Balance Your Plate During National Nutrition Month
Happy National Nutrition Month!
This month, we are spotlighting some bite-size tips from Registered Dieticians (RDs) surrounding family nutrition and baby-led weaning. Do you have burning questions surrounding family nutrition? Submit your questions here by March 15th!
To kick things off, since we know a lot of you are parents (like us!) we turned to Ayelet Goldhaber, Pediatric Registered dietitian, nutritionist and mom to share some helpful advice to help take the stress out of mealtimes.
Aim for three foods. When you aim for three foods, hopefully at least two will be a hit. Try to incorporate a protein (lean turkey, chicken, fish), a complex carbohydrate (whole wheat bread or sweet potatoes), vegetable or fruit (Yup, fruit can be part of a meal!).
Leverage those leftovers! Once you have cooked a protein, Goldhaber suggests repurposing it for a couple days to make meal prep easier. For example, turs one night’s baked salmon into fish tacos tonight. "The best meals are the simplest," she stresses. "There is no need for fancy foot work!"
Have go-to snacks on-hand. Snacks are essential. And bonus points if that snack has nutritional value. What makes Puffworks puffs stand out for me is the simplicity. Only a few organic ingredients without added sugar (or low amounts of added sugar) and the puffs do not contain funky looking chemicals we can’t pronounce," shares Goldhaber. "Plus, keeping an allergen in the diet at an early age, along with a protein boost, adds extra value."
"Embrace the mess! It will be messy!" shares Goldhaber. "Prepare yourself for the mess and let it happen. Messy eating is not only normal for babies (and let's face it, kids!), but actually helps with developing fine motor skills and connecting the eating and tasting experience."
Goldhaber also encourages parents to feed babies the same foods as others in the household to alleviate stress around mealtime. "You can easily adjust textures with purees or cooking longer/shorter for baby. No need to whip out any special chef skills - your baby will appreciate even the simplest foods, and it's even more exciting when they see you eating them too!"
Don't forget to submit your top questions surrounding nutrition here by March 15th! We will be working Ayelet to address your top questions so you can have a little more peace of mind when it comes to balancing what's on your plate (pun intended!).