yogurt, 1 cup= 1.35 mg
9. Sweet potato, 1/2 cup = 0.88 mg
10. Whole wheat bread, 1 slice = 0.19 mg

What happens if my child does not get enough pantothenic acid?

According to the PDR for Nutritional Supplements, pantothenic deficiency is rare. The symptoms, which are seen under severe malnutrition, include numbness in the toes and painful burning in the feet.

Should I be concerned about pantothenic  acid deficiency?

The short answer is NO. As long as your child’s diet includes a variety of food sources such as meats, dairy and vegetables, you have no reason to worry. There is no need to use a supplement. Whole grains are good source of pantothenic acid and other vitamins. Eating too many refined grains is a problem not just for pantothenic acid, but for other nutrients as well. Therefore, introduce your family to whole grains for a variety of benefits. Most breakfast cereals are not fortified with pantothenic acid although they contain other B vitamins. Balance, variety and moderation in your child’s diet is the best strategy for getting essential nutrients.

What do you think? What changes, if any, would you consider making to your child’s diet so he gets enough B vitamins?

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Jenna of kidAppeal left an insightful tip in response to Getting Enough Iron on a Vegetarian Diet:

soaking grains with whey reduces the amount of phytates, that should boost iron absorption.

I decided to research this further to understand why this might be so. First, a few definitions:

Whey: is the liquid portion of milk remaining after it is curdled with lemon juice or vinegar. Curdling is a common technique to make cheese. Only whey proteins from milk remain in this liquid while the majority of the milk proteins called casein are separated out in the curd. Because of the lemon juice or vinegar, the whey liquid is also acidic in nature.

Phytates: are salts of phytic acid, which is found in bran (outer layer of grains), seeds and plant tissues. Phytic acid binds to minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc to form these salts. When this happens, they become insoluble which reduces their absorption in the GI tract. Phytic acid and phytates are therefore not very desirable because of the risk of low mineral absorption in people who rely primarily on plant sources for nutrition. As a result, phytates and phytic  acid are sometimes collectively referred to as anti-nutrients.

Soaking grains in water is an ancient practice. It works very well to remove phytic acid especially when the soaking medium is acidic as in case of whey. Sprouting and lactic acid fermentation are some of the other methods of phytate removal.

Interestingly, the probiotic micro-organisms in the GI tract also provide an enzyme called phytase which can break the phytate salt complex to make it more soluble for better absorption.

Whey works, but you can also get the same benefit by using water with a little lemon juice or other media such as apple cider vinegar, coconut milk or water, kefir, buttermilk, thinned down yogurt (see The Nourishing Gourmet link below)

Don’t, however, treat phytates as the enemy – it does have some benefits especially for the health of your colon. Cleaerly everything in nature has a purpose!

Other resources:

Be kind to your grains – Weston Price foundation website
Soaking grains, soaking grain part 2 – The Nourishing Gourmet

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 Victoria Retelny offers a few practical tips to busy parents for planning their family’s weekly meals.

Question: Both my husband and I have full time jobs and we always feel rushed to put wholesome food on the table each day for the family. Can you give a few tips for planning our weekly meals good for both our toddlers and us?

Answer:

Certainly!

I am asked this question often.  The secret is: have a plan and stick with it.  When it comes to meals and snacks, keep a grocery list for the week and do your shopping on the same day(s) every week.  Remember, feeding your whole family the same foods – and not making special foods for your toddlers – is the best way to go.  By keeping to a shopping schedule you can compile a list of meals and buy ingredients for the week.  Also, you will not overspend at the grocery store by making random stops.

When planning easy, convenient meals for you and your family, think about including these components at all meals:

Vegetables/Fruit + Lean protein + Whole grains + Healthy fats

To maintain nutritional balance, half of your plate should be vegetables/fruit, one-quarter should be lean protein, and the other quarter should be whole grains.  Keep in mind, frozen veggies are fine to use – they contain just as much nutritional value, if not more, than fresh vegetables.

Here are some healthful meals for your weekly rotation:

• Vegetable Pizza with whole wheat crust (100% whole wheat Boboli, assorted vegetables, and shredded part-skim mozzarella and canned crushed tomatoes). Serve with a side salad and vinaigrette dressing.
• Chicken and Couscous Primavera (shredded chicken breast, whole wheat couscous, peas, spinach, and tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette dressing).
• Mini Turkey Cheese Burgers & Sweet Potatoes Fries (turkey patties – cut in quarters, mozzarella cheese slices, whole grain buns – cut in quarters, sweet potatoes – cut into slices, drizzled with olive oil and baked).   Serve with side salad and vinaigrette dressing.
• Whole Grain Macaroni and Cheese (whole grain macaroni, low-fat milk, shredded low-fat cheddar cheese).  Serve with oven-roasted broccoli spears drizzled with olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper.
• Asian Chicken Salad (shredded chicken breast, scallions, roasted sliced almonds, sesame seeds, shredded carrots, romaine lettuce, whole grain angel hair pasta). Mix with dressing: soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and canola oil. If your kids will not eat lettuce than just serve the chicken with the pasta – my kids call the pasta strands “worms” and love this dish!

Bon appétit!

©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.

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:

1. Whole wheat bread, one slice = 0.1 mg
2. Brown rice, cooked, 1 cup = 0.19 mg
3. Enriched white rice, cooked, 1 cup = 0.26 mg
4. Fortified breakfast cereals, 1 cup = 0.5 – 2.0 mg
5. Lentils, cooked, 1 cup = 0.17 mg
6. Pork chopped, cooked, 3 oz = 0.8 mg
7. Orange juice, 1 cup = 0.1 mg
8. Sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup = 0.8 mg
9. Spinach, cooked, 1/2 cup = 0.09 mg
10. 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:

1. Cognitive and emotional changes – in short, it may affect memory and mood.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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!

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Cereal has become a common choice for breakfast, and often a late night snack, in most American households! Kids love cereal and that is why I asked Registered Dietitian Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, to share one of her video tips selecting a healthy cereal. She is the author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips which just came out in November 2009 and is a “Go-to guide” according to More magazine. Her channel on YouTube has lots of great videos on nutrition tips for both adults and kids; check it out!

Elisa earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of science in clinical nutrition from New York University.

She blogs at The Zied Guide. You can follow her on Twitter @elisazied.

Here are three easy to remember tips from this video:

• Go whole grain
• Look for fiber – at least 4 g per serving
• Ditch the sugar – not more than 10 – 12 g per serving

And I will add that sometimes you can mix a few different types to keep things interesting for kids. They love funny, colorful shapes so feel free to mix ‘n match!

Enjoy and eat healthy!

©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.

Last week I wrote about the mystery of enriched flour, which on the surface appears healthy but in reality not as good as whole grain. In response, a reader wondered:

What about rice? Why is white rice called not so healthy compared to brown rice…is it because the first one is polished and the latter one is not?

We don’t normally eat brown rice because we prefer basmati rice. In fact, we eat it almost every day at dinner. It tastes great and has a low glycemic index. So, I decided to research this question to confirm if brown rice is nutritionally superior to white rice.

The short answer is YES!

Just like the process of milling wheat removes the bran and the nutrient-rich germ to leave behind carbohydrate-rich endosperm, milling rice does the same to produce white rice. During my research, I found a great website called the Cereal Knowledge Bank from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which is a Philippines-based non-profit agricultural research organization. Here is a link to a great summary of modern rice milling.

After pre-cleaning the rice paddy, the husk is removed. What you get at this stage is brown rice; this is the whole grain. Which means that it contains the bran, the endosperm and the germ. Polishing removes the bran layer from the brown rice. The amount of bran removed is called the milling degree and it is usually in the range of 8 – 12%. The higher the degree of milling, the higher is the amount of vitamin and oil-rich layers removed. Finally, whole kernels are separated from large and small broken kernels and polished further to add luster.

Here is a comparison of nutrients in brown rice and white rice on a 100g cooked basis. White rice is of un-enriched variety. Source: USDA Nutrient Database.

Red is “bad”, yellow is “about the same” and green is “better” compared to brown rice.

Overall, white rice contains a much lower amount of dietary fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Brown rice is definitely better from a nutritional value point of view. The problem is that the oils from the bran layer can oxidize and turn the rice rancid in as few as 6 months. Brown rice therefore comes with an expiration date! Also, it takes longer to cook, the taste is chewy and it does not come out as fluffy as white rice.

Does it mean you should stop eating white rice and switch completely to brown rice? Definitely not! If you are eating  a lot of high glycemic index white rice (jasmine rice for example), it will be better to consider switching to brown rice at least a few times. And if you simply can’t give up white rice, try white basmati rice!

Photo source: Photoxpress
©2009 Littletomaks.com

Over the weekend I was looking at the ingredient list of freshly baked bread that we got from our local Publix supermarket. What caught my eye was the very first ingredient called enriched flour. At first it appeared to be a good thing. After all, look at what all it contains:

Enriched flour – wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid

Niacin is vitamin B3 needed for DNA repair and production of steroid hormones. Lack of vitamin B3 results in Pellagra, a disease of 4 D’s: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia and death!

Reduced iron is simply a form of iron added to the flour. Iron is essential for all living organisms and its deficiency causes anemia where blood hemoglobin gets to low levels.

Thiamine Mononitrate is vitamin B1 and its deficiency causes beriberi which affects the nervous system.

Riboflavin is vitamin B2 is needed for metabolism of fats, carbs and proteins. Its deficiency causes inflammation in eyes, mouth and throat.

Folic acid is needed for a lot of different bodily functions especially at a time of cell division and growth (pregnancy and early childhood). Folate deficiency results in loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, headaches, heart palpitations and behavioral disorders.

So on the surface, all this looks good since enriched flour is giving you iron and important B vitamins. What can be wrong with it you wonder.

Well, the main question is why they need to add them to flour in the first place since wheat contains these nutrients anyway!

Simply grind the wheat, turn it into flour and forget about all this processing and enrichment. Turns out, things are not so simple.

Customers love the looks of bright, white flour. But enriching is necessary because the processing used to make white flour destroys some of these nutrients that originally were present in the whole grain. So, FDA forces producers to add these important nutrients so that they don’t have to face the public health nightmare resulting from their deficiency. This makes everybody happy – customers get the white flour they like, producers make a profit and FDA doesn’t have to deal with public health problems.

But is that really true?

Vitamins, minerals and oils are stored inside the germ of the whole grain, protected by the bran so they can continue to nourish the seed. The carbohydrates and proteins are stored inside the endosperm which is also protected by the bran. The milling process of turning wheat into white flour removes the barn and the germ, so all you are left with are the carbs and proteins from the endosperm. High surface area of the flour causes very rapid release of sugar in your blood when you eat stuff made from white flour. Insulin levels have to go up to correct this sugar surge. Done a lot of times, this can lead to insulin resistance and Type II diabetes. You can add back vitamins and minerals and feel good about it, but the problem of sugar over time is the one we need to worry about.

Next time, go for whole grain bread instead of the white bread. I know it tastes so good, and it is ok to consume it in moderation; but over eating baked foods made from the so called enriched white flour is a long term health risk.

Photo Sources:
White Bread – PhotoExpress
Whole Grain Kernel – Wikimedia Commons
©2009 Littlestomaks.com