Feed Your Children Well
This is a great article courtesy of the Parenting Squad: Yes, You Can Drink While Pregnant.
Experts tell us that consuming excessive amounts of alcohol is harmful to a fetus, and since pregnant women can’t be trusted to know the difference between excessive and moderate, they just tell them to abstain from drinking altogether. The truth is that a glass of wine or beer now and then will have no adverse effects on a fetus. Your liver will metabolize almost all of it before it reaches the placenta, and whatever may be left is super minimal.
This quote from the article speaks to one of my favorite soapbox subjects, kids and nutrition:
“The pregnant woman is scrutinized, chastised, and patronized while it’s perfectly acceptable to feed a child soda, fried food, and candy by the truckload. This is because parents aren’t expected to be able to control their children, but self-sacrificing a woman’s own body for the sake of optimal fetus health (and the greater good for all mankind) is a no-brainer. Why can’t we be told the truth and allow us to use our own judgment? It’s simply not true that women who drink a glass or two a week is participating in dangerous or risky behavior that will inevitably harm her baby.
It scares me what kids eat nowadays. One-fourth of the children in this country struggle with obesity. I do not want Luke to struggle with his weight as we do. I feel strongly that if I start Luke off eating healthy foods in the beginning that he will have an easier time eating healthy foods once he is old enough to make his own diet decisions. One way I’m trying to get him off to a good start is by making his baby food at home rather than buying it at the store. Homemade baby food is less processed so it has more nutrients than storebought baby food and it tastes better! It takes some extra time and planning, but I really feel it’s worth it.
Mike and I have been eating healthier lately and I trust that the good habits we are establishing now will rub off on Luke as he gets older. I know we can’t be perfect with our diets but my hope is to continue to stay away from processed foods, sugar and pop as much as possible, for the sake of our entire family.
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January 9th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Bottoms up!
I drank with Charly…not “excessively”, but on occasion I would have a glass of wine or beer. But, no more than one. Now, with Aiden, I will have a half a glass and that is about it. It actually can be relaxing, but yes….its a matter of keeping it at that level which I have no problem doing, some people might. And even after one glass your judgement starts to impair.
If you think about it, there are more “natural” ingredients in wine and beer than there is in pop.;) I’m not saying anyone should start drinking beer all day instead of pop….I just think they are both a “moderation” drink.
As far as food. I try and stick to the basics and hopefully my kids will follow my lead. But, even now I have noticed that our diet has had a lot of processed foods crept in. It is just a matter of convienence and that is no excuse.
I designed a menu for Mark and I and we are going to try and stick to it starting next week.
I am glad all the holiday “treats” are done with;)
January 9th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
It is scary what kids eat. And obesity is definitely on a rise.
Less processed is the road we are on but I tell ya, it’s everywhere.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Yes, processed food is very hard to avoid. My rheumatologist suggested to me a few years ago that I stay away from it as much as possible. She found in her studies of fibromyalgia that it was a big factor. When I consciously cut out processed foods from my diet I started feeling better right away.
I firmly believe that a lot of health problems in this country are related to what we eat. Garbage in, garbage out!
By the way, if my only beverage choices were pop and alcohol, 9 times out of 10 I would choose the alcohol. I only drink pop on rare occasions, and the less I drink it the less I crave it. Pop is so bad for you! (And yes, I know it’s ironic that I talk like this and my kitchen is full of Coca-Cola memorabilia. What can I say? My favorite color is red.)
January 9th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
i totally agree. i know pregnant mothers who drink diet soda, eat and drink items with high fructose and hydrogenated oils, yet are totally against even a sip on wine. and then they let their kids eat crap. it makes no sense.
i didn’t have any wine with Jorai, but i’ve had a half a glass here and there. as hard as it has been to change my eating habits, and i do break it at times…as in today with a milk shake run to baskin robbins!…i feel so much better and i know our future children will live more healthier lives eating real food. processed foods are easy, but they’re filled with so much crap it’s silly.
steve was brought up drinking hawaiian punch and mountain dew and eating at mcdonalds once a week! our children will be raised very differently.
January 9th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I haven’t been a pregnant lady before, but I have to say there is a definite societal stygma regarding what they put into their bodies. Buuttt, afterwards, people pay less attention to what goes into the child’s body. I think it is good to point out that the latter is by and far the most important thing for health.
New children add stress to your life, and easy things like processed food are often socially excused because of this. Early nutrition is important for development, but so also are family habits when your child reaches the age of consciousness, whatever that may be. Dinner at home, with the family is important. If the child can be included in the prep in a fun way, all the better. A steady habit of McDonalds for dinner breaks this down and develops poor conceptions of what food really is.
That’s really what this is about, I think. Adults and children both need to think about what they put into their bodies, and things like cooking need to be fun family events. Healthy and savory meals need to be a part of a child’s upbringing, and that will translate emotionally to their adult life and overall health.