And watch BTCalgary here for further discussion of the above myths, plus is it true that:
- When you are pregnant, you are eating for two?

The Dietitians of Canada website discusses many more myths here. For example:

MYTH:Late Night Snacking will make you gain weight:
THE TRUTH: Late-night snacking can lead to weight gain, but it’s not due to the time on the clock. The trouble is, after-dinner snacking can lead you to eat more calories than your body needs in a day, especially if you’re having high-calorie snack foods and sweetened beverages. If you usually get hungry for an evening snack, try eating dinner a little later. Still hungry? Sip on water with a squeeze of lemon, or go for small portions of healthy choices like whole grain cereal with milk, a piece of fruit, or plain air-popped popcorn.

MYTH: Everyone Should Eat a Gluten-Free Diet
THE TRUTH: A gluten-free diet is the only healthy way of eating for people with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, but it’s not necessary for everyone else. Gluten is a type of protein found in grains like wheat, barley and rye, and any foods made with these grains. Unless you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, or you are allergic to one of these grains, you don’t need to avoid them. Whether the grain you choose is gluten-free (such as corn, rice, millet or quinoa) or not, enjoying more whole grains is a healthy choice. For good health, make at least half of your grain choices whole grain each day.

MYTH: A Detox Diet is a good way to clean out the toxins from your body
THE TRUTH: There is no scientific evidence to support the need for detoxification diets. Detox diets claim to “cleanse” your system of toxins, but your liver, kidneys and intestine already do that for you. Detox diets typically involve fasting followed by a strict diet. Frequent fasting or fasting for more than a few days may cause unhealthy side effects such as headaches, dehydration, low blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Some detox diets include intestine-clearing supplements that might actually be harmful. Your best bet to keep your body healthy is to eat a daily diet based on Canada’s Food Guide.

Happy Nutrition Month!!

The titles “Dietitian, Registered Dietitian and Registered Nutritionist” are protected in Alberta. Be sure to check for these titles when you are looking for reliable nutrition information. However, the term “Nutritionist” is not protected. Nutritionists may have varying levels of training and formal nutrition education, or none at all. For example, the title “Holistic Nutritionist” is becoming popular. Most holistic nutritionists have a 1 year diploma. I have been asked if my practice is “holistic”. While I do take into account other areas of your life that affect your health and nutrition, I also make sure that my recommendations are evidence-based.

Here’s a great article that explains it more.

Too much?? If you have been restricting the amount of food that your child is allowed to eat at scheduled meals & snack times, it IS possible that they have reacted by overeating when they get the chance. If your child knows that they will not be allowed to eat until they are satisfied, they will compensate by stuffing themselves when they can. However, if you have allowed your child multiple portions if they are still hungry, and not tried to control the amount of food they eat, then they probably really are still hungry!

Children are the best regulators of their own appetite. We know some days (or weeks) they eat next to nothing and you wonder how they survive. Other days they could eat and eat and eat! This depends a lot on their growth rates, teething, illness, etc. Remember the Feeding Relationship rules. The only role of the child is to determine how much or if they eat what they are offered.

If you are worried because your child is “overweight”, try not to be worried. People come in all shapes, and weight is not always the best indicator of health. If you offer your child mostly healthy foods at regular times, in the portions they choose, they will get the food and nutrition they need to grow to their healthy weight (which will change as they age and grow).

As for multivitamins, if your child is a pickier eater, then they can’t hurt. They provide a bit of nutritional “insurance” although they don’t make up for an unbalanced diet. Children’s multivitamins contain small doses of a variety of vitamins and minerals, so they are not harmful, and may be beneficial for your child. But are also not really necessary for most kids. If it makes you feel better to know your child is taking a multivitamin, go ahead!

If your family does not eat fish twice a week, I often recommend a fish oil supplement. Not just “omega 3″, as this may contain more ALA (from flax, canola, etc), rather than the DHA omega 3 type of fat that is most important for development.

Also, if it is winter in Canada, I would definitely recommend the whole family take a Vitamin D supplement. From October through March, our body can not make enough vitamin D from skin contact with the sun, due to our latitude. If you are especially vigilant about sunscreen in the summer, this also blocks vitamin D absorption through the skin, so you can continue the supplement. While dosage amount recommendations are conflicting among health organizations, 400IU per day should be fine for a child. I prefer “D Drops” or products with little additives that require only one a one-drop dose.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments!

Also try to keep milk at scheduled meal and snack times once your child is in this routine (at about 1 year), to protect their appetites and teeth. If your child does not like cow’s milk, you can try fortified almond or hemp milk once they are two. Before the age of two, it’s best to stick with breastmilk or formula if they continue to refuse cow’s milk (but you can continue to offer it!). You can also try different cups (sippy cup, cup with straw, cup with no lid) and different temperatures for the milk. Yogurt and cheese are also good sources of calcium, but are not often fortified with Vitamin D like fluid milk.

We at Full Circle Parenting know that if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!  That’s why we created the Makin’ Mama Happy series, where we introduce you to experts and practitioners in a variety of fields whose combined insight can create powerful and positive shifts in your life.

Our second event is all about INSPIRING YOUR CHILD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD.  We know that food issues are one of the leading causes of worry in moms.  From the newborn with latching difficulties to picky toddlers, to uneaten lunches for school-aged children, through teenagers with eating disorders, food issues can create a host of anxieties.  Our goal is to give you lots of perspective, and lots of ideas to give your children the best chance at a healthy, stress-free relationship with food AND to bring about more of what every Mama needs: happiness.

JOIN US on Wednesday, June 23rd, from 6:30 to 7:30pm at Planet Organic Market North (4625 Varsity Dr. NW, at Shaganappi),  to meet our panelists who will bring together three perspectives to help you solve food issues in your family.

Here are our three panelists:

Yulit Price of Composing Lives, mom of 2 and psychologist. Yulit, a member of the Association of Research on Mothering, knows that food is central in establishing family rituals, opening communications, and strengthening connections, and that a mom’s relationship with food has a lifelong effect on her children. Yulit is passionate about supporting mothers and adolescent girls, and has worked with women experiencing emotional eating, as well as eating disorders. Yulit empowers mothers to find their voices, explore their everyday struggles and needs, and to clarify their real cravings and true aspirations for their lives.

Jennifer House of First Step Nutrition, mom of 1 (and one on the way), and Registered Dietitian. Jennifer is passionate about nutrition for families, and about resolving issues with  pregnancy-related concerns, postpartum and breastfeeding, picky eating, and allergies. If you need help figuring out what to eat and offer to your children, how to plan those meals, or even where to find what you need in the grocery store, Jen is on call!  Find out more at www.firststepnutrition.com.

Lisa Kathleen of Full Circle Parenting, single mom, former teacher and school administrator turned parenting coach and parent educator. Lisa Kathleen will bring keen insight into the dynamics of parent-child interactions around food, as well as immediately applicable ideas that will create positive shifts in your experiences with your children. Lisa Kathleen is thrilled to bring you this powerful panel discussion along with two people whose brains she loves to pick!  Find out more at www.fullcircleparenting.com.

Papas and babes in arms are welcome.

You will receive a special gift from each of our panelists, each worth greater than the value of your ticket price.

This event will take place at Planet Organic North,  2745 17th Ave SW, and is limited to 30 people in total.  Register now to reserve your spot!  By phone (403-607-1463) or by contacting Lisa Kathleen, Jen or Yulit.

***Please do not register unless you are sure will be able to attend.  We expect this event to be packed, and want to be sure to have spots for everyone who really wants to come.***

A collaborative article by Jennifer House of First Step Nutrition and Lisa Kathleen of Full Circle Parenting.

Rather than focusing on WHAT to feed your child, we want to focus on one aspect of HOW to feed your child. Picky eating, emotional eating and eating disorders abound in our culture. How you feed your child will affect their relationship with food – positive or negative, throughout their lives.

As adults, we all have a relationship with food. Ideally, you can enjoy the taste of food and the socialization that comes with eating a meal, and eat until you are satisfied but not overfull. Eating to help yourself feel better when you’re feeling depressed, angry or anxious can lead to weight difficulties or illnesses. Many of these eating behaviours stem from how your parents offered foods to you as a child.

Offering any food as a bribe or reward, or taking it away as a punishment, makes certain foods (often “treat” type foods) extremely desirable. We all know that sugar and salt make foods taste yummy, and that they are not particularly good for us in large quantities. Research shows that when anything (activity, object, food) is offered as a reward for doing (or eating) anything else, the thing that is offered as a reward becomes more desirable, while the thing that must be done to earn the reward becomes less intrinsically interesting. When this dynamic is in place on top of the natural yumminess of sugary or salty foods, a child’s desire for those foods can easily get out of control. In many families, dessert is offered as a reward for finishing a meal. Considering the powerful dynamics at play, it’s no wonder that children these days don’t want to eat their veggies!

Another aspect of this dynamic comes into play when children are rewarded or punished, praised or shamed for eating. In our praise-addicted culture, comments such as “You are such a good eater!” or “Good girl! You ate all your vegetables!” are the norm. When we realize that these comments, when offered by a person the child loves, are felt as a reward, we can see how they end up backfiring. As the intrinsic interest in the rewarded behaviour decreases, the child eats to earn the praise, rather than eating simply for the sake of satisfying hunger.

If you have been using these tools in your family, you may need some help shifting to other ways of relating with your children around food. As a first step, consider joining us for our Makin’ Mama Happy Event, where we will explore the other 9 of the 10 Keys to Inspiring Your Child’s Relationship With Food, and help get you back on the right track with some ways to deeply inspire your child’s relationship with food.

Makin’ Mama Happy Event 2: Inspiring Your Child’s Relationship With Food
Wednesday, June 23rd, 6:30-7:30 pm, Planet Organic North
This is a free event with limited seating, and we expect it to be full. Reserve your spot now to avoid disappointment! Contact Jen or Lisa Kathleen or Planet Organic North 403-288-6700 to register.

The last few months has had me making a banner (Digital Post…grrr) and printing brochures & cards (Calgary Instant Printing…yay!). My mom/designer friend Andrea created two signs for me, which turned out great. I think I was an annoying client with frequent changes: pregnant mom picture with too-shiny belly, child too evil-looking, etc, etc, but we got them done! I am also in the process of making t-shirts with my logos on them. I figure it’s extra advertising. And if paired with jeans, I will look more like my clients, and less like other formally-dressed exhibitors (another trade-show “rule”). And I’m hoping not too unprofessional. Comments?!

I will also be speaking about Pregnancy Nutrition on Saturday Oct 3 at 1pm and Toddler Nutrition on Saturday Oct 4 at 1pm. On stage…..microphone projected over the BMO (aka Roundup) Centre……..GAD! I’m hoping my powerpoint presentations work, as that technology tends to be a struggle, causing extra show-time stress.  But it’s worth the discount as an exhibitor : ) Wish me luck, and pop by to say hi!