MORE BABIES ARE BORN TO UNMARRIED MOTHERS THAN EVER BEFORE. Unmarried women accounted for 41% of births in 2011, up from just 5% in 1960. In 2011, 72% of births to black women were to unmarried mothers, compared with 53% of births to Hispanic women and 29% of births to white women. (The sample size was too small to analyze results among Asians.) But just 9% of new mothers with a bachelor’s degree, regardless of race, were unmarried when they gave birth.*
RM: FALLING IN LINE WITH RECENT NUTRITION FADS, SOME PARENTS CLAIM MAKING THEIR OWN BABY FOOD IS THE ONLY GOOD WAY TO FEED YOUNG CHILDREN. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT NUTRITION AND HOW FAR PARENTS SHOULD GO? DR. ERIC GUSTAFSON: “I try not to be absolute about anything, but mini-
mizing highly processed foods and foods high in sugar is best. It’s not as important to pay attention to every fad of the day, but highly processed foods are shown to not be as good for you and your body, and that goes for all children. In reality, it’s more about having a balanced diet, moderation, choosing fresh healthy foods and portions.“ DR. RANDY UYENO: “There isn’t any right answer. In an ideal world, you would grow your own food, be assured of the source, cook it and grind it into baby food, but you could spend all day long doing that, and nobody has time for that, so don’t drive yourself crazy. Plus, in terms of toxins, everything’s bad, even an organic apple; because you have to think, where did the water come from? And chances are it was a polluted water source. The more control you have over your sources, the better, but just feeding your kids fresh, real food is the most important thing.” bellevue club september 2014 | 29