Weekly meal planning is back! I have more time now that the manuscript for Fearless Feeding is complete. There’s still more work to be done with edits but the hard part is behind us. Yeah!!
I’ve had pollo asado twice in the past couple of months and have become obsessed with finding a good recipe at home. I’m hoping this recipe from Pioneer Woman does the trick. I’ve also been wanting to try roasted shrimp and broccoli. All in all, a good week.
For more meal planning ideas see Org Junkie.
What’s Cooking This Week
Monday: Pollo Asado with black beans and all the toppings
Tuesday: Roasted shrimp with broccoli with a side of pasta and fruit
Wednesday: Kids choice
Thursday: Turkey Burgers with salad and baked fries
Friday: Grilled fish (up to my husband) and asparagus, mango salsa and a whole grain side (may try quinoa)
More from Cooking Light…
My new normal
It feels strange not to be spending every extra minute I have on the book, and that includes getting up at 4:30 most mornings. The last two months were the hardest and started to take its toll. I write about how this affected my eating here.
But now that it’s done, I have a whole new outlook. I worked out 6 days last week, organized my home and have been spending more quality time with my kids. I’m getting 8 hours of sleep a night. It feels good to take care of myself and not run around like a crazy lady.
I really miss the time I spend on this blog and plan to get going on some research-based posts and new recipes. For my next series, I want to focus on vegetables, as I know this particular food group (preparing and kids’ reluctance) can be challenging.
So if you have any specific “vegetable challenges,” or something you want me to write about, let me know in the comments. I also plan to update this site with a new design, a search function and recipe index. Raise Healthy Eaters is in need of some TLC too.
News: Calcium and vitamin D
Two key nutrients have been in the news lately: calcium and vitamin D. A recent study published in Heart linked calcium supplements to increased risk of heart attacks. Because this follows other research showing the same, health professionals may start pushing for diet over supplements until more research is done. I discuss this in more detail in my weekly posts on WebMD.
Another study looked at mortality and vitamin D blood levels. This large study (247,574 individuals) from Denmark found that those with very low vitamin D levels had 2.5 times the risk of death compared to those with normal levels. But it also found that people with higher vitamin D levels had an increased risk of death about 1.5 times. The vitamin D concentrations with the lowest mortality was 20 to 30ng/ml.
It’s important to remember that this is one study, and some vitamin D researchers bring up questions about the design. Hopefully more research will shed light on the optimal blood levels. This is why I stay conservative when taking supplements. I take vitamin D, and so do my kids, but not as much as the Vitamin D Council recommends because I want to wait for the research to come around.
Vitamin D is different than calcium because it is not as easy to get enough from the diet — and historically the sun (not diet) has been the primary source.
Any questions about these two nutrients? Let me know in the comments. Have a great week!
for so long I’ve resisted meal planning. I figured I shop with a list. I get the foods I need/want. Why do we have to plan them down to each day? Now I’m seeing I’ll probably spend less if I plan meals so I’m open to learning 🙂
Michelle — meal planning isn’t for everyone. I know some parents who stock up and make meals on the fly — and it works for them. That would never work for me. I talk about meal planning options in this post (see number 5!) http://www.maryannjacobsen.com/2011/09/8-secrets-to-stress-free-family-dinners/
Maryann. I am new to your site but am intrigued by your background as a dietician. I am interested in your opinion of the guidelines for daily consumption of whole grains. Is it true that our bodies have difficulty digesting whole grains? And if so, why are so many daily servings recommended?
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to browsing your past articles.
Elizabeth — I think you are referring to the paleo diet where people avoid grains because hunters and gatherers did not eat them. There is emerging research for this diet but more needs to be done. There is quite a bit of research showing that whole grains benefit health, especially heart health. While a small percentage of people have trouble digesting grains, such as gluten in wheat, most will tolerate them fine. I hope that answers your question — government recommendations don’t change until scientific concensus is reached and that hasn’t been the case for a “paleo type” diet.
I’d be interested in your series on getting kids to eat vegetables. I’m especially interested in how to help kids Sensory Processing Disorder accept new foods (e.g. vegetables). None of the “conventional wisdom” has worked for my 7 year old, so I keep offering, and hope for the best.
Thanks Laura. Will take that into consideration as I develop the series!
Hi! I just found my way to your blog from a reference that Katie M from Mom’s Kitchen Handbook made, and I am very interested in your entry here on Vitamin D. My doctor has found me to be chronically deficient. I am a 41 year old mother of four little boys (ages 3-7), I am very active and healthy, I drink probably 16 oz of skim milk/day, I am fair-skinned, I don’t wear sunscreen (unless I am on a beach), and I spend time outside daily (soccer games, baseball games, etc.). In May my doctor found my Vitamin D level to be 18.5, and in previous years it has consistently been around 21-23. She put me on a mega dosage supplement for 10 weeks, and now my level is too high–123. I trust my doctor, but I am totally perplexed about why I have this problem when I am healthy, I drink Vitamin-D fortified milk, and I spend time in the sun daily. I tend to go several years between visits to the doctor, and so I tend not to even think about it other than right after I have had a blood test because I feel totally fine. I did have three pregnancies (with the last one a twin pregnancy) within 3 1/2 years between 2005 and 2008, and I breastfed each of the babies for a year, so I am wondering if the stress on my body depleted my Vitamin D stores? Anyway, I know you can’t give me medical advice, but I would be very interested in hearing your perspective. I have read the medical literature on Vitamin D deficiency, and it seems like there is little consensus on this issue. This lack of research coupled with my feeling perfectly healthy despite my chronic deficiency makes me very skeptical. Thank you for any perspective you can offer!
Michelle — many people have low vitamin D levels even when healthy. The sun is no longer a predictable source of D because exposure (need much of the body exposed), time of day (between 10 and 2 is best), polution and other factors like age, weight and skin color affect absorption. The amount is food is often not enough to make up for it — 16 ounce of milk has about 200IU of D when the recommended amount is 600IU — most people need to supplement . I’ve been taken 2000IU for the past few years and maintain about 40mg/dl level of D. You probably just need to find the right amount that keeps your levels in an acceptable range. Conservative recommendations are 20-30 mg/dl. Hopefully more research will help determine the levels that are best — we just aren’t there yet. Good luck!
Thank you for your response, Maryann! I appreciate your perspective.
Michelle