Monthly Archives: September 2009

September 10th, 2009

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Health Freak Baby Eating Yellow Capsicum

My mil bought some organic baby capsicums last week. It was the first time I’d seen such tiny and cute capsicums and I could not resist biting on one of the baby capsicums… in its raw form. I remembered Chris (one of the commentators of my blogs) telling me that her son would eat raw capsicum as he would eating an apple. I did that too and I must say that the baby capsicum tasted really sweet and crunchy. Very healthy snack indeed, in replacement of junk food. My mil had wanted to stir-fry the capsicums but most of them had now been chomped down by moi and Baby!

Baby enjoying her raw yellow capsicum during dinner. Good way of keeping her still on her highchair!

Cassandra, Food for toddlers

September 10th, 2009

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Another Mastitis

I was attacked by another bout of Mastitis yesterday and am still feeling the pain today. I was really exhausted 2 nights ago, overslept (I normally wake up between 3-5am to change her diaper and feed her) and did not switch sides to let Baby suckle on my right boop. Yesterday morning, my nightie was wet and I realized that I was leaking milk (which hardly happens now after 17 months of breastfeeding). I touched my boop and gawd, it felt hard, full and slightly painful. Hours passed by and the pain gradually intensified and my right boop hurts terribly. I kept asking Baby to suckle on that boop but somehow, this fler just prefers the left boop. She kept pushing herself away from my right boop each time she’s placed there and kept gravitating to the left boop! See, even toddlers have preference over which side of mummy’s boops to latch on! I wonder if the milk tastes different from each breast haha! I’ve been popping on double dosage of garlic pills with Lecithin and I hope the pain and lump go away by today.

Breastfeeding, Mastitis

September 8th, 2009

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Fresh Dates

The hubs bought a packet of yellow color fresh dates the other day. They didn’t taste as good as the brownish-greenish fresh dates which are round in shape.

The yellow color, oblong shaped fresh dates are sweet but have a slight bitter taste and sappy texture, as if you are eating bananas that are not ripened yet. I was told later that I should not have refrigerated the fresh dates. I should have left the fresh dates in room temperature and let the dates ripened, turn dry and wrinkly before eating them. Well, after refrigerating the dates for almost a week, we left them in room temperature but bummer, the dates turned mouldy and we threw them away!

Food For Thought:
A 100 gram portion of fresh dates is a premium source of vitamin C and supplies 230 kcal (960 kJ) of energy. They are fat free, cholesterol free, and are a good source of fiber. Every 100 gram portion includes Vitamin A — 5 mcg beta-carotene and 75 mcg lutein + zeaxanthin and Vitamin B-complex total folate – 13 mcg. A single date contains Vitamin B6. Dates also contain Vitamin A1, B1, B2, B3, B5, C and more than 20 different amino acids, helping us digest and assimilate carbohydrates easier and control blood sugar levels and fatty acids content in our bodies. The selenium (a powerful antioxidant) lowers the risk of cancer and heart diseases, as well as helps us keep our immune systems healthy. As a single date contains around 23 calories, this very low calorie count and the huge amount of healthy substances in dates make them one of the best nutrition sources for a diet plan menu.

Dates are high in iron and potassium. They are useful in treating anemia, constipation and fatigue. Dates that are immersed in water overnight and then pureed with the remaining water before consuming in the morning can be used to counter constipation.

Dates are believed to prevent certain types of cancer, especially pancreatic cancer.

Dates soaked in fresh goat’s milk and eaten with honey and a pinch of cardamom is believed to increase sexual stamina! Anyone gamed to try that?

Caution : Dates contain compounds that may cause headaches in certain individuals. Dates are also very high in sugar content and you should go easy on them or not eat them if you have diabetes.

Traditional Medicinal Uses:
Dates have a high tannin content and are used medicinally as a detersive (having cleansing power) and astringent in intestinal troubles. As an infusion, decoction, syrup, or paste, dates may be administered for sore throat, colds, bronchial catarrh, and taken to relieve fever and number of other complaints. One traditional belief is that it can counteract alcohol intoxication. The seed powder is also used in some traditional medicines. The roots are used against toothache.

Fruits

September 4th, 2009

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Healthy Snacks

Munching on nuts and seeds is the healthiest snacking ever, for both adults and kids. I was at Village Grocer and bought these:

Pine nuts. Cost almost RM20 for a small box. Freaking expensive!

Walnuts. This brand of sugar-free roasted walnuts produced by VitaWide Trading is by far the tastiest – the walnuts are really crunchy and there is no rancid taste. It’s pretty hard to buy sugar-free walnuts that taste fresh and crunchy. What turns me off is biting on a walnut that is bitter and has a rancid smell. Walnuts that are dark colored are normally bitter and taste rancid.

BTW, did you know that cold is the walnuts’ best storage friend? Walnuts go rancid when exposed to warm temperatures for long periods of time. Refrigerator storage is good, but if you have larger quantities, freezer storage is best. Walnuts from opened packages keep well for up to six months when they are cold (refrigerator) stored in sealed containers. Walnuts are good to eat when opened for up to a year when kept in the freezer.

Fresh walnuts smell mildly nutty and taste sweet. If your walnuts smell like paint thinner, you know they’re rancid. And if they’re rancid, you should throw them away!

Even my health freak Baby C likes nibbling on walnuts (cut into small pieces).

This is Baby’s bowl of snack consisting of pine nuts and cranberries, cut into small bite size. Young toddlers choke easily on nuts and dried fruits like raisins and cranberries, so be really watchful when you feed them these. Make sure the nuts and dried fruits are cut into really small pieces and let them eat under your watchful eyes. Baby C had choked on the cranberries twice and puked, though I’d cut them into really small pieces. I was spoon-feeding her milk and she was nibbling on the cranberries.

Healthy Food

September 2nd, 2009

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That’s How They Eat Pomelo

That’s how my gals eat pomelos:

But my health freak baby didn’t quite like pomelos. After a few bites, she spat them out and played with them instead. I guess she does not like the slight tart taste of the pomelo, which is similar to that of grapefruit.

But Alycia could not stop devouring on the pomelos, especially when chilled.

Alycia, Cassandra

September 1st, 2009

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Emborg Edam In Slices Mild And Fresh Cheese

I had asked the hubs to get me a pack of Kraft’s singles cheese the other day but my man who always has doubts about processed cheese (and would always shake his head each time I buy them) got me a pack of Emborg Edam in slices cheese instead (made in Germany). I have no regret that he got me this brand and type of cheese instead coz this cheese is tasty and most importantly, it is not salty. It only contains 1.4% of salt and the texture is harder and coarser than other brands of regular processed cheddar cheese. As it is not salty, I have given some to Baby to try and she loved it as well.

My breakfast consisting of a slice of walnut wholemeal bread with a thick slice of Emborg Edam cheese. Yummy, iLike! Will definitely get another pack.