This is all about toddler nutrition from an Oriental Medicine point of view! Although similar to Baby Nutrition, there are some differences and this article is geared toward the 1 to 3 year old. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like clarification or more information in any area. I look forward to hearing from you!
How are children different from adults?
- Excess Yang Energy– The balance between Yin and Yang is different due to very fast growth between ages 0-7. Babies are highly influenced by those around them. “Stabilization” occurs between age 7 and onset of puberty, followed again by rapid growth and change due to hormonal factors.
- Weak Spleen– The Oriental Medicine organ “spleen” has to work extra hard after birth, eating, absorbing, digesting. Problems often start around 6 months, which is weaning time. If digestive problems show up earlier, it could be due to birth trauma, congenital disorder, foods in the mother’s diet if breastfeeding, or baby formula intolerance.
- Undeveloped Immune System– More susceptible to viruses, infections.
- Very fast progression from healthy to ill, and vice versa– In babies and children, fevers can spike very high quickly, which can lead to febrile convulsions. Respiratory illnesses can progress to pneumonia quicker. However, babies and children can also recover faster!
- Very sensitive and easily influenced by emotions/”vibrations” around them– Fear, discord, conflict among caregivers/parents, and anxiety can be felt by babies and children, even if it is unexpressed. They pick up on it.
- “Treat the Mother to Treat the Child”– In the first 2 years of life, the mother and child are considered one unit. You can look into the health of the mother to get clues about the baby. You can also treat the mother to treat the baby.
- Less “Baggage”– They let you know how they feel, what is working, and what is not. Until age 7 when logical reasoning starts, they have no reason to lie to you. (Scott, 1999)
Why is nutrition so important to children?
- The Oriental Medicine organ Spleen oversees transformation and transportation. In other words, it breaks down (transforms) the food we eat into nutrients, Blood, and Qi and transports those nutrients and Qi to our cells so that we can utilize it.
- In children, the Spleen has not fully developed yet, so they have a difficult time digesting and it takes a lot more work. If their digestive systems are overburdened by the wrong foods, damp and phlegm results, which can create problems like getting sick frequently, congestion, runny nose, coughs, ear infections, constipation, or diarrhea.
- We need to offer food that is easy to digest so that we do not damage their Spleen. If their Spleen does get damaged, then it will be even more difficult for them to digest food and health problems can arise.
- If we start off from the beginning offering foods that will nourish and build the Spleen, we are setting our children up for great health for the rest of our lives. Modern science is finally coming to terms with what Oriental Medicine has known for over 2000 years- many if not most health problems originate in the gut.
What nourishes the Spleen?
Before we get to specific foods, here are some general rules:
- Overeating anything can damage the Spleen. Even if it is breast milk, you don’t want your baby to drink until his or her belly is distended.
- The Spleen or digestive system works best on a schedule. It is best to eat at the same time every day (including breast or bottle feeding).
- It is best not to go right to sleep on a full stomach.
- Eat all foods and liquids warm, as cold damages the Spleen. This means avoiding raw veggies, frozen fruit smoothies, etc. Bake or sauté all food and consume all liquids at room temperature or warmed up.
- Follow your child’s cues. All children are unique.
- Offer food in a calm environment.
What foods should I feed my child?
Although by now your child has been eating a variety of foods, still make sure you are keeping an eye out for any signs of food intolerance or reaction. Some symptoms are: mood changes, sleep disturbance, excess gas or bloating, increased spit up or vomiting, diarrhea, redness around the mouth and/or anus, body rash or hives, and increased mucous such as nasal discharge or congestion.
Here are foods that you want to be sure to include in your toddler’s diet. These foods rebuild and restore the function of the Spleen/ digestive system. Do not give up if your toddler doesn’t like the food the first time you offer it, or even the next five times after that! It can take more than ten times of offering a food for them to start enjoying it. The key is to be consistent and persistent. They will not starve themselves and if you withhold the processed or damp producing foods that may have become their favorite, before long their taste buds will adapt to their new diet.
- sweet potatoes & yams
- yellow beets
- winter squash (pumpkin, acorn, kobocha, butternut, etc)
- zucchini (especially yellow zucchini)
- pattypan squash
- parsnip & turnip
- carrots
- cooked apples
- cooked pears
- broccoli
- peas
- cabbage (red or green, but very well cooked)
- cauliflower
- kale
- bok choy
- cooked cherries
- wild salmon
- organic chicken
- homemade chicken stock and/or bone broth
- dried figs (soaked in water and cooked with other fruits)
- cooked dates
- egg yolk – organic, pasture raised if possible (avoid the whites until at least age 2- common allergen)
- virgin coconut oil – organic
- butter – organic
- avocado oil – organic
- yellow split peas* (cook as a dal)
- oats* – certified gluten free: steel cut or old fashioned. Never use instant type
- rice*
- quinoa*
- red lentils*
- avocado
- berries (cooked)
- potatoes
- red beets
- mushrooms (cooked)
- onions (cooked)
- pumpkin, chia, flax, sunflower seeds (ground into a powder and mixed into foods)
- nutritional yeast
* Be sure to soak the grains overnight in water to break them down and increase their digestibility. Cook them longer in at least twice the amount of water to create a porridge or congee. You can add in nourishing vegetables and warming spices (fennel, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, and/or cinnamon).
See Sally Fallon’s article on why and how to best prepare your grains at http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/be-kind-to-your-grains-and-your-grains-will-be-kind-to-you/ (Fallon, 2014).
It is important to have every meal and snack balanced. This means eating a variety of food and always incorporating protein, fat, and unprocessed carbohydrates (fruit, vegetable, and/or properly prepared whole grains) at every meal and snack. This will keep blood sugars stable, provide a full range of vitamins and minerals, and allow for maximal absorbability of those nutrients.
Some recipe ideas:
cooked apple, fig, and red cabbage together and blend into a sauce. This protects the digestive tract, treats and prevents constipation, and your baby will love it.
Cooked sweet potato, cauliflower, and chicken broth with a pinch of Himalayan salt makes for a very nutritious meal with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals and prevents blood sugar spikes.
Adding some warming digestive herbs and spices, such as ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom can help the digestibility of foods and balance our “cold natured” food.
Adding fats to their meals, such as butter, coconut, and avocado oil is extremely important as it will keep them satisfied, nourish their brain, and keep their digestive track protected.
Oats slowly cooked in extra water with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Crock pot works great!
Rice congee with sweet potatoes, zucchini, beets, and onion
Whenever you are making something, make a large batch and freeze the extra into cubes for easy meals when you are busy!
When your child is sick, the best thing he or she can consume is breast milk. A great supplement to this is bone broth with a pinch of Himalayan salt and is a much better electrolyte replacement than pedialyte.
Foods to avoid until around 12-24 months
- gluten: includes wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut- wait until at least 2 years old and soak beforehand
- corn: it is highly allergenic for most people & difficult to digest- wait until at least 2 years old
- tofu: very cold in nature, wait until 2-3 years old. Tempeh can be eaten at 18 months
- bananas: cold in nature and produce excess mucus- wait until 12 months OR cook the banana with cinnamon after 8-9 months
- tomatoes: cold in nature, wait until 12 months
- spinach: cold in nature, wait until 12 months and cook very well
- oranges: cold in nature and causes phlegm, wait until 12-18 months
- cow dairy: choose organic goat milk instead and raw if possible – it is closer to breast milk in properties and easier on digestion – you can start with a small amount of goat milk between 9-12 months.
- cold drinks: let water and other beverages be room temperature before consuming
- peanuts: common allergen, wait until 2 years old
- shellfish: common allergen, wait until 2 years old
- egg whites: common allergen, wait until 2 years old
- honey: risk of botulism, wait until 1 year old. (Flaws, 1999)
Despite conventional wisdom, it is not necessary for toddlers to continue to drink milk after weaned off breast milk to get adequate calcium. Many other foods provide sufficient calcium, such as:
- leafy greens (kale, collard greens)
- sprouted or soaked barley and quinoa
- black and pinto beans (soaked overnight) – best to wait until 12-18 months for legumes.
- almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower, and sesame seeds (soaked overnight and then dried in the oven at low temp.)
- sardines and anchovies (ground up in food processor)
- bone broth (always make with a little vinegar to pull minerals out of bone into the broth)
If you had delayed cord clamping during the delivery of your baby, your baby will have enough iron stored until they are 6-10 months, depending on the individual scenario (Buckley, 2009). Around 9 months is when you want to make sure your baby is getting enough iron. Children that have a higher risk of low iron include: born premature, born at a low birth weight, and babies whose mother had gestational diabetes or poor nutritional status during pregnancy. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Iron for both males and females from 0-6 months old is 0.27mg/day, for age 7-12 months 11mg/day, and for children 1-3 years old 7mg/day (CDC, 1998). Foods that are iron rich:
- breast milk (0.5mg/L- but depends on mother’s diet)- better absorbed than formula, cow, or goat milk.
- winter squash
- prunes
- sea vegetables (arame, dulse), algaes, kelp
- whole grains (millet, amaranth, quinoa- all soaked overnight)
- sweet potatoes (0.10mg*)
- spinach (0.4mg*)
- broccoli (0.09mg*)
- raisins (0.19mg*)
- mushrooms
- beef (0.36- 0.53mg* depending on cut)
- chicken (0.15mg*- light meat, 0.19mg – dark meat)
- turkey (0.23mg*)
- egg yolk (0.38mg*)
- chicken liver (1.8mg*)
- pork loin (0.13mg*)
- beans (again soaked overnight)- (0.23- 0.41mg* depending on variety) best to wait until over 12-18 months before starting any legumes.
* mg amount listed is how much iron is in 1 Tablespoon or 14.23 grams of food per UDSA Nutrient Database (2016).
NOTE: Cereal is NOT a good source of iron. Most is added synthetically and only about 4% is absorbed (Famons, 1989). Furthermore, eating processed or refined foods actually pulls nutrients from your baby’s body in order to digest and break down the food.
Signs your baby is iron deficient include: slow weight gain, no appetite, pale skin, and low activity level but high irritability
Combining Vitamin C with iron rich foods helps increase absorbability. Foods high in Vitamin C include:
- breast milk
- red and green peppers
- kale
- brussels sprouts
- berries
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- sweet potatoes
- cabbage
- kiwi
- peas
- apples
- bananas (cook well and wait until 12 months to eat raw)
- peaches
- tomatoes (wait until 12 months)
- citrus fruit (wait until 12-18 months) (MedlinePlus, 2015)
Another reminder that every child is different and has a different constitution and predisposition to certain imbalances. Although these are general guidelines for your little one’s diet, each child may need to eat or omit certain foods based on their pattern of disharmony. For example, if your child has a lot of “dampness”, which could be in the form of frequent coughs, diarrhea, nasal congestion, or ear infections, then it will be extremely important to avoid dairy and bananas. If your child has a lot of “internal heat”, as evidenced by red cheeks, sweaty, irritable, or restless, then your child should avoid too much red meat, spices such as cinnamon and ginger, and eating too frequently or right before bed. Your child can be evaluated by an Oriental Medicine practitioner to find their imbalance and get treatment, herbs, and dietary advice that is more specific to their constitution and pattern.
References
Buckley, S. J. (2009). Gentle birth, gentle mothering: the wisdom and science of gentle choices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.
CDC. (1998). Recommendations to Prevent and Control Iron Deficiency in the United States . Retrieved February 10, 2017, from https://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/m0051880/m0051880.asp#Table_2
Fallon, S. (2014, June 18). Be Kind to Your Grains…And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You. Retrieved February 8, 2017, from http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/be-kind-to-your-grains-and-your-grains-will-be-kind-to-you/
Flaws, B. (1999). Keeping your child healthy with Chinese medicine: a parent’s guide to the care and prevention of common childhood diseases. Kuala Lumpur: Eastern Dragon Press.
Fomon, S. J., Ziegler, E. E., Rogers, R. R., Nelson, S. E., Edwards, B. B., Guy, D. G., . . .
Janghorbani, M. (1989). Iron Absorption from Infant Foods. Pediatric Research,26(3), 250-254. doi:10.1203/00006450-198909000-00019
Scott, J., & Barlow, T. (1999). Acupuncture in the treatment of children. Seattle, WA: Eastland Press.
USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory | USDA Food Composition Databases (2016). Retrieved February 10, 2017, from https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/
Vitamin C: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2015, February 02). Retrieved February 8, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002404.htm