Healthy Snacks almost sound ย like an oxymoron.Before I became a mommy I thought meals were when you had food ,snacks were stuff which my mother wouldn’t give me at home.But when I became a mommy ,I realized parenting and cooking is inseperable.If your little one eats right,the world is going fine.
When she stops eating ,nothing in the world can make you happy.The guilt trips that we subject ourselves too is bad enough, we worry about theirgrowth.But the problem is not just what you are cooking.Its also what the little one wants to eat.I wrote about ย how tricky ย feeding your preschoolerย can be.I also wrote about how to tackle ย picky eatingย .The main problem is snacks not only need to stop their cravings .but also needs to be healthy.Childhood obesity is a worrying problem and affects their entire life.What we feed them today will mold their eating habits and health ,both physical and mental.
You just can’t go wrong with these.Luckily my Rai loves all fruits.Banana for a snack makes her happy.Mangoes need to be just right.Firm and sweet .Apples and grapes are favourites too . Oranges are a staple during winters.Dried cranberries andfigs she enjoys a lot .I am writing about A to Z of fruits .Dont forget to read .
Nuts and Raisins
A few walnuts or almonds made into small pieces by themselves or as toppings for her oats .Walnut has omega 3 fatty acids and is the best nut known.Almonds are great too.raisins are rich in potassium great for heart health.
Oats & Chia
I use it together with a spoon of raw cocoa mixed with milk and honey to make a porridge.This I garnish with raisins.
I make pancakes with aata(wheat flour) , oats , chia , eggs and adding curd instead of milk.It tastes yummy.I tried Tina’s easy banana pancake and the entire family loved it.
The ย mug brownieย made by Tina is my recent favorite.I just substituted oats and chia ,with a little bit of flour,ย instead of the whole thing being made of ย flour.
I also make parathas using wheat flour, oats, and chia.
Veggies fries and fritters
Carrot fries and pumpkin fried inairfryerย are an easy delicious crunchy snack.Even ย french fries airfried is healthier!
Luckily my daughter loves having eggs and never likes salt in it.Whether its an omlette( cooked just right ),sunny side up ย or ย boiled, she loves them all.I also make noodle ย pakoda with eggs and veggies in the air fryer,Its crunchy delicious and ย makes for a quick snack.
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Share with us some healthy snacks for moms and kids from your kitchen
HEALTHY SNACKS for mommy and baby
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Lychee is a tropical fruit, with about 7 Lychee giving your daily dose of Vitamin C. It’s a sweet fleshy fruit, which if had in large amounts can cause stomach cramps and loose motion.
But today I will tell you about a mysterious disease surrounding Lychee.
Lychee contains many phytochemicals. The seeds contain methylene cyclopropyl glycine (MCPG).A chemical with a suspicious role in lowering blood glucose to dangerous levels.
MCPG Hypoglycemiaย
Hypoglycemia is a condition of decreasing blood glucose, which may have acute and long-term effects. For the growing brain, it’s really bad because glucose is the only brain food. The brain survives on glucose as its main energy molecule.No sugar, the brain can stop!
Acute effect of low blood sugar includes convulsions and even death. Chronic hypoglycemia can lead to a long-term poor neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.
The True story ..stranger than fiction
Children came from lychee-growing areas, with convulsions in the early hours of the morning. Then before they could be stabilized, they tragically died. Nothing seemed to work. Till the blood workup of a few older children who could fight it longer, came back.
These outbreaks of encephalopathy occurring in Indian and Vietnamese children were traced back to Lychee.
Several investigation teams found the condition related to hypoglycin A and MCPG toxicity. Malnourished children eating lychees (especially unripe ones) on an empty stomach and remaining empty stomachs even after that may have life-threatening hypoglycemia. Lychee may also contain unusual amino acids. which influence gluconeogenesis and ฮฒ-oxidation of fatty acids, exacerbating the acute illness.
What happened: Details
An unusual, rapidly deteriorating outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) with high case fatality was reported from Kaliachak- I, II, and III Blocks of Malda District of West Bengal in the month of June 2014 affecting 72 children with 34 deaths.
Children belonged to age groups from ย ย 9 months to 10 years, belonging to the low socioeconomic background of the lychee growing belt of Malda.
Male :(65%ย approx).
The case Fatality Rate was 47.2%.
The main presenting features:
Sudden onset of convulsions (100%) inย the early hours of the morning
Rapid progression to unconsciousness (100%)ย
Decerebrate rigidity (47%).
Fever was present in around one-third of cases.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and leukocytosis(increase in white blood cells ) were two predominant ย laboratory features
Clinical samples subjected to molecular and serological testing were all found negative for known viruses causing acute encephalitis.
What treatment did they receive?
All cases were treated with 10% dextrose infusion in additionย to standard treatment protocol with anticonvulsants, anti-edemaย measures like 20% mannitol, antipyretic (acetaminophen) along with other necessary measures. Serial blood glucose monitoring was done.
At first contact, health care workers and ward sisters were advised, to start dextrose(a type of sugar ) as soon as they saw the cases as the time from reporting to the fatal outcome was horrifyingly low.
Dextrose helped correct the hypoglycemia and helped reduce the fatality in the later reported cases.
Conclusion
Genetically susceptible,ย malnourished child ,who had litchi in large quantity followed by prolonged period of fasting can lead to metabolic encephalopathy ย .
The CDC reportrecommended that parents check , lychee consumption in children .Definitely have an evening meal, elevating blood glucose levels .Both these may help in avoiding this horror.
2 strange unexplained events:
The cases were more during the scorching days. Declined after rain showers.
Though no identifiable virus was not found and exact etiology couldn’t be identified, that hypoglycemia had a role to play is undisputed.
Research continues to find out the exact reasons. Till then it’s better to be safe.Increasing education and awareness about the condition in litchi growing belts have prevented recurrence of cases .
Disclaimer:
All information in this post is for information purposes and is to be taken with respect to the reference provided.
References:
1)Research paper: Epidemiological Investigation of an Outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Malda District of West Bengal, India. Available from:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277249892_Epidemiological_Investigation_of_an_Outbreak_of_Acute_Encephalitis_Syndrome_AES_in_Malda_District_of_West_Bengal_India
