Worried my diet isn't healthy enough!!

[ktod]

I'm BLW so I'm giving him what I'm having but I'm a bit worried its not healthy enough. I don't eat loads of rubbish but I definitely don't eat enough fruit and veg.

For example, today I had (and therefore he had)
Breakfast -porridge
Lunch- peanut butter on toast
Dinner- pasta bolognese

Obviously LO had all his milk feeds as well. I don't have the same thing everyday but I do think his food is all a bit too starchy and lacking vitamins, there were carrots and tomatoes in the pasta, but he mainly ate the pasta pieces as they are easy to pick up.

I know the answer is to just give him bits of fruit and veg on top of this but he's not really eating that much yet and I'm reluctant to buy extra fruit and veg just for him when he's wasting most of the food at the moment.

Don't get me wrong, I want him to have fruit and veg, I just don't eat enough healthy food myself. All I want is some reassurance that this diet will be ok until he is eating properly and then I will feel happier to buy him extra fruit and veg.

 

[capegirl7]

Don't worry hun it sounds fine. Try adding some fruit to the porridge (even buy applesauce and it isn't that expensive to put in there).
Also like you said in the pasta you can add veggies, cheese, etc.
There are easy ways to add some fruit and veggies.
But that being said, that diet sounds fine and healthy to me.

 

[bananaz]

Those foods sound fine for now, but maybe you could take this as an opportunity to start eating healthier? I had the same concern about my own diet and I knew that as my LO got older she would model her own eating habits after mine, so if I didn't eat fruits or vegetables I would have a hard time convincing her to do it. Even at 9 months old my baby pays very close attention to what I'm doing and is way more likely to eat something if she sees me eating it too. Anyway, I know this probably isn't the answer you were looking for but I figured I'd put it out there anyway. I'm a carb junkie as well so I definitely sympathize!

 

[polaris]

I agree with bananaz, we changed our diets a lot when we started weaning with DS, e.g. cut out take-aways and ready-meals, started eating a lot more fruit and fresh veg, cut out added salt. The good habits have mostly stuck so I don't have much modifications to make now when weaning DD and I can really just give her whatever we are eating this time round.

 

[Sproglet]

Agreed, I don't always eat enough fruit and veg so I'm going to try and improve my diet when we start weaning Robyn.

Just as a thought, you could add a little snack box of raisins to your porridge, and add sliced banana on top of the peanut butter on toast, as well as carrots and tomatoes you could add onion to the pasta, then you would have got your 5 a day

 

[Casey3]

I agree, it doesn't sound horrible but I'd use it as an opportunity to add more fruit/veg into your diet. If you wait til he's eating more food, he may not accept new fruits and veg so it is best to encourage him to try them while everything is still new.

They def watch everything you're eating so if I share something with my LO there's a better chance he'll try it/eat it. We always share a fruit in the mornings (banana, apple, pear, peach, strawberries, orange etc) and veggies at lunch (broccoli, peppers, carrots, peas etc) along with our carb source and dairy source and it helps to encourage him to eat

 

[StranjeGirl]

This is just my opinion and I will probably get shot down for it, but if you aren't totally satisfied with your diet I would switch to TW and cooking separate food for LO. I would think porridge would be fine for breakfast...do you put anything in it though..sugar etc? What is in your peanut butter? Does it contain sugar? Personally I don't think peanut butter is a great choice and almond butter (with nothing added in the ingredient list) is much better. Is the toast whole grain bread? Regular pasta has pretty much ZERO nutrition. It is processed white flour which basically turns to sugar in the body. Bolognese sauce, unless making it yourself, typically has a ton of salt added. It's not that I think it is horrible for LO to have a little of these things, but it just seems to be lacking in veggies department. Someone suggested adding bananas or raisins to your porridge, but I feel there are so many more healthier options. The sweet fruits are full of sugar. Instead I would choose zucchini, squash, avocado, and then add the complex carbs like beans (I don't mean to your porridge, just in general) Again it's just my opinion and I'm sure LO will be fine no matter what you decide but since you asked I thought I'd share.

 

[star1]

If you are adding carrots and tomatoes to the bologna use anyway, then I would do a few extra separately for lo in shapes they can easily pick up and hold (eg steam some carrot sticks for him). X

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Im not a big fruit eater, I only really like summer fruits and cooked fruit so I do buy extra fruit from the start of weaning. I just stuck to cheaper fruits until they were actually eating. It has worked, they both like fruits that they never see me eating. Scarlett in particular is a huge fan of fruit.

 

[jensha]

Sounds like a good time to start eating healthier. Babies learn by example. If you rarely eat fruits and veggies in front of him, it's going to get harder and harder to make him eat them later.

 

[ktod]

Thanks everyone, definitely going to try to eat more veg but its not easy when you aren't used to it LOL.

I totally agree with you stranjegirl about the zero nutrition in white flour. All my life I used whole grain bread and pasta for myself but I was actually advised not to give whole grains to infants as its too much fibre and not enough calories so I've been having white bread and pasta Since weaning. It's so confusing!

I do just have plain porridge and no sugar peanut butter and i cook my evening meals myself so i avoid salt. essentially I just need to add the fruit and veg into my diet, it's very simple in principle but I think I'm just lacking the confidence as its out of my comfort zone. I am going to try harder.

I do think lunch times will be a struggle though, as I don't cook a meal for lunch and tend to have something snacky like a sandwich. Do you think it's ok to just give him soft raw veggies as a quick lunch eg peppers etc? (I think I'd die if I just had peppers for lunch, it seems so unsubstantial!)

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I can't imagine peppers as my lunch either haha. I always give a bread based lunch. I vary the fillings, and offer fruit and sugar free yoghurt as well. Bread gets a bad press. I buy good quality bread from a bakery that isn't full of crap so I see no problem with a little bread most days. If there are leftovers of something I give that but lunch is mostly bread here. Useful source of carbs which babies and children need.

 

[ellie27]

Dont worry - just enjoy the experience and try offer LO different things not worrying about how much they are eating either - my LO had not even started solids at your LOs age!

 

[Lilmiss1]

I chop up and freeze veg at home or buy frozen veg. I put it straight into the steamer to cook. We hardly waste any now.

 

[Tasha]

When weaning I often give toast/bread and then alongside that pepper, cucumber sticks etc.

 

[ktod]

Well I've been to morrisons today and bought a load of random veg which I'm just going to bung in as many meals as I can, whether it goes with the food or not LOL. It's all very experimental. Hopefully it will be a success and not drive us in the opposite direction and have to get a takeaway hahahaha

(Disclaimer- I wouldn't really give LO takeaway)

 

[Casey3]

We didn't even introduce lunch until he was about 11 months.. you've just started, try not to stress and don't rush it.. go slow, at whatever pace you feel comfortable with and just have fun

I still hate lunch, lol. Both me and LO prefer breakfast and dinner! I myself am not a lunch fan and tend to just make a quick sandwich or have snacky things like veggies.. I'd be lying if I said I make a full lunch everyday.. he prefers boob still and most of my lunch attempts get thrown at the dogs so if we're having a busy day I'll just offer milk

Hope the new veggies went well!

 

[BigAl]

To pop who said swap to tw I would think that foolish. They have to eat thrown up food sometime, much better all round to improve your diet.
You are doing fine, just do what you are doing, and like you say add random veggies. Lunch is a pain, but you could do things like homemade soup with dippers, or raw veg with hummus or soft cheese. Often we have a boiled egg for lunch.

Good luck