Teach Your Child Healthy Eating

Healthy Habits: Introducing Your Family to Red Foods

Cheryl Tallman

In Japan, the color red signifies energy and power and is often used as a color for heroic figures. This is a good description because when you include red fruits and vegetables in your child's meals, they will grow up strong like superheroes.

Red foods are packed with lots of vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. Red foods also contain compounds called phytochemicals, which have been shown to have positive health benefits. Phytochemicals you might have heard about include flavonoids, lycopene, reservatol and capsaicin. 

Make a game out of letting your kids choose one "superhero" red food to eat every day. Our favorite red foods include:

• Strawberries - Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, and folate. Strawberries are best fresh, for a special treat add them to yogurt, cereal and smoothies. 
• Tomatoes -Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, potassium and vitamin C. They taste great fresh off the vine and cooked in sauces, stews and soups. Try them with scrambled eggs. 
• Red Peppers - A bright red pepper contains potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C. Red Peppers can be served raw as a snack or in salads, cooked in pasta and stir fry dishes or roasted in soups and stews. 
• Apples - The wonderful shiny red apple contains soluble fiber, pectin and flavonoids. For a healthy afternoon snack, slice an apple and top with peanut butter. Yummy! 
• Watermelon - You know its summer time when you see watermelons. Watermelons are packed with vitamin A, vitamin C and lycopene. A big slice of fresh watermelon is sure to put a smile on your little one's face. 
• Red Beets - Red beets contain iron, niacin and potassium. Start introducing red beets to kids in salads or roasted with olive oil and ground pepper. Pickled red beets are also a good introduction. 
• Red Grapes - Red Grapes contain flavonoids, reservatol and quercitin to help keep your heart healthy and strong. Grapes are a great snack. Freeze them for a hot summertime treat. 
• Cherries - Cherries are considered a nutritional super food because they are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins and, they taste great! Remove the pits to make it easier for little ones to enjoy this delicious treat.

About the author

Cheryl Tallman is the co-founder of Fresh Baby, creators of the award-winning So Easy Baby Food Kit, and author of the So Easy Baby Food and the new book So Easy Toddler Food: Survival Tips and Simple Recipes for the Toddler Years. Visit Cheryl online at www.FreshBaby.com for more delicious tips.

Hippotherapy: A New Therapy for Autism

Monika Pis, PhD, CPNP

The word hippotherapy is derived from the Greek word "hippo," which means "horse." It describes physical, occupational, or speech therapy that uses the multidimensional movement of a walking horse to stimulate the rider and help enhance balance, good posture, mobility, coordination, and strength. Often, hippotherapy aids mental functioning, improves mood and self-confidence as well.

The rhythmic and multidimensional movement of the horse provides variable yet repetitive sensory stimulation to patients. That stimulation can be varied and manipulated by a trained therapist to fit a patient's needs and stimulate improved functioning of daily living. For example, physical therapists can use a variety of horse movements to improve gross motor abilities, such as sitting, standing, and walking.

According to the American Hippotherapy Association, hippotherapy is indicated for children and adults with mild to severe neuromuscular dysfunction. It aids impairments such as abnormal muscle tone; impaired balance, coordination, and sensory function; postural asymmetry; poor postural control; and decreased mobility. Hippotherapy has been used for conditions such as cerebral palsy (CP), developmental delays, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and autism.

Hippotherapy has been used in the U.S. since the 1970’s. However, it is still considered an experimental and investigational treatment because there is insufficient scientific evidence for its effectiveness in the treatment of CP, autism, and other conditions characterized by motor dysfunction.

A recent study by Bass, Duchowny, and Llabre (2009) examined the effects of a 12-week-long therapeutic horseback intervention on social functioning in children with autistic spectrum disorder. The results showed improved social interaction and less inattention and distractibility in autistic children. These findings indicate that hippotherapy may have a place in the treatment of children with autism. However, more studies need to demonstrate its therapeutic effectiveness before hippotherapy is widely recommended as a treatment for autism.

Photography by Joanna Jodko


References:
Bass, M., Duchowny, C., & Llabre, M. (2009). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(9), 1261-7.

Joanna Jodko Photography http://www.jjodkophoto.exposuremanager.com/

Does my toddler have a bladder infection?

Q:
My toddler has been potty trained for a while. Now, all of a sudden, he started to have accidents during the day. He pees in his pants several time during the day. He does not appear to be in any discomfort, but he pees more often and in his pants. Could he have a bladder infection?

A:

"Accidents" in potty trained children may indicate a bladder infection or diabetes. You should schedule an appointment with your child's health care provider as soon as possible.

Baby Signing

Is my baby signing- or am I imagining things?! 

Monta Z. Briant

Your baby is sitting in his highchair working on a lunch of finger foods while you wash dishes nearby. Suddenly, you sense movement in your peripheral vision. You look over and your son is making a clapping-like gesture. Could this be his first sign? You have been working on some basic signs with him for several weeks, but he has yet to sign back to you. Maybe it's just wishful thinking -- he's probably just clapping. You often clap together when he finishes his food, as in "Yeah! Were all done!"

First signs can be easy to miss. Babies make random gestures all the time, but at some point, these gestures take on a deliberate meaning. How can you tell the difference between ordinary clapping, for example, and a clapping-like version of the sign for "MORE"?

Here are some clues to watch for. Look at the expression on your baby's face. Is he wearing his happy clapping face? Or is he looking intently at his hands, expectantly at you, or at a box of Cheerios just out of reach on a nearby countertop. If it's any of the last three, choices, he's almost certainly trying to tell you something!

First signs can be rough or vague approximations of the adult version, but by following your baby's gaze and examining his facial expression you can often gain valuable clues to what he's trying to get across to you. Be patient and try guessing a few things. If you absolutely have no idea what he's signing, respond to your baby in a positive way, by saying something like, "Good job Max! I see you are signing to me with your hands!" This type of response encourages your baby to keep trying by letting him know he's on the right track and that you are proud of him.

Above: Naomi signs "cold".

About Author
Monta Zelinsky Briant is the author of the best-selling Baby Sign Language Basics series of books and learning materials, and she also offers classes for parents and children all over San Diego.
To open a window into your babies mind and personality, please visit www.babysignlanguage.net for information on classes, online lessons, and home learning materials.

Natural Mosquito Repellant

Monika Pis, PhD, CPNP

My property is situated in the woods with a lake on one side and a swamp on the other. It's the perfect breeding ground for bloodthirsty mosquitoes. For years, I have been using various mosquito repellents with little results, and I always frowned on the continuous exposure to DEET, the most common ingredient of many mosquito repellents. So when a colleague of mine mentioned using a natural mosquito repellent and expressed his satisfaction with the results, I decided to do some research on the product. 

Mosquito Barrier, a natural mosquito repellent, is a strong liquid garlic made with garlic cloves. Turns out that using garlic as an insect repellent is not new. It has been used for years to repel mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and even black flies. The magic ingredient in garlic that makes it so effective is sulfur. Garlic is not toxic to humans, pets, and it does not destroy plants, thus it seems like a perfect product for families to use in their backyards.

Mosquito Barrier kills mosquitoes on contact, suffocates mosquito larvae in standing water such as puddles, under a deck, or depressions in your lawn, and last but not least, garlic-coated plants keep mosquitoes out of the area. 

According to the manufacturer, four applications of Mosquito Barrier should be sufficient for the entire mosquito/tick season. However, that may vary depending on the terrain of a property.

After hearing about such great results, I decided to give Mosquito Barrier a try. I mixed it with water and liquid soap in a garden sprayer according to the manufacturer’s directions and sprayed the areas of the yard that are immediate to the house, including under the deck. A distinct garlic aroma hung over the house for the rest of the night, but it was gone by morning. The following afternoon, when I took a stroll among my flowerbeds, I did not seem to be bothered by mosquitoes as much as before. I re-sprayed the yard a week later and was pleased to notice the lack of mosquito frenzy. 

Three weeks have passed now and the mosquitoes are back. It’s time to spray again if I want to enjoy summer evenings in my garden. I will continue using Mosquito Barrier because it is effective, natural, and safe around children and pets. A big plus is that Mosquito Barrier can be safely used around people with respiratory disease, such as asthma. 

More information on Mosquito Barrier is available at MosquitoBarrier.com.