When to start your baby on solid food?
Somewhere between the fourth and sixth month, you should start weaning your baby onto solid foods. Generally babies will start paying attention to food and they will stop pushing their tongue out when a spoon or bit of food is placed in their mouth. Young babies have this reflex from birth but should start to disappear around four months indicating that they are ready for solids.

Start with easy to digest foods.
Babies digestive systems are still developing and not fully able to digest all foods. It takes at least sixteen months for the carbohydrate enzymes to be fully development. Therefore foods like grains, cereals and breads can be very challenging for their little systems to digest. These should be one of the last foods to be introduced and taken slowly to ensure they are able to digest them. Start with pureed fruits and vegetables mixed with some breastmilk or formula.

Take it slowly.
As you start introducing foods to your baby you should go slowly and be observant of any reactions. Introduce one food at a time in small quantities. Stay with the one food for at least 4 days. Look out for signs of a reaction such as redness around the mouth, abdominal bloating, gas and distention, irritability, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea. If no reaction occurs move onto another food.

By 8months your baby should be able to grasp food and you can try them on textured pieces of vegetables and fruit, finely chopped meat, fish and mashed legumes and eggs.

Foods to avoid
Sweets, chocolate and overly processed foods provide no nutrients to support growth and are unnecessary in a young child’s diet. Honey and corn syrup should never be fed to infants because of the risk of botulism. To prevent choking do not give infants or young children, raw carrots, cherries, gum, candies, marshmallows, nuts, popcorn, raw celery, whole beans or whole grapes.

Contact Louise at info@beans.ie to book an appointment for assistance with weaning your baby or help overcoming issues during weaning such as digestive issues or allergies.

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10% of the population in Ireland suffer from Asthma and is most common in children under the age of 10. The symptoms are generally ; wheezing when breathing out, rapid, shallow breathing that is easier when sitting up, coughing especially at night. This can be quite scary for both the parent and the child.

What happens during an ‘Asthma Attack’?
Asthma is generally triggered by the body’s immune system reacting to some external stimuli. This could be dust, animal dander, certain foods or chemicals, mold, In response to these stimuli the muscles around the airway contract, airways swell and fill up with mucus, making breathing very difficult. It’s a over reaction, protective mechanism of the immune system in the body.

I had asthma for years until I discovered how to remove the triggered, reduce down my body’s over reaction and strengthen my immune system. Before I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without my inhaler. I would always need to take it if staying in someone else’s house or hotel rooms due to carpets in the bedrooms. Now, due to Nutritional Therapy, I haven’t needed to take my inhaler in years.
Contact me today on 0857793387 or follow a link below to book an appointment.

http://thenaturalclinic.ie/appointment/

BEANS does not recommend that you take your child off their prescription medication such as inhalers without speaking with their doctor.

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The Gut and the Brain are now known to be very much connected. The Autonomic nervous system (ANS) connects the gut and the brain. There are two branches to the ANS, the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. The parasympathetic nervous system controls rest and digest and the sympathetic nervous system is our fight or flight response. If your child is stressed, upset or anxious during meal times this will switch on the sympathetic nervous system hence turning off digestion. This switches off your child’s appetite. Think of the last time you were nervous or upset. Where you able to eat?

The same thing can happen to your child if meal times are causing stress or anxiety in your child.

Tips to reduce mealtime stress:

• Put all the food on the table and get everyone to sit down together. Take 5 minutes before you eat for everyone to relax and get everyone to say two good things that happened them that day.
• Allow everyone to serve themselves the food they want. Encourage everyone to choose at least 3 colours to make a rainbow with their food (don’t force them to eat it). Make it fun but not pushy.
• Encourage everyone to sit at the table and chat about the fun things they will do later until everyone is ready to leave.
• Don’t focus in on the child who’s not eating. Allow them to choose when to eat. If they don’t eat or eat very little. Do not make an issue of it.
• Reduce snacks before meal times if you find your child is not eating.
• It’s important that all phones, tv’s, ipads and computers are turned off during meal times.
• Have relaxing music play in the background.

Be patient and don’t rush or force your child to eat more foods. If you need help with picky eaters contact me for more information on how the BEANS program can help.

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Lunch in a bread

250g ground almonds.

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

5 eggs

1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

125g grated courgette

50g finely diced chicken

50g finely grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds.

1. Preheat oven to 160 and line and bread tin with baking paper.
2. Mix ground almonds, salt and bicarbonate of soda.
3. In separate bowl whisk the eggs lightly with the apple cider vinegar
4. Add the parsley, courgette, ham and cheese into the egg mixture and mix well and add to dry mixture.
5. Mix well and pour into bread tin.
6. Bake for 30-35 mins, remove from oven and allow cool.

Note: play around with the ingredients to whatever you or your child like.

*adapted from Sarah Wilson ‘I quit sugar’.

The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread

135g sunflower seeds

90g flax seeds

65g almonds

145g rolled oats

2tbsp chia seeds

3tbsp psyllium husk powder

1tsp fine grain sea salt

Pinch of coconut sugar or stevia

3tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee

1. Line a bread tin with parchment paper
2. Combine all dry ingredients.
3. Whisk coconut sugar, oil and water together in a measuring cup and add to dry ingredients.
4. Mix well. If it’s too thick mix in some more water. Pour into tin and smooth out the top.
5. Let sit for 2 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 175
7. Place tin in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove bread from bread pan and place upside down on rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.
9. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Slice before freezing

*recipe from My New Roots www.mynewroots.org.

Banana Bread

3 medium or 2 large very ripe bananas

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

30g unsalted butter or coconut oil

1tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tbsp lemon juice

220g ground almonds

25g ground flaxseed

1. Melt butter in a spacepan and allow to cool slightly
2. In a mixing bowl mash the bananas to a pulp with a fork. Add butter, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs and bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. Mix well.
3. Add ground almonds, ground flaxseed and a tbsp. of whole flaxseed and mix well
4. Line your bread pan and pour the batter into the tin and bake at 170 for about 30 minutes.

*recipe from Hemsley and Hemsley

Super quick flapjacks

2 bananas

150g gluten free porridge

150ml of almond or coconut milk

Handful of sunflower seeds

1. Place all ingredients in food processer or mix in a bowl
2. Spread out on baking paper and cook in an oven at 180 for 20 minutes.
3. Allow to cool , cut into slices and store.

Simple sandwich bread

1 ½ cup of gluten free flour.

1 cup ground flaxseed

4 whole eggs

4 egg whites

4 tbsp melted coconut oil

1 ½ tsp sea salt

4 tsp baking powder

1. Mix all dry ingredients together
2. In a separate bowl mix eggs and oil together
3. Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and mix well
4. Line a bread tin with baking paper or oil it well.
5. Cook at 180 for 30-35 minutes

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With cold and flu season starting it is important that you boost your child’s immune system so as they can fight off infection and virus’s that they may come in contact with.

1. Probiotics

Antibiotics work by killing all bacteria in the body including good bacteria. When our good bacteria are low we are more susceptible to picking up infections. Probiotics can be purchased in every health shop and should be given to your child after every course of antibiotics. Foods that are rich in probiotics include kefir, Kampuchea and sauerkraut.

2. Vitamin A

Powerful antiviral that strengthens the mucous membranes as the first line of defence. Sources include butternut squash, melon, pumpkin seeds, carrots, sweet potato, green leafy veg.

3. Vitamin C

Powerful antioxidant which is both antibacterial and antiviral. Sources include citrus fruits, kiwi, peppers, potato, blackcurrants, broccoli, brussels sprouts, mangoes.

4. Zinc

Boosts immunity and protects the body. Sources include beef, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole grains.

5. Vitamin D

Boosts immunity by regulating anti bacterial peptides in the body. Main source is sunlight but you can also get vitamin D from egg yolks and wild salmon. Vitamin D spray supplements may be needed in the winter months.

Immune boosting Bars

2 eggs

250g gluten free porridge

150ml of almond or coconut milk

Handful of sunflower seeds

Handful of pumpkin seeds.

Handful of berries

1. Place all ingredients in food processer or mix in a bowl
2. Spread out on baking paper and cook in an oven at 180 for 20 minutes.
3. Allow to cool , cut into slices and store.

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Active children require adequate energy intake for growth and maturation, as well as physical activity. Growth should be regularly monitored and energy intake adjusted to meet individual needs.

Young athletes who do not consume enough energy through food, are at risk of delayed maturation, attenuated growth and poor sports performance. Catch-up growth may occur of training intensity is reduced and energy intake increased.

Energy Requirements for Young Athletes.

Factors that influence nutritional needs include;

• Increase in growth
• Progression towards a mature biological state.
• Changes in physical activity levels.

About 80-90% of peak bone mass occurs during puberty. Therefore, children need to receive the proper nutrition during this time to ensure healthy bone growth and prevent injuries. There is evidence that children use more energy during exercise than adults therefore, tables of adult-estimated energy expenditures for specific sports are likely to underestimate the needs of children.

Practical Nutritional Guidelines for Young Athletes.

1. Young athletes need to be consuming 3 nutritious meals a day with healthy snacks in between.
2. Consume nutritional snacks for additional energy between meals e.g. bakes beans, nut butters on oat cakes, yoghurt and fruit, nuts and dried fruit, boiled egg, hummus on toast.
3. Include calcium rich foods for optimal bone density e.g. smoothies, milk, cheese, yoghurt, green leafy veg, sesame seeds.
4. Include Oily fish in the diet for Vitamin D and Omega 3 benefits.
5. Encourage intake of Iron-rich foods such as red meat or fortified vegetarian foods and green leafy veg.
6. Discourage the use of performance enhancing drugs or too much supplementation.
7. Encourage the consumption of water and discourage the use of high caffeine, high sugar sports drinks.
8. Encourage children and adolescents to be responsible for their own foods choices through education and modelling appropriate eating behaviours.

Post activity Snacks.

Ensure that you’re child consumes some protein source after exercise to help aid recovery and build muscle, as well as drinking plenty of water.

Some snack ideas for post workout are;

• Chocolate Milk.
• Greek yoghurt with berries.
• Chicken pieces or salmon in a small pitta bread or small wrap.
• Nuts and fruit
• Nut butter on rice cakes.
• Boiled egg.
• Hummus or cheese on oat cakes.
• Half a Trek or Quest Protein bar or a Raw Nakd bar.
• Garbanzo Dry Roasted Chickpeas (found in Holland and barrett)
• Some pumpkin seeds and dried fruit.
• Mini Bean and Cheese Quesadilla – this may take extra time but you can make a few and will keep for a few days in the fridge. Fold ½ cup black beans, 1 tablespoon salsa and 1 slice of chedder cheese into a small wrap. Cook on a non stick pan until the cheese melts. Cut it in two and wrap each in foil. Have one that day and one tomorrow if training two days in a row.
• Protein pancakes – again this can be made and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Mix 4 egg whites, ½ cup of oats, 1/8 tsp of baking powder and ½ tsp vanilla essence. Cook on preheated pan until mixture bubbles, flip and cook for another 60 seconds. Cut into quarters and once cooled store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Pre-exercise hydration
For an individual undertaking regular exercise, any fluid deficit that is incurred during one exercise session can potentially compromise the next exercise session if adequate fluid replacement does not occur. Therefore fluid replacement after exercise can sometimes be seen as prehydration for the next day’s exercise session. However, in addition to this you must look at adequately hydrating your body a few hours before you exercise as well.
Currently the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests that the individual should consume 5-7ml per kg of body weight, slowly, at least 4 hours before exercise. If the person does not feel adequately hydrated they should slowly drink 3-5 ml/kg more about 2 hours before exercise. The ACSM also suggests consuming foods with a small about of sodium (salt), a few hours before exercise will help to retain some fluids needed for proper hydration during exercise.
Post –exercise rehydration
As sodium is the major electrolyte lost in sweat it is vital to replace this. Water alone is sometimes not adequate enough in rehydrating a person after exercise. It is not logical to think that the salty water we lose as sweat would be best replaced in the body by plain water. The addition of sodium to a rehydration beverage is therefore justified on the basis that sodium is lost in sweat and must be replaced. However the right sodium needs to be consumed. Himayalan Rock salt contains the right balance of sodium and other electrolytes as compared to normal table salt. Adding a pitch of this to your water and consuming after exercise will help you to replace the sodium lost in sweat.

What’s most important is that you stay hydrated throughout the day even when you are not exercising. You should consume water slowly over the course of the day until your urine is a very light yellow. You don’t want it to be completely clear as you don’t want to be flushing out vital minerals needed in your body. There are plenty of online calculators to help you calculate the amount of water you or your child should consume depending on weight, activity level and climate.

*adapted from ‘Sport and Exercise Nutrition’, by S. A Lanham-New et al

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