Dr. Sears
September Articles
The Healthy Pregnancy Book

Dr. Sears Wellness Institute

Breastfeeding Benefits

Homemade Baby Food

Shaping Young Tastes

Teen Nutrition

Hello,

Welcome back to our Newsletter. The Sears family has lots of news to share with our friends and readers, especially our "newest addition"
The Healthy Pregnancy Book. Martha and I teamed up with Obstetrician Linda Holt and nurse-midwife, BJ Snell to bring to expectant moms the latest scientific knowledge on how healthy habits during pregnancy can affect life-long health habits of their baby. We look forward to giving you lots of parenting and family health advice in our monthly newsletters. From our family to yours, we wish you good health.
 
Sincerely,
Dr. Bill  Sears


THE HEALTHY PREGNANCY BOOK
IT’S COMING – SEPTEMBER 24th! We believe this book will be a great resource to guide expectant mothers and fathers through all stages of pregnancy from preconception through birth, focusing on how to enhance the health of mother and baby. In our month-by-month guide we address emotional and physical changes that take place during pregnancy, baby's brain development, healthy pregnancy habits, pregnancy superfoods, optimal weight gain, fitness, managing stress, sleep, choosing the right healthcare provider, birthing choices, the transition into parenthood, and some of our favorite personal stories, and more. If you’d like to preorder our new book, visit Amazon.
 
The Dr. Sears Wellness Institute: Creating a Healthier World
Over the past few years the Institute that we founded has trained and certified over 1,500 Health Coaches who are making a difference in 31 countries. With certifications that include pregnancy, children and families, plus adults and seniors, we are proud of all the individuals who have joined us to create a healthier world.

Many of our Health Coaches even work with expecting moms providing personal instruction with much of the information found in The Healthy Pregnancy Book. These coaches offer courses titled L.E.A.N. Expectations (L.E.A.N. stands for lifestyle, exercise, attitude and nutrition) in hospitals, doctor’s offices, birthing centers and communities throughout the world.

Interested in becoming a Dr. Sears Certified Health Coach? Learn more.

DWSI
Can Breastfeeding Really Improve Your Child's IQ?
Baby Food
Martha and I have always been big proponents of breastfeeding and it was especially important to us that all of our children were breastfed. There are so many benefits from breastfeeding and this recent study is just another reason why it is beneficial to breastfeed your children if you are able. A recent study from JAMA Pediatrics implicates that children that were breastfed exhibit an incerease in memory at age 3 and a higher IQ at age of 7.  

If you would like more information, visit our online library of breastfeeding  tips and topics.
 
Great Tips to Make Homemade Baby Food
Baby Food
Baby food doesn't have to come in jars. Like we did, you can make your own at home, and it's not difficult. Baby food is simply strained, pureed, or mashed adult food, just a different version of the food you prepare for yourself. Three good reasons for making your own baby food are:
  • You know what's in it
  • You can custom-tailor the texture to your baby's taste preferences
  • You can shape your baby's tastes and help her learn what fresh foods taste like.
Follow these easy steps to create tasty food for your baby.
Shaping Young Tastes
Shaping Tastes
The first three years of your child's life are a window of opportunity for forming lifelong, healthy eating habits. Just as you teach proper behavior to a child, you also want to teach a child what good food is supposed to taste like.

If a baby begins solid food life from the can or jar, baby concludes that this is what food is supposed to taste like. The taste and intestinal feel of this food becomes the child's norm. And, for better or worse, the child's eating habits and desire for packaged and fast foods becomes the norm. He is likely to crave this taste -- because that's what his body has been used to -- and shun the fresh taste of "health foods." The child that grows up with a steady diet of food from a can, jar, or package, gets off on a poor nutritional track. Learn more how you can shape young tastes.
Why Teens Need Better Nutrition
Teen Nutrition
Healthy nutrition -- or the lack of it - can affect the three A's of your teen: athletics, academics, and attitude. During teenage growth spurts, adolescents need extra calories, and they should be nutritious ones. The irony of teen eating habits is at the very stage they need to eat very nutritious foods, they don't want to. Second to infancy, adolescence is the most critical time for nutritious eating.

Most teens are overfed, but undernourished. Teens grow a lot, so they need to eat a lot, yet not only do they need more food, they need the right kinds of food. See my top 10 Tips for Feeding Teens.