It’s not often I get jazzed about food products for little ones. But when my youngest started solids last year, I remember loving the Happy Baby Frozen meals I picked up at Whole Foods. I recently tried the products they have for toddlers and got giddy all over again.

But before I go on, let me tell you about the company…

According to their website, Happy Baby “…is committed to making baby and toddler food as healthy and delicious as homemade with the essential nutrients needed for optimal growth and development.”

I like that the company has both a medical and nutrition advisor: Dr. Robert Sears and Amy Marlow, MPH, RD. And to top it off, HAPPY BABY works with Project Peanut Butter to help feed starving children in Malawi. Every package purchased goes towards this effort.

I’m going to review the products we’ve tried followed by information on how you can win some great (free) stuff.

Happy Baby Frozen: I’ll admit it. I wasn’t as gung ho about making baby food the second time around. I was working and dealing with a poor-sleeping (but cute) little guy. The Happy Baby Frozen Meals include a variety of nutritious foods perfect for baby — greens, squash, salmon, peas, brown rice and chicken. They come in three textures: simple puree (6+ months), Smooth combos (7+) and Sorta chunky (9+).

All of these homemade meals are made with whole, organic foods. I love that they include salmon and chicken in addition to the fruits and veggies. The ones we tried had a good flavor and my little guy polished them off.

Happy Bellies: These are organic, whole grain cereals with added DHA and probiotics. These cereals (also iron-fortified) make a great first food for baby. As I recommended in my cereal post, infant cereals can extend beyond the first year of life since the first two years are when children are at the highest risk for iron deficiency.

Each 3 Tbsp of cereal contains 16mg of DHA which can go towards meeting your little one’s needs. They also contain live and active cultures (probiotics). While these ingredients are not necessary, they are nice additions. My son ate this up like he usually eats his cereal.

Happy Bites: These products are designed for toddlers but can be for older kids too. There are six varieties including breakfast pocket, fish bites, mac & cheese, salmon stix and veggie tots.

We tried the salmon stix and veggie tots. Unlike regular fish sticks, the Salmon Stix contain 520mg of DHA and EPA (for more on the benefits/amounts of DHA kids need see article). They taste really good and make simple finger foods. My 3-year old tried one with some ketchup.

The veggies tots are a mix of potatoes, carrots, corn, red peppers and other healthful ingredients. They are a good source of vitamin A and an excellent source of vitamin C. I cut these into little pieces and gave to my little one as a snack. Both of these products tasted delicious (I can eat them too, right?).

Check out some of Happy Baby’s other products including Happy Puffs, Happy Melts and Happy Tots.They also have downloadable feeding guides developed by health professionals. This is some good stuff.

After trying (and liking) their products, I approached Happy Baby and they were generous enough to offer some product for this giveaway. The following gift basket ($72 value) contains:

• 1 HAPPYBABY tote (16”w x 12”h x 6”d)
• 1 organic cotton HAPPYBABY| bib
• 1 organic cotton HAPPYBABY| t-shirt
• 3 canisters of HAPPYBELLIES organic cereal | Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Multi-Grain
• 3 canisters of HAPPYBABYPUFFS organic baby snacks | Apple, Apple/Banana, Greens
• 8 FREE trial coupons for HAPPYBABY frozen meals of your choice
• Infant and toddler Nutrition Guide written by Dr. Sears and Amy Marlow, RD MPH CDN
• FAQ on Probiotics & DHA
• HAPPYFAMILY Recipes

Here’s what you have to do to enter the Happy Baby giveaway:

1) Leave a comment saying why you need healthy and convenient food products for your kids.

2) For another entry, sign up for Raise Healthy Eaters’ email updates or RSS Feed. If you already subscribe, tell at least one friend about Raise Healthy Eaters. Leave another comment saying what you did.

3) To increase your chances further, become a facebook fan of Raise Healthy Eaters. If you are already a fan (now called like), suggest some of your friends become fans. Leave another comment saying what you did.

4) And for a bonus entry, tweet this post, share this post on Facebook or become a fan of Happy Family. Again, let me know you did it by leaving another comment.

This giveaway is short and sweet and will end Sunday the 25th at midnight. The winner will be picked at random.org. Good luck!

There is no breakfast food that offers convenience and nutrition the way cereal does. But when you go down the cereal aisle you may be overwhelmed by the choices. How much sugar is too much? How much fiber and whole grains should you shoot for?

You’ll be glad to hear that research is on cereal’s side. In fact, a study published in this month’s Journal of the American Dietitian Association found that 35 percent of children (9 to 13 years) and 25 percent of adolescents (14-18 years) consumed ready-to-eat cereal. When compared to the breakfast skippers and non-cereal eating kids, the cereal eaters had diets lower in fat and cholesterol and higher in fiber and vitamins and minerals and these kids were leaner.

So I compiled a list and guidelines to help you choose cereals that are right for your family. The flexible guidelines include (per serving) 10g or less of sugar, 3g or more fiber, whole grain as the first listed ingredient (16g whole grains = 1 serving of whole grains), no artificial colors & preservatives and, in some cases, key nutrients like iron.

Let’s take a look.

1. Iron-fortified Whole Grain Infant Cereal: Because of their rapid growth and need for iron, I recommend that for the first two years of life, babies and toddlers consume iron-fortified whole grain cereals. Since the introduction of fortified formula and cereals, iron deficiency has decreased significantly. But it still occurs in about 10 percent of children under two. And you want your little one to avoid iron deficiency because if left untreated it can cause cognitive deficits that are sometimes irreversible.

I like Earth’s Best but any fortified whole-grain cereal will do. And older children can try some of the iron-fortified ready-to-eat cereals listed below.

2. Oatmeal: When your kid is ready to get off iron-fortified infant cereal, it’s the perfect time to switch them to regular oatmeal. Oatmeal is 100% whole grain, rich in filling, heart-healthy soluble fiber and is a great vehicle for fresh fruits, nuts and dried fruits.

I didn’t highlight a particular brand but if you are choosing one that is sweetened, watch the grams of sugar and additives.

In 2008, Consumer Reports analyzed and rated 27 ready-to-eat cereals marketed to children. The following 4 cereals all got a “very good” nutrition rating based on their sugar, fiber and sodium content.

3. Cheerios: 1g of sugar, 3g of fiber and whole grain oats as the first ingredient (16g whole grain). Cheerios also contains 45% Daily Value (DV) for iron, making it a great food for toddlers. There are other similar natural products such as Trader Joe’s Os and Annie’s Bunny Love (not fortified).

4. Honey Nut Cheerios: 9g of sugar, 2g of fiber and whole grain oats as the first ingredient (8g whole grain). It falls short a little short on fiber/whole grains and has more sugar than Cheerios but it still rated well.

5. Kix: 3g of sugar, 3g of fiber and whole grain corn as the fist ingredient (8g whole grain). This cereal also contains 45% of the DV for iron.

6. Life: 6g of sugar, 2g of fiber and whole grain oat flour as the first ingredient (18g whole grains). Again, falls one gram short of fiber but is packed with whole grains and contains 45% DV for iron.

7. Frosted Mini Wheats Bite Size:12g sugar, 6g of fiber and whole grain wheat as the first ingredient (49g of whole grains). This product was leader of the “good” Consumer Reports’ ratings. Its sugar content is greater than 10g but it has 6g of fiber, 49g of whole grains (3 servings worth!) and 90 percent DV for iron. This was also the only cereal with high fructose corn syrup.  For no sugar try the unfrosted variety.

The following items are adult-targeted cereals that have kid appeal. Let us know if you have found a healthy (non-kid) cereal your kid will eat.

8. Barbara’s Bakery Shredded Spoonfuls: 5g of sugar, 4g of fiber and whole oat flour is the first ingredient (15g whole grains).

9. Kashi Honey Sunshine: 6g of sugar, 6g of fiber and organic whole grain yellow corn meal as the first ingredient (20g whole grain).

10. Wheaties: 4g of sugar, 3g of fiber and whole grain wheat as the first ingredient (16g whole grain).

References
Deshmukh-Taskar PR. Nicklas TA. O’Neil CE. Keast DR. Radcliffe JD. Cho S. The Relationship of Breakfast Skipping and Type of Breakfast Consumption with Nutrient Intake and Weight Status in Children and Adolescents: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006. J of the Am Diet Assoc. 2010:110(6):869-78.

Pediatric Nutrition Handbook. 6th Edition. 2008.

Last week I wrote about how omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, can play a role in preventing ADHD. I have been searching for a DHA/EPA supplement for my almost 3 year-old daughter for some time now. I tried a gummy/candy DHA supplement from Trader Joe’s and she didn’t like it. I’ve tried supplemented food but she never seems to get enough from those products. So I bought Carlson for Kids Very Finest Fish Oil Lemon Flavor to see if I could sneak it in her food. I tried putting it in lemon yogurt and she could tell immediately. I tried a smoothie – and once again, she turned it away. Then one night I just put it in a spoon and gave it to her and she took it down. Not only did she take it down, she wanted more! Was it really that easy? After a week of her accepting her bedtime lemon “treat” I realized that she likes it. Yeah!

What I like about giving her fish oil is it contains both DHA and EPA. Even though DHA is the star, it works synergistically with EPA. I mean, if she were eating fish she’d get both. I still offer her salmon once a week hoping that eventually she’ll eat more fish. But for now, I feel good knowing she’s getting the essential omega-3 fatty acids she needs.

So this product gets a big “thumbs up” from me!

To find it in a store near you check Carlson Laboratories website.

If you watch TV you’ve probably seen the commercials for Nestle’s Juicy Juice. Juicy Juice has a line of 100% juice and two other functional juice beverages: Immunity and Brain Development. How do their product claims stack up? Let’s take a close look…

Juicy Juice Fruit Juice: This is your standard 100% Fruit Juice product with added vitamin C in a variety of flavors. Check out 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know about Fruit Juice for more tips on choosing juice. In general, you want juice products that are 100% fruit juice. So with this product, what you see is what you get.

Juicy Juice Brain Development: This product contains DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid. Take notice of the claims used for this product. The Juicy Juice website says “enhanced with DHA, an essential building block for brain development.” This is an example of what the FDA calls a “structure function” claim. As long as the product is a good source of a nutrient/ingredient, which the FDA generally defines as providing a minimum of 10% of the recommended daily value (DV), marketers can talk about its structure and function in the body. Don’t mistake this for meaning that the product has been proven to enhance brain development (a company would need to do a clinical study to make such a claim).

DHA is indeed an essential building block for brain development that is especially important for young children. But the two questions that stand out to me the most are:

1. How much DHA do children need; and
2. How much DHA is in the product?

One 4-ounce serving of Juicy Juice Brain Development contains 16mg of DHA. The AAP recommends no more than 4-6 ounces of fruit juice per day for children up to 6 years old and 8-12 ounces for older children. There currently are no recommendations for DHA in the United States. International health groups, however, do have recommendations for adults. According to the DHA/EPA Omega-3 Institute,if you take international recommendations and adjust them to the calorie intakes of young children, 2-3 year olds need roughly 145 mg per day DHA and 4-6 year olds need 200 mg.

So if your child drinks 4-6 ounces of juice that’s 16-24 mg/day, that’s not a significant amount. But if it’s used in addition to other products that contain DHA, it can help. For example, if a 3-year old drinks 2 cups of milk with DHA (64mg), 6 ounces of Juicy Juice Brain Development (24 mg) and an omega-3 enriched egg (75mg) then that’s 163 mg DHA per day. Now we’re talking.

So if you are making an effort to have your child consume a variety of DHA-rich food sources this product may be worth buying. For more on the benefits of DHA see 3 Things Most Parents Don’t Know About Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

Juicy Juice Immunity:This product makes structure function claims based on its fortification with vitamin C and Zinc. Both of these micronutrients play important roles in immune function. So the claims are “to help support immunity” and “contains C and zinc for immunity.” The product contains 100% DV of vitamin C, like a lot of juices do, but it only contains 10% DV for Zinc. Like I said earlier, this is enough to make a claim but may not be the levels parents would expect.

The third ingredient is prebiotic fiber (gum acacia). Prebiotic fibers help to promote the growth of “good” bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. One 8-ounce serving contains 3 grams of fiber. A healthy GI tract also plays a role in immunity. My guess is that because the role of prebiotics on the immune system is not clearly defined, they are using the claim “prebiotic fiber for healthy digestion” for this ingredient.

Because there’s not a specific amount of prebiotics recommended for kids and adults, it’s difficult to tell if this added ingredient makes a difference health wise. Prebiotic fibers can also be found in other foods including bananas, whole wheat, garlic, onions, tomatoes and asparagus.

Overall, I wouldn’t pay up for this product but I might choose to buy it if the price is right.

Got a product you’d like me to review? Send it through. Have you tried Juicy Juice? Let us know what you think!

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I was searching for a “vitamin D only” supplement for my newborn and all I could find was Trivosol which contains vitamins A, C and D. I don’t see the need to add vitamins A and C…. I only wanted to add D. I went to a few stores and found nothing. I find this hard to believe now that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 IU vitamin D for breastfed infants starting the first few days of life.

Where are the marketers when you need them?

So I went someplace I knew had answers: Google. I was happy to find Carlson Vitamin D Baby Drops 400iu 11 ml drops. There was only one store in San Diego that sold them and my gracious mother-in-law picked it up for me. I could have ordered it online but time was of the essence.

These drops are very easy to use. You just put a drop on your nipple or bottle and baby sucks it down. You can also use these drops on your older kids by putting a drop in their milk or other beverages. Each little bottle should last a year – there are 365 drops. Pretty cool.

I don’t understand why more people aren’t jumping on the vitamin D bandwagon. My son’s pediatrician said nothing about vitamin D at our 2-week visit. Maybe it’s because we live in Southern California where the sun shines daily? But like the AAP states in their policy report, it’s impossible to determine if any child or adult is getting enough D from the sun.

A recent study showed that one-third of new moms and over half of their infants were deficient in vitamin D at birth. Researchers from the University of Southampton found that women with low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy had children with lower bone density at 9 years of age. And research reveals that up to half of adolescents have insufficient blood levels of vitamin D.

Last year I wrote an article with vitamin D expert Dr. Michael Hollick – Is Your Family at Risk for Vitamin D Deficiency? Speaking with him opened my eyes to the long-term consequences of falling short on the sunshine vitamin – and they go far beyond bone health. If you have some time, check it out.

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References:

Javaid MK, Crozier SR, Harvey NC, Gale CR, Dennison EM, Boucher BJ, Arden NK, Godfrey KM, Cooper C; Princess Anne Hospital Study Group. Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood bone mass at age 9 years: longitudinal study. Lancet: 2006; 367(9504):36-43.

Marcason W. Vitamin D: are children and adolescents at risk for deficiency? Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2009;109:952.