Healthy Food Suggestions

Each person reacts to different foods differently. My girls were having ear infections and got tested from Immuno Labs through Dr. Bain in Frisco (pediatrician with BIG focus on nutrition) and we found out their individual reactions/intolerance. I started having GI issues and just got tested and it is DEFINITELY due to a food intolerance despite what the GI says...after a colonoscopy, two rounds of antibiotics and another Rx.....I knew it the minute I saw the results....however I would have NEVER guessed the foods I was reacting to. They also guarantee their results for many issues that nutrition treats.....that is why we went with them...we are so glad we did.

www.healthykidspediatrics.com

I'm not a believer of "organics" to fix behavior. By any chance have you read Dobson's book about boys? Have you tried exercise? Channeling his behavior to be aggressive where it is appropriate? Martial Arts? Get him outdoors as much as possible, parks, hiking trails at the Heard, swimming? Boys are meant to be aggressive and full of energy and he will be for a very long time. I think common sense eating following the food pyramid works. My 14 year old boy will commonly lean on me, push me like he's blocking me in football. It's my cue to get him to Lifetime to workout!
Good Luck!

Hi EL,

If you want to take the guesswork out of it, you might consider testing. I recommend Enterolab in Plano. www.enterolab.com No doctor referral needed. It's an easy easy easy stool test. Send in specimen, they email you the results. Big offenders for ear infecctions and allergies are gluten and dairy. Big offender for behavior problems is gluten. there are other less common allergens - egg, soy, yeast, corn, etc. I am leary of any blood testing which reports a list of 30 foods you need to avoid. If you avoid the major offenders, life should be rather healthy and happy.

As far as gluten-free and dairy-free healthy snacks, we eat fresh fruit and veggies, and to get a protein or healthy fat snack to balance the glycemic index, we do:

hummus
canned chick peas
canned beans of any kind
almond butter
peanut butter
olives (fresh, not jarred)
avocado or guacomole
chicken leg
deli meat
fresh nuts
raw goat milk cheese
Hard boiled egg
egg salad

A favorite combo for snack or lunch or even breakfast is:
homemade gluten free pizza (Food for Life brown rice flatbreads, tomato paste, veggie like broccoli or spinach and raw goat milk cheese Alta Denta brand)

Good luck!

I just wanted to suggest doing some reading here http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/index.html

I found that a lot of what I thought I was doing right was actually hurting my son. Rice cakes etc are actually pretty bad because of what is done to them in processing. And I was not giving him enough fat or the right kinds. What I had been taught was "right" was really not. I've started trying to follow these guidelines to save his teeth and improve his health. In the meantime I have seen much improvement in my own health as well.

I agree that Whole Foods can be a little overwhelming! What you're doing is great though. We began modifying our diet about a year ago and the best advice I have probably isn't what you want to hear, but basically, you just need to spend some time reading labels until you figure out what you'll be putting on your grocery list in the future. Seems like you already know what to avoid -- high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, red #40, dairy and refined grains. You might also look at meats without nitrates or nitrites, and without added hormones. Also, when chicken and pork are packaged, there's often added saline or broth solution. You want to avoid that too.
There are some brands you can pretty much trust to be pure -- Applegate Farms has great nitrate/nitrite-free, no added hormones, etc. deli meats and cheeses; Kashi and Cascadian Farms are great for cereals; Annie's mac n cheese; Newman's Own makes both "all natural" and organic lines (we typically get the "natural" line) of salad dressings, snacks and more. Muir Glen makes tomato sauces and canned goods that are natural or organic.
There are only a couple of brands of bread that don't have high fructose corn syrup. I think Rudy's Organic is one. We have simply opted for Oroweat and Nature's Own brand of while grain breads and gave up going fructose-free on that particular product. Also, for rolls or bread that we'll serve with dinner, we just make our own in a bread machine. The Target store brand -- Archer Farms -- makes a lot of natural and organic lines. And, these days most of the big brands offer an organic line of products (right down to All Natural Cheese Puffs!). AND you can find a lot of them at Walmart! What I don't find at Walmart, I'll find at Target. The only thing I've needed to go to Whole Foods for is organic sunblock for my son who is allergic to the regular stuff.
Good luck!

I think it's fantastic that you are taking this step for the health of your family. Farmer's markets are also a good place to shop. Other things to avoid are anything genetically modified. See the institute for responsible technology for more information. They have a true food guide. http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm

Dr Mercola's website has a large search engine and biweekly articles that are really helpful, also. See www.mercola.com.

Another idea would be to watch the Food Network and other cooking shows.

Wow..someone with the same issues & concerns about nutrition :)
My son is very picky so it is super difficult to find things for him that are healthy that he will actually eat. He also does not like meat very much, so it is difficult to get protein in his diet.
Here is my list:

UTZ Organic/whole grain pretzels - Costco
ClifKid/Organic ZBars - Peanut butter, chocolate brownie, chocolate chip - Sprouts & WholeFoods
Natures Path/Organic Granola Bars - Sprouts & Whole Foods
All Fruits (that he will eat)-give as much as possible
Carrot stix
Chocolate Soy Milk
Fruit smoothies made with vegetable based protein powder
Whole Wheat Pasta or Gnocci(salt&pepper) - Sprouts & WholeFoods
Apple gate farms nitrate free hot dogs - Sprouts & WholeFoods
Snuggles Whole Wheat hot dog buns - Sprouts
Apple Gate farms nitrate free bacon - Sprouts& WholeFoods
Organic Peanut butter & Jelly(no HFCS) on whole wheat bread
Mix raisins & nuts, pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds-very healthy

We feed our son a lot of peanut butter for protein since he won't eat meat with a lot of fruit b/c he won't eat veggies either. I hope this helps! Good luck.

Look for Certified Organic products. Many products say organic or made with organic, but aren't certified. You know it is Certified Organice by a label on the package It is a green and white circle on the packaging. The top half is white and the bottom half of the circle is green and says USDA ORGANIC in the circle. We have been eating organic for a year now and we been to the doctor only once, and that was when my son got croup and couldn't breath. Organic products taste much different and now, especailly at Whole Foods, you don't have to give up a lot of things to eat organic. We still buy snack crackers and cookies, and they are all organic!! Also in their bulk isle where you can get beans and cereal, you can get organic things from there too. Their peanut butter out of the urn is awesome!! Good luck with your new leaf. It is a little overwhelming at first. When you walk in there you can tell the people who are regulars and it takes a while to not feel overwhelmed when you go in there. Just take the time to search out Organic things, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

If you have carpet in your home, I would suggest replacing it with hardward/prego flooring. Carpet will retain dust, fungus, etc. which can cause allergies.

Foods. You are on the focused correctly. Might try Oprah's doctor's website. I cannot recall it at this time. www.oprah.com his link might be on her website.

Good luck.

Hey, great question!!! I love to hear that you want to feed your child the best. In the past year and a half we've completely changed our eating and health, along with household products that can cause a lot of damage too. You'll have to check out "Natural Grocers" in Richardson- they sell a lot of the same stuff as Whole Foods only cheaper. Email me and I can tell you a list of stuff we buy now and health changes we've made! Some of the things include... almond milk, organic beans, agave nectar, dry barley malt, coconut milk, coconut macaroons, Bragg's liquid aminos, and the list goes on! I would love to talk to you about these items as I'm very passionate about organic (non-dairy, no sugar, low meat) health!

Well, first off, I must say.....SMART WOMAN! Really! You have made an awesome choice in helping your little one have the best nutrition you can and from what you've told us, it sounds like you are taking the right approach! Just because pedi's say to give the little ones dairy, does not mean it's the healthiest or best choice. My middle child drank goats milk and rice and almond milk and had FAR fewer allergy/sinus/ear infections than my oldest who took formula after 3 mos as a supplement with bfing and milk for a couple months after she turned 1 yr before we finally switched to almond milk when she was about 15 mos old.

The little crisp rice cakes things like quaker oats' rice cakes seemed to be a big hit with my kids. They also make chips out of veggies that are baked and not fried. I would stay away from soy as much as possible as it is well known for causing allergies, as well as excess weight gain that can be very difficult to overcome. (so why do we call it a health food?)There are many organic grahm crakers and other smaller finger foods that you can choose from that larger health food markets tend to stock in sections geared towards younger kiddos. I also remember buying cookies that were sweetened with fruit juice instead of cane sugar or high frcts corn syrup. They had many different flavors and my personal favorite was the oatmeal raisin. If your little one is wanting chocolate milk, the chocolate almond milk is a great choice so long as he doesn't have nut allergies, of course. It does have cane sugar, but I think it is organic and does not have high frcts corn syprup. THere are many gluton free cookies in health food stores you can try and many are sweetened with date paste, i *think.* You just have to try and try and try before finding what you can both agree on, since so many of the natural flavors can be a bit odd to those of us who are used to the processed stuff in our society (guilty as charged).

Don't forget that most health food stores will also have cold-pressed children's vitamins which are packed full of natural sources for the vitamins and minerals their little bodies need, and, since they are cold pressed, the enzymes his body will need to actually USE these nutrients will still be intact.

My kids are climbing all over each other so i hope this made at least SOME sense!

One suggestion is if the ingredient list is long don't even bother reading it, it probably is full of toxic chemicals. THis will save you alot of time in the grocery aisles. I have other nutrtional ideas to help. IF you would like additional information just email me at ____@____.com.

The BEST website ever imo is laptoplunches.com. You can go there to look and they also have a free weekly newsletter. I really like all the ideas they give and they have lists you can create your own menu ideas or they have actual menus too. Everything is healthy as well. Just avoid any foods with High fructose corn syrup (depite the appealing commercials, this stuff is bad news!) and anything with the word hydrogenated in it (hydrogenated oils/partially-hydrogenated, etc.). Once you take out those food groups (which is a TON if you're used to eating conventional foods) you will notice how much more quality food you will be eating. When we made the HUGE switch, those two foods were the first ones we eliminated and trust me it's a HUGE switch. Once you can eliminate those, you will notice most foods without those two ingredients don't have the others you mentioned as well, but then move on to the others. That's how we went to a MUCH more organic and healthy diet. Good luck - I know it's hard!! Luckily it's the only diet my son knows so he's a very healthy eater. A book that might help you with your son is The Sneaky Chef. I bought this book and it's got some very kid-friendly meals but healthier versions.

Hi E,
Sounds like a great idea we try to eat fairly healthy around here to it's harder with teeangers. I just wanted to give one suggestion: Try Almond milk it is wonderful I know the goats milk is hard to get used to but the almond is great. I use the unsweeetened vanilla in my cereal because dairy aggrivates my stomach. Give it a try! Good luck.

C.

My children are 5 and 7 and we have always worked hard to give good, healthy snacks. If you are looking for packaged snacks (like snack and granola bars), I would recommend Kashi brand. I really like their cereals, too. They use honey instead of processed sugars and always whole grains. I would also "train" your child to eat whole wheat/whole grain breads now. My kids never have white bread and they don't know the difference! Finally, I also tend to lean towards the organic snacks at Whole Foods. They usually have less sugar or use honey. And, last but not least, we eat a lot of fruit, vegges and dried fruit (just plain fruit - no sugar added). We have recently started eating the dried pineapple and apples. They love em.

Good luck!

I also highly recommend the Weston A Price Foundation's website...and read Sally Fallon's book--Nourishing Traditions (also a cookbook). It was an eye opener and I learned so much!

I think it's great you're searching now! The trick I heard recently and love is...shop along the outside of the store, not the isles. True...on the outside is the deli and produce. :) Some ideas from a nutrition article I have in my kitchen:
fruit, veggies, whole grain granola bars (kashi has some great stuff), hummus/pita bread, cottage cheese, nuts (almonds/walnuts), peanut butter, dried fruit (watch sugar or make your own), cheese (block from deli has less "junk" in it), eggs (free range), tuna, turkey jerky.

Use ground turkey instead of beef, look for the whole grain symbol on packaging to guarantee it's really whole grain. Someone we started - buy a new fruit each week for everyone to try...good luck!!

You are pretty safe with Whole Foods--they have a list on their website with over 40 banned ingredients aka the 'icky stuff'. This is why I shop there--I don't need to think as much.

I would make sure your son gets a solid protein with each meal--beans, nuts, turkey, etc. We do lots of hummus and peanut butter here.

There is a great book--Food and Mood--(I think that is the title) that may help you. Remember a strong will is normal in many kids. You may want to look into a physical outlet for the aggression like karate, swimming, etc.

We tried to take most sugar and stuff out of my son's diet a few years ago. And yes that's hard. If your son does not like goats mike try almond milk or rice milk. Both of my son's are allergic to raw milk products if they drink milk now it is almond or rice sometimes soy. You can also find ice cream with those in it. Good luck!

Hello
My son is allergic to everything which keeps all the icky stuff out of his diet. He loves almond milk and I mix it with hemp milk because it has omega 3,6, and 9. Goats milk has a a bit of a kick so I mix it in instead of giving it by itself. I buy a lot of my sons snack at Sunflower Shop (one in fort worth and one off Glad) they have lots of choices. Nathan loves any thing made from Pirate Booty and is made from all natural ingredients. You can also find these products at Central Market. Amy's makes organic frozen dinners that are very tasty. If I can help out any more let me know, there are a lot of great alternitives the tricky part is finding things your son will like. Good Luck!

I agree with most of the suggestions here, but wanted to add one about snacks. Whole Foods has rice crackers that everyone in my house loves. We usually get the wasabi flavor here, but they have other flavors that are less spicy. They are crispier than regular crackers, and don't taste like "health food". I know it's an easy substitute for me to give my two year old. WalMart and Target may carry these, too, or mainstream grocery stores. I would also say feel free to ask anyone at Whole Foods for help. They are pretty customer friendly, and would love to help out.

I like shopping at Market Street. Every aisle is labeled very good so you can see gluten free wheat free products very quickly. We are a family of 5. I try to stick to organic snacks and sometimes gluten free for my hyper child. I also like to shop at Kroger because the healthy snacks are separated for fast shopping. I think what you are doing is great.

My kids love the frozen foods from Morning Star, the veggie nuggets. They think they are eating real chicken nuggets.

Don't overwhelm yourself. Gradually change your son's diet and you will see results I bet. I did this with our family several years ago because my son was speech delayed and very hyper. I started all organic meats, cheese and milk products as the number one thing to change.

If you start slow then you will not be very overwhelmed as a Mom, and wife. Gradually introduce things and take away so the whole family does not revolt against you. Organic cereal is not a big hit with our kids so I choose my battles and thank God for every healthy food they will eat from Mom and Dad's table.

The Dr. Sears Family Nutrition Book is really a great source of information about what you should and shouldn't have.

A couple of other ideas: sprouts and Market Street sell goats milk cheese in blocks similar to cheddar with a mild flavor. My kids will eat them with the Glutino (gluten free) crackers. We do alot of fruit. You can buy organic apples in bulk at Costco. My kids also like the sugar snap peas. I find that if I have a selection of celery, carrots, sugar snap peas out on the counter with some hummus or ranch dressing my kids (who are grade school aged) will snack on that instead of foraging through the pantry. A good friend of mine started her kids early on small strips of red peppers and they love it. So far that's a no go with my kids.

For a beverage treat, try keifer. It does have sugar, but it also has alot of beneficial enzymes, so I will let my kids have it once in a while.

Good luck.

Triscuit crackers are great. The only ingredients are whole wheat and soybean oil. Put on some all natural peanut butter and a slice of apple.

Also, "Annie's Homegrown Whole Wheat Bunnies" crackers- 85% organic - all natural ingredients.

Hummus & Advocado are also great for dipping or spreading on these crackers!

Look for the whole wheat or whole grain soft tortillas to make wraps ... WF has organic ones and Albertson's and other chains have Tia Rosa and/or Mission brand. Check sodium (salt) content ... some are high and that is not necessary. Look for Hormel Natural Choice sliced deli meats. They are with the other pre-packed lunch meats in the cooler along with the bologna and sliced cheese. They come in a brown and red cardboard box, 8 oz pack, and are roasted turkey, smoked turkey, and ham. They have no preswervatives and, while not labeled organic, say No Nitrates or Nitrites, Artificial Ingredients, Minimally Processed, No MSG, No Hormones and Gluten Free. I buy them at Albertson's and Brookshire's ... cost a little more but worth it. Sam's Club has a surprising amount of good, healthy stuff available now as well. A recent visit netted a Dole 5 pound bag of frozen mango chunks ... yummy stuff to add to salads, breakfast cereal etc. And don't ignore the old standby pb&j ... pb comes organic now and so does the j! Look for the just fruit jams and jellies that are sweetened with grape juice!

Good for you !!! We have eaten this way for years ... hubby has Type II diabetes. The grandchildren are just fine with meals here and most are healthy. Candy bars here are Kashi trail mix bars! Blessings from Grandma GiGi

Hi, E L,
The best place to shop for kids is in the produce department. Carrot sticks, apples (organic), bananas. Using peanut butter or yogurt for dipping is very entertaining while healthy. Letting him pick out his special fruit or vegetables gives his strong will a say and gives you ammunition when he doesn't want to eat since he picked it out in the first place.
Have him plant a few easy things in the yard this spring to give him more ownership of the vegetables. This all worked for my kids and grandkids.

3 year olds are their best when allowed to make choices for themselves. They really start to feel self assured when discovering new things. Open the world of nature, art, and sharing to him and you will have a well fed and well balanced son.

If you are still concerned about nutrition, Shaklee has great kids chewables with no added color, fillers, or sugar. http://www.shaklee.net/health_revolution/product/20007

Protein Shakes are another great way to get nutrition in without a lot of effort. Good Luck and enjoy this time with your little guy. S.

Great suggestions. I also recommend just taking time to read labels and search for the best options for your family. We split our food shopping betweem Target and WF, getting about 85% organic everything. Just beware that everything organic is not healthy. It seems like you have some great guidelines for yourself, not just start searching for new products, reading labels, and enjoy trying new foods.

I also think that Whole Foods has a tour that they provide free of charge. Call them and check it out.

Greta job! :)

Hi EL,
Before responding, I read the thread Maggie wrote. She addressed every issue and then some...
Kudos to you for paying attention to all this stuff. I do much of what she does as well. In the end, I truly think efforts such as these will produce a better quality of life....and I applaud you in your efforts to do so for your family as well...
All the best,
K.

Hello,
My daughter had the same problem with the refined sugars and I started by changing the snacks and morning meal etc. Oatmeal with blueberries, her favorite. Dried fruit she picked out. I also carried nuts with me when she needed a quick pick me up the proteins are soooo important. She also had a lot of problems with her sinus and ears I found that she needed a balanced system to be calm and able to focus as well as alleviate the ear problems and allergy symptoms. Stay away from the drugs they just take away their personality, it is heart breaking. Strong willed is hard for us but is workable and is so much who they are. Tough love mom get him on a children's vitamin this will help be sure they are more balanced. My daughter loves the meal shake and it has so much for her. I use Shaklee products because I can trust all their products are the best and this is also why I am now a distributor for this company. It has changed my life with my little girl. Hang in there it is a wild ride but so much fun and so worth it. Check out my link www.shaklee.net/getcleanlivegreen/product/20321. You will love this company!
Enjoy J

Whole foods has a list of all of the dairy free items they carry, ask for it at customer service.

Good luck with your endevor! We did the same thing about a year ago. I was very overwhelmed at first, but I recommend you start slowly. I cut one thing at a time. I started with HFCS. It's in everything so my husband and I read labels on everything. We finally found a whole grain bread without it. That became our bread brand and slowly we got to know our new brands and it became second nature. Then we tackled partially hydrogenated oils. It took a little time, but we worked our way up so as to not go totally crazy and give up! There are many healthy options at Walmart and Target. You just have to look. These chains are finally catering to the healthier eaters of the world!

Great question and one I struggle with myself. You've gotten some great suggestions! The challenge in my house is, which ones of them will my picker eater eat? Try to keep in mind that fresh is best...even the better processed foods are still processed. Also, avoid the genetically-modified soy products.

We found a product that puts real fruits and veggies (15 of them plus 2 whole grains) into gummy treats for kids and capsules for adults. What an EASY way to ensure we get all the whole food nutrition we need each day without a battle! I love it so much, I decided to market it so I could make it available to other moms like me.

Let me know if you'd like more info and good luck! You're a good mom and more enlightened than most to be concerned about this topic BEFORE it actually manifests into a medical condition.

M.
"My son eats all his veggies now. Even the green ones!"
Visit my Mamasource profile to find out how we did it