Welcome to our latest newsletter.

I hope you had a lovely break over Easter. The temperature has certainly dropped and the changing colour of the leaves is a beautiful reminder that Autumn is well and truly here!

In this issue:

Colic - some DIY strategies

Recipes - Fish and tofu but not together!

Healthy Bits and Pieces - interesting snippets and an invitation

Colic

Colic is defined as sharp tummy pains or cramps and can cause much consternation to both mother and child. Usually accompanied by persistent ’hard’ crying and stiffening of their little bodies, they often curl up as if in pain. They may cry so hard that they don’t seem to even know that you are there. This hard crying makes them take in lots of air, which creates gas and more pain, making them cry even more. There is nothing worse than your child being in pain and feeling helpless.

Here are some things you can do that often make a huge difference.

Bottle-fed babies with colic may show improvement if switched to a different formula, such as goats or soy formula. These are available from supermarkets. Breastfed babies can react to the diet of their mother so you should start by investigating any patterns between your meals and snacks, and your childs colic. You may find it helpful to keep a food diary and write down the colic symptoms alongside. If you can't see any patterns you might try eliminating the most common culprits (below) and see if there are any signs of improvement.

Dairy, caffeine, wheat, chocolate and gas-producing foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, peppers, melons, tomatoes, citrus fruits, beans and peanuts.

There is a great natural medicine called Weleda Baby Colic Powder which contains herbs and homeopathics that have been used for centuries and is very effective in simple cases of colic. It is available at most health stores. If you have tried this to no avail, find a naturopath with experince in herbal paediatrics for stronger formulas, I have been working in this area for a while now with great results.

Something else that can be helpful is adding 2 drops of lavender oil to a tepid bath and following with a massage. Focus massage on the tummy area moving in a clockwise direction to relieve painful trapped gas. If you want to learn more about baby massage check out the book ‘Healing massage for babies and toddlers’ by Julia Woodfield. Aswell as helping with colic it is a lovely bonding activity for you and your baby.

It may be that your child has been born with sensitivity to a certain food such as dairy, gluten or soy, or that your baby’s digestive system needs more specialised support. Give us a call or find a naturopath/herbalist in your area that specialises in childrens health, if you suspect this may be the case.

 

 

Recipes

Thai red curry fish with lime and asian vegetables

This recipe is very simple but I love it because it can be done in 10 mins from start to finish. It is actually a recipe from my weight loss programme, so just goes to show you don't have to sacrifice taste when eating well.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size white fish fillets (120 g each - cooked weight)
• Red curry paste (no added sugar)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking
• 2 cups of bean sprouts, broccoli, onion rings or cabbage strips
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• Squeeze of fresh lime juice

Method:

1. Heat oil in a fry pan. Cut the fish into small portions, about the size of half the palm of your hand. Rub the fish with red curry paste so it is lightly coated. Shallow fry the fish lightly on both sides.

2. While fish is cooking, lightly steam vegetables until tender. Put mixed vegetables on a plate, top with sesame oil and lime juice. Serve fish to side of vegetables. Serves 2

 

Tofu Bolognaise

This recipe was provided by my lovely friends, Jessie and Dan, at The Organic Soy Company. If you eat Tofu...................make sure it is certified organic!

Ingredients:

250g tofu (my pick is Tonzu, available at supermarkets and health food stores)
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Oil for frying
1 tsp. maple syrup, sugar or honey
1 can organic tomatoes
1/2cup water
2 tsp. arrowroot
50mls teriyaki sauce
Pasta for 4 people (you can get great wheat and/or gluten free pasta at most supermarkets now)
Pepper to flavour

Method:

Fry onions and garlic in pre-heated oil for 5 mins. While onions and garlic are cooking, cook the pasta in a separate pot. Crumble your tofu into a pan with the onion and garlic. Cook for a further 5-10mins adding tomatoes, chosen sweetener and arrowroot mixed with the water. Continue to cook, stirring until thickened. Pour over cooked pasta and eat! Sprinkle with cheese on top, if desired. Serves 4

 

Healthy Bits & Pieces

What do guinea pigs, some fruit bats, apes and humans all have in common? None of us have the ability to produce our own vitamin C! All other mammals produce it endogenously, or within their own bodies. That means we rely on food sources of this nutrient and it is therfore classed scientifically as a vitamin, meaning it is vital to our health but cannot be manufactured by the body.

Gluten free pizza available at Hell Pizza!
Those of you off gluten may already know this as they have been doing it for a while now, but I notice some people still don't know about it.

Do you know about the Parenting Place? It is a hub of all things parenting, based in a beautiful building in Greenlane and part of Parents Inc. As well as a cafe, they run talks and seminars covering all areas of parenting and Annaliese does a regular talk called 'Eat your Greens' aimed at parents with an interest in helpng their kids eat better. Fussy eaters, allergies and intolerance, vegetable aversion! All covered! Cost is only $10 and the next date is Wednesday 20th May at 9.30am.

Click for info and to reserve a place.

The explosion of 'Vitamin' waters on our supermarket shelves happened so quickly, with competing companies eagerly vying for our attention. A lovely client of mine did a story for her school paper when she became worried about her school friends 'jumping on the band wagon'. She asked me to contribute some thoughts which I was very happy to do! - check out her article 'Vitamin waters - just what the doctor ordered?'

Thanks for reading!

Yours in health,

Annaliese Jones

www.naturalhealthcheckup.com

For Appointments:
(09) 889 2008
021 026 11882 or email annaliese@naturalhealthcheckup.com

The clinic is located at:
23 Burnley Tce, Mt Eden, Auckland

 

Want to use any of the info in this newsletter? You can, as long as you include this complete info with it :

"Annaliese Jones is a Naturopath and Medical herbalist based in Auckland, NZ. Go to www.naturalhealthcheckup.com to subscribe to her Newsletter or get more information about her services as a consultant and public speaker"

 

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