How to reduce your child’s sugar and salt intake?

Once we started the solids journey with Mckenzie, we found out very quickly that it’s so easy to feed your child sugar and salt without realizing it. I believe it’s our obligation and duty to teach our kids good eating habits from a young age as this establishes their future eating styles.

I am sure many of us can admit that we eat way too much sugar (above the required daily allowance) and risk passing this bad habit to our kids….this was one of my biggest fears as I have a very bad sweet tooth, which I am slowly curbing with healthier options. (If you would like to see some of my healthy recipes, please comment and I will post them for you. I have recipes that are free from added sugar, vegan, low carb, toddler friendly and healthy Indian recipes)

What are the bad things we know about sugar or/and salt?
• It can lead to obesity
• Increase the risk of diabetes
• Increase the risk of high blood pressure
• Increases the risk of heart disease
• It damages teeth
We generally stay away from sweets, fizzy drinks, chocolates and biscuits thinking that we are doing a great job, but the concern is, a large amount is hidden in the food we eat.
Foods like:
Breakfast cereals,  Fruit  juice (can be just as bad as fizzy drinks)
Readymade meals
Pizza and pasta sauce
Flavoured yoghurts
Tomato sauce – a single squirt is over a teaspoon of sugar
White bread

Here are some of the ways we try to reduce the sugar intake:
Overnight/cooked oats/cornflakes instead of flavoured cereals.
Whole fruit instead of dried fruit and fruit juice. Try to offer more berries has they are lower in sugar compared to grapes, pineapple and melons. Whole fruits are better as it contains fibre. If I do offer Mckenzie juice, I dilute it with water. I would not recommend fizzy drinks until they are older and offered in moderation. Savoury snacks like vegetable pieces and hummus. Kale dehydrated in the oven is also a winner dipped in hummus. Unflavoured popcorn.
We cook meals as often as we can and keep high sugar processed convenient food for occasional treats and emergencies.
Learn to read labels and the ingredients. Fructose, inverted sugar syrup, sucrose, concentrated fruit juice are also forms of sugar.

We know salt is bad for kids as their kidneys are unable to cope with it. We decided to prevent Mckenzie from acquiring a taste for salt.

Here are some ways we reduce salt intake:
We opted for fish and chicken and reduced processed meats like sausages and coldmeats.
She does not fancy pasta, but when we try to offer it to her, it’s the wholewheat variety and cooked in unsalted water.
Keep crisps and cheddars for special occasions.
Make your own sauces like tomato sauce and chutneys.

Nutrition matters, teach your kids from a young age!

Photography by http://cheekycherub.co.za/

People say that breastfeeding comes naturally…but it was not always easy for me. I promised myself that I would not be distressed over breastfeeding my baby. I decided that I will give it a try and if I struggled then I would switch to formula. However once I started researching on the benefits of breastmilk and my baby was born, I wanted to desperately breastfeed her and give her this “liquid gold”….and before I knew it, it turned into a 14 month journey and was extremely rewarding. Given its breastfeeding week and I know it can be a challenging time; I thought any tips may help with your breastfeeding journey.

Here are the tips that helped me (please be mindful that the products I mention are not sponsored and its products that worked for me and may not be for everyone):

Lactation specialist

I hired a lactation specialist, Laura Sayce.For more information, her website is http://www.babysupport.co.za.

I looked for someone that I was comfortable with and got to know me as a person, my likes and dislikes.She helped me as soon as baby was born, she was there to extract the colostrum using a syringe to ensure Mckenzie received this liquid gold while she was in NICU. Laura was there when we brought Mckenzie home to ensure she was latching properly and helped me with different breastfeeding positions so I could ensure Mckenzie was positioned well to get the most out of her feed and I was still comfortable given my healing c-section.

Join a breastfeeding support group

I joined a support group which Laura runs. It was a nice outing and I met up with other moms with babies of similar age. Laura provides advise on any issues you may be having with breastfeeding or we just hang out feeding our babies and chatting about our husbands.You also do a weigh-in every week to help understand if your baby is tracking well with his or her growth.

Control the pain

I was in pain as soon as my milk came in..BUT it did go away-you just have to keep going. Try to understand why the pain is occurring, could it be trush (I minimized this risk by using unsweetened rooibos tea in my jungle juice instead of fruit juice…sugar can cause thrush), tongue tie or engorgement.

Mckenzie had a slight tongue tie but not enough to be a concern.

I did have engorgement, really bad engorgement. I used the Lansinoh Pearl Therapy gel packs and it helped so much…warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds and placed in my nursing bra. I love them.

Cracked nipples..this was the next worst thing for me. My cousin who had her second baby 5 months earlier than Mckenzie introduced me to the Lansinoh HPA Lanlolin nipple cream and it worked wonders after applying during the night and the morning and my nipples were mine again after 12 hours. If the sucking is unbearable, you may need a nipple shield.

Comfortable breastfeeding chair and pillow

 

I bought the Babyhood Gliding Feeding chair from the Mamamagic Expo.For the first 2 months, I basically lived in my chair, there were days when Mckenzie was latched for 2 to 3 hours and this chair supported my back and provided the comfort I needed.

I used my feeding pillow for every feed except when I was out and about. I bought the pillow from Baby city. Find one that feels comfortable for your body shape.

Comfortable nursing tops and bras

There are many nursing tops and bras on the market. I found the nursing tops from Kids Emporium to be the best for me, its the t-shirts that have an elasticated part under a flap of fabric at the top of the t-shirt (I am sure I am doing a dreadful job of describing them, but you will know what I mean when you see them). I tried the nursing bras from Woolworths and the Carriwell from baby city and found the Carriwell to be superior and it kept the breast pads in place.

Breastfeeding basket

Many people mention a breastfeeding station but I like a basket as you can take it from one room to the other if you want to also feed in bed and not only in the nursery….I learnt this quickly because everytime I decided to feed in bed or during the night, I will call for my husband to bring the water bottle, burp cloth, nipple cream and the book that I am reading at the time. I put everything I needed in a basket and carried it room to room hassle and thinking free. how independent…baby in one hand and basket in the other.

Skin to skin

This not only helps you bond with your baby but also stimulates milk production. I used to tease Mckenzie’s nose with my nipple and as she opened her mouth wide then placed my breast into her mouth.She had a tiny mouth and I needed to encourage a good latch. To assist with letdown, I focused on Mckenzie, her face and tiny fingers and toes. To ensure she had a good feed and did not fall asleep, I would play with her chin and feet.

Low milk supply

This could do with a post of its own. I did struggle with low supply at some stage. In summary, feeding on demand and emptying the breast was key for me and this also helped me build a good 2 month supply for my baby for when I went back to work . I pumped after each feed to empty the breast. I pumped early hours of the morning and late at night.Staying hydrated with good old H2O is a must.I did a breastfeeding snacks post http://lifesatreat.co.za/2016/06/24/my-go-to-snacks-on-my-breastfeeding-journey/ which aided nutritional eating and ultimately higher milk supply.

I hope this post helps in your breastfeeding journey.

Happy Nursing!!!