As the journey of solids continues the baby seems to be getting quite excited when mealtime roles around.  He enjoys being at the table with us, even though he has been doing it his whole life (while being held). He really gets enthusiastic about actually taking part.

Although I usually wouldn’t use bananas as one of the foods that I feed early on I only had bananas in the house and wanted to continue feeding him. I usually like to add bananas later on and cut them up in to 5 or so sections so that the baby can use them as a great finger food however this time I again used a fork to slightly mash the banana. Over the course of the first meal with the bananas I was able to increase the consistency to leave bigger pieces although the banana was still fork mashed.

It seems that moving onto foods that have a thicker consistency such as the yams and the bananas made a difference for helping this little one to learn how to swallow. This is something I commonly see and is yet another reason I really encourage people to avoid using pureed foods. Like I have mentioned in a previous post, it almost seems backwards but the thicker consistency does actually help the baby swallow. This is why I encourage parents and caregivers to look for signs that their baby is displaying and to follow their intuition. You know your child best. This is a process and working together in this feeding relationship you can succeed.  


Are you wondering where to start with feeding your baby solid food? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com 


Watch a baby self feeding banana:

These are easy to make and are kid approved. They also make a great treat for school lunches. 

1/2 cup Rice Syrup

3/4 cup Nut/Seed butter of choice (or even mix some together)

3/4 cup Nuts/Seeds, chopped

2 cups Puffed Rice (try using brown rice without added sugar or salt)

1/4 cup Shredded Coconut

1/4 cup Cranberries or other dried fruit

1. In a saucepan bring rice syrup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Turn heat to low and add nut/seed butter
3. In a bowl mix puffed rice cereal, coconut and nuts/seeds
4. Add nut/seed mixture to bowl and stir
5. Press mixture into barely oiled baking dish (I use coconut oil)
6. Cool in fridge and cut into squares

Questions about how to eat less packaged treats? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future's Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com 

For those who are pregnant and suffering from heartburn it can be not only miserable, but also debilitating. For some it comes and goes, for others it is constant. Heartburn can become more of an issue the further along you are in your pregnancy. As the baby gets bigger there is less room for your stomach and this can lead to more complaints of heartburn in the third trimester.

Often in groups, when we move onto the topic of heartburn, participants ask me how they would know if they have heartburn – and someone in the group always pipes up “trust me, you would know.”

In pregnancy your body is flooded with a hormone called relaxin. This is great because it helps our bodies prepare for labour. However, it also relaxes a muscle we have between our esophagus and stomach called a sphincter, leaving it slightly open during pregnancy. This allows stomach acid and other contents to travel back up our esophagus causing that burning sensation we know as heartburn.

Here are some tips for dealing with heartburn in pregnancy:

·      Eat 4-5 smaller meals a day. Less food in your stomach at once can help prevent it coming back up your 
       esophagus.

·      Make sure you aren’t wearing overly tight fitting clothing, including a bra that is too tight.

·      Notice if caffeine or chocolate are making the heartburn worse. If they bother you avoid them.

·      Pay attention after brushing your teeth. Does your heartburn get worse? If you are using a mint-flavoured 
       toothpaste try switching to another flavour such as cinnamon or anise.

·      Sit upright for a minimum of 45 minutes after eating. Avoid slouching.

·      Try separating solids and liquids at meal times. Have drinks away from meals; before or after you eat, whichever 
       works best for you.

·      Get some activity in your day. Even slowly walking around can help.

·      Notice if acidic foods bother you and avoid them only if they do.

·      Notice if spicy foods bother you and avoid them only if they do.

·      Try using a calcium carbonate liquid to help ease symptoms.

·      Try drinking milk to help ease symptoms.

If you are suffering from heartburn be sure to discuss it with your healthcare provider. You don’t need to just suffer through.

Wondering how to make changes in your diet to help ease heartburn? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future’s Registered Dietitian at nf.nutrition@gmail.com

This is a delicious slow cooker soup. It makes a big batch but the soup is great as a left over or frozen.

2 cups    red lentils

1 Tbsp    vegetable oil

1             onion, diced

3             carrots, thinly sliced

1              bell pepper (orange or red, finely diced)

6              cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp       tumeric

2 tsp       cumin powder

1 tsp        black pepper

1 can        tomatoes (28oz or 796ml) and juice (choose salt free tomatoes)

6 cups     vegetable stock

1 can        coconut milk (14 oz or 398ml)

1 Tbsp     lemon juice

3 tsp        chili powder (add more or less depending on taste)

1. Rinse lentils under cold water

2. In a frying pan heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and peppers and cook until softened (about 5 minutes)

3.  Add garlic, tumeric, cumin and black pepper and continue to cook for 1 minute

4.  Add tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil.

5.  Add lentils and vegetable stock.

6. Transfer to slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.

7.  Stir in coconut milk, lemon juice and chili powder and cook on high for 20 to 30 minutes