Healthy Little Tummies E-Book

Claire Power

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 114

Beschreibung

Healthy and wholesome plant-based recipes for children to suit the whole family.

Das E-Book Healthy Little Tummies wird angeboten von Ryland Peters & Small und wurde mit folgenden Begriffen kategorisiert:
baby development, cooking for babies & children, healthy food for kids, kids food, natural kids food, plant based food for children, mummy blogger food, cooking for kids, healthy meals for the family, healthy meals for kids, vegan food for all the family

Leseprobe

healthy

little tummies

healthy

little tummies

PLANT-BASED FOOD FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

CLAIRE POWER

WITH PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLARE WINFIELD

dedication

To my husband and children for always believing in me and supporting me through all my dreams and goals.

Senior editor Miriam Catley

Head of production Patricia Harrington

Art director Leslie Harrington

Editorial director Julia Charles

Publisher Cindy Richards

Indexer Vanessa Bird

Food stylist Maud Eden

Props stylist Olivia Wardle

Published in 2020 by

Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields, London

WC1R 4BW and

341 E 116th St, New York

NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Claire Power 2020 Design and photographs © Ryland Peters & Small 2020

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-78879-234-9

EISBN: 978-1-78879-305-6

Printed and bound in China

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. US Library of Congress CIP data has been applied for.

notes

• Both British (Metric) and Imperial plus US cup measurements are included here for your convenience, however, it is important to work with one set of measurements and not alternate between them within a recipe.

• All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

• Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperatures. We recommend using an oven thermometer.

• Allergen advice is a guide. Always check food and packaging labels to ensure the food you use is safe for you to consume. If you are following a vegan diet or have an egg allergy you will need to check that the pasta you buy is egg-free, for example.

• Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any claim arising out of the information in this book. Always consult your health advisor or doctor if you have any concerns about your own or your family’s health or nutritional needs.

contents

Introduction

Why choose plant-based?

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

Dessert

Index

Acknowledgements

introduction

Hi! I am Claire! I’m a nutritionist and food blogger. Some of you might know me from my recipe blog and website Healthy French Wife where I share healthy plant-based recipes. I’m French/Australian and a mum of three. I have twins called Eloise and James who are 4 years old and Annabelle who is currently 18 months old. All three of them are thriving on a plant-based diet.

A little bit more about myself: I grew up in France and moved to Australia at 18 to study. I fell in love with the country and my now-Australian husband and I stayed in Australia. We lived in Perth for 10 years and moved to Orange, NSW, 2 years ago.

I became vegan after having my twins and the desire to regain my health. I did a 30-day vegan challenge and from then I have stayed vegan for the past 3 years. I loved how eating vegan made me feel, getting more energy, better skin, and better digestion as well as losing a few extra kilos gained during my pregnancy. I have now been vegan for 3 years and I had a successful vegan pregnancy with Annabelle. I am raising predominantly plant-based children and I am very passionate about plant-based nutrition for children and families.

Indeed, I am a qualified nutritionist and I specialize in plant-based nutrition, women’s nutrition, pregnancy, and children’s nutrition. I became a nutritionist in 2016 after studying Human Nutrition with Deakin University. I also did a health coaching degree shortly after starting my healthy Instagram account in 2013. I found my passion for healthy plant-based food and nutrition through my blog. I love sharing content on social media and helping others live a healthy plant-based lifestyle. I feel very grateful to have been able to turn my passion into my full-time job and now write a healthy, plant-based family cookbook.

Whether you are wanting to increase your intake of plant-based meals or commit to a vegan lifestyle, you will be benefitting the health of your children and yourself by doing so. Through my blog and this cookbook, I hope to help other women and families achieve a more healthy, plant-based lifestyle.

I hope you will find my recipes helpful in sharing plant-based meals as a family, whether your family and children are fully vegan or you are just wanting to eat more plant-based meals and reduce your animal protein consumption. Please remember you don’t have to strive for perfection but rather have an overall goal to increase your plant-based meals to improve your health. I hope you will find my recipes delicious and easy to make and they will inspire you to eat more plant-based meals as a family. I encourage you to follow my recipes the first time of making them and make sure to read them fully beforehand, as sometimes they need a little bit of preparation such as soaking nuts ahead of time! Thank you so much for reading my book and happy cooking.

Why choose plant-based?

Following a plant-based diet means eating food that comes from plants and eliminating processed foods as well as animal proteins. It does not always mean being vegan, however, most people eating a plant-based diet choose to be vegan.

Plant-based eating is proven to be the healthiest diet to reduce the risk of common diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. It is also the most sustainable way to eat for the planet and the environment as well as being kind to animals. Eating a diet rich in plant-foods also helps to improve digestion, skin health and gives you lots of energy.

Choosing to raise children vegan either from birth or making the switch after a few years can benefit their health and reduce their risks of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes, obesity and cancer. A vegan or vegetarian diet is recognized as safe and adequate for all ages including toddlers and teenagers by the British Nutrition Foundation, the American Dietary Association and the Dieticians Association of Australia, so long as children eat a well-planned, balanced and varied diet to get all the nutrients they need for proper growth and development.

Nutritional guidelines for children

Based on the British Nutrition Foundation and the Australian Dietary Guidelines, children aged 1–13 are recommended to eat the following every day:

4–5 servings of starchy carbohydrates

1 serving can represent:

• ½–1 slice of bread

• 6 tablespoons breakfast cereal

• 1–3 tablespoons mashed potato

• 2–5 tablespoons cooked pasta/rice

5 servings of fruit and vegetables (at least 4 servings of vegetables and 1–2 servings of fruit)

1 serving can represent:

• ½–1 banana

• 2–3 broccoli florets

• 4–6 carrot sticks

• 1 apple

• 3–10 grapes

3 portions of protein

1 portion can represent:

• 2–4 tablespoons beans, lentils and soya products

2 calcium-rich food servings

1 serving can represent:

• 100 ml/3½ fl. oz./⅓ cup of soya or other fortified plant milks

• 2–4 tablespoons tofu

• 1–2 tablespoons tahini

In addition to these nutritional requirements, I encourage parents to give children healthy fats every day such as ¼–½ avocado, flaxseed meal or flax oil, hemp seeds or hemp oil as well as a range of seeds and nuts.

Every child will have a different appetite, depending on age and food preferences. Appetites can vary from day to day and it’s important to offer food from each food group daily and let the child decide how much to eat. Teenagers can be expected to eat 5–7 servings of grains and a higher amount of protein, vegetables and calcium-rich foods than younger children.

Fats, oils and sweet foods should only be used sparingly in a child’s diet. Water should be the main drink for your child apart from 1–2 glasses of calcium-fortified plant milks per day in a smoothie or cereals, for example.

Nutritional tips for eating a healthy plant-based diet

The key to maintaining a healthy plant-based diet in the long-term is to eat a diet of balanced, abundant and diverse plant-based foods. Fill your fridge and plate with whole foods, vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, beans, seeds and nuts. Aiming to reduce processed foods, oils, and refined sugar and refined carbohydrates will help achieve great health for the whole family.

Protein

Eating daily servings of legumes, beans and soya products as well as wholegrains, seeds and nuts, will cover daily protein requirements without the need to supplement with protein powders or animal protein.

Plant protein sources include:

• Soya (including tofu and tempeh)

• Chickpeas, lentils, beans and peas

• Nuts and nut butters such as cashews, almonds and peanuts

• Chia seeds and hemp seeds

• Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds

• Grains such as buckwheat, millet, oats, quinoa and spelt

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates should represent more than the majority of the macronutrients eaten on a plant-based diet. For a healthy vegan diet, try switching white refined carbohydrates for wholegrains and complex carbohydrates which will not only give you long-lasting energy but also give your body important protein, vitamins and minerals. My favourite carbohydrate sources on a plant-based diet are:

• Brown rice and basmati rice

• Quinoa

• Buckwheat flour and buckwheat pasta

• Wholemeal/whole-wheat pasta

• Starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin/squash and white potatoes

• Millet

• White pasta and rice (occasionally)

Fats

A healthy plant-based diet should include daily servings of fats especially monounsaturated fat and Omega-6s and Omega-3s. I recommend focusing on wholefood fat sources such as seeds, avocado and nuts and reducing processed foods and oils to achieve this.

Oils are calorie-dense and nutrient-poor as well as being highly processed and often too high in omega-6s, the cause of inflammation in the body, and saturated fats (especially coconut oil) which raise cholesterol and is the cause of cardiovascular disease. I recommend using vegetable oils and coconut oil sparingly or not at all. Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and flaxseed oil are healthier oils to consume cold. Olive oil and organic cold-pressed canola/rapeseed oil are best to use when cooking, or try cooking oil-free by sautéing vegetables in water.

Tahini, avocado, hemp seeds and Brazil nuts should be eaten regularly especially for children on a plant-based diet.

Omega-3s

Omega-3s, or Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA), are essential fatty acids that our body requires for a healthy immune system as well as optimal eye and brain function. The body can transform ALA into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Eating enough Omega-3s can require a little bit more planning on a vegan diet, but Omega-3 daily requirements can be achieved by consuming flaxseed meal or ground linseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds and walnuts and, if required, through an algae supplement for children not eating enough of the other sources of Omega-3s.

Getting the right balance of Omega-3s and Omega-6s is also really important. Eating too many Omega-6s such as sunflower oil, seeds and vegetable oils can reduce your body’s ability to convert ALA into EPA and DHA. Eating a well-planned wholefood plant-based diet can help achieve the desirable Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio of about one to four.

I use a lot of flaxseed meal and hemp seeds in my recipes and these are two essential ingredients that I use daily for my family and myself. I love the nutty taste of both flaxseed meal and hemp seeds and they add a healthy dose of Omega-3s, protein and fibre into our diet. Flaxseed meal is also great for baking to act as an egg replacement. I recommend storing your flaxseed meal and hemp seeds in the fridge to avoid them going rancid.

Calcium

Calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth. Children need a lot of calcium for healthy bone development. Young children require 700mg of calcium daily and older children 1000mg. Teenagers require 1300mg daily. Calcium found in plant-based foods is well absorbed, but to reach requirements it is recommended to eat calcium-rich foods such as tofu, soya milk, tahini, leafy greens (kale/collard greens, bok choy/pak choi), broccoli, almonds and almond butter, calcium-fortified orange juice and calcium-fortified plant milks. Did you know calcium-fortified plant milks contain as much calcium as cow’s milk?

Iron

Iron is used by our bodies to transport oxygen to our muscles and organs and is important for keeping us energized and our moods stable. Iron needs are a lot higher for women generally: women aged 19–50 (14.8mg), menstruating girls (18mg) and pregnant women (27mg). Children need between 8–11mg per day depending on their age. Children should eat a variety of foods that contain iron every day. Infants should be introduced to iron-rich foods as soon as they start on solid foods at around six months of age such as iron-fortified rice cereals. If children do not meet their iron requirements they may develop iron-deficiency anaemia.

Daily iron requirements are easily attainable when eating an abundant and balanced plant-based diet that contains many sources of non-haem iron. Foods that contain non-haem iron include:

• Wholegrain bread and cereals

• Iron-fortified breakfast cereals

• Legumes including baked beans, dried peas, beans, lentils

• Green leafy vegetables

• Dried fruit

• Peanut butter

Iron absorption is increased 2–3-fold when eating a meal containing iron-rich foods along with vitamin-C rich fruits or vegetables such as (bell) peppers/capsicums, broccoli, kiwi fruits or citrus fruits. Avoiding caffeine in the form of coffee and tea around mealtimes also helps with improving your body’s ability to absorb iron. I recommend getting iron levels checked by a blood test and see your doctor if you are showing signs of deficiency or if you are worried that your child might be deficient.

Vitamin B12