Your Tot - The Myths Behind Fat Sources

Fats should not be restricted during the first two years of a child's life, because they are essential for proper brain development. Yet, where they come from is even more important.

Food can either be medicine; feeding the body at the cellular level to fight diseases and protect the immune system, or it can be poison; breaking down the cells of the body, making one susceptible to disease and internal destruction.

“Modern production of foods incorporates a wide range of synthetic chemicals. Many of these chemicals have the potential to be very damaging to humans if they are exposed to high concentrations, or to low concentrations over an extended period of time.”  

~  Jeff Gillman, PhD, associate professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota and author of The Truth About Organic Gardening

Since the time Nya was 4 months old, I was told repeatedly that she needs more fat. She has always been on the low end of the growth chart for weight (hanging out around 15 %), yet at the high end for height (80%), and right in the middle for her head circumference (50%). These "statistics" of what she's measured against show that she is growing, just not as heavily as some of her peers.

Nya eats A LOT of food with a LOT of variety. Her diet consists of a whole food, plant based approach, which includes numerous healthy fats at every meal. She isn't eating: processed/packaged food, refined flours and sugars (dates are the only sweeteners she's ever had), and anything that has been genetically modified (to include growth hormones and antibiotics found in most animal product).

Nya's meal in one sitting at 10 months old

“More people are realizing there’s a myriad of chemicals in conventionally produced food." Although each has passed its own safety review, "Most of the studies on safety are done or supported by the companies themselves.” ~ Craig Minowa, environmental scientist with the Organic Consumers Association, a nonprofit advocacy group

Nya's pediatrician gave the ok for her to eat anything (other than honey) once she reached 6 months of age...even nuts....especially peanut butter.  And butter was highly recommended as a way to "put on more fat."

I was surprised, when talking with other mothers, just how many were told the same thing.  Feed your child butter;  put it on everything.  This advice was to ensure Nya got more fat and calories, that her doctor assumed she was lacking based on the standardized growth chart.

When your child is on the low end of the scale, and a doctor repeatedly tells you these things, you begin to doubt yourself as a parent and a part of you begins to question yourself.  Yet my gut and common sense told me this wasn't the best option for optimal health. 

So I wanted to explore the facts and compare some of the healthy fats I feed Nya to what was recommended by numerous pediatricians.

The chart compares some "high fat" foods. To keep an even playing field, everything is compared on a scale of 1 ounce, even though it's not a likely proportion to eat. 

To view the Fat Comparison Chart, click here. 

Even though these foods are compared on a 1 ounce ratio, it is not a likely measure of what your child would actually eat. The information below will give you a better representation of what 1 ounce looks like. You can then compare the foods as they are eaten, as opposed to ounces.

1 oz of Butter or Margarine = 2 Tbsp.  

1 oz of Nuts = 28 nuts. 

2 ounces of nuts blended with 1 cup of water makes about 9 ounces of nut milk. 
(Roughly 300 calories, 30 g Fat, 2.5 g Unsaturated Fat, 10-12 g protein, and lots of Vitamins and Minerals. Plus, you can account for 1 cup of water which is essential for nutrients to reach the cells of the body)

1 oz of olives = just over 9 olives.

1 oz of avocado = about 1/7 of a whole avocado.  1/2 avocado = about 3.5 ounces.

1 oz of milk = 1/8 of a cup.  1 full cup = 8 ounces.

While butter is a highly recommended fat, it's not as nutritionally sound as other options, which are derived from whole foods.  For example, Almonds have 74.6 mg of Calcium per ounce compared to butter, which contains 6.7 mg. Almonds also have 28 times more potassium than butter.  

Nya eats olives and avocado regularly throughout the day. She's still not ready to eat nuts whole, so I usually puree them into many of her meals.  Here are some ideas:

• Lara Balls - Ground Nuts & Dates are the base...you can add in anything extra you want!
• Smoothies - Toss some in a smoothie made with greens, fruit, seeds (chia or flax), and coconut water.
• Chocolate Breakfast Bars for Toddlers - Almond meal, ground flax, and raw cacao add extra calories and fat while providing many essential nutrients.
• Nut Butters - Make sandwiches with natural nut butters and homemade jam.
• Parmesan "Cheese" - I've recently started doing this and adding it to many of Nya's dishes (blend 1/4 c almonds with 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast until powder forms).  
• Nut Milk - For roughly 9 ounces of milk, blend 1/4 - 1/3 c raw nuts with 1 cup water. You can add a date to sweeten, raw cacao to make chocolate, or serve plain.  You don't have to strain cashews, but it is recommended to strain the other nuts unless you prefer the thicker consistency.
• Cashew cheese and Crackers - Easy to make from whole foods.
• Add any pureed nuts to foods you make.  This works great with muffins, bars, or pancakes. 
• Pumpkin Walnut Muffins for Tots - Almonds and Walnuts are added for extra calories and fat.
• Chewy Baked Oatmeal Cranberry Squares - To bump up the healthy fat and calories, sub almond meal (flour). 
• Creamy Fire Roasted Tomato Soup - Cashews add to the extra calories and healthy fats.
• Cream of Broccoli Soup - Cashews add to the extra calories and healthy fats.

The possibilities are endless!

I finally had a long conversation with Nya's pediatrician about the foods she eats. It wasn't until that moment that she finally understood, and I got justification for my choices to raise her on a whole food, plant based diet.

Finally.

So for all of those mothers that have been told to "slather on the butter" ... you have other options that are much more nutritionally sound for your child. 

To connect with others in this crazy journey called life, discover new parenting ideas and fun DIY projects, learn about holistic remedies, and find whole food plant based recipes, please visit our Facebook page Loving Green at Loving Green FB.