Bronwen <[log in to unmask]> posted:
>>Hey, should I worry about calcium? I am nursing a seven month old baby.  . I
want to know what foods I should include- I have a tendancy towards too
little variety.

My reply:
I suggest that you include both dark leafy greens (as salad or cooked
greens) at least twice a day, and brigh orange, yellow, or red vegetables,
at least twice per day, as well as some fresh fruit.  Rather than just stick
to broccoli and lettuce, consider kale, collards, mustard greens, bok choy,
brussels sprouts, arugula, endive, escarole, ans Mesclun/spring salad mixes.
Try rutabagas (as Phillip suggested), daikon radishes, jicama, English
cucumbers, various types of onions, leeks, and other colorful vegetables.
A wide variety of vegetables (and fruits) will provide a wide range of
nutrients.

I'd suggest searching for as much locally grown produce as possible; it'll
be fresher and tastier than supermarket fare.  Some natural foods stores
sell both organic and non-org varieties, to accomodate different budgets.
Usually they will mark which things are locally grown.

Canned sardines with bones, and salmon with bones, dark leafy greens, sea
vegetables, and simmered broths made from meat bones will provide calcium.
You may also want to take a calcium-magnesium (rather than calcium alone)
supplement, to assure adequate calcium intake, particularly if you don't eat
the foods mentioned above with great frequency.  Of course, the supplement
is not meant to replace eating the foods above, only cover the bases, since
you are breastfeeding and just learning the ropes.

You mentioned:
>>I have always "ignored" my body a little- I am "in my head" or
something and I forget to eat- well, on this diet, it is WAY easier to
forget to eat somehow. ...I hardly feel hungry.


My reply:
Your lack of hungry may be the result of running on body fat.  Your baby is
drawing on your fat stores and if you are taking in less carbohydrate, and
less calories, now, you are probably in a fat-burning mode.  Your shaky
feeling is probably due to low blood sugar and/or lack of sufficient
minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and also sodium.  Eating more
vegetables, especially leafy greens, could help. By the way, bananas are not
the only or best potassium source.  White meat fish, chicken and turkey
breast, roots, leafy greens, and many other colorful vegetables, as well as
citrus fruits and berries, are good sources of potassium, as well as other
minerals.

You may want to plan to eat 3 timess a day, if you are not already.  The
meals need not be large, but should be regular.  If you are getting shaky,
you may be running out of "steam!"  If you are used to neglecting your body,
then you are probably used to waiting until the "guage" is on empty before
refueling.  You will avoid a lot of stress if you plan to have food ready
ahead and eat before you get to that point. Shopping, chopping, cooking, and
planning ahead will take you far.  Thinking about food is an important part
of taking care of yourself, particularly if you want to eat the most
nutritious food, which you'll have to gather and prepare yourself, at least
most of the time.

Your baby is drawing on your nutrient reserves, so it's even more important
than ever that you take in enough food and enough variety so that you both
get the brain and body building nutrients you need.

You can check the paleo recipe archives for recipes that use vegetables and
meats you are not used to preparing.  E-mail me privately if you want
suggestions for cook books that can acquaint you with new vegetables.  You
may have to modify some of the recipes you find, but there are good books
that can help you add new vegetables and fruits to your diet.

For now, why not make it a goal to try AT LEAST one new vegetables and one
new fruit each week?

Best of health to you and yours,

Rachel