Katya Baxter Nutrition

03/25/2021

New research study: pregnancy exercise may not only lead to healthier babies and timely delivery, but also remove child's risk of inheriting chronic metabolic conditions (i.e. diabetes, obesity) of BOTH parents later in life. The study was done on mice, but if it translates to humans just as effectively, it can be highly promising. Or so it is believed.

In my opinion, this finding is, although significant, has certain limitations. Exercise is a fantastic (and scientifically proven) way to give yourself a greater chance to deliver a healthy, full-term baby. But it cannot be isolated from a slew of other health-driving factors such as overall lifestyle of the family and their eating/feeding patterns.

Setting a child up for a healthy life means setting mom and dad up for success way past pregnancy, especially when (let's be honest), regular exercise during pregnancy is not always possible even with the best of intentions.

Prescribing exercise to a pregnant mother with a chronic metabolic condition is going to make minimal impact unless both parents receive needed support to make sustainable lifestyle changes for themselves as well as learn how to feed their child to support their natural growth.

Only in this context, in my opinion, the finding in this study can carry much promise.

Maternal or paternal obesity causes metabolic impairment in adult offspring in mice. Maternal exercise during gestation can completely mitigate metabolic impairment. Maternal obesity, but not pater...

03/16/2021

New blog post!

May be this sounds familiar to you, dear mama: You feel like you have it pretty much figured out: you got your daily schedule on the wall, you pre-planned weekly activities, you have a smoothly running system for drop offs and pick ups, for taking baths, and for bedtime routines. It may not be all

01/25/2021

The Online Workshop is finally here! - https://mailchi.mp/4080e50c6b0e/learn-how-to-prevent-picky-eating-in-this-workshop
Join me on February 13th, 2021 and learn to guide your kiddos as they build a healthy relationship with food and become great eaters.

08/12/2020

Tomato and Feta on German Rye. A simple and super quick breakfast sandwich that used to be my favorite when I was growing up in Russia. I would also accompany it with a cup of sweetened black tea. Mmmm, so good!

You can use any type of bread but I like seedy kind because it packs more nutrients, sheep milk feta because it is easier to digest and is higher in protein (plus, sheep's milk is what feta is supposed to be made out of and it just tastes better), and, of course, some juicy, ripe tomato slices ('tis the season!). Sprinkle with some good quality olive oil, season to taste, garnish with basil leaves (or not) and dig in!

And as for my daughter - she saw me eating this stuff ever since she was born, so she now loves her 'cold pizza' for breakfast too. As for me - nothing melts my heart more than sharing something I love with one of my favorite persons.

What is the food that you love to share with your kiddos that brings back memories for you?

07/14/2020

What is your response?

After enough times of trying to explain to a 3-year old that she should have eaten her lunch so she wouldn't be 'huuuungry', you realize that you are making zero impact.

You are frustrated and, at the same time, can't bear the fact that your little angle is starving.

Sounds about right?

If that's what is happening in your house, here is what you can do:

Start with the basics: draw clear boundaries.

Boundaries are much easier to put down if you have structure. With mealtimes, structure means schedule.

Imagine you've scheduled your meals and snacks (every 2-3 hrs or so). Now when your kiddo tells you he is huuungry, you can say (with a straight face and a whole lot of compassion):

"Oh, being hungry is not fun at all! I am so sorry. But I tell you what: come back at 3 pm and you can have a great big snack."

And at 3 pm offer him a filling snack. When kids are young, it is ok for meals and snacks to interchange. It is less about the volume of the meal and more about teaching them structure.

If you are used to giving in to your child's panhandling for food, saying 'no' won't be easy at first. But as you stick to the boundaries, you'll be less stressed about feeding and your child will eventually learn. For example:

- they will learn to eat something at every meal;
- they will feel secure within the structure;
- they will balance their blood sugar between meals instead of keeping it up as they continue to graze.

Keeping to a schedule can be difficult. So start with small steps - decide what is manageable to you. It may be 2 scheduled meals a day, it may be 3. Start where you are and work your way up over time.

What do you think may keep you from sticking to a schedule?

06/24/2020

It is common for kids to seem to want to eat the same thing. Over and over again! There is actually a physiological reason behind it. In this video I’m sharing a strategy to overcome this habit and teach your child to be accepting of other foods.

05/27/2020

When you eat mushrooms during pregnancy your baby is pretty much eating them too. Research shows that at 21 weeks of gestation babies in utero can already discern full flavors of whatever you are eating through chemicals in amniotic fluid. At 21 weeks they already develop senses of smell and taste!

So eating all kinds of foods during pregnancy (or whatever you would want your child to eat as they grow) is a good way to introduce those foods early on. But even if you missed that chance, you can still do this while nursing (breast milk will carry those smells and tastes to your babe as well).

Have you noticed any correlation between what you ate during pregnancy or while breastfeeding and what your kiddo likes to eat as they grow older?

05/22/2020

Pretty obvious, isn't it? But so often we catch ourselves plating our child's plate with foods WE want them to eat and expectantly await for them to take a bite in curious excitement. And very rarely things go the way we so carefully planned.

May I suggest another way, which is proven to work much better:

Serve anything new family style and let your kiddo plate their own plate. If they choose not to try the new food, leave them be.

Eat it yourself and make NO comments. Even about how 'great' this new food tastes and that they 'should' try it.

These kinds of comments put pressure on your kiddo to eat. And contrary to the common belief, they don't help your child to discover food for themselves. Not only that, but they undermine the trust between you as they go through their own process of learning how to eat.

This process may take a long time, but if you trust them with it, they will respond and even surprise you.

So take a deep breath and keep being patient.

03/19/2020

Did you know that your child will LEARN to like those foods to which they have had the most exposure? That's what research tells us.

So keep rotating as many foods as you can in your kiddo's meals. Aim for 30-40 different foods in their entire eating repertoire if you can.

Even if they just see a food on the table and choose not to eat it, they still get exposed to it. That's a part of the process.

Eventually, they will LEARN to eat it.

Go get 'em!

03/13/2020

will be happening on April 11th, and I will have the privilege of joining a fantastic group of speakers who are bringing their thought provoking, inspiring ideas to share that day.

As nerve wrecking as it is, it is definitely just as exciting. I will have the honor to share something that I feel extremely passionate about, namely, HOW we feed our kids.

How can we teach our kids to eat everything and be adventurous with food? Is there something in their physiological development that we need to better understand so we can support them in learning to eat well?

I can't wait to share what I've learned from the red dot on April 11th !

Tickets are on sale 😀 http://ow.ly/TEcr50yKk03

03/12/2020

She didn't finish her veggies. Again.

And you are frustrated.

But here is the bright side:

You did your job of offering them to her. Check.
You didn't pressure her to eat them. Check.

You have already done a fantastic job teaching your child to eat.

Now you can reach a real super star status with your kiddo by doing this:
1) ask her to put them in a leftover container using her fingers (hopefully they are clean) OR
2) have her use a fork/fingers or blow them down into the garbage can (if you are prepared to take the casualty).

A child needs to go through ALL of their sensory experiences before they become comfortable with a new food. Interaction, whether with touching or without, is one of those experiences.

The more their comfort level increases with and around a food, the easier it will be for them to start consistently eating it. Having them touch a food, even through the experience of throwing it away, gives them an extra opportunity to use their sensory systems.

So give it a try. Plus, what child wouldn't want the fun of blowing something down into the garbage can?

03/06/2020

This morning I had a wonderful opportunity to share with my fellow moms about teaching our kids the skill of eating. So many families struggle with mealtimes but with the right tools, we can turn stressful mealtime into an enjoyable one. Kids are born with a genetic blueprint for their growth and they ultimately know what their body’s nutritional needs are. We, parents, just need to recognize it and help them along using the right tools. Thank you, and the group for extending the invitation and the opportunity to share on the topic that is so dear to my heart.

02/20/2020

Which veggies does your kiddo prefer? Raw or cooked?

My daughter likes hers cooked, with the exception of a few that she can eat either way, like tomatoes, carrots and peppers.

So I make sure my oven stays busy and roast 'em veggies away!

But honestly, who would argue that broccoli roasted in olive oil and garlic, with caramelized, crunchy edges and a touch of lemon juice is hands down better tasting than its raw counterpart? 😋

I find that when it comes to introducing veggies to my daughter now when she is older, making them taste great is probably the most important thing I can do. So if it takes a cup of cheese to coat the cauliflower or let her dip her snap peas in honey - it's totally ok with me.

Because once she tries a vegetable and likes it, she is much more likely to be more courageous trying it again the next time. Even if it doesn't come with the cheese or the honey.

My goal for her now, when she is little, is to open her mind and tastebuds, and not focus so much on the nutritional part of it.

How do you help your kids eat veggies?

02/17/2020

A few days ago I shared my strategy on packing my daughter’s lunch. Today let me share a few words about choices.

There are two ways to go about it for us:

If it is hot lunch in a thermos, I usually pick two options and let my child choose which one she wants the night before.

If it is a bento box lunch, I stick to 3-5 choices. Three if there are some filling things in it, like mini quiches or quesadillas, and four or five if there are separate pieces of food like deli meat or olives.

The reason why I let my daughter decide what she wants for the hot lunch is because I want to make sure she feels her input matters. It gives her a sense of control, which is very important for a child.

With the bento box it is a little more complicated because coming up with 10 options and letting a small child choose can be traumatizing. Especially in the morning.

So what worked for me is packing 4-5 familiar foods in small amounts in bite size pieces. And with the exception of fruits and veggies, I try to alternate between ‘main’ foods like sandwiches, so there is not repetition. Unless my daughter requests me to.

My reasoning behind this strategy is this:

-My child knows these foods
-She has been eating these foods
-These are not the same foods that I gave her yesterday
-If she is hungry enough, she can finish most or all of this food because there isn’t too much and she doesn't need to feel pressured.

What do you do to prevent seeing a half-full lunchbox from coming back home at the end of the school day?

02/15/2020

A few days ago I shared my strategy on packing my daughter’s lunch. Today let me say a few words on choices.

I believe that bringing my daughter in on the decision about her own lunch gives her a sense of control. Plus, when she knows what to expect at lunch, she is more likely to eat it. It's that simple.

And if she eats it, I don't have to feel guilty about throwing away a bunch of food she brings back.

There are two ways to go about it for us:

1. If it is hot lunch in a thermos, I usually pick two options and let my child choose which one she wants the night before.

2. If it is a bento box lunch, I stick to 3-5 choices. I let her choose one main thing like a sandwich or a mini quiche, and run with the rest, making sure the rest is all familiar to her.

Here is my basic 'lunch packing guideline'

-Pack only familiar foods that she has been consistently eating

-Do not repeat 'main' foods, like making the same sandwich every day (unless there is a special request)

-Set her up for success by packing foods in small amounts, so if she is hungry enough, she'll eat most of it without feeling overwhelmed by too much food

-Make sure foods are easy to handle and eat (i.e. when kids lose teeth, it's important that they have an easy time taking bites)

-Include a treat if there are no super sweet or seasonal fruits or berries, so she gets her sugar fix from the real thing

In Part III, I'll share more on my sweets and treats strategy, so keep checking back in!

In the meantime, let me ask you this:

What do you do to prevent seeing a half-full lunchbox from coming back home at the end of the school day?

02/13/2020

My version of Borscht. It is much simpler, but I think I was able to get very close to the original taste! And my daughter loves it.

So I'm posting it for all of you who love beets and want your kids to give them a shot. Remember if they don't like a new food on the first try, it doesn't mean they will never try it again. Keep putting it in front of them and eat it with them.

Studies show that when a child sees someone they love and trust eating a new food, they are more likely to try it and consequently enjoy it.

Here goes:
1. Roast 3-4 beets in their skin in foil at 425F until tender. Let cool. Then peel. The skins should come off easily.
2. Heat up 6 cups of vegetable or beef or chicken broth in a large pot.
2. Peel 3 carrots and 2 potatoes.
3. In a food processor, grate the potatoes and the carrots. Rinse the potato starch in the colander if you like.
4. Add the potatoes and the carrots into the hot broth and let soften.
5. In a food processor, grate the beets.
6. Add the beets plus 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar (to preserve the majestic red color and add acidity) into the pot.
6. Season to taste.
7. Serve with sour cream (of course!) and some dill if you like.

02/12/2020

I often get asked what I pack for my daughter's school lunch, and I happily share specific ideas as far as food with my fellow mamas. And while what we put into that lunch box is super important, what is just as important is this:

I only give my daughter the things that I know she will eat.

Sounds obvious, but worth mentioning because sometimes we think that if we put something in there that our kid's friend was having, then our child might eat it too.

I've done it myself and more often than not, whatever I gave my daughter came back intact. Along with frustrated remarks that I should have known better.

I threw whatever it was in the trash (agh), and my daughter now became extra hesitant to trying that food next time. Everyone lost.

So here is what I do now:

I don't give her anything that she never tried before in the hopes that she might.

And I don't give her anything that she tried may be once or twice and wasn't sure about.

In fact, when I pack her lunch, I try to find a minute to walk her through what's in the box. So there are no surprises and she has a clear expectation of what she will have for lunch.

When kids eat away from home on their own, it is not the time to introduce a new food to them. Or hope they will try something that they weren't sure about before.

The reason behind giving our kids familiar foods is because food and eating are connected to emotional security in children, and when they see things they know and recognize, it gives them an extra boost of comfort.

And that's exactly what we want for our little loves when we can't be there with them.

Stay tuned for School Lunches Part II! And in the meantime, tell me this:

What is your strategy for packing your kid's lunch?