Live chat with Annabel Karmel, Wednesday 19th September, 9-10 pm

[Justiner]

Annabel Karmel is the author of nine cookery books focusing on cooking for babies, toddlers and families. Over the last ten years she has emerged as a the leading promoter of healthy feeding habits for babies and children. We've got five copies of her recently-published "New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner" to give to the first five members to join the live discussion. If you can't make the live chat, though, please post questions/ comments in advance below.

Hi Annabel,
I wonder if you have any thoughts on how much chocolate/ sweets/ biscuits/ ice cream a three year old should have? I don't eat them much at home and I avoid giving them to my daughter as much as possible but she has lots of friends who eat tons of this stuff and I feel mean always saying no. Am I being too fussy? Is one treat/ bad thing a day OK or do you think I should keep up the hardline? (She eats very well otherwise).
Many thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Hi Annabel!
My daughter in 6 (nearly 7) months old and has taken to solid food very well. She is a big fan of your recipes, particularly "Lovely Lentils"! My question regards chocolate - should Amy have tried it by now? My mum & other relatives are amazed that we have not given it to her yet. Am I a mean mum, or just sensible about my daughter's eating habits?
Susie (a self-confessed chocaholic)

Annabel - I'd love to hear any good suggestions from you on my toddlers eating problems. I've discussed with doctor & HV several times, and both say not to stress about it.

Basically, weaning my daughter ( vegetarian diet) was no problem & she would eat anything. Then we moved - temp, accomodaton for a while so lots of jars & sandwiches) then baby no. 2 and now her eating is so fussy and difficult. we have switched to an omnivorous diet for her benefit, but it seems like her eating has never recovered from the upset of the move & the new sibling. seldomly she will eat ok other times she'll go for weeks on dry bread it seems. I cook for her now every lunch time ( & usually throw it in the bin) and try to cook the evening meal for all the family so she'llbe eating the same as us, but this doesn't always happen.

How can I improve things? Often she refuses to even try what I've cooked, so it goes in the bin totally untasted. How do I overcome this?

weaning my second aughter is going well, but I want to avoid her copying big sister's fussy example, as our gp cheerily predicted. daughter is 30 months. Many thanks in advance.

Hello Annabel,
I am becoming quite deseperate. My 21/2 yr old has always been a poor eater (even though I bought your baby/toddler book as soon as I started to wean him!)having taking him to the doctors a few weeks ago because of his eating and also terrible nail-biting,I had to take him for a blood test which has come back that he is severley aenemic. I feel terrible and have asked his nursery to keep a food chart so I know what exactly he is eating as I have to work. He has been on ferrasmal for 2wks but I have not seen an improvement in his eating although his nail-biting has improved. I feel very desperate as I do not relish the thought of regular blood test for him or worse a stay in hospital, can you help please?

Hi Annabel!
I'd just like to say that I have found your books very useful but as a mum who works full time with a partner who only cooks tinned spaghetti and baked potatoes, I need meals that I can prepare very quickly when I get home from work. Also, I'm trying to ensure that my children are vegetarian at home, even if I've not quite manged it when they're out with friends! Any suggestions for quick, easy, veggie family meals and/or easy lunchbox food, would be greatly appreciated!

Hello Annabel

My 3 and a half year old will not eat any fruit except apples, usually with cheese or fed by me. He ate bananas until he was about one and now flatly refuses to try any new fruit and just says he doesn't like it even though he hasn't tried it. He will eat vegetables because they are easier to lose in other food. I just wish he would eat fruit. Have you any advice please?

Thank you Sarah

Hello Annabel

My son has just turned one and has had a few of your recipes since weaning. However, with his teeth coming through he has his off days where food is concerned. Can you recommend anything that he might find easy and appetising to eat and also something that will not take very long for me to prepare (some of your recipes take me twice aslong as you state and I wreck the kitchen). Also nutritious snacks to carry around when we are out and about.

Thank You

Dear Annabel
Firstly I'd like to say how much your book has helped me with feeding my baby. I can't imagine managing without it now! Have you ever thought about including a section for meals which can be eaten when on the move, when you can't always heat things? I have taken the chicken salad puree (from the 6-9m section)on journeys with me because it only has to be kept cold, but I would welcome more ideas for a baby who is of the age (9m) where he can't quite manage sandwiches.(Most of it gets dropped!). Thank you, Rachel

this is a test

This is a test

this is not a test

this is a lentil bake

Really found your books useful in weaning both children and beyond. I did have a very healthy 5 year old who ate well without too much fuss but suddenly he's decided that he doesn't like sandwiches. This is a problem as he's about to stay for lunch at school and this has to be a packed lunch. Do you have any non bread ideas? I have tried him with rolls, wraps etc but to no avail.

HI Annabel,

Could you share your views on the value of organically-grown vegetables and fruit? I live in Malaysia, where there are very few health and safety guidelines on the use of pesticides/fertilizers. In consequence I have taken to using organic veggies for my 10-month-old. These are significantly more expensive than other produce and I wonder if you think it makes a difference or not?

Thanks, Lorien

i have 16 month old twin boys who are very healthy eaters - in fact they love eating but they also love throwing their food/spoons on the floor/walls/me/their older sister and it drives me mad - they've been doing it for about 3 months now - I don't want to have to go back to feeding them - they're quite capable of doing that themselves. any ideas?

I have an 11-month-old who wants to eat anything anybody else is eating (and seems to enjoy things like gherkins!). I am a vegetarian and sometimes eat meat substitute products ( eg soya protein sausages). I wouldn't normally give these to the baby (who has chicken and fish in his diet anyway) but he's always grabbing whatever I'm having. Is there any reason he shouldn't try these things? Also what would you recommend for innards for sandwiches for his age-group? He has got to a stage where he much prefers things he can eat with his fingers. We have made a great deal of use of your recipes, many thanks.

Hi Anabel,
I think my problem is a very common one. My 5 months daughter started to solids one month ago and she accepts very well any kind of fruits i have offered, and baby cereals with breast milk but no vegetable..I have tried different combinations with carrot, courgette, potato, peas and spinach but she rejects after two or three spoons. Now I don't insist much because I am still feeding her with breast milk..But one or two months later I will not able to feed her with my milk..What do you suggest?
Thanks

Hi,
My 5 months old daughter started to solids one month ago. I am still continue feeding her with breast milk 5 times in a day normally. She sucks less than 10 min at each time. I wonder what will be the amount of solids she can take in a day this month and next coming months. Another question is if she needs to drink water as long as I feed her with breast milk..
Thanks

How can I get my 3 year old to eat vegetables and salad?

Protein at every meal ??

we run a parent run nursery an we try to feed the children with a balanced diet (and sometimes we struggle to find creative solutions, so i look forward to reading your book)

here's our next challenge:
After more than one year of a vegetarian diet , the children seem to have a great appetite for meat. what is balanced diet of animal and vegetable protein? Do they need protein at every meal?? (they're between 18 months and 2 years)
thanks

Protein at every meal ??

we run a parent run nursery an we try to feed the children with a balanced diet (and sometimes we struggle to find creative solutions, so i look forward to reading your book)

here's our next challenge:
After more than one year of a vegetarian diet , the children seem to have a great appetite for meat. what is balanced diet of animal and vegetable protein? Do they need protein at every meal?? (they're between 18 months and 2 years)
thanks

Hi Annabel. My 2 1/2 year old will not each fruit (except bananas). He doesn't seem to like their texture as he will pick up a piece of fruit and then pull a face and throw it away. Any ideas of how I can introduce hidden fruit?

Hi Celeste, I’m not against children having treats like chocolate, sweets, biscuits and ice cream in moderation. To ban them all together and make them the ‘forbidden fruit’ will only make them that much more tempting. Sugar is the main cause of tooth decay and provides no nutrients. It is much better to give children sweet foods at the end of a meal when there is plenty of saliva in the mouth to help wash away the acid that can cause tooth decay. It is the frequency with which sugar is consumed rather than the amount that does the most damage to your child’s teeth so choose healthy snacks between meals like fruit, raw vegetable sticks or Twiglets.

Cultivating a sweet tooth is easy but changing bad habits is a very difficult task. In general it is much better to end a meal with fresh fruit rather than a sugary dessert and you should introduce a wide variety of fruits and present them in an attractive way. You can puree berry fruits sieve them and mix them with some juice then freeze them in lolly moulds to make delicious fresh fruit lollies.

Some desserts however do contain valuable nutrients for example a good quality ice-cream or rice pudding provides a good source of calcium.

Hi Susie,

Chocolate is not such a bad food it contains some ingredients that are good for you such as iron, magnesium and calcium (milk chocolate). There is also a good reason to crave chocolate as eating chocolate makes us feel good since it triggers the release of serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain, which have an uplifting effect. The downside is that chocolate is loaded with calories, bad for teeth and will take your child’s appetite away from more nutritious foods like my ‘lovely lentils’. I think at 6 months Amy still has plenty of time to look forward to the joys of chocolate and what she doesn’t know about she is hardly going to miss.

Incidentally if you add extra stock and seasoning to my recipe for lentil puree it will make a delicious soup for the rest of the family.

Enjoy

Best Wishes

Annabel

Dear Wornout,

Unfortunately many toddlers are very fussy eaters and although they are small they are incredibly stubborn. It’s important not give your 2 ½ year old lots of snacks between meals that might take his appetite away from proper food so its best not buy crisps, chocolate biscuits or fruit juices. Try to think of the foods that he will eat that are healthy and build meals around these – for example if he likes cheese you could make baked potato topped with cheese, macaroni cheese or cheese and tomato on toast.

Did you know that 25% of young children in this country are deficient in iron ?

Red meat is a very good food for young children as it provides the best and most easily absorbed source of iron. A lack of iron in the diet can cause tiredness, lack of energy, lowered resistance to infection and can impair mental and physical development.

Very often it is not the taste of red meat that children object to but the chewy texture of meat, so it is important to cook meat until it is tender and mix it with soft foods like mashed potato or spaghetti. If I make a Bolognese sauce I often cook the meat and then chop it for a few seconds in a food processor so that it is easier to chew.

Here’s a tasty recipe you could try :

EASY BOLOGNESE SAUCE

This is a very quick and easy to make Bolognese sauce using a can of tomato soup as one of the ingredients. The commonest nutritional deficiency amongst children in the UK is iron deficiency and since red meat provides the best source of iron, it’s good to find some tasty recipes that include it which will appeal to children.

Bolognese sauce suitable for freezing

1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
15ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
500g (1 lb 2 oz) lean minced beef
½ tsp freeze-dried herbs
100g (4 oz) button mushrooms, sliced
1 X 400g (14 oz) can of chopped tomatoes
1 X 295g (10 oz) can of condensed cream of tomato soup
400g (14 oz) spaghetti

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef and the herbs and saute until the beef has changed colour. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes. Season to taste. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of lightly salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Mix the cooked pasta with the Bolognese sauce and serve.

MAKES 8 PORTIONS

Recipe from Annabel Karmel’s Family Meal Planner published by Ebury Press £14.99

Hi again Annabel! I just realised that I didn't mention the ages of my children - they are four and six - am I the only one so far who's not asking "toddler" questions?! I know that your children are older too, so would love to know what you feed them - veggie stuff please, or, at a push, chicken (they've just discovered it after years of being completely vegetarian and mum is worried enough about protein to tolerate it!). Cheers.