The FDA warns food companies to be honest with their marketing claims.

Don’t take that food label as truth. U.S. health regulators have warned units of Nestle and more than a dozen other foodmakers over nutritional claims made for baby food, nuts and other products on food labels and product websites, according to letters made public last week. The warnings came as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to push for new package labeling geared toward making it easier for consumers to understand the nutritional content of the foods they eat.

The FDA plans to soon issue draft guidelines for nutritional labeling, but also plans to work with the food industry to design a new labeling system. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said last week that the examples cited in the warnings were not indicative of labeling practices in the food industry as a whole.

In one of the warning letters, issued February this year to baby food maker Gerber, a unit of Nestle, the FDA cited issues with Gerber 2nd Foods Carrot and Graduates Fruit Puffs products saying their “labeling includes unauthorized nutrient content claims.”

The foods make claims that they are “Healthy as Fresh,” an “Excellent Source … of Vitamin A” and “No Added Sugar,” according to the FDA letter. “These regulations do not allow the claim for products specifically intended for children under two years of age,” the FDA wrote.

The FDA issued a similar warning to Beech-Nut, a unit of Swiss company Hero Group, the same day. The agency also warned Nestle, Gerber and other companies about similar nutritional claims made on company websites.

Others receiving warning letters include snack food company Diamond Foods Inc – relating to the health claims for the omega-3 fatty acids in the company’s walnuts – and Spectrum Organic Products Inc., a unit of Hain Celestial Group, over labeling for its vegetable shortening.

Nestle’s Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream unit was warned over labeling of certain products. A Nestle spokesman said the company was cooperating with the FDA but does not comment on pending regulatory inquiries.

Hain, Beech-Nut and Diamond have yet to release statements regarding the FDA letters. The letters call for the companies to immediately correct the products’ labeling and respond to the agency within 15 days from the day of the letter.

When pooping is hard to do.

Dirty diapers and what’s in them do tend to consume new parents. A common issue, and one that plagued me about my daughter when she was a baby — constipation. I never realized someone else’s bowel regularity could cause me so much anxiety! Despite being breast-fed, she started going for days without a BM at around 5 months age. So I just want to share what I learned to help move things along, in case your baby is in the same predicament.

Constipation is defined as having hard stools that are difficult to pass. How can you tell if your baby is constipated? She may cry in pain during a bowel movement or go on for more that 3 to 5 days without passing stools.

Note that it’s common for babies to grunt, or strain when trying to push out the poop and these do not necessarily indicate constipation — as long as they are relieved after the bowel movement. When your baby is straining, you can try picking her up so gravity helps her efforts, or lightly hold her knees against her chest to help her squat — the natural pooping position.

For infants around four months to five months, a common reason for constipation is not getting enough liquids. My daughter wasn’t as voracious a breast feeder as her older brother, so I’m guessing that’s why she would go longer than him without pooing.

For Babies on Milk

Doctors advice that you encourage your baby to drink more breast milk. If your child is on formula, make sure you are mixing in enough water, according to package instructions. Bottomline is, make them drink as much milk as they should. To help a little more, you can even give a few ounces of plain water or a rehydration solution like Pedialyte. Our pediatrician even recommended adding some Karo syrup to the breast milk my daughter would sometimes take from a bottle. Sugary substances draw water into the gut and results in softer stools. Talk to your pediatrician about this if you think your baby needs extra help with her bowel regularity.

For Babies on Solids

If your baby is past six months and already eating solids, amp up her fiber intake to make things go out easier. Add more fruits and vegetables in her diet, which is healthier for her anyway. You can limit the meats. I found that pureed pears or pureed prunes with oatmeal were very helpful for my daughter. Prune juice diluted with water can be very helpful for constipated babies too.

Now that my daughter is a preschooler, her constipated baby days have long gone. So if your baby is the type that strains and is often constipated, follow our advice and take heart… this too shall pass. Pun completely intended!

Eating out? Get calorie-informed.

Going out for fast food with the kids? Try going to restaurants that list down nutrition information in their menus. According to US researchers, parents who have access to fast-food menus with calorie information tend to choose lower calorie selections for their children.

Study leader Dr. Pooja S. Tandon of Seattle Children’s Research Institute said the study involved 99 parents of children ages 3-6, who sometimes eat in fast-food restaurants with their children. They were presented with sample McDonald’s restaurant menus which included current prices and pictures of items, and asked what they would select for themselves and also for their children as a typical meal.

Half of the parents were given menus that also clearly showed calorie information for each item. Choices included most of the items sold at McDonald’s, including a variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads, dressings, side items, beverages, desserts and “Happy Meals.”

The study, published in The Journal Pediatrics, found parents who were given the calorie information chose 102 fewer calories on average — a calorie reduction of approximately 20 percent — for their children, compared with the group who did not have access to calorie information on their menus.

“Even modest calorie adjustments on a regular basis can avert weight gain and lead to better health over time,” Tandon said in a statement. “Just an extra 100 calories per day may equate to about 10 pounds of weight gain per year.”

With obesity becoming a bigger (excuse the pun) problem among Americans, a news item like this offers a simple step to improving the health of everyone in the family. No need to deprive yourself or your kids a happy meal every now and then. But if you are going to indulge, there’s a way to do it without having to tip the scales. Check the menu for calories and eat wisely.

They’re kids, they need the calories so let them eat what they want is an old, debunked belief that can have dangerous consequences. Children need healthy calories and you also have to keep their sugar and fat intake under control.

Yes, even kids have to watch what they eat.

There’s a United Press International (UPI) Report that claims being obese as early as age 7 may raise a child’s risk for future heart disease and stroke, even in the absence of other risk factors. The story reports on a study undertaken by the Nemours Children’s Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

I think this story is significant even for parents with babies or toddlers. The sooner we start kids off on healthy eating habits, the better. The threat of future heart disease is just one reason.

Senior study author Dr. Nelly Mauras of the Florida Nemours Clinic says obese children are showing higher levels of clotting factor and inflammation as early as age 7. 
The study, scheduled to be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, looked at children age 7-18 years old — 115 were obese and 87 were lean controls.

To be eligible for the study, the children had to show normal levels of fasting blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. In other words, the children could show just one sign of the metabolic syndrome known to raise the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes — increased waist size.

The obese children — versus the controls — had significantly higher levels of the clotting factor fibrinogen as well as 10-fold higher levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein. 
”Doctors often do not treat obesity in children now unless they have other features of the metabolic syndrome,” Mauras says in a statement. “This practice should be reconsidered. Further studies are needed to offer more insight into the effects of therapeutic interventions in these children.”

The message to me here is, get kids started early on healthy eating. As soon as your child starts solids is a good time to begin. Expose them early to the tastes of various healthy foods. Get them their taste for greens, grains and fruit. Get them used to liking healthy proteins like chicken and fish. And these don’t have to always be fried to taste good.

If your toddler is a picky eater, hang in there. It takes them several tries before they decide to like certain foods. Easy on the fried stuff and the high sugar foods as well. You may think that’s all they want to eat, but given lots of opportunity to try the healthy stuff, they’ll get around to it! It’s also a challenge to get a little more creative — and sneaky — in the kitchen. I hear lots of kids love vegetable muffins!

How to go from breast to bottle.

I look back with fondness on those days of breastfeeding. But the part where I had to transition from breast to bottle doesn’t conjure warm memories. I had to wean my first baby cold-turkey due to a medical condition. That wasn’t easy at all! Second time around with the next child, weaning was much easier — less painful too — because I had a transition plan. Read more for expert tips on how to go from breast to bottle without agonizing yourself or your child.

Topmost question is, when do you wean? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends pure breastfeeding until your baby is 6 months old. After that you can start introducing solids into her diet which should still include your milk or probably milk-formula.

When to wean from breastmilk to formula is a very personal decision. It depends on what’s best for your family’s situation. Maybe your maternity leave is over in 4 months so you decide to wean your baby at this time so you can get back to work. In the US, the AAP reports that most mothers choose to wean their babyies off the breast between 4 and 7 months.

Your baby can also give you signs she’s ready to wean. Telltale signs your baby can take solid food? She holds her head in an upright position, sits with support, or takes interest in what you’re eating. The active tongue-thrust reflex may have also disappeared — or is in the process of disappearing. Some babies even act like they don’t care for the breast anymore.

Plan out a practical schedule and set a specific time when you want to wean. The month before that, ease into a weaning routine. Drop one feed a day and let Daddy or the sitter give your baby a bottle instead. Maybe you can start with the most inconvenient breastfeeding session for you or maybe when your baby is least interested. The next week drop two feedings, until you get to solely using the sippy cup or the bottle.

If you can ask someone’s help, don’t give the bottle yourself. I noticed both my kids would only take the bottle if I was out of the room — or even the house — and had someone else giving it to them. It’s as if they were asking, why are you giving me that bottle when you’re boob is right there?

Avoid weaning during stressful times. Planning a move? Starting a new job? Did your little one just start teething? You may want to hold off for a month or so, because stressful situations don’t work well with weaning. Weaning alone can be stressful, so don’t compound the stress with even more stress.

Prevent engorgement by weaning slow. Cold-turkey weaning can cause milk to fill up your breasts leading to painful engorgement. Your body needs time to adjust to producing less milk until it stops completely. If there’s pain, it can be soothed with ice packs, cold cabbage leaves (worked for me) and acetominaphen. Use the pump to extract a bit at a time. But don’t extract too much or else you won’t stop producing milk.

Take heart — weaning can also take its toll on mom. I felt a bit melancholy each time I had weaned. It marks a time when your baby is growing more independent and it’s normal for moms to feel like tugging back. But then again they can’t be babies forever. We can only wish.

Trick or Treat! It’s more than just good things to eat.

If you have a toddler or preschooler at home, chances are you’re getting ready to go trick or treat. We have a few reminders about how to manage all the halloween revelry at their age. Add to that, a few healthier alternatives to the usual sugar-laden treats. Because yes, even baby teeth need to be well-taken care of.

If you are roaming the neighborhood with young kids, it’s best to get started early. It’s good to get going when you’re not along with a huge throng of other trick-or-treaters. Earlier is likely to be the time your tot is still well-rested and happy.

Don’t be surprised if you can’t go as far as the bigger kids. Ending early is advisable for young children. Just giving them a taste of the trick or treat experience is good enough at their age.

Avoid complicated costumes with masks that make them itchy and restless – not to mention make it hard for them to see or breathe. The younger the child, the simpler the costume should be.

Bring along your basic supplies, like wipes and your child’s own snacks. Pretzels, crackers or other non-sugary foods are a good option. With all the treats going around, your child might get hunger pangs. Since giving him all that candy is not a good idea, the healthier snacks would be good for tiding him over.

And of course… do not forget your handy camera!

Once you get home with the bounty of treats, cut a deal with your child concerning portioning. Explain that he shouldn’t eat all of that candy in one night or else he’ll get a tummy ache. Come up with a schedule when he can get a bit of treats for the next few days – perhaps as dessert after eating a healthy serving of lunch or dinner.

But of course in the spirit halloween season, you may want to give in to a little extra treats for tonight. It is time for some fun and celebration anyway.

As for healthy halloween food fare, we have some suggestions for parents conscious about serving (relatively) healthier treats.

• Potato chips, fruit chips or pretzels
• Peanuts or other nuts like slivered almonds and macadamias
• Chocolate-covered cornflakes
• Granola bars
• Chocolates – dark chocolates have a higher dose of healthy antioxidants
• Dried fruits like raisins, prunes or apricots

Non-food items can also be treats for kids. For most toddlers and preschoolers, anything they can use or play with is already a treat.

• Halloween theme stickers
• Creepy crawly insect toys
• Mini dinosaurs and animals
• Colored pencils or markers or boxes of crayons
• Halloween theme erasers or arts and crafts supplies
• Bubbles – all toddlers and preschoolers love bubbles
• Toothbrushes – try to get the ones with their favorite characters or super heroes, and the same goes for bubble gum or any yummy flavored… Toothpaste.

If the kids don’t appreciate a few items on the list above, at least the parents will approve of them. We hope you and your tot have a happy, healthy halloween!

Serve it fresh!

Baby food made from scratch is healthier for your little one. And did you know that babies used to eating only bottled baby food tend to be pickier eaters when they get older? While bottled food can sometimes be an option for your tiny one, preparing fresh food to make up a big chunk of their diets is not as difficult as you think.

Basic Ingredients

New solid eaters will go by with a few simple food choices. Iron fortified cereals should always be a part of their daily diet. Some good first foods you can easily make fresh are mashed avocado, banana, cooked and pureed pear or apple, pumpkin or potato, even sweet potato.

When you move on to vegetables you can steam then puree green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, peas and carrots.

After your baby has gotten used to eating different kinds of fruits and vegetables, you can introduce meats like beef, pork, lamb and chicken. Avoid smoked, salted or pickled meats. Add fresh or frozen fish as well.

Whatever you are having for dinner – let’s say some roast chicken – set aside some for baby and finely chop her portions. As for the fish, you’ll be surprised at how many babies actually enjoy flakes of white fish.

Add some variety in taste and texture by incorporating pasta, couscous and rice. Beans and legumes are also good to add to their diet. Your baby can also enjoy that lentil soup you like to cook for yourselves. Just set aside a portion for her that has less (or no) salt and spices.

As your baby matures, the food should move away from purees to lumpier fare. This has an impact on developing their mouth muscles and speech.

Preparation

You will have to invest in a steamer and food processor, if you do not already have them. It is best to always steam their vegetables as this retains the most nutrients. And don’t throw away all that steam water. Some can be added to make your purees on the food processor.

Boiling or oven-roasting are good options too. Generally, whatever you plan to cook for dinner you can set some aside for your baby. Having some baked sole? Flake that up, add a little cheese sauce and your baby will enjoy a good dinner along with you.

Storage

You should also get some small, freezer-safe containers. A great idea are those ice cube trays with covers. You can freeze a tray-full of squash puree and another tray full of your baby’s favorite fruit. You can easily defrost and serve by the cube. On some days, you can mix a cube of squash puree and a cube of broccoli puree too. Get creative!

Fresh is best

Serving your baby fresh food is not so hard if you apply a little system. Go around what you normally prepare fresh for yourselves and set aside portions for your baby.

If you make your own food, you will know exactly what nourishes your baby. You can use healthy, wholesome ingredients from your favorite market. You can even go organic. Best of all, you’ll be starting your child early on a nutritious, balanced diet – with minimum food processing and less contaminants. Going fresh also opens her up to a variety of tastes and flavors.

Is your child getting enough Vitamin D?

Seven out of ten American children have low levels of vitamin D, putting them at risk for bone and heart disease when they become adults. These findings are significant as vitamin D deficiency is linked to high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Low vitamin D also causes poor bone growth and development.

This finding was published by Pediatrics, the official publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The study was conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

It has already been established that low levels of vitamin D contribute to having higher parathyroid hormone levels, which is not good for bone health and growth. Low vitamin D also leads to low calcium – that’s bad for bones. Not having enough of this essential vitamin also lowers good cholesterol – that’s bad for the heart.

Previous smaller studies had already identified high rates of vitamin D deficiencies among children. The study cited by Pediatrics is the first one to examine nationwide data.

Researchers discovered that 9 percent of the study sample, which totals 7.6 million children nationwide, was vitamin D deficient. Another 61 percent, or 50.8 million, was vitamin D insufficient. Vitamin D deficiency is defined as having less that 15ng/mL of blood. Insufficiency is having 15 to 29ng/mL of blood.

That’s millions of kids across America low in Vitamin D. The study’s lead author Dr. Juhi Kumar says, “we expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking.”

Kids typically low in Vitamin D were older, female, African American, Mexican-American, obese, drank little milk, or spent more than four hours a day in front of the TV or computer. Breast fed babies may also need supplementation as human milk is not fortified with the D vitamin.

Doctors say vitamin D levels have gone down the past 20 years as children have become more sedentary and don’t spend as much time outdoors. The more common use of sunscreens has also contributed to this trend. Our bodies use UV-B sunlight to convert a form of skin cholesterol into vitamin D. So some sunlight is healthy – even necessary for our health!

Doctors also recommend that children should eat more fish and drink more milk which are rich in vitamin D. But they do add that it is hard to rely on food sources alone to get enough. Both food and healthy levels of sun exposure must work together to keep vitamin D levels sufficient.

Supplements can help cure deficiencies as well. The AAP has updated its vitamin D guidelines. They now recommend that babies, children and teens must take 400 IU per day in supplement form.

You might want to ask your own pediatrician to screen your child for vitamin D deficiency. Get your kids to drink more milk, eat more fish and play outdoors more often. Remember, you can even skip the sunscreen once in a while.

Dr. Michael L. Melamed of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine advices parents, “It would be good for them to turn off the TV and send their kids outside. Just 15 to 20 minutes a day should be enough. And unless they burn easily, don’t put sunscreen on them until they’ve been out in the sun for 10 minutes, so they get the good stuff but not sun damage.”

Is my baby ready for solids?

Somewhere around 6 to 8 months of age, babies can start getting a taste of solid foods. There are cases when babies are started as early as 4 months, but research shows starting them on food later gives better protection from allergies.

If you are breast feeding, giving solids after 6 months is ideal. It’s best to give your baby as much of your breast milk as possible, as it is the perfect food for him at this stage. Again, this has been shown to greatly decrease chances of developing allergies. Take heed, especially if you have a family history of allergies and asthma. Some pediatricians even advice that babies delay food up to one year if they have this family history. This would be something to discuss with your own trusted pediatrician.

There really is no exact calendar time for when to get solids into your child’s diet. As each baby is different, you will have to consider your own child’s readiness.

Here are some signs your child is ready:

• Your baby can sit up on his own.
• Baby no longer pushes solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
• Baby has developed his pincer grasp and picks up food using his thumb and forefinger.
• Baby tends to open his mouth when watching you eat, and may even try to grab your food.

Now a note about the last sign: If your baby starts wanting to take part in meal time with mom and dad before 6 months, it may just be a sign of growing curiosity  and not necessarily a biological need to eat solid fare.

In this case, give him a cup of his milk during family meal times. You can even have it in solid form by making some milk popsicles. Call it a momsicle if it’s your breast milk! Do make sure it is a baby safe size, not too small that he can choke on it.

There are other ways he won’t feel left out at the dinner table. Offering baby bowls, cups and utensils will also keep the little one busy while everyone is eating. It may also be an opportunity for baby to start learning how to use a straw or sippy cup.

When you feel the time has come for your baby to eat solids, pediatricians often recommend starting with iron-fortified cereal. Choose single-grain options so that you can easily determine an allergic reaction. Rice cereal is a good first food.

To help get solid-eating started, here are some guidelines:

• Experiment on when your baby is most open to taking in his first spoons of food. You can try before or after feeding him milk. Take baby’s lead on this (no force feeding!) to make eating a positive experience.
• Begin with just a baby spoon. When starting solids, don’t expect your baby to finish a full serving of food on a bowl. Slowly increase food servings by the spoon as your baby gets the hang of eating.
• To make sure you pick up on possible food allergies, only give one new single ingredient at a time. Wait 3 to 4 days before introducing another food ingredient.

After first trying rice cereal, your baby can move on to oatmeal then barley. After the cereals, you can move on to vegetables then fruits and lastly meats. It is a good idea to make the iron-fortified cereals a regular part of their daily diet, on top of the vegetable, fruit or meat of the day.

In an upcoming post, we’ll give you advice on easy ways  to make your own baby food.