Chris on Nutrition

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Question: My son is 8 months old and his daycare considers a grain option to be his protein, as it is part of the Food Program, so he is eating lots of oatmeal.   What would you consider enough grain and what are some other proteins that would be viable options?  

Answer:  

You're not alone in your confusion!   In fact, if you take a look at the diversity in nutrition books on the market today, you'll see that even the so-called experts can't agree on what constitutes a healthy, balanced diet.   And if food analysis isn't confusing enough, the food program gets the government involved.   That means lobbyists, special interest groups, committees, voting, standards...suffice it to say that the food program guidelines never were on the cutting edge of nutrition information and it's been quite awhile since they were overhauled, so they're woefully behind the times.

First of all, the food program is more worried about infants getting iron than they are about them getting protein.   That's why their recommendations give providers a choice between meat and cereal; because they require that any grains we serve be iron fortified.   This is a knee jerk reaction from a couple of generations ago when infants were becoming anemic at almost epidemic proportions.   They were becoming anemic because doctors were discouraging mothers from breast feeding, so babies were given cow's milk as a substitute for breast milk, and guess what happens to a child who gets too much calcium?   You got it; anemia.   You'd never know that to look at all the 'calcium fortified' food they try to pawn off on kids, would you?   But it's true; calcium inhibits iron absorption, so if kids are constantly consuming milk products or calcium fortified products, they'll have a hard time absorbing enough iron, and ALL the minerals are extremely important for growing bodies.

Seems like the answer to too much milk would be less milk, wouldn't it?   But with strong milk, grain and drug company lobbies, (the drug companies make infant formula and many vitamin supplements,) the food program's answer to too much milk was to require that we only serve formulas and infant cereals that are iron fortified (even though the iron won't be absorbed in the presence of calcium.)   Also, the iron that these foods are 'fortified' (sounds like a super-hero doesn't it?) with is far inferior to the iron found in meat products, which is the only iron that the human body can absorb without problems.   I know the vegetarian view is that there are lots of plants with iron in them, but unfortunately it's a different kind of iron than in animal products and very hard for us to benefit from.   So you see, they're really requiring an 'iron' serving, not a meat serving, which is why your provider can give your baby fortified cereal (not whole grains) at every meal and never any protein and still be well within her requirements.

Your instincts that this is wrong are spot on.   Anyone who has taken basic biology knows that the body needs protein to make new cells and if there's anything an eight month old human is doing, it's making new cells!   First of all, your provider doesn't HAVE to give the baby cereal instead of meat; it's just cheaper.   You can politely request that she please start giving him meat and she should do it immediately, no questions asked.   Do this now because, besides needing protein, the body does NOT need much grain.   Even though our wise, benevolent government recommends that we eat lots of grains, the truth is they cause quite a few problems for us.   The gluten and starch literally make paste inside of us, turn to sugar and gum up the works.   I have questioned every nutritional expert that I have come across and not one of them can tell me one component that we find in grain that we will not find in a superior form in fruits, vegetables and animal products.   Especially the completely overprocessed dust that's sold as infant cereal on the supermarket shelves today.

For as many experts that support it you will also find plenty that will raise a hue and cry at this advice that I've given you.   You will hear that protein is hard on the kidneys and liver to digest and that we need grains for the minerals and fiber.   But the minerals and fiber in fruits and vegetables is equal or superior to that in grains with the added benefit of avoiding the phytates in grains which can also cause problems with mineral absorption.   And while it is true that people with kidney and liver disease have trouble eliminating excess protein from their bodies, that's no reason for the rest of us to go without.   A great cookbook to help you navigate your way through these dragon filled waters is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon with Mary G Enig, PhD.   Another good book to read is Going Against the Grain by Melissa Diane Smith.

Some vegetarian proponents will name cultures that eat very little meat, but I politely suggest that they may not have taken into consideration the amount of insect life that those cultures eat, which is a very high quality source of protein that Western culture abhors   In fact, all of our grass eating animal friends derive a huge amount of protein from insect sources, which is why, if they are not allowed to graze as God intended, farmers have to feed them protein artificially.   No animal on the face of the earth chooses their diet for philosophical reasons, except humans. Too little protein and too much grain can cause havoc in the human body which is wired to be omnivorous.   So, as far as I'm concerned, you need to consider very carefully before making a philosophical choice for your child that deprives them of high quality protein.

I just want to stay on the soapbox long enough to discuss what I mean by 'high quality'.   My research bears out that all manner of animal protein is good; regardless of color or fat content.   Reliable studies have shown that animal fats by themselves are not harmful, artery clogging villains, but only when combined with constant starches in the diet.   So if you take my advice and limit grains, then you can enjoy a variety of vegetables, fruits and protein sources without worrying about collapsing.   I do think that pasturized milk products are highly overrated.   Since children have a difficult time digesting milk intended for baby cows, coupled with the whole mineral assimilation issue, I strongly suggest you avoid using cheeses as a daily source of protein.   Raw milk from grass fed animals and the food made from it are a different story.

Additionally, how food is raised is vital.   I believe it's important to be responsible for the source of our food and for how processed it is.   The less machines our food goes through from field to mouth the better, period.   Do everything you can to buy food from farms as close to where you live as possible and food that was allowed to grow without being pumped or sprayed full of chemicals.   This goes for plants and animals alike.   For animals there is the added warning that they need exercise and they need to eat bugs, so they should be allowed as much freedom in the fresh air and sunshine as they can get during their noble lives.   If our food isn't raised with great skill, care and love it benefits us not, and we owe our lives to the farmers who do their work mindfully.

In the end, a parent has to make the choices that they are prepared to live with; you should choose your path carefully based on as much research as you can do.   But please do the research!   I am amazed every day at adults who take better care of what they put in the gas tank of their car than what they put in their children's mouths.   Nutrition is an essential component of child care and yet, one of the places where parents are the laziest.   I am sickened by the growing numbers of people who would rather just take a poison pill or shove one down a child's throat to cure symptoms caused by poor diet.   Parents like you, who are concerned, curious and involved are a breath of fresh air!