QUESTION: I've recently had my first child and I'm breast-feeding him. The doctor prescribed fluoride drops and told me to use them between feedings. I sometimes forget, and I think it would be easier to remember if I could give them with a feeding. Is there a good reason for not doing so?
ANSWER: Pediatricians recommend giving the drops between feedings because they're absorbed better on an empty stomach than when taken with calcium-rich milk. The problem is that it's harder to remember to use the fluoride when it's not associated with regular feedings. The solution is to try to link it to another routine. Some parents give fluoride drops when a baby wakes from a nap or at bath time. As children get a bit older, it makes sense to give the drops at bedtime, just after they've brushed their teeth, or perhaps before a bedtime story.Fluoride is recommended not only for breast-fed babies but for all infants whose formula is prepared with bottled water, as well as for those who routinely take prediluted commercial infant formulas. The best age to begin the supplements is still a matter of debate, with recommendations varying from shortly after birth up to 6 months. Several years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that supplementation begin soon after birth.
QUESTION: What's the difference between all-purpose flour and cake flour?
ANSWER: There are three main differences: The first relates to the type of wheat used to produce them. Cake flour is made from soft wheat, whileall-purpose flour is a blend of soft and hard wheat. The second difference is the amount of the starchy portion of the wheat kernel, or "endosperm," that is used to make the flour. The third is the extent to which the flour particles are ground.
The term "patent" refers to the amount of endosperm used to make flour. "Long-patent" flour contains a higher percentage, including those portions that are more resistant to crushing and contain slightly more protein. "Short-patent" flour contains the smallest portion of endosperm and a lesser amount of protein. All-purpose flour, which is commonly used at home for making bread, lies between the long-patent, or bread flour, and cake flour.
Differences in protein content, while not significant nutritionally, influence the structure of the finished product. In bread flour, gluten - the protein component of a grain - is stronger and more elastic than in all-purpose flour. Cake flour, by contrast, has a weak gluten, which is desirable for the delicate texture of cakes.
Should you run out of cake flour and want to bake a cake, you can substitute all-purpose flour, using two tablespoons less per cup. The reverse is not true, however; there is really no way to achieve the desired results by substituting cake flour for all-purpose flour.
QUESTION: I want to reduce my fat intake to no more than 30 percent of total calories, but I can't figure out whether I'm toeing the line. I get confused trying to make an estimate. I read somewhere that there's an easy method. Can you describe it?
ANSWER: If you have a fair idea of your caloric intake, it's a straightforward task. From that number, drop a zero and divide by 3. This will tell you how many grams of fat would contribute 30 percent of your total calories. For example, if you usually consume 2,000 calories, dropping a zero and dividing by 3 would indicate that you should take in no more than 67 grams of fat.
To calculate the amount of fat you consume, keep a record of everything you eat or drink during the course of the day, making sure to estimate amounts as carefully as you can and to record any fats added in cooking or at the table. The more careful your estimates, the more accurate your results will be.
Finally, you'll probably need to consult one of the many paperback books that provide information about the amounts of fat in servings of food for which no labeling information is available.
1991, Washington Post Writers Group