Kids Food Memories--The Proof is in the Pudding

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Pumpkin Pudding by Guest Blogger Teresa Wagner, MS, RD

People often ask me why I became a registered dietitian. Why would you want to take four years of basic anatomy, biology and biochemistry, do a grueling internship learning medical as well as culinary skills and study for a national registration exam? Why would you do all of that to be credentialed as The Expert in Food and Nutrition and be charged with maintaining continuing education for the entirety of your career? I finally realized the answer was pretty simple: Pumpkin Pudding.

You might wonder how pumpkin pudding could motivate someone to achieve all of those milestones. The pumpkin, a gourd-like squash, planted in early July is harvested in the fall and transcends the holiday season taking center stage during Halloween as carved masterpieces for fun and fright as well as upholding long-time traditions of pumpkin pie served at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It was during these holidays that my mom came up with the recipe for Pumpkin Pudding to entice me, my brother and sister to actually eat pumpkin. My mom was well-versed in nutrition and knowing that pumpkin is a great source of vitamin A, as well as fiber, she felt it was her duty that we all receive our adequate share of this nutrient-rich fruit. In fact, my mom went to great lengths to come up with recipes for many nutrient-rich foods that she felt compelled that her young children should be eating and enjoying. At the same time, she talked about the foods and nutrition with us as we experienced each meal. I never really understood the bigger picture that eating well would help me feel good, have ample energy and be nourished to accomplish all that I have in my career and life. However, these talks and recipes did give me “food for thought” and when I was asked upon entering college what I wanted to study, I thoughtfully replied, “nutrition”.

Thus, I was on the fast track to becoming a registered dietitian all from warmly remembering my mom’s teachings and recipes that have been handed down and to this day her Pumpkin Pudding holds an esteemed place on every Christmas and Thanksgiving table and in many a friend or relatives’ refrigerator. Here is her recipe:

Mom’s Pumpkin Pudding

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons water  1 tablespoon gelatin, plain  1 lb pumpkin, canned  1/2 cup sugar, brown  1 tsp cinnamon  1 tsp vanilla  1 cup milk low-fat or skim evaporated

Instructions: Gently soften powdered gelatin in water, melting over low heat. Stir Pumpkin into gelatin. Stir in Brown Sugar and Cinnamon until well-blended and Brown Sugar melts. Remove from Heat. Add Vanilla. Add Milk slowly stirring to mix well. Pour into serving dishes or party ware. Chill uncovered until firm.

As a mom and a registered dietitian, I encourage all adults, parents and grandparents to teach children about choosing nutrient-rich foods first, sharing family recipes and nourishing their body with a healthy role-model of food as fuel. Doing so will grant the children in your life not only a healthy perspective on food but also a healthy lifestyle and special memories on which to reflect. Making a positive impact on their life may be as sweet and simple as my own mom’s special recipe for Pumpkin Pudding.

Teresa Wagner is guest blogging for me today.  Teresa is a mom of two teenage girls and former pediatric dietitian who advocates for children’s health through public relations at the local Dairy Max and National Dairy Council Follow her blog on the The Dairy Report and on Twitter @TravelingRD
 

"I'm Robin and I'm Lactose Intolerant" Great news for People Like Me!

I'm feel like I just was released from a huge bear hug.

Never have I felt so supported by virtual strangers before in my plight with lactose intolerance. You see, I've just returned from the recent Lactose Intolerance Forum-hosted by the National Dairy Council and Lactaid. Yes, that's right-an entire forum dedicated to research and new information regarding LI.

Managing my LI now for nearly 20 years, I've often avoided the products that I know will cause the, ahem, unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects that simply are LI.

When I was 23, I remember having dinner at a friends house who was well know for her Southern cooking. In this instance, Southern cooking mean copious amounts of cream, butter, milk and cheese in nearly everything she cooked. Within 1 hour, I was doubled over in pain, had severe cramps and spent a bit of time in the bathroom. Long story short, I had to cancel the rest of the plans for the evening and head home. And so began my plight with dairy.

I could tolerate small amounts of hard, aged cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella) as well as frozen yogurt and regular yogurt but absolutely no ice cream or milk. I began drinking soy milk and eliminated ice cream from my diet. I definitely reduced my dairy intake over the years and as I got older, began to worry about vitamins and minerals that I knew I must have been lacking without the proper amount of dairy in my diet. Obviously osteoporosis was at top of mind, but also the other diseases that were plaguing Americans-obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure/heart disease, etc. The studies I was reading all had correlations with dairy. I began drinking soy milk and calcium fortified orange juice-and also ate many of the non-dairy products that contained calcium.

At the LI Forum, we talked LI all day long. Literally. I've been introduced as many things before, but I'm not sure I've ever been introduced as "This is Robin Plotkin. She has Lactose Intolerance, too!". There were expert speakers and excellent research presented. The recent recommendations by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are that people with lactose should be able to tolerate up to 12 grams of lactose per day.

The NIH Panel concluded that:

"Many people with real or perceived lactose intolerance avoid diary and ingest inadequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, which may predisposed them to decreased bone accrual, osteoporosis and other adverse health outcomes. In most cases, people don't need to eliminate dairy consumption completely."

Dr. Gilman Grave, Chief, Endocrinology, Nutrition and Growth Branch, National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health

You see, since so many of us self diagnose (which we shouldn't-our MD can order at Hydrogen Breath test to confirm a diagnosis of LI), we also overestimate our symptoms. And because we do that, we often completely eliminate dairy from our diet so we don't have to experience those symptoms. The problem is that when we completely eliminate dairy from the diet, we often times are eliminating excellent sources of calcium, Vitamin D, potassium and magnesium. Over time, when we don't feed our bodies with these vitamins and minerals, we become even more at risk for those diseases mentioned above and, in some cases, even malnutrition.

So, here's the good news! That 12 grams of lactose per day will help us get those nutrients we need AND reintroduce dairy back into our diets! Sure, I was skeptical at first too, but I've been working on it for a few months and...it's working!

Below are some tips and some strategies to manage LI and to incorporate dairy back into your life!

Sip it-introduce dairy slowly into the diet. You'll have to build up to the 12 grams, so start small. Maybe 1/4 of a glass of milk on days 1-5 and gradually increase from there. ( An 8 ounce glass of milk has about 12 grams of lactose)

Stir it-mix milk in with food. Try adding milk to mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, smoothies or cereal.

Slice it-Try a slice of cheese on a sandwich or with whole grain crackers. Start with about 1 ounce. Cabot Creamery has naturally lactose free Cheddar Cheese as well as 50% reduced fat Cheddar Cheese. Yep-thanks to the aging process, it's naturally lactose free! I've done work for these good people and they can explain the entire process to you if you'd like.

Shred it-Shred cheeses over soups or in tacos and enchiladas. Sprinkle some in your salad.

Spoon it-Try yogurt mixed with cereal or with fruit. Always choose yogurts with active live cultures. The cultures are also helpful in breaking down the natural sugar in dairy that causes lactose intolerance symptoms to occur.

Try it-Try lactose free milk and milk products. I've recently become a big fan of Lactaid. In the past, I'd only tried their cottage cheese...but their regular milk, chocolate milk and ice cream ROCK. I'm a believer now! (note: Lactaid is REAL COW's MILK-just with an enzyme added to it to make it tolerable for people with LI).

I encourage you to try incorporating dairy back into your diet. It's worth it to try these foods again and get the nutrients you may be lacking. I never thought I'd be able tolerate as much dairy again, but I do! Just remember to go slow and enjoy.

Need to know how much calcium you need? Check here.
How much lactose is in certain products? Check here.
If you'd like more information about improving your diet, see at Registered Dietitian!