House food

Americans have long depended on jarred baby foods for convenient feeding. In the past few years more and more processed food options have entered the children's food market. The big brands have expanded into pre-packaged "toddler meals" and "school lunches" all in the name of helping busy parents who need things to be fast and convenient. Even for those parents with the best effort and intention, there may be times when you just can't make or safely pack your own food. One of my clients had served her eight-month-old homemade, organic baby food from his first bite. However while traveling with her son to England; she brought a few jars of food "just in case" she ran out of fresh items on the flight. Here are some tips for buying commercially jarred foods, when you're in a pinch.

o Opt for those with the most calories, meaning more food per unit weight.

o Look for jars of organic foods, without fillers.

o Check that the expiration date on the jar has not passed.

o Choose foods without chemicals and preservatives.

o If feeding your baby a vegetarian diet, look for the Vegetarian Society's "V" symbol on the jar or container, to be sure it is truly vegetarian.

Benefits of Homemade

Babies usually triple their weight during their first year. If they are what they eat, this is the most important time to give them the best. You may not be able to give your child fresh, homemade foods everyday, but here are the benefits for you and your child when you do make the effort.

More nutritious

Homemade food is more nutritious than commercially prepared baby foods because it retains more of the nutrients, especially vitamin A and B. This is because the food is less processed. The jarring process necessitates the use of very high heat under pressure. Much more than you can generate when cooking at home. Unfortunately, many vitamins are destroyed by heat.

Some of the baby food on the market has additives and thickening agents including cornstarch, flour, chemically modified starches or "tapioca" (corn syrup, starch). This means your baby is getting less fruit and vegetables and more "filler". Consumers are also getting less nutrition and value for your money.

More Control

By making your own food, you'll know exactly what your child is eating. You can monitor their diet, and know which vitamins and nutrients are lacking. A study by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2002, reported that over 40% of children's calories come from fast and processed foods. Spend your time making your own food, rather than reading and de-coding labels on processed foods.

No Chemicals or Preservatives

Your food will not have anything added, that you didn't put there. You're not trying to preserve shelf life or disguise any of the ingredients in your food. Preservatives include partially hydrogenated oils or trans-fats, which are linked to diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Taste

While sometimes convenient, a big drawback of commercial baby food is that it bears little relation to the real food. Fresh, seasonal food just tastes better. You probably haven't eaten baby food since you were a baby - because you don't want or have to. If feeding homemade baby food, your child will appreciate real foods from their first bite. These will be the flavors and food items that they will continue to enjoy as they grow. Jarred baby food is not available in every fruit and vegetable, nor is it seasonal. You may miss the opportunity to introduce fruit and vegetable options, which you want your baby to eat later with the rest of the family. Some children get used to bland, smooth, jarred foods and have difficulty being reintroduced to the same real foods and textures later.

Less Waste

Making food gives you control over quantity, taste, texture and expense. You will not have to throw away partially eaten jars of food. Instead you can cook what you know your baby will eat, prolong the life of your homemade food in the freezer, or eat your child's food yourself.

Create variety from a single, whole food item. When making baked sweet potatoes you can chose to puree some, cut pieces into soft chunks, and leave the rest whole. Because your homemade purees are made with whole foods, the leftovers can be made into soups, side dishes and sauces for the rest of the family. You may doubt that because you've never considered making a delicious soup from a jar of baby food. However many favorite cream soups get their start from humble, fresh purees.

Less Cost

The cost for making your own baby food is often less than buying commercially prepared baby foods, if you shop smart and cook in larger quantities. For instance a four ounce jar of baby food ranges in price from .60 - $1.20 each, depending on brand and place purchased. However when making your own baby food, and following our tips for creating convenience and buying in-season whole foods you can save on the price. I purchased enough apples for an apple puree for $2 at the farmer's market, and my recipe yielded 16 ounces, thus my cost is $.50 per four ounce serving.

Excerpt from The Petit Appetite Cookbook (Penguin March 2005) by Lisa Barnes.

Lisa Barnes is a cookbook author and the owner of Petit Appetite, a cooking service devoted to baby and toddlers. She teaches private and group cooking classes to parents in Northern California who want to provide their children with fresh, healthy, organic foods. Visit http://www.petitappetit.com for more information and to sign-up for free newsletters.

In a nutshell let's get the facts straight about food hygiene certificates, and answer your questions about finding the food hygiene course which is the most suitable for you. Yes, a food hygiene course taken online will be accepted by an Environmental Health officer and by local authorities. They are specifically designed to help you meet the legal requirement for food handlers. No, you don't have to go to a local college or sit in a classroom to achieve your food hygiene certificate; you can take it online and sit back while your new food hygiene certificate finds its way to you through the post.
How do I know which course to take?
That's easy. One simple rule:
If you make food to be sold, or sell food directly...
...You need the Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate for Catering.
It's the most popular course by far, be sure to bear in mind that Environmental Health will be looking to see that you have refreshed your food hygiene training every 3 years!
What's the law?
It's fairly straight forward.
Many people have doubts over whether their local authority, council, or specific company will accept their food hygiene certificate, and are looking for a guarantee that their Food Hygiene Certificate will be accepted. The bottom line is, that in doing this training, you have met the legal obligation.
The Environmental Health officer is looking to see that food handlers are appropriately trained, and if you don't have 2-3 hours for food hygiene training and you are at risk of failing your Environmental Health Officer inspection.
There are different levels of Food Hygiene training, so we won't get too caught up with these right now but I will give an outline of what they are.
Level 1 is just an awareness level, and so it is unsuitable for food handlers. If you make food to be sold or serve the food directly to the public this is inadequate. This old foundation or basic awareness course has been replaced by the Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate, and you will find that Environmental Health Officers will often ask that you have a Level 2 certificate. Level 3 is usually a 3 or 4 day course that would need to be booked at a local college, and is likely to be designed to allow you to manage a team of food handlers. Level 4 allow you to train others in food handling.

They say the parents are the first teachers of their children. Education truly starts at home. Before your kids start their formal education at a school, you should start teaching him all the essential things he needs to know, from being familiar with all letters and numbers to music appreciation.

There's another important thing your child has to learn that is often not taught in the household: cooking. More important than reading or math skills, knowing how to properly feed themselves is one of the most useful things you can teach them. Below are some suggestions on how to go about teaching them how to cook and start them early in the kitchen:

Find time for it - When teaching your children something, you need to have a firm resolve that you'll really find time for it. Instead of spending time online chatting with their friends or posting photos on their social network accounts, they can instead join you in the kitchen for some cooking lessons. What they'll learn there will certainly be of greater value than all the useless and even destructive stuff they see on the web.

Make them love it - One of the most effective ways to teach little kids is to make them love what they're learning. Especially because they have a short attention span, if they're not interested in it, they may not even pay attention to what you're teaching them. You have to be creative when teaching them how to cook so you hold their attention all the time.

Make them do it - Of course, learning is better facilitated when there's actual and immediate application of what they've learned. It's an old learning principle called 'learning by doing.' Once you've demonstrated something, ask your kids to do it themselves. This is another way of getting them into it so you'll always get them to focus on the teaching session. Safety comes first, of course, so don't let them do anything that's potentially dangerous without assisting them.

Eat what they cook - Like adults, children can also get satisfaction when what they've cooked is actually eaten and is not just for show. This helps them put value into what they do. Give them positive feedback so they don't feel discouraged. If there are things they need to improve on, say it in a manner that won't hurt their feelings as this can dishearten them. If they feel bad, they may not be too eager to attend your next session.

Use simple recipes - Certainly, you don't want to immediately teach them how to cook meals that involve a lot of preparation and require advanced cooking skills. Start with basic things like boiling water, frying eggs, and cooking rice. Once they know how to perform basic techniques, you can teach them something a bit more challenging.

Teach them how to use kitchen tools and equipment - Again, safety comes first. Be sure to demonstrate how to properly handle kitchen tools, especially those that are potentially dangerous. You should also familiarize them with the uses of each tool.

Knowing how to cook is one of the most practical lessons you can impart to them. It's never too early to teach them something that's essential for survival (you can watch online cooking videos for recipes you can also share with your kids).

The craving for junk food seems to intensify during winter because our bodies seek high-caloric food to stay warm. This means that fresh fruits and veggies tend to disappear from our plates in the cold winter months, which affects our health and general wellbeing. Here's how you can make sure that you and your family are eating healthy in the winter.

• Have a healthy breakfast. The cold winter months are perfect for kicking off your day with a warm bowl of oatmeal or porridge. Add dried cranberries for a sweet touch and almonds for crunch.

• Incorporate foods rich in beta-carotene into your winter diet. Examples include carrots, spinach, lettuce, kale, cabbage and sweet potatoes. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that protects your entire system and keeps you looking young.

• It is equally important to eat foods rich in vitamin C during winter to strengthen your immune system. Eat lots of capsicum, pomegranates, lime, lemons, oranges, cauliflower, broccoli, hot chili peppers and strawberries.

• Eat lots of seasonal veggies. Try veggies like dark leafy greens, turnips, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and carrots. They work wonders for your health.

• Be more adventurous about food. Never had sweet potatoes? How about buying some and rustling up a quick sweet potato salad with spinach, grilled chicken and feta cheese? Never considered eating beets and turnip? Simply toss them in olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, roast for 40 minutes, and enjoy this flavorful side dish.

• Drink more milk. Milk and milk products like cheese and yogurt are a great source of calcium (healthy bones) and also boost your immune system. Stick to low-fat varieties.

• Have lots of soup. Winter is the perfect time for making large pots of soup and sharing a wonderful meal with your family. Try butternut soup, mushroom soup or the good old chicken soup. Serve with warm garlic bread and you have a simple yet hearty dinner. Stay away from the high-sodium store-bought canned soups, though. Homemade soup is the healthiest, but go low on the salt.

• Keep healthy snacks around for your family to munch on. Fresh veggies dipped in honey-mustard and fruits like strawberries and raspberries dipped in low-fat flavored yogurt are both excellent options. Other healthy snacks include peanut-butter sandwiches, no-butter popcorn, low-fat homemade granola and nuts.

• Satisfy sweet cravings with healthy options like baked apples with caramel sauce, banana bread, berry salads, frozen yogurt, and sorbets.

The next time you go grocery shopping, remember this one simple rule for eating healthy during winters: shop for seasonal food products. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are fresh, nutritious and very high in flavor, making for excellent and healthy meals.

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