Integrative Nutrition From A San Francisco Pediatrician

The Beauty of Bacteria and Your Baby’s Health

We are all are teeming with natural gut bacteria (a.k.a. gut flora) that have myriad functions including facilitating digestion and safeguarding against harmful diseases and allergies. In fact, nearly 75-80% of immune function originates in the gastrointestinal tract.

In this post we’ll give you the inside scoop on the inner workings of good gut health and helpful tips on keeping your child’s intestinal tract in tiptop shape.

Parents Beware: How to Protect Your Children from Big Food

For decades, children have been the prime target market for big food corporations. In this recent interview clip, Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, tells the history of Oscar Mayer’s Lunchables, the on-the-go snack of processed meats, cheeses and crackers the company marketed to kids of working moms as a fast, fun and easy alternative to a healthy lunch. (Listen to Moss’ NPR Interview for more of his findings.)

Your Right to Know: The Push to Label GMO Products Continues

Prop. 37, California’s Right to Know initiative, put us at the center of the movement to demand mandatory labeling on Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs).

Despite the proposition’s narrow loss in the recent election, the fact that nearly 47% of Californians voted YES is significant progress. The outcome is our mandate to continue to educate our families on the potential health risks GMOs pose to parents and children.

Mindful Eating: Fostering a Healthy Fondness for Food

Children form associations with food very early in life. You can help your kids develop positive eating preferences by teaching them to experience and relate to food in mindful ways.

Eating Healthy this Holiday Season and into the New Year

Throughout 2011 we gave you the whys and hows of maintaining healthy eating habits for you and your baby.

With the holidays fast approaching and a brand new year just around the corner, now is as good a time as any to get your household on a healthy track.

From Superbugs to Super Weeds: Just How Safe are Genetically Modified Foods?

Last month we alerted you to the health hazards associated with conventionally farmed meat. In this post we’ll continue the conversation with a closer look at the role of genetic modification in farming methods and the potential health risks these practices have on your child’s health.

How organic meats can save your child from superbugs!

More and more people are ‘going organic’ these days as studies continue to shed light on the benefits of organically grown produce and meats. We’ve previously touched on this topic with respect to exposing your baby to fresh fruits and vegetables from the get-go.

But, when it comes to incorporating meat into your child’s diet, just how important is it to go with the organic option? The answer to this question is far more serious than you might think.

A World of Flavor within the Womb

We’re all familiar with the old adage ‘you are what you eat’. Well, that’s not all. New studies shed light on just how influenced your baby is by what you eat, too!

This fascinating article from NPR reveals exciting research about how what you eat during your pregnancy can help shape your baby’s taste buds and flavor preferences.

Arm your child with a lifetime of healthy eating habits

“Eat your vegetables!” — a classic, and common plea from desperate parents to kids with turned up noses. And yet many could argue that our hectic lifestyles and the convenience of packaged foods have quieted this age-old battle.

How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

I just finished reading How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life and am moved to share this striking article by Mark Hyman, MD, a brilliant and forward-thinking functional medicine physician. Most of you know that I have a passion for nutrition, gut health, and food as medicine, and many of you have chosen GetzWell in part because what is on your own and your child’s plate is very important to you. I advocate a whole foods, organic diet and encourage parents to offer a variety of colors and flavors in children’s diets as soon as babies begin to eat solid foods. Many of GetzWell’s kiddos shun juice, sweets and empty carbs preferring veggies and other whole foods, and they enjoy the fantastic health benefits that come from eating well.

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