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Categories Children Diet

WEANING YOUR BABY

Categories Children Diet Author kanupriya123 Posted on

WEANING YOUR BABY

Dear parents, It’s time to introduce your little one to solid foods! This will be an important milestone as it can be difficult to know how to start, especially when you are new to it.

What is weaning?

Weaning is the stage in an infant’s diet when the mother gradually introduces foods other than breast milk or formula.

When is the right time to start Weaning?

It is recommended that you begin introducing solid foods to your baby when he or she is 6 months old. Some kids may be ready as young as four months.

Signs that it’s time to start weaning

  • Your child can hold their head up.
  • With the assistance of their high chair, your baby can sit up comfortably.
  • nursing in shorter sessions than before
  • being easily distracted while nursing “playing” at the breast, such as constantly pulling on and off or biting
  • nursing for solace (sucking at the breast but not drawing out the milk)

How to start baby weaning

When you first start preparing food for your baby, make sure that it is soft and smooth in texture, as they won’t be able to chew anything truly solid for the first few weeks. Some good first foods are:

  • over cooked rice mixed with breast milk or formula
  • over boiled lentils that have been puréed to resemble a thick paste
  • mashed or puréed fruits like bananas, pears, apples.
  • Vegetable purees such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, avocado, or pumpkin. Boil the vegetable and then mash or purée it.

 

Because these foods have a soft texture, you can spoon-feed them to your baby as they learn how to swallow solid food. Experiment with different options to see if your baby has a favourite. This is a fun time for experimenting, so don’t be discouraged if your baby spits out whatever you prepare for them. They’re constantly learning, and if you give it to them again on a different day, they might realise they like it.

What to feed your little champ!

When your baby has mastered purees, you can begin to introduce texture and lumps to their diet.

Add new foods one at a time, wait a few days between each new food, and watch for food allergies every time you start something new. Your baby will be able to eat the following foods by the age of 6 months:

  • eggs (eggs should not be eaten raw or lightly cooked)
  • foods like rice and split dals
  • fruits like ripe banana, puréed apple and pear, mango
  • Vegetables like carrots, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, bottle gourd

nuts(serve them ground)

  • seeds (serve them ground)

Takeaway

Once you and your baby gain confidence in the weaning process, you can gradually introduce new foods. Just make sure you never give your baby anything that could pose a choking hazard, such as cherry tomatoes, unless you’ve cut it into very small pieces.

You should also avoid giving honey to your baby until they are at least two years old because it increases the risk of infant botulism, which can be fatal.

Kanupriya Khanna, a Senior Consultant Nutritionist & Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in child nutrition, can provide expert advice. Kanupriya Khanna is regarded as one of the best dietitians in Delhi because of her unwavering commitment to making a difference in people’s lives by instilling good eating habits and lifestyles.

Happy Parenting!

Also Read: Everyone Loves Rewards: A Guide for Parents and Teachers

Categories Other nutrition blog

Hypothyroidism and Weight Loss

Categories Other nutrition blog Author kanupriya123 Posted on

Hypothyroidism and Weight-Loss

Hypothyroidism is an endocrine disease in which the thyroid gland produces insufficient thyroid hormone. It can produce a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, a decreased capacity to handle cold, reproductive issues, and weight gain.

Yes, even with hypothyroidism, weight loss is feasible, but it takes a suitable approach. The strategy entails a thorough examination of your hormones, including those not produced by your thyroid, as well as persistent adherence to a healthy diet.

Consider the following dietary suggestions to lose weight while treating hypothyroidism:

Foods to stay away from

  • Caffeine, processed carbs, and a sugary diet

Low amounts of inflammation in your body might be triggered by such foods, resulting in oxidative stress.

Reduced or even complete elimination of these substances may help to relieve stress on an underactive thyroid and reduce inflammation.

  • Foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and energy bars

Energy bars contain preservatives, additives, and chemicals that may disrupt the delicate neurohormonal balance that regulates homeostasis (the body’s internal environment).

  • Cutting back on gluten-containing foods, such as wheat, rye, and oats may help lower antibody levels in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (where the body creates antibodies to assault the thyroid).
  • Soy

Thyroid hormone production is known to be hampered by increased intake of soy in the form of milk, curd, or tofu. Small quantities consumed infrequently are ok.

  • Cruciferous veggies are cruciferous vegetables.

Although high in nutrients (cabbage, broccoli, kale, etc.), these foods can interfere with thyroid hormone production on some level, particularly if ingested raw or in large quantities.

You can eat these vegetables after cooking them but in small amounts. Also avoid eating them within 3-4 hours of your thyroid medication, as they can interfere with the effect of the medication.

Foods to include

  • Whole-grain-based carbohydrates and non-starchy vegetables

They provide energy and the feeling of fullness.

They do not trigger inflammation or autoimmune responses.

  • Protein-rich foods

Includes fish, legumes, eggs, quinoa, nuts.

These help build your muscle mass and combat muscle weakness brought on by hypothyroidism.

  • Healthy fat foods

Oily fish, flaxseeds, extra virgin olive oil, and avocados will help balance your lipid levels, which may run askew in the case of long-standing hypothyroidism.

  • Consume enough nutrients

Having an inadequate supply of nutrients can worsen thyroid symptoms because the immune system may be compromised.

Three nutrients (selenium, zinc, and iodine) support your thyroid function, so ensure your diet plan includes enough selenium and zinc, which can come from nuts, fruits, and whole grains.

  • Reintroduce healthy bacteria

Probiotics can help rebalance your gut microbiome.

An imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis) is often touted as a reason for metabolic imbalances, including thyroid and polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD).

To lose weight, you should also start an exercise routine.

Additionally, strict adherence to an exercise regimen as well as healthy eating habits is required. However, don’t expect to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time.

Resistance training, such as lifting weights, bars, and dumbbells, can help people with hypothyroidism. These workouts aid in the development of muscle mass, the maintenance of bone mass, and the enhancement of metabolism.

If you require expert assistance, Kanupriya Khanna, a Senior Consultant Nutritionist and Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in women’s health and nutrition can be contacted. If you need dietary guidance for the same, she is one of the best dietitians in Delhi.

Also Read: Importance of Nutrition in Autoimmune disorders

Categories Children Diet

Everyone Loves Rewards A Guide for Parents and Teachers

Categories Children Diet Author kanupriya123 Posted on

Everyone Loves Rewards: A Guide for Parents and Teachers

Everyone Loves Rewards: A Guide for Parents and Teachers: Everyone enjoys being rewarded for a job well done or a noteworthy accomplishment. What do you enjoy giving as a reward? Is it a science fair ribbon, a soccer tournament medal, or an ice cream sundae for getting a good grade on a test? We frequently utilise food or drink as a reward. Reward foods are typically high in sugar and/or fat, low in nutrients, and high in calories. While eating these is fine once in a while, doing so on a regular basis might lead to undesired weight gain. Although physical exercise burns calories, we often consume more calories than we expend. Here are a few healthier alternatives to use as non-food rewards.

Rewarding Techniques

  • Reward levels should be appropriate for the child’s age, interests, and abilities.
  • A simple grin, hug, kiss, or words of encouragement are frequently enough. Make frequent and sincere use of them. “Wow, you put a lot of effort into that project.” I’m so proud of you!”
  • The optimal time to provide a reward to a young child (under the age of 5) is when the behaviour or event occurs. Children under that age do not have the patience to wait for reinforcement.
  • A popular reward is just spending more time with mom, dad or siblings doing fun things, such as a board game, taking a walk, playing catch, reading a story, building with blocks, etc. You open the door for conversation and create lasting memories.

Reward Ideas

Children under the age of five: (Make sure the item is safe and acceptable for your child’s age.)

  • Stickers, a homemade or purchased card
  • Allow the child to choose the family movie or narrative.
  • Stuffed animals of various sizes
  • Healthy meals, nuts, and beverages, such as lemonade, are all good choices. can prepare a healthy drink out of fresh fruits for them.

Children ages 5 to 12: (Make sure the item is safe and acceptable for your child’s age.)

  • A handcrafted or store-bought card for a little more fun, throw in some confetti.
  • Gratitude or encouragement notes on mirrors, pillows, lunch bags, or the front door
  • A star with their name and accomplishment on the door or refrigerator
  • Allow your youngster to choose the family story, movie, or TV show.
  • Toys such as balls, baseball bats, table tennis rackets, etc

Teens:

  • Cards or notes
  • Magnets for lockers
  • Pencils, pens & markers
  • Pay for downloading 1 or 2 songs
  • Inexpensive jewellery

Teachers’ Reward Ideas

Find something each student may be rewarded for throughout the month or semester, such as improved grades, assisting another student, or displaying kindness to others. Everyone desires to be treated as a unique individual. As a reward you can make them class monitor for a week, incharge of discipline, etc. You might be surprised by the good outcomes of frequent praising or other forms of reward.

Preschool:

  • Stickers or stamps on papers
  • Award winners pick the story of the day or lead the line to the playground
  • Homemade or purchased certificates or ribbons

Elementary School, Middle and High School:

  • Celebration jar – deposit one or more marbles or beans for individual or group good behavior, kindness or achievements. When jar is full, hold a party.
  • Behavior charts with stars and long-term rewards
  • Stickers or stamps on papers or to take home

Treats or Snacks?

Snacks provide us with the nutrients and calories we require throughout the day. This is especially true for energetic, young children who cannot meet their entire calorie requirement in three meals. Snacks also prevent us from being overly hungry at meals. Foods or beverages served on special occasions are known as treats. Fried meals, French fries, cake, cookies, candy, and soda are all possible treats. Treats should not be consumed on a daily basis, but just once in a while.

Make your own “grab & go” snacks. Examples:

  • Keep washed fruit (apples, bananas, berries, grapes, oranges, pears) in a bowl on the counter or in the refrigerator.
  • Purchase or prepare bite size veggies and fruits such as carrots, jicama, peppers, grape tomatoes, mango, or pineapple. Store in individual plastic bags in the refrigerator.
  • Bag your own portion size popcorn, low fat crackers, granola or pretzels.
  • Insert a wooden stick into ½ a banana, roll in chopped nuts or coconut (optional), wrap in foil and freeze. Thaw slightly before eating.

 

Kanupriya Khanna, a Senior Consultant Nutritionist & Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in child nutrition, can provide expert advice. Kanupriya Khanna is regarded as one of the best dietitians in Delhi because of her unwavering commitment to making a difference in people’s lives by instilling good eating habits and lifestyles.

Read Also :(Why Bribing, Forcing And Pressuring At Mealtimes Don’t Work (And What To Do Instead)

Categories Other nutrition blog

Importance of Nutrition in Autoimmune disorders

Categories Other nutrition blog Author kanupriya123 Posted on

Importance of Nutrition in Autoimmune disorders

Your body’s immune response is a wonderful defence mechanism when everything goes well, guarding you from outside invaders, damage, and illness through a complicated communication system between your cells and the chemical signals they create. This communication is clear and specific in a healthy immune system; the body can recognise the difference between a stranger and itself. The immune response is faulty in autoimmune disease, and the communication mechanism breaks down. The immune system of the body targets its own tissues. Either the immune system can’t tell the difference between body tissues and foreign cells and attacks itself, or it can’t control the degree of the immune reaction. Regardless, the effect is tissue damage and the onset of an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmunity is the second leading cause of chronic illness. Women account for about 75% of these occurrences, with the majority of them occurring during reproductive years.

Analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroids are common therapy agents that might produce nausea and vomiting, stomach pains, mouth sores, and a loss of appetite. In addition, several autoimmune illnesses can cause changes in energy and protein metabolism, resulting in muscle loss and wasting.

Controlling pain and inflammation, reducing disease progression, and bolstering the immune system are all common goals in the dietary therapy of autoimmune illnesses.

Let in the Sunshine Vitamin, Vitamin D

Perhaps the most intriguing area of nutrition research involves vitamin D. For decades, researchers have noticed a relationship between sunlight exposure, vitamin D intake and autoimmune disease risk. Some studies have found that people with autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis are more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D than other people. Many autoimmune diseases are more common if you live further from the equator. This is true for both multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes and also for lupus.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Have a Lot of Power

According to a 2002 analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, omega-3 fatty acids, particularly those from fish oil—EPA and DHA—have powerful immunomodulatory properties. Because of their anti-inflammatory characteristics, they’ve been researched in disorders such arthritis, Crohn’s disease, lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, with promising results.

Consumption of Anti-Inflammatory Foods

An anti-inflammatory, antioxidant eating plan aiming at reducing inflammation and oxidative stress while also fostering a healthy immunological balance is one method that has shown a lot of promise. We already know that inflammation is linked to autoimmune illness, but don’t overlook the importance of oxidative stress. An increase in the formation of free radicals occurs during an immunological response, which can lead to oxidative stress—a condition characterised by a disruption in the normal equilibrium between pro-oxidants and antioxidants that causes cellular damage. In reality, free radical damage is connected to much of the damage in autoimmune illness. In autoimmune disease, studies have shown that oxidative stress and low antioxidant activity occur. Vitamin E, an antioxidant, is in short supply.

Diets high in refined carbohydrates, sugar, saturated fats, and trans fats, but deficient in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and omega-3 fatty acids, appear to activate the inflammatory response, according to researchers. It is negated by a diet rich in whole foods, including healthy carbohydrates, lipids, and protein sources.

There’s benefit in promoting a diet that’s high in whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds; high in healthy fat sources like extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, and fish; and moderately includes foods like tea, dark chocolate, spices and herbs.

Kanupriya Khanna, a senior Consultant Nutritionist and Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in nutrition can help. She is titled as one of the best dietitians in Delhi.

Also Read : Tantrums at the Table: How to Handle Challenging Behaviors at Mealtimes

Categories Nutrition during lactation

Lactogenic Foods for Increasing Milk Supply

Categories Nutrition during lactation Author kanupriya123 Posted on

Lactogenic Foods for Increasing Milk Supply

Many new mothers are concerned about whether or not they are producing enough milk to meet their child’s requirements. It’s natural to have more questions than answers if this is your first time. The ability of a mother to lactate is significantly influenced by her nutrition. If you’re worried about not producing enough milk, the first thing you should do is add more lactogenic items to your diet.

Lactogenic foods are exactly what they sound like: foods that encourage the production of milk. They’re fantastic options to consider when putting together a breastfeeding food plan.

While ensuring that your diet is adequate in calories and essential nutrients, many foods include compounds that enhance lactation.

The following are some of the best lactogenic foods:

  1. Spices and Garlic

Garlic has long been used to encourage lactation and is well-known for its health advantages.

While many individuals enjoy garlic and eat it frequently, others aren’t used to eating it. If you fall into the latter category but still want to get the benefits, begin by gradually incorporating it into your diet. Slowly incorporate it into your diet and monitor your baby’s reaction.

If your child isn’t interested in it, there are alternative herbs and flavours that can aid lactation. When used in moderation, marjoram, basil, anise, dill, caraway, and black pepper can all help to encourage lactation and can be easily incorporated into many dishes.

  1. Barley and Barley Malt 

Barley and malt are both excellent lactogenic foods. Barley is one of the best sources of beta-glucan in the diet. Beta-glucan is a polysaccharide that has been proven to stimulate prolactin, the breastfeeding hormone.

Barley is traditionally used in beef or vegetable soups and stews. It can also be used in salads, with roasted vegetables.

Barely malt is just barley grain that has been allowed to germinate. When this happens, the barley turns into a sweet syrupy malt that also contains a lot of beta-glucan.

  1. Oats

Along with barley, oats should also be incorporated. They have nearly as much beta-glucan as barley, which aids in prolactin production.

Oats are probably already a breakfast staple for you, but you can boost its health advantages by mixing a little barley malt in with your oatmeal in the same way you would honey. Alternatively, replace your lemon poppyseed muffin with an oat bran muffin. You can also make cheelas or incorporate oats flour in your regular atta.

  1. Seeds of fennel and fenugreek

Fennel is a white vegetable with slender, green leaves and a sweet, licorice-flavored bulb. The seeds of the methi plant are known as fenugreek.

Phytoestrogens are found in both fennel and fenugreek seeds and the plant, and have long been regarded to aid lactation. Fenugreek, in particular, is widely used for this. If you’ve ever seen “mother’s milk” tea on shop shelves or in the supplement section, you’ve probably seen fenugreek.

For millennia, fenugreek has been utilised throughout the Middle East and India for its lactogenic characteristics.

The fennel plant or it’s seeds can both be eaten for their lactogenic effects. They can be eaten raw or tossed in a green salad.  Their flavor is also well-complimented by mint, orange, and grapefruit.

Fennel is also delicious when caramelized, and is a classic accompaniment to chicken and fish.

In case you want any expert advice on nutrition, then contact Kanupriya Khanna. She is a Senior Consultant Nutritionist and Dietitian with over 18 years of work experience in nutrition and is known as one of the best dietitians in Delhi for mother and child’s nutrition. 

Also Read: Postpartum wellness

Categories Nutrition during lactation

Postpartum wellness

Categories Nutrition during lactation Author kanupriya123 Posted on

Postpartum wellness

 

We often focus on baby after birth, which is important – but so is the new mother’s health!

You’ve just spent the last nine to ten months producing another human being and recovering from the physically taxing act of labour. Not to mention the fact that your body continues to provide sustenance for your baby even after you’ve given birth, which may be both physically and emotionally exhausting.

This means that you need to continue to nourish your body with not only enough energy to heal and produce milk, but various micronutrients that are likely depleted after giving birth.

 

Here are some of my postpartum tips.

 

Continue with a Multivitamin or a Postnatal vitamin 

While it’s always a good idea to discuss supplements with your doctor, I recommend continuing with a multivitamin to cover any gaps in your diet, especially with a focus on B vitamins, and Vitamins A and D as those levels in breastmilk are all affected by mom’s intake. Continuing your multivitamin is a great way to ensure you’re meeting the needs of both you and your baby.

 

Remember to also continue taking your calcium supplement (another important component of breastmilk), so that your body’s not depleted of this mineral at the cost of your bone health.

 

Increased calories intake:

Now, if you’re breastfeeding, you’ll also want to up your intake a little. The average women needs about 500 extra calories a day to meet the demands of lactation.

 

Say YES to Help

It takes more than just you to achieve postpartum wellness. Because the first few months of a baby’s existence might feel like a never-ending feeding frenzy, it’s a fantastic time to enlist the support of family and friends. If someone offers to assist, ask them to bring food or prepare a meal for you. Some days, not having to think about what you’re going to cook feels like a gift. Equally important is to enlist help from family to babysit while you get some shut eye.

 

Getting enough DHA and EPA

You should focus on fatty acids, notably EPA and DHA, in addition to calories and a daily vitamin.

 

These two fatty acids are essential during pregnancy as well as breastfeeding. While nuts and seeds like walnuts and flaxseeds contain ALA omega-3 fatty acids, only preformed DHA passes into breastmilk. This is why, during breastfeeding, some women might want to take a DHA supplement. Non vegetarians get enough if they consume oily fish regularly.

 

Increase your vitamin B12

Lastly, you’ll want to beef up your vitamin B12 for postpartum wellness support. The need for B12 increases during lactation due to the expansion of tissues and baby’s need for b12.

Normally your daily vitamin may contain enough B12, but make sure it has at least 30mcg per pill.

 

Exercise may help, but start slow  

There’s a large connection between mental health and physical exercise, but that doesn’t mean that you should jump back into your old routines.

 

There’s a reason we’re asked to wait at least 5-6 weeks before doing any strenuous exercise, even longer if you’ve had a complicated delivery or a C-section. Heading back into heavy exercise too soon can deplete your precious energy stores and leave you feeling even more exhausted. It can also hamper your healing.

 

Light walks with your new baby and postpartum yoga are a great place to being before going back to your pre-pregnancy workout routine. This can also help you slowly build back up your strength and stamina along with a little endorphin mood boost.

 

Kanupriya Khanna, a senior Consultant Nutritionist and Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in reproductive nutrition can help if you need help. She is titled as one of the best dietitians in Delhi.

 

Categories Diet During Pregnancy

How to lose your pregnancy weight ?

Categories Diet During Pregnancy Author kanupriya123 Posted on

How to lose your pregnancy weight ?

Oh, the weight increase that comes with pregnancy! It’s a difficult subject. Yes, you should gain weight. But not in excess, and not too rapidly. And, for the love of God, don’t be miserable or self-conscious about your changing shape. Remember you’re doing this for your baby, and you’ll have plenty of time to get back to your pre pregnancy weight.

It can be stressful taking care of a newborn, adjusting to a new routine, and recovering from childbirth. But, don’t be in a hurry to lose weight. Drastic weight loss post delivery is not just harmful for you, but can also decrease your milk production. It’s important to ensure that while losing weight, you don’t affect your milk production.

The current recommendation is that women within a healthy weight range who are carrying one baby, gain 8 to 14 kg during pregnancy.

Recommended weight gains for expectant people who are underweight, overweight, or carrying multiple babies are different.

Your healthcare providers may also have a different recommendation based on your own needs.

According to research, pregnancy weight gain consists of:

  • the baby
  • placenta
  • amniotic fluid
  • breast tissue
  • blood
  • uterus enlargement
  • extra fat stores

The extra fat acts as an energy reserve for the birth and breastfeeding. However, excess weight gain can result in too much fat. This in turn can make it difficult for you to come back to your pre pregnancy weight.

We’ll go over some effective methods to help you achieve a healthy postpartum weight.

Tips to help lose baby weight

  1. Keep your goals realistic

Despite what magazines and celebrity stories would have you believe, losing weight after pregnancy takes time.

Depending on how much weight you gained during pregnancy, it is realistic to expect that over the next 1 to 2 years you could lose around 5-10kgs. If you gained more weight, you may find you end up a few pounds heavier than you were pre-pregnancy.

Of course, with a good eating plan and exercise, you should be able to achieve any healthy level of weight loss.

  1. Don’t crash diet

Crash diets are very low calorie diets that aim to make you lose a large amount of weight in the shortest amount of time possible.

After delivering a baby, your body needs good nutrition to heal and recover. In addition, if you are breastfeeding, you require more calories than normal.

A low calorie diet is likely to be lacking in important nutrients and will probably leave you feeling tired. This is the opposite of what you need when taking care of a newborn, and when you’re sleep-deprived.

Assuming your weight is currently stable, decreasing your calorie intake by about 500 calories per day will stimulate safe weight loss of about 0.5 kg per week. This amount of weight loss is considered safe for breastfeeding women, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

For example, a woman eating 2,000 calories per day could eat 300 fewer calories and burn an extra 200 calories through exercise, making a reduction of 500 calories in total.

  1. Breastfeed if you can

The World Health Organization (WHO), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the CDC all recommend breastfeeding. Breastfeeding your baby during the first 6 months of life (or much longer) has many benefits for both you and your baby:

Provides nutrition: Breast milk contains all the nutrients a baby needs to grow and thrive in the first 6 months of life, according to the WHO.

Supports the baby’s immune system: Breast milk also contains important antibodies that help your baby fight viruses and bacteria.

Lowers the risk of disease in infants: Breastfed infants have a lower risk of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, respiratory disease, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and gastrointestinal infections.

Reduces the mother’s risk of disease: People who breastfeed have lower risks of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Additionally, research has shown that breastfeeding can support your postpartum weight loss.

However, in the first 3 months of breastfeeding, you may experience no weight loss or even some weight gain. This is due to increased calorie needs and intake, as well as reduced physical activity during lactation.

  1. Monitor your calorie intake

We know, calorie counting isn’t for everyone. But if you’re finding that eating intuitively just doesn’t seem to be working, monitoring calories can help you work out how much you are eating and where any problem areas in your eating plan may be.

It can also help you ensure you are getting enough calories to provide you with the energy and nutrition you need.

You can do this by:

  • keeping a food diary
  • taking pictures of your food as a reminder of what you have eaten
  • trying a mobile calorie tracking app

Using these techniques can help you reduce your portion sizes and choose healthier foods, which helps with weight loss.

  1. Eat foods high in fiber

It’s time to get those healthy grains and veggies on your shopping list. Eating foods that are high in fiber has been shown to help with weight loss.

Soluble fiber foods (like these!) may also help you feel fuller for longer by slowing down digestion and reducing hunger hormone levels.

Kanupriya Khanna, a senior Consultant Nutritionist and Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in reproductive nutrition can help you lose weight. She is titled as one of the best dietitians in Delhi.

Also Read: Pregnancy and your newborn’s gut microbiome: what is the link?

Categories Children Diet

Why Bribing, Forcing And Pressuring At Mealtimes Don’t Work (And What To Do Instead)

Categories Children Diet Author kanupriya123 Posted on

Why Bribing, Forcing And Pressuring At Mealtimes Don’t Work (And What To Do Instead)
They say with parenting you need to “pick your battles.” How true this is with little ones. We don’t want to make everything a battle, but how do we know where to draw the line? I advise my clients that one place that should not, and need not, be a battle; is at mealtimes.

Mealtimes should be about fun, laughter and family. But, if you have little ones at home, you know this is often not the case. Let’s start by talking about what’s common.

Fits and Tantrums: New toddler preferences and budding emotional expression and language skills can often collide at the meal table. It’s totally normal that your little ones struggle with sitting at the table for anything above 10-15 mins.

Picky Eating: Picky or selective eating is a common developmental phase that children go through. The more we can remember this, the better off we will be.

Bribery or “forcing”: With any of the above, especially after you’ve just arrived home and had only a few minutes to think about how to get a nutritious meal on the table, it’s easy to get desperate. Offering sweet treats or threatening to take them away “unless you finish your XYZ” are understandable emotional responses.

It’s important to think about the messages we are sending to our children by forcing or bribing. When we put pressure on our child they tend to pull back. Children don’t respond well. Pressure at mealtimes has been linked to disliking the actual food and unwillingness to eat the food. I have found in my practice, and with the hundreds of families I work with, that anytime parents put pressure on their child to eat, the child will eventually develop a dislike for that particular food.

Think about the downside of bribing or negotiating when it comes to food. What are we teaching our kids? For example, when a parent asks a child to “eat one more piece of broccoli and then you get a cookie” what a child hears is “I HAVE to eat the broccoli (yuck) to get my cookie (reward = yum).” We need to reframe that.

Ideally, we want our child to grow up enjoying the right foods, liking their bodies and themselves. Eventually they will be on their own, making their own food choices, right? We have the power to start shaping that relationship with food now.

So, what we can do instead?

1. We can trust our children when it comes to feeding them. When we trust our children, many of our feeding anxieties melt away, and soon you’ll begin to notice that kids will become more acceptable to the food you’ve put in front of them.

2. We should think about short vs long-term goals. Right now we want our child to be meeting their nutrition needs and growing adequately. But, our long-term goal is to help our children love the foods we love. Many parents are eager to have their children try something new, and a lot of the time it’s vegetables and fruits, but I remind parents to proceed with caution. It can take many attempts of offering a food until a child actually eats it (research shows it can take 20 or 30 exposures). So think about eating those foods as a long-term goal. If you continue to expose your child to those foods, and they interact with those foods, they are on their way to trying them!

3. Set respectful limits and boundaries. Although we don’t want to put pressure on our child to eat, we still have the responsibility to set limits when it comes to mealtimes. The behaviors at mealtimes that we don’t want to see (i.e. throwing food, not sitting at the table) need to be met with respectful boundaries that kids can grow into instead of running from. I recommend a 3 part formula: we state our expectations, we acknowledge and set limits and we follow through.

4. We should set feeding routines. Most young children do best with meals and snacks every 2-2.5 hours, while older children do best with meals and snacks every 3-4 hours. But observe your child. Some younger children can go longer stretches without food, while some older children need meals and snacks to be closer together. Build a feeding schedule based upon this observation. Children work well with a routine. This helps parents too: setting a routine for kids will help them to understand their day and keeps them relaxed.

Kanupriya Khanna, a Senior Consultant Nutritionist & Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in child nutrition, can provide expert advice. Kanupriya Khanna is regarded as one of the best dietitians in Delhi because of her unwavering commitment to making a difference in people’s lives by instilling good eating habits and lifestyles.

Also Read: Supplements and Children: Are They Necessary?

Categories Everything, Other nutrition blog

Tantrums at the Table: How to Handle Challenging Behaviors at Mealtimes

Categories Everything, Other nutrition blog Author kanupriya123 Posted on

Tantrums at the Table: How to Handle Challenging Behaviors at Mealtimes

There is no shortage of challenges we face from our children at mealtimes that test our patience, such as making faces, grumbling throughout meals, or not wanting to eat at all.

Here are a few crucial points to remember:

  1. We’re all on different paths, and it’s crucial not to compare yours to someone else’s. No two people’s parenting or feeding experiences are alike.
  2. Use praise when your child tries vegetables: If you praise your child each time they eat or try vegetables, they’ll be more likely to eat vegetables again. Praise works best when you tell your child exactly what they did well – for example, “Pari, I love the way you tasted your pumpkin and broccoli!”

Try not to let praise become the focus of the meal, though. Your aim is to encourage your child to eat vegetables because your child likes them, not because your child wants praise and rewards from you.

Punishing your child for not eating vegetables can turn vegetables into a negative thing for your child. If your child refuses to eat their vegetables, try not to make a big deal about it – just try again another time. It’s best to take your child’s meal away after about 20 minutes or when everyone else has finished eating.

3.Get your child involved in cooking with vegetables

If you get your child involved in planning and cooking family meals with vegetables, they’re more likely to want to eat the vegetables they’ve helped to prepare.

For example, you could let your child:

  • choose vegetables for dinner when you do the shopping
  • put chopped vegetables in the steamer or saucepan before you cook them
  • arrange sliced capsicum, tomato and mushroom on a pizza base
  • wash and toss salad leaves.

Older children can help with grating or chopping vegetables when you feel they can safely handle sharper kitchen tools. Take children shopping with you when you can. Seeing a lot of different vegetables can make children more curious and interested to try them.

  1. Go for variety, taste and fun: Try to choose foods of different shapes, colours, textures and tastes – the more variety there is, the more likely it is that your child will find something that they’re interested in eating. If you serve new vegetables with food your child enjoys, the entire focus of the meal isn’t on new vegetables.

Remember that taste matters. For example, you could try roasting veggies with fresh herbs or use finely sliced broccoli in a stir-fry or on a pizza. This will probably appeal more to your child than large steamed pieces of vegetables.

You can have fun with vegetables too, especially with younger children. You might sometimes like to make a vegetable face for a snack plate – grated carrot for hair, cherry tomatoes for eyes, a bean for a nose and capsicum strips for a mouth.

  1. Get vegetables into meals in other ways

In the short term, you can disguise vegetables in foods you know your child likes to eat. For example, you could include pureed or grated vegetables in pasta sauce or soups.

This won’t change your child’s behaviour and thinking about vegetables though, so it’s also important to regularly give your child vegetables in their original form. When you do this, your child has the chance to get familiar with and learn to like different tastes and textures.

6. As much as possible, try to restrict sugar intake from sweets, chocolates, ice-creams, lollipops and similar processed and sugary foods. Sugar can get toddlers’ energy levels skyrocketing and It’s not easy handling an excitable toddler. Instead, use foods which use natural sweeteners like bananas, mangoes, raisins, dates, etc. This will not only calm the tantrums but also ensure your little one eats something nutritious and wholesome.

  1. Don’t take anything too seriously. It’s not personal, and kids aren’t out to get us. Many of these actions are developmental in nature.
  2. Whole grain bread, cereal and rice should be consumed instead of refined grains. The high levels of vitamin B contained in whole grains have a direct effect on calming behaviour in a child.
  3. Examine your assumptions for how mealtimes “should” be. Our expectations are frequently unrealistic (how long our children should stay at the table, how much food they should be eating). We must pause and consider what is realistic.
  4. When your child is constantly misbehaving at mealtimes, think about what they’re trying to tell you. Are they not hungry? Are they bored? Do they not like it? When we threaten our children with a consequence, or a punishment, or our anger, their brain shuts down. It’s important to connect with your child, hear your child, help  your child feel seen and understood, while still setting firm limits and boundaries.

Kanupriya Khanna, a Senior Consultant Nutritionist and Dietitian with over 18 years of paediatric nutrition experience, can help. Because of her continuous devotion to making a difference in people’s lives by instilling excellent eating habits and lifestyles, she is considered as one of the best dietitians in Delhi. You can find out more information here, and also follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Also Read: How To Get Rid of Sugar Cravings?

Categories Other nutrition blog

How To Get Rid of Sugar Cravings?

Categories Other nutrition blog Author kanupriya123 Posted on

How To Get Rid of Sugar Cravings?

Sugar is a carbohydrate, but carbohydrates come in other forms, too, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which have fiber and nutrients your body needs.

Sweet is the first taste humans prefer from birth. Carbohydrates stimulate the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. The taste of sugar also releases endorphins that calm and relax us, and offer a natural “high”.

Sweets just taste good, too. And that preference gets reinforced when you reward yourself with sweet treats, which can make you crave it even more. With all that going for it, why wouldn’t we crave sugar?

The problem comes not when we indulge in a sweet treat now and then, but when we overdo it. That’s easy to do when sugar is added to many processed foods, including breads, yogurt, juices, and sauces.

Is All Sugar Created Equal?

As you could have guessed, not all sugar is created equal. This is because the simplicity of the structure of a sugar molecule determines how quickly it is broken down. Sugar is metabolized at different rates and we feel very different if we break it down too quickly.

What happens when we eat a big bowl of white pasta? We feel extremely full at first and then exhausted because our body is trying to utilize the sugar in the bloodstream and turn it into fuel.

Have you ever felt exhausted from eating an apple? Probably not.

How to Stop Sugar Cravings:

If you’re craving sugar, here are some ways to tame those cravings.

  1. Give in a little.Eat a bit of what you’re craving, maybe a small cookie or a fun-size candy bar. Enjoying a little of what you love can help you steer clear of feeling denied. Try to stick to a 150-calorie threshold.
  2. Combine foods. If the idea of stopping at a cookie or a baby candy bar seems impossible, you can still fill yourself up and satisfy a sugar craving, too. “I like combining the craving food with a healthful one,”. “I love chocolate, for example, so sometimes I’ll dip a banana in chocolate sauce and that gives me what I’m craving, or I mix some almonds with chocolate chips.” You’ll soothe your craving and get healthy nutrients from those good-for-you foods.
  3. Reach for fruit.Keep fruit handy for when sugar cravings hit. You’ll get fiber and nutrients along with some sweetness. And stock up on foods like nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.
  4. Choose quality over quantity.“If you need a sugar splurge, pick a wonderful, decadent sugary food,”. But keep it small. For example, choose a small dark chocolate instead of a king-sized candy bar, then “savor every bite — slowly,”. Learn to incorporate small amounts in the diet but concentrate on filling your stomach with less sugary and [healthier] options.”
  5. Pair natural sugar with protein and heart healthy fat.If you’re going to have an apple, cut it up with some heart healthy fat like peanut butter. This slows the breakdown of sugar and keeps you satisfied longer.
  6. Hold-off for 15-20 minuteswhen sugar cravings hit – They come on suddenly, they’re very overwhelming and typically short lived. Distract yourself. If you must consume something, drink water but get out of the kitchen. Ask yourself am “I really hungry or am I just craving sweets?
  7. Reward yourselffor successfully managing sugar cravings. Your reward could be large or small. Remember why you’re working on it and then reward yourself for each successful step.
  8. Think about your drink. Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to the greatest source of added sugars in the diet and are completely empty calories. The body doesn’t seem to recognize calories very well when they’re delivered in liquids; you don’t feel as full.

It can be tricky to tell whether or not you are making progress or getting worse, because everyone has different symptoms. The good news is, we can help!

Kanupriya Khanna, a Senior Consultant Nutritionist, Dietitian with over 18 years of experience in nutrition, can provide expert advice. She is regarded as one of the best dietitians in Delhi because of her unwavering commitment to making a difference in people’s lives by instilling good eating habits and lifestyles.

Also Read: Dietary Influence on Insulin sensitivity

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