1. Spirulina: While the thought of eating lake algae might gross you out, spirulina is actually pretty tasty, especially blended into a smoothie or hidden in a chocolate bar. It has more antioxidants than any other food on earth and is loaded with protein and minerals making it the most nutrient dense food.

2. Kale: According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, kale is the most nutritious food, loaded with minerals, vitamins, fiber and amino acids, as well as important antioxidants that reduce inflammation and can prevent cancer. It’s also delicious and an easy to prepare, versatile food.

3. Hemp Seeds: What do you get when you combine protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals? Hemp, of course. This easily digestible seed is versatile, easy to use and extremely tasty, too.

4. Chocolate: Yes, you read right. Cacao beans are so nutrient-dense that scientists haven’t even begun to identify all the benefits in the little bean yet. Don’t grab a Snickers though—the good stuff is found only in raw cacao beans or nibs (or really, really dark chocolate). Minerals, vitamins and tons of antioxidants are great for your heart, skin, and release chemicals in the brain that make you feel like you’re in love.

5. Broccoli: Mom was right, you should eat your broccoli if you want a healthy digestive system and to decrease your risk of cancer. Broccoli has a wide range of yumminess too, from soups and stews to stir fry.

6. Spinach: Popeye was onto something with that spinach fixation. But skip the canned stuff and stick with fresh or frozen for an antioxidant, protein and fiber-rich burst of healthy goodness. Fresh or cooked, spinach’s sweet and hardy flavor brightens any meal.

7. Chia: The Aztec warriors may have died out, but their legacy is alive and strong in the chia seed. This yummy, unassuming ancient favorite is loaded with omega fats, protein and fiber. Dr. Weil says it’s a better choice than flax because “chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid.”

8. Berries: Unlike other fruit, berries tend to be less sugary and full of vital vitamins, minerals and those free-radical avenging antioxidants. Wild berries are always a great choice, especially black raspberries.

Add all ingredients excluding the flour, whisk for a few minutes, then add the flour, you can either add more flour if you want it thicker or more milk if you want it lighter.. I use a measuring tablespoon to scoop mixture into the pan for this shape/size..  For that extra oh ah drizzle some grade B maple syrup.. Wholesome healthy has never been this convenient or tasted this good…

Yummy eating… my boys  daddy included can’t get enough of this easy breakfast meal..

Scientists in the United Kingdom found three year-old children were “more likely to lack concentration, lose their temper, interrupt others, and struggle to get to sleep” when they drank juice containing food colorings and preservatives, according to the Daily Mail.

The UK Food Commission, a “food watchdog,” responded to the study by announcing that it supports a ban on food additives and artificial colorings in children’s food and drink.
But in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency responsible for food safety, has taken very limited action on food additives, including dyes, such as Red 40 and Yellow 5, which are suspected to trigger hyperactivity in children.

Since it’s perfectly legal in the US to add chemicals that may cause behavior problems for children, it’s up to parents to be on the lookout for risky food additives. Pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene developed a list of five additives you should avoid:

1. Artificial Colors – anything that begins with FD&C (e.g. FD&C Blue #1)

2. Chemical Preservatives – Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Benzoate

3. Artificial Sweeteners – Aspartame, Acesulfame-K, Saccharin
4. Added Sugar – High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Corn Syrup, Dextrose, etc
.
5. Added Salt – Look at the sodium content and choose foods with the lowest amounts.  you can refer to this Healthy Child checklist to guide you in limiting your child’s intake of food additives:

Identify what your child eats. Keep a food diary for a week, noting everything that is eaten – including at school. At the end of the week, you should have a good idea of your child’s exposure to food additives. Food additives are largely present in processed and packaged foods, candy, soda and other “junk” food, so if you limit those foods, you’ll cut down considerably.

Opt for whole and organic foods. Eating a balanced diet of fresh produce and whole grain foods will go a long way towards keeping additives out of your child’s system. Organic packaged foods have little or no added synthetic colors or preservatives.

Chose products that are labeled “preservative-free.” Be wary of labels that claim “no added preservatives.” These products may nevertheless contain ingredients that were already preserved prior to inclusion in the final product. For example, almost all lard, used in baked goods, is treated with BHA or BHT.

Read labels! Particularly keep an eye out for the following. Some of these cause allergy-like symptoms or are suspected carcinogens.

• Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT).
• Propyl Gallate
• Sodium Nitrate/Nitrate
• Sulfites (Sulfur Dioxide, Sodium Sulfite, Sodium And Potassium Bisulfite, Sodium and Potassium Metabisulfite)
• Potassium Bromate
• FD&C Blue No. 1
• FD&C Blue No. 2
• FD&C Green No. 3
• FD&C Red No. 3 (Erythrosine)
• FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine)
• FD&C Yellow No. 6
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• Acesulfame-K

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has an extensive analysis of food additives, including those to avoid and others that are safe

by Margie Kelly, Communications Manager, Healthy Child Healthy World

▪ Banana slices
▪ Avocado slices
▪ Steam broccoli floret
▪ Cooked peas
▪ Peeled peach chunks
▪ Shredded cooked chicken
▪ Cooked lentils
▪ cut up cooked pasta
▪ cooked carrots slices
▪ small tofu cubes
▪ Soft chapatti or tortilla pieces
▪ Cheese slices
▪ small bites of low mercury fish (Haddock, Tilapia, Flounder, salmon)
▪ steam cauliflower

As a mother with a son who eat everything including raw okra I know babies who starts of eating right grows up with a love for everything wholesome. It is all about training, we can train our kids from the start to love real food or train them to love process food, at the end of the day it is all about training.  Despite popular believes there are kids like our son who eats their vegetables raw or cooked everyday, enjoy brown rice and eat nutrient dense bread that is made with real grains and are dark as it can be. It is never to late to start, the key is to start doing things differently if you need a different result.. Yummy feeding..

• Artificial colorings
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• High sodium (we should not consume more than 2 grams/2000mg of sodium per day)
• High-sugars/refined sugars
• Saturated fats
• Sodium nitrate
• Trans fats/hydrogenated vegetable oils
• Enriched and bleached flour (be careful because it may say “whole grain” or “wheat” on the package… it’s not necessarily 100% wheat flour)
• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
• Foods with 10 ingredients or more. Wholesome foods tend to have very few ingredients because they only contain ingredients that are essential to making that product.  For example, organic peanut butter should contain peanuts many list a lot of other unnecessary ingredients that serve as stabilizers, sweeteners and preservatives so the food can outlive our kids’ childhood. Bread should contain about 5 or 6 ingredients, HFCS (High fructose corn syrup) should not be one of them.

Choose kiwi that is plump to the touch, avoid bruised, shriveled looking once (same with all fruits and vegetables), allow to ripe on the pantry, wash to take the fuzzy skin of (adults can eat the entire fruit with the skin), cut into two halves, using a teaspoon scoop out the center that has the little black seeds, you want to be able to scoop out the juicy green part and mush it up for your baby, you can pas it though a ricer or blender if your baby is younger and needs a more creamier texture.

With easy meals like this you can add variety to what you are feeding your precious child with very little effort from you.. You should set a goal for your child to have eaten at the very least 70 different types of food by the time they are one years old. I topped 100 with our son and today there is nothing he won’t eat including raw okra. There is more to baby food that peas, carrot , squash, apples……

Help your baby FALL in love with real fresh food, it gives them a better experience with food. Childhood obesity and diabetes is a reality with very serious consequences, we can’t start our babies off on overly process foods and white rice cereal since it help sets the stage for a love for overly process junk foods…

www.yummyspoonfuls.com  

Here is a fantastic carrot & squash soup to make for your baby… started making this soup for our son when he was 9 months old. Love the versatility of this almost made from scratch soup… in the summer when unusually hot we serve it very chilled to our son outside… so if you are one of the few experiencing some heat you can also make this for your baby today… This will be a welcome change for your baby from the everyday room temperature food…

Puree organic carrot  (www.yummyspoonfuls.com)

Puree organic butternut squash (you can make yours or buy fresh

Organic vegetable broth (preferable homemade)

Good quality cold press organic olive oil or coconut oil

Add broth to carrot/squash mixture—you are looking for a thin consistency—add oil, heat it up… serve warm.. Watch your baby smile when you spoon this light, warm, refreshing delicate soup into their mouth… You can make a bowl for yourself, add a dash of cayenne pepper and enjoy with a slice of bread.. Happy Sunday

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 There really is no reason why cooked peas for adults should taste any different than cooked peas for babies- It is such a shame that even with what we know today companies are still getting away with two year old shelf stable overly process and pasteurize baby food that taste and smell so awful- The degree to which feeding babies food older than they are annoys me cannot be articulated.

Our precious babies deserves the very best, their delicate  bodies  are in a state of growth and development, they need a constant supply of highly nutritional building blocks not only free of chemicals but equally high in protein, essential fats, complex carbohydrates, and a full complement of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to fuel their tiny bodies- Given our hectic life style it is understandable that we all can’t grow our own grain, mill our flour and churn our own butter but we have a choice of buying freshly prepared food instead of the overly refined counterpart that have been robbed of their original nutrients.

Making your own baby food is always the best choice but again if you can’t due to time constraint you can still help your baby have a better experience with his food. NOBODY would happily eat 2 year old cooked food, not even your baby.

Below is the before (my lunch) and after (baby food)  pictures.

 I love providing the very best to my precious family. I know for a fact that the food we eat directly affects our health, attitude and overall wellbeing, this fact is what really drives my food choices, I am responsible for not only my health but that of my family especially my son who is now 6 years old.

Organic brown rice and beans is such an excellent choice of complete protein without the load of fat and cholesterol that comes with most meats. This fantastic meal is packed full of soluble fibers, carbohydrates, vitamin B, calcium, iron and a host of other essential minerals.

For an extra punch and to change texture I add organic wholegrain quinoa into the brown rice, talk about protein harmony – there is goodness in real food – you sure can eat your way to a healthy you.

Here is my son enjoying his lunch, you can truly see the content on his face, my son flourishes well on mostly plant foods. His little body is nourished with only the very best of foods. I do not take lightly the job of feeding my family and keeping them healthy. Our health is our wealth and I plan on keeping us wealthy with the grace of God.

Ingredients for bean stew: Adzuki beans, tomatoes, onion, leaks, ginger, garlic, sea salt and olive oil (we use all organic. You can buy local if you know your farmer)
Ingredients for the brown rice, organic basmati brown rice, organic quinoa, water and coconut oil.

Have a wonderful week y’all and remember there is goodness in wholesome foods.