ChowBaby

I should start by telling you that I woke up feeling annoyed this morning. And, no, it has nothing to do with the time of the month. Ah, shit! Saying that makes it seem like it must have something to do with that time of the month, but I promise it doesn't.

See, last night I read about a new book written by a pediatrician and the chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that presents a case against the link between vaccines and autism. Notice I'm not linking. I don't want to step into that fray today. Especially since it wasn't anything about either side of the vaccine debate that got me worked up. Instead, it was a (probably throwaway) quote by actress Amanda Peet who has become a spokeswomen for a vaccine advocacy group. Here's what she said:

“Where I live in L.A., there’s this child-rearing trend—only feed your kids organic food, detoxify your house. And there’s a lot of anticorporate fervor, anti-pharmaceutical company fervor.” She went on, "I'd have lunch with my friends who were moms, and they'd say they wouldn't vaccinate, or would space out their vaccinations and hadn't I heard?" 

Wait! How did organic food come into this? (And, side question: is detoxifying your house a bad thing?)

I think I know the answer to my own question. Organic has become trendy. Something no longer associated with an authentic movement, but with mega corporations that market over processed foods and questionable nutritional claims trying to get in on a new consumer interest. Organic products are often exorbitantly expensive (and, ironically, bringing the price down often means hoping that the big, bad companies who can produce and distribute on a scale that makes the whole enterprise more affordable get in the game). There is uncertainty over what organic even means and if the label can be trusted. This is related, at least in part, to the issue of industrial organic (which is also related to the fact that over sweet, over processed foods can be made with organic ingredients--i.e., organic doesn't necessarily mean healthy), and the fact that organic products can only be truly organic under particular conditions that are supposedly overseen by the USDA. You know, the same agency that also oversees industrialized meat production and processing. And that's worked so out well, right? And all this isn't just news of the past. Our soon-to-be secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsack, who will oversee the USDA, has a history of supporting biotechnology and genetically modified foods. What are we to make of all this? Especially in a time when related government agencies have failed parents with their positions on bisphenol-A and melamine in our baby formula? Oh, there's more, but I'll spare you. Needless to say, I get it. I understand why you're skeptical. I am, too.

That's why, along with my wicked sense of humor (oh yea), I'm the first one to make fun of the whole obsessive mommy questioning, "Is it organic?" about every "O" shaped cereal and puffed fruit snack you try to hand a kid these days. Even though I'm one of those moms. And why, depending on my mood, I laugh or cringe every time I write a recipe for this blog and specify "organic" next to every single item in the ingredient list. But, let's take a moment and breathe. Or at least give me a moment to catch my breath. 

Organic means grown without the chemical pesticides, chemical fertilizers, sludge sewage, bioengineering, antibiotics, or ionizing radiation. I know that this requires diligent oversight that has been brought into question, but go with me for a minute. Seems pretty straight forward that we would want our government to ensure that our food is grown in as natural a ways as possible. If we can support natural growing techniques without jeopardizing health or food supply, we'd want to. Right? It would not only result in less toxic food, but also cleaner soil and water supplies. I'm guessing we're all, more or less, on the same page here.

Now, are organic products in the US actually less toxic and reliably grown on farms that have cleaner soil and help keep water supplies clean? Not an easy question to answer. I'd guess that, realistically, we can say "some". But some is better than none. And some can lead to many. Many leads to most. Support for organic farming and products both in the form of consumer purchase and activism can help push us towards stricter policy and oversight and greater organic supply. In the meantime, I get that most of us can't be cavalier about spending extra money on organic just to help push us towards a tipping point. (Though, for the record, I don't believe that's all your doing when you buy organic. I believe there is compelling evidence that an organic diet reduces the amount of toxins that you and your children take in.) If that's the case, you might want to consider buying organic just for your little ones (since they eat more fruits and veggies relative to their body weight and developing bodies cannot break toxins down as effectively as ours) or focusing on the dirty dozen (also listed here along with the 12 least contaminated foods, and on Greenopolis with some useful notes on why certain produce is safe to buy non-organic). If you can afford organic and are interested in considering pro-organic research data, here are some points that I find compelling:

• The Environmental Protection Agency reports that children receive 50% of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life.
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Academy of Sciences, standard chemicals are up to 10 times more toxic for children than for adults. The fact is that children take in more toxic chemicals relative to their body weight than adults and their developing organ systems are less capable of detoxifying chemicals.
• According to the Food and Drug Administration, half of the produce currently tested in grocery stores contains measurable residues of pesticides.
• According to the Department of Health and Human Services, organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are now found in the blood of 95% of people tested. OP levels are twice as high in blood samples taken from children than in adults. Exposure to OPs has been linked to hyperactivity, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and motor dysfunction.
• The Food and Drug Administration conducted laboratory tests of eight top-selling baby foods which revealed the presence of 16 pesticides, including three carcinogens.
• In blood samples of children aged 2 to 4 years, concentrations of pesticide residues are 6 times higher for those eating conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables when compared with those eating organic food.
• The Centers for Disease Control reports that one of the main sources of pesticide exposure for children comes from the food they eat.

(Source: Organic Consumers Association, US Government Fact Sheet)

Dr. Green, renowned "green" pediatrician, adds, "In 1993, a congressionally mandated study by the National Academy of Sciences expressed concern that existing methods of risk evaluation for pesticide exposure were failing children. More recently, the Consumers Union and Environmental Working Group have released studies confirming that children are overexposed even if their exposure is within legal limits. The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 mandated a review of agricultural chemicals in light of this new information about risk assessment. Included in this act is a requirement to impose a 10-fold margin of safety to protect children when setting standards for the use of pesticides on food. While safety standards have become more strict, buying organic products, if they are available and you can afford them, and supporting organic agriculture may be your best protection."

Phew. Lots of info. I know. One last thing, though. The American Academy of Pediatrics. Despite what I believe are dubious positions on various child health and safety issues, I feel it would be irresponsible to not report the AAP's position that there is no evidence that "organic, natural, or health foods are any more nutritious or taste better than regular foods." You know, the same way a little bit of melamine in your baby's formula won't kill them. OH snap! (And, as a side note, a prerequisite for joining the AAP is dead taste buds.) But, seriously. While I couldn't find the full text of any of their source research without paying (which I didn't do), I've considered their position and thought that you might want to, as well.

There you have it. Why I buy into organic. But convincing you isn't my point. You being indifferent to, pro-, or anti-organic isn't what makes me mad. It's that damn Amanda Peet and her quote, which I feel was irresponsible.

First off, it's judgmental. And, sadly, baby and kids food tends to be a lightning rod for judgement. Breast milk or formula? Organic or not? All natural or processed? Homemade or store bought? And don't get me wrong--I've been a perpetrator as much as (okay, more than) I've been a victim. And I say that even as someone who was emotionally and physically pulverized by breast milk supply issues that forced formula on Isaac starting at 3-months-old. I guess that in a time like ours, when an obsession with self-awareness has intersected with a massive parenting industry that churns out books and products and advice, feeding is one of the last primal ways we have left to nurture our children. But I wish we could find more compassion for each other. And respect for natural food as a fundamental element of our existence and history.

I also find the comment to be dismissive of sound research on both sides of the issue (certainly the pro-organic side, but she also diminishes the anti-organic stance by chalking the whole thing up to some "in-the-know" privileged mommy trend). Lastly, I find it dangerous that she flippantly brings together the organic and vaccine debates. While there is some interaction--some parents promote organic, gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic children--there is no direct relationship between organic and vaccines (i.e., not all parents of autistic children who believe organic matters necessarily believe that vaccines caused their child's autism, and vice versa). These are not just fads that can be clumped together as part of some cockamamie natural movement. They are globally debated health and environmental issues that have sound research--and smart, informed, outspoken parents--on both sides of the debate. And we're all just doing our best to figure it all so we can make the best decisions we know how for our families.

Poor Amanda Peet. She probably doesn't even remember saying the quote. And I can imagine how she meant it differently than I took it. (See? Compassion. And I'm not being sarcastic!) But she is a public person and has chosen to be a spokeswoman. With great power comes great responsibility. I hope she'll be more careful about how she speaks about her issue at hand. And, if she did mean her comment the way I took it, I hope she'll consider (re-consider?) the research on organic as carefully as she did the research on vaccines. If she ends up feeling the same way and wants to talk about it publicly, maybe she'd be willing to speak more specifically so that moms, like me, who are interested in the issue can reflect on a new, educated, parent-centric point-of-view. Because those are always helpful, even when we disagree. 

-S

related posts:
obama's food policy & choice of tom vilsak for agriculture secretary
dr. alan greene goes organic--is all organic really better
US (non) regulation of baby products
top foods to buy organic
Tree Hugger's "Green Basics" overview on organic food (including criticisms of organic)

you may or may not know this. but there are two federal agencies that
regulate the food industry. the FDA (or Food and Drug Administration)
and the Agriculture Department. one oversees both drugs and anything
to do with meat and/or poultry in the food supply (that's the FDA, of
course) while the other oversees the rest of the food supply (and that
would be the Agriculture Department).
 
why are they split up? you're not the only one wondering that. you
also can't help but wonder if things like melamine in our infant
formula and salmonella in our kids' peanut butter wouldn't be better
avoided with one central agency that institutes strict food safety
guidelines (instead of the "voluntary" ones now in place--whose crazy
idea was that?!) and strict penalties for anyone who breaks the rules.
especially when leading experts assert that federal agencies "don't do
anything until people get sick." uh, hello? can anyone say prevention?
read more about current policies and what obama might
do in this New York Times article.

-m

YUM! EAT THIS...
a lovely, family-friendly recipe for squash and chickpea moroccan stew (via Smitten Kitchen)
3 family-friendly, easy veggies recipes (via Cookie Magazine)
a super healthy tofu (or chickpea) stir fry with spinach and okra (via Sassy Radish)
Making Orange Sherbet with Your Kids (complete with video!) (via Tara Parker-Poke's Well blog)
healthy, family-friendly turkey meatball recipe (via The Kitchn)
inexpensive, nutritious foods easily purchased in bulk (via Not Eating Out in New York)
Healthy Foods for Under $1 (via Tara Parker-Poke's Well blog)

INTERESTING! READ THIS...
5-year-old chef gets his own show (via NPR)
a review of Mark Bittman's Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating (via Salon)
the problem of health care for farmers and how it impacts our food supply (via The Ethicurean)
the science of developing taste buds--from in utero onward (via the The Calgary Herald)

OF COURSE! TRY THIS...
a great hack to get sick kids to sip water while sleeping (via Parent Hacks)

USEFUL! LOOK INTO THIS...
Ziploc Zip n' Steam bags--worth it? (via The Kitchn)
Tilty sippy cups (via Weelicious)
small, melamine bento boxes perfect for toddlers and lil kids (via Oh Dee Doh)
reusable sandwich bags (via Cool Mom Picks)
reusable lunchbox napkins (via Springwise)

-S

i almost didn't take pictures while cooking last night. i'd decided to make one of my and mike's favorite dishes, bucatini all'amatriciana (sloppily plated above with a side of swiss chard--pictures really were a last minute decision!). i used to make it all the time. i'd perfected it. even once claimed (while drunk) that mine was better than mario batali's. while not true, i do have a knack for this dish. but with pancetta, hot peppers and a ton of olive oil (none of which i'm willing to skimp on, even for my tyke--sorry, isaac), i've never made this for the three of us. in fact, i haven't made it in 2 years.

when i decided to make amatriciana for me and mike as a new year's eve treat i figured there was no point in posting about a dish that isn't particularly family-friendly. especially as my first post of the new year. but i've changed my mind. i've even come to think that it's the perfect first post of the new year.

michelle and i share our recipes, feeding hacks, and point of view here because we hope to inspire and help parents create healthy, adventurous eaters. but, at the end of the day, reading a blog isn't going to make your children healthy, adventurous eaters. neither is buying particular products or making particular recipes. it's your love and respect for food that will instill your children with their love and respect for food. which brings me to amatriciana. a dish i'm passionate about. a dish that reminds me of why i love food and, even though he's never eaten it, why isaac loves food, too.

so, here's the recipe. you can serve it to your kids or not. with adjustments or not. and if you don't feel like making this, find time to make something else you love. even if you can't feed it to the kids. just keep your passion for food alive. in 2009 and beyond.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana
2 tbs organic olive oil
1 large organic red onion, halved & cut into 1/2" slices
2 cloves organic garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 lb pancetta (or guanciale), 1/4" thick, diced
1-3 fresh hot peppers*, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (or 1/2 - 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 can organic whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz)
1 lb organic bucatini (spaghetti works well, too)
1/2 cup organic pecorino romano cheese, grated (plus extra to top!)
salt and pepper

*the amount of pepper you use and whether you seed the fresh ones depends on how spicy you like your food; i typically use 2 fresh peppers, seeds and all. also, the type of pepper you use will impact the taste of your sauce, so play around. i've used everything from red jalapenos to (fewer) scotch bonnets. 

1. Put a large pot of salted water on medium-high heat (about 6 qts water & 2 tbs salt). Bring to a boil.

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onions and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until transparent.

3. Create a space in the middle of the skillet by pushing onions and garlic to the edges. Spread the pancetta in the open space and cook until it starts to turn brown.

4. Mix pancetta, onions and garlic together, and add peppers. Keep sautéing until you get a nice golden brown color to everything.

5. Add tomatoes to onion mixture, breaking up each one with your hands. When all of the tomatoes have been added, pour the sauce from the can into the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste (don't be shy with the salt). Cook for about 15 minutes, until sauce thickens and pulls all the ingredients together. (This is not meant to be a heavy sauce, rather it should give a nice coating to the pasta. the picture below was taken just as the tomato sauce was added to the skillet.)

6. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain, saving about a mug's worth of cooking water.

7. Toss pasta in the skillet with sauce over low-medium heat. Add cheese, an extra drizzle of olive oil, and the pasta cooking water. Keep tossing until all of the pasta is coated and heated throughout. Taste and adjust seasoning to get it just right--you may want to add more olive oil, cheese, salt, and/or pepper.

happy eating. all year.

-S

i thought i'd never have to say my son is a picky eater. after all,
food, in all its many splendored varieties, may just be my greatest
pleasure. planting it. growing it. picking it. reading about it.
cooking it. sharing it. and, especially, eating it. no surprise i fell
hard for my husband since he's a (now retired) professional cook. and
even if i'm not the best on-the-fly savory cook, i can follow (and
even tweak) a recipe with the best of them. plus i'm a rocking good
baker.
 
anyway, i was hell-bent on having a kid with a good palate. one who
could go to any restaurant and eat off the menu (and i don't mean the
kids' menu!). one who could travel unencumbered by any special foods
from home. one who proved, once and for all, that if we feed our kids
a varied diet we'll raise kids that will eat just about anything.
 
and that was true for the first 2 years of atticus' life. spicy
curries. dark and bitter leafy greans. fennel olive breads. i admit
it. i was proud. and then, one day, out of nowhere came the cry: i
want plain! plain pasta. plain yogurt. plain chicken. plain bread.
plain rice. i was ready to kill myself. or him. what had gone wrong?
 
i did some digging and found out it's not me. some say it's biology.
evolution, in fact. this article describes that kids get picky between 2-years-old and 4- to
5-years-old because taste buds "shut down" around the time toddlers
start walking to prevent them from putting just anything in their
mouth and eating it. i also learned from one of my favorite baby food resourcs that some say it's a development issue. an opportunity for kids to
flex their independence and experiment with cause and effect (ie, how
funny it is when he says "no, yucky" and i roll my eyes and sigh).
suddenly, i didn't feel so bad.
 
so until this phase passes, what is the parent of a picky toddler to
do? don't make a big deal of it. but don't give in to it either. i
don't support, and neither do many experts, the strategy of hiding
veggies in foods your kids like (ie, hiding pureed butternut squash in
macaroni and cheese)--because kids aren't learning to appreciate the
food in question. i do, however, like the idea of continuing to offer
the foods they reject along with the foods they enjoy. and not making
a scene if they don't eat it. it helps that we cook so much at home
since we're invariably making some staples (like rice or pasta or
chicken) that he will eat. so before we plate our meals and let every
food (gasp!) touch the other, we make a special plate (like this fancy schmancy BPA-free and phthalate-free one from Skip Hop) for atticus where the foods he doesn't like remain far from the foods he does. and
sometimes, if we act over-the-top excited about how yummy the yucky
food is (but not so over-the-top that atticus gets suspicious), he'll
ask for a bite. and sometimes, just sometimes, he forgets it's yucky
and eats it all up. yum!
 
--m

damn. this blog post is longer than one of mine. ha!

check it out--thorough, thoughtful, convincing & with some resources at the end:
5 good reasons you should encourage your kids to cook at an early age.

-S

isaac and i recently started a parent-child program at our local waldorf school. isaac's favorite part (well, besides making bread which we eat at snack time) is playing in the bean box. he loves it so much that i made our very own bean box at home. i simply filled a shoebox with one bag of dried black beans and one bag of dried kidney beans, and voila! you can do the same with pasta. or rice, though small stuff like rice, lentils, etc. make clean up a lot harder.

i'd forgotten about this great, totally absorbing, totally cheap and all natural toy from my child development/education days. i'll let my friends at eensies cover the broader educational benefits. for here, i thought that the ingenious use of food would be interesting. though there is more to it than that--there's a real food/education/child development opportunity here. young children learn best by engaging all of their senses, which is why i often let isaac touch, smell, taste (when appropriate), and even listen to ingredients as i prepare a meal. playing in the bean box provides a unique opportunity for kids to get a new sensory perspective on food ingredients.

isaac is totally obsessed with his bean box. he's been waking up from nap time saying, "BEANS!" hope your little ones enjoy this as much as he does. 

-S

so, here's what dinner with isaac was like tonight:

i warmed up leftover veg curry (when in a rush, i toss these all natural maya kaimal sauces with any and all veggies i can find, including frozen veggies like spinach and peas, sauteed with a little garlic and ginger), then threw in some rotisserie chicken and brown rice. i topped the whole thing with yogurt. yum. and one of isaac's favorites.

NO!

no?! (bewildered)

NO curry!

this doesn't happen. first off, isaac eats pretty much anything. secondly, as i've already said (i told you i was bewildered!), anything curry is a favorite. but, on the rare occasion when isaac refuses a meal, i'll usually offer a quick, nutritious alternative (eg, some fruit w/ peanut butter or cut up veggies, crudites style), and then call dinner over, even if he refuses the alternative. i'm not down with offering a million meal options. (more on that some other time--i know this is a hot topic!) but, tonight, caught off guard, i began putting another meal together.

i quickly tossed a scrambled egg, the rest of the brown rice, a couple of frozen shrimp and some frozen edamame in a wok with a little sesame oil and soy sauce. voila. fried rice. how could this fail?! i dished it up to my intrepid eater, and...

NO!

no?!?!?!?!?!!!!

NO rice!

what is going on?!

isaac started negotiating. i got sucked in for a minute. then i stopped. we were at a stand still.

right as i started gearing up to call it a night, sans dinner, isaac said, "isaac cook."

isaac cook?

ISAAC COOK!

i put both meals, each with a spoon, and a clean pink plate (which he requested) in front of him. and the "cooking" began. isaac started mixing the meals together. ("mix!" "isaac stir!") not so appetizing to me, but perfect for him. in between mixing, transferring and spooning the foods, he ate a seriously healthy and sizable meal. it got pretty messy--which will always be a little hard for me--but totally worked. for me and for him. isaac ate a nutritious (if mish-mashed) meal and was able to follow through on a self-directed experiment.

it reminded me of self-feeding, an issue that seemed so relevant and important when isaac was, maybe, 10-months-old. now that isaac feeds himself all the time, i've forgotten about all the challenges of navigating your way through the demands of your little one's newfound independence. i guess this is another phase of the same thing. and it's actually pretty cool. of course, isaac would want to cook. he sees me cooking all the time! first you feed yourself. then you cook for yourself.

perfect.

-S

     

Click here to download:

let_them_play_with_food.zip (1404 KB)

who knew watching an "innocent" nature film called Microcosmos with my two-and-a-half-year son would lead to tough questions about the food chain? yet there we were. snuggling on the sofa. enjoying our nightly tv ration. watching a spider spin a web accompanied by classical music. all good, right? but then a cricket launched itself into the picture and i knew it couldn't end well. what to do? hit the pause button and attempt to redirect? cover his eyes with my hands? let him watch and use it as an opportunity to learn something about the circle of life? i have no idea if i did the right thing. but in the moment, i opted for the latter.

living in an urban area, i make it a point to help atticus understand where his food comes from. he's got the fruit and veggie thing pretty down since we our raised our own produce last summer in our front yard garden in Maplewood, NJ. grapes grow on a vine, right? blueberries grow on a bush, right? carrots grow in the ground, right? this is a game he likes to play while standing in front of the open refrigerator (wasting energy). and i'm convinced this understanding was sparked because of the great project we did with Fritz Haeg of Edible Estates:

www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/nyc-suburbs.html

but the animal thing is a different story. i grew up in farm country. i didn't live on a farm. but a lot of my friends did. and my aunt and uncle, too. and i knew from the get-go that the meat on my plate was (recently) the animal running around the barn. i don't think my parents once worried that i was too young to make that connection. if the information was too much for my little self to handle. it just was what it was. but i have the luxury (or the misfortune, depending how you look at it) of keeping this information from my son. at least for a while longer. 

in the moment, i took my cue from atticus. i watched him lean toward the screen to get a closer look at the spider "mummify-ing" the cricket and sucking its juices. when he asked what was happening, i told him the spider was making and eating his dinner. just like we make and eat our dinner. (sort of.) he seemed satisfied and jumped off the sofa to read his shark book. leaving me to worry that i just scarred him for life.