Meals made ezpz

Posted by on May 13, 2015 in General, Nutrition | 134 comments When we started our son on solids we didn’t buy a lot of fancy feeding dishes/utensils.  We had 2-3 bibs, 3 baby/toddler sized bowls, two divided plates, and a handful of silverware.  We taught our son to eat using our dishes and magically he never even thought about throwing a dish or food.  We were lucky! When I heard about the ezpz less mess Happy Mat in the Fall of 2014 I thought it sounded like a great idea.  The ezpz less mess Happy Mat has been hyped up as a “game changer”.  I was first introduced to the product by The Baby Guy NYC (Jamie Grayson) when he posted his video of the Happy Mat during their Kickstarter phase of development.  Jamie’s video focused on the suction function of the mat which, in part, helps to prevent children from throwing their dishes.  This is where I stopped looking.  My toddler didn’t need to be prevented from throwing his plates.  When it popped up in my news feed on Facebook many months later, after achieving full Kickstarter funding, I took a closer look.  I wasn’t interested in it for our family, but I was intrigued for my clients.  The more I looked at the Happy Mat, the more I realized the brilliance of the design.  The Happy Mat is terrific for children who don’t want food to touch, teaching parents correct portion size for children (and adults), and for anyone who has any challenges that make feeding physically difficult.  The ezpz less mess mats do all of this and more, but I still didn’t want to spend the money on the product.  After all, one Happy Mat costs $25 and I probably spent the same amount on ALL of my toddler dining pieces combined. Still thinking about just how wonderful a tool the mat would be from a nutrition standpoint, I joined a small test group for ezpz and learned more about their product.  We had the opportunity to test out some concept designs as well as the Happy Mat.  I dutifully ordered the concept products and a Happy Mat still thinking it would just be about reviewing the product from a health coach perspective. When our mats arrived I was excited to try them, but you know who was even more excited?  Our toddler!  He was, and is still, enamored with them.  The colors are fun, vibrant, and...
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3 Meals or 6?

Posted by on Oct 11, 2012 in General | 1 comment Do you eat 3 meals a day or do you graze all day long?  There is evidence that eating all day long is a good idea (Ask Dr. Sears, Kassels Medical) and doesn’t that sound like a lot more fun than just eating 3 meals?  I personally love to graze all day long; the trick is to make sure that you only eat meals the size of your fist.  More than likely this means that you will need to adjust your definition of the term “meal”.  Our stomachs are only the size of our fist which means that if you eat more than a fist-sized amount of food you are overfilling your stomach and you will likely begin to gain weight before too long. So what are the benefits of grazing?  Your blood sugar levels tend to be more stable (this is great during pregnancy) and you never get to that really hungry stage.  You are giving your body a little food at a time to keep those levels on the middle ground – this is easier on your body.  Think about it like a hike.  Is it easier to follow a level path or one that is full of peaks and valleys?  That flat path is easier in the long run because you don’t have those intense highs and lows.  Another benefit of never getting super hungry is that you are less likely to binge on the cookies or chips that are sitting around. Most people tend to reach for the unhealthy snacks more when they get hungry (think of the grocery store trip when you are hungry – you end up with way too much unhealthy food in the cart). Are there any consequences to grazing?  Oh yes!  It takes a lot more planning to make sure that you are getting all of the necessary nutrients during the day.  You also have to make sure you stick to the correct portion sizes for each meal.  It is really easy to get off track with grazing, but once you get into the habit of planning these 6 smaller meals it is simple. Give grazing a try for 2 weeks, see what you think.  I bet you find it easier to get more fruits and veggies into your daily diet.  Let me know what you think about this approach.  Are there other benefits for...
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