Imprinting Baby's Palate

Teaching our children to be discriminating people begins from the moment of birth. Under careful scrutiny we begin the painstaking task of introducing our newborn to 'first' foods, the determinants of his future health, a canvas upon which core strength, behaviour and intellect depend. I have seen the miracles unfold. My grandsons, aged one and two, are exhibits A.

Development of taste, texture and smell begins in the kitchen. Mom is the conductor. Introducing baby to pureed, sliced or diced carrots, peas, apples, bananas, beets, broccoli, and other 'interesting' foods, during this phase sensitive period, governs baby's dietary future. Health is the result. Processed foods and 'introductory' grains are not welcome. Their presence is suspect, certainly now. Feeding baby is a serious matter! Their palates are being imprinted, as love and wisdom guide their moms. 

Protecting our children from sugar's path of destruction begins with first foods. Breast milk begins the process with these focused modern moms, a president, a doctor and French immersion teacher. They are supported by the 'village', this vast network of family. A recent program on arsenic in organics mentioned the high percentage of this chemical in baby's first foods: rice cereal. Eating 'first' cereals can be problematic in other ways, too, I am learning. Fruits and vegetables are the royal pair.

Sugar masquerading under other names but disguised as ingredients is not new. We are ingesting it at an alarming rate. We know of sugar's almighty power to aid and abet illness. These modern moms know too. No sugar, dairy or gluten. Setting the health trajectory for their children has begun. Cereals are missing. When cereal are included, it seems, the nutrient density of 13 vitamins is less potent while cereal's 'anti-nutrients' begin their metabolic interference, too. Oh, my! Baby's digestive system is too delicate and new to play this dietary game. (But I love my buckwheat kasha and cornmeal, nonetheless. Let's wait and see. That combo helped my preemie thrive and survive)!

In my generation - generations ago - the internet did not exist and today's authors had not been born for 'those' books to be published. Back then, I bought every book I could find on the premature infant. “Born Too Soon” was #1, in my library. We learned from books and nurses, too. Nutrition was not a topic under discussion just the next vaccine on the schedule of doses to be given. How times have changed.

Advancements in the information highway, today, have given these modern moms the tools they need to evaluate this early food game, the most important game of all. My grandsons eat the foods we hear about, pureed or not, cooked or raw, depending. Teeth are important tools to be managed wisely. Oranges, kiwis, cooked beets, broccoli, sweet potatoes, strawberries and avocados, to name a few, are daily menu options. On the top of the list is the banana, a fruit high in magnesium. Both boys love this sweet, 'natural' food made by Mother Nature. It is not food like. It is food!

Core strength is present in my grandbabies. Skin elasticity, high level thinking (executive function) and attention skills, early language development and an understanding of 'be careful', 'hot- danger' and “Read me a book on the couch”mark the learning curve of these little humans. Real food and loving human interaction did this.

As I enter the kitchen, our youngest - at one- is feeding himself. Blueberries, strawberries, kiwis and thinly sliced peeled cucumber are today's favourites. Soon mom gives him portioned avocado, directly from the 'shell'. He devours it like candy. No fries with that. Just the delicious morsels of a food widely acclaimed for its nutrient and healthy fat value. Was that a filling afternoon snack or was it dinner. Hard to tell. Whatever it was, it will be repeated in a few hours with other super foods. And no fries with that either.

The 7th Anniversary of Me

It is the 7^th anniversary of the Momsey blog. Who knew? March 12 marked the day. On February 12, my oh so precious Tiggy passed away and a new way of living began. I knew she was just a cat but she was my 'just a cat', having been discarded, like so much garbage, at the beginning of her very precious life, in minus 25 degree temperatures, by the side of the road - 16 years ago. ...

Tiggy had become larger than my life. Her needs had become highly specialized, more important than mine ever could be. She was in control. I was simply room service of the highest degree. I'd hoped that she might be the exception to the rule and live forever but I was wrong. I miss her terribly.

Over the years, I have written many blogs. Encouraging me to write was my very young editor, soon-to-be mom of two, (daughter-in-law) who meant what she said. and it was said often.  Cut and paste became her signature lesson. I wrote the steps as she dictated them during a few hours over six months. quite the achievement, nonetheless. The world needed to hear from me, she often said. Some have said that blogger has died. Maybe it has. Have I become irrelevant, redundant or just plain boring? Maybe. 

 

Writing has given me the courage to touch the world around me and see beyond my everyday life, a life full of doing, loving and caring. My editor-daughter-in-law, (I now have 3 dynamic women to call daughter) now 25, a musical dynamo and head of her own company, thought my ideas had merit; my writing style, unique. And so I write. Maybe my online presence is coming to an end.  Time will tell.

It seems troubling times are afoot in the country that saved the world over a 100 hundred years ago and twenty years later. He is not perfect, that man who rules that great country called America. The world is watching. Governments seem intent on rewriting how our lives are lived. You are simply an agency comprised of people instructed to govern to make it all work, fairly and safely. We put you there in something called an election. We are the employer not you. Fulfill your mandate. It is your job. Who gives you permission to take leave? Shame on you. The money pit called taxes, never ends. It has now moved into government house.

We are an addicted society, addicted to 'processed' foods, to the small and large screens of our television, computers and other hand held devices, fast paced momentum and spending. There are no diets just eating simply. We know what we're doing and not doing. Are we becoming strangers to mother nature and sleep? Our apps do all the 'walking'. Relationships matter. It is about being human. Being able to size up the other person takes experience you acquire up close and personal. 'In person' is EVERYTHING not just part of the moment or a cute phrase. Special education needs attention yesterday! I put myself out there to help our littlest soldier but no one acknowledged the simple truth: children need stimulation more than curriculum! I was a special needs teacher, once upon at time.

Animals matter in so many ways we are just learning. It is about mental, emotional and physical health. It is about wealth, too. Money spent online or at the mall cannot be used for our pets. Animals keep us grounded in this fast paced world and force us outside where we need to be. They make us think outside the box. Reality seems to evade us but animals remind us that we are human. And so are they!

The other day, I remarked to my husband, an entrepreneurial insurance guy, that we'd gone further than most pet owners with our 'foolishness' for our 'just a cat' in keeping her and her thyroid healthy. He retorted, “We did for her what she did for us”. Oh my. I was caught off balance and brought to tears. My life with her was a match made in heaven and on earth. I knew it from the start. She simply made me worthy and more human my just a cat..

In the seven plus years of the Momsey blog, I have become more courageous than ever. Seven years ago, a teenager saw in me something I did not know was there. We saved each other. Animals are kinder and smarter then we know. When illness strikes, they remind me of resilience while living in the moment. Animals have no time for pity. They live to run, eat that apple or cucumber. Though some have said that blogger has died, time will tell. Good bye my precious Tia. I loved you more than forever. I will miss you always. A eulogy to my precious  little Tiggy.