Meditations

Posted by: thaishin | June 8, 2009

An Aging body

A few months back, one of my friend in his 40s shared that he has a retina tear. Also, an aged friend of mine at 70 had her front teeth extracted because it was causing her pain and she cast a set of teeth to replace them. All signs of an aging body.

Now that I am in my 40s, my body is also showing signs of wear and tear. My eyes can no longer see clearly at near distance when I put my specs on. I will have to remove my glasses and put my face near the words to read them. Used to have no problem carrying heavy objects. Recently, I tried carrying 2 gallons of liquid using one hand and already felt the strain on the muscles between my thumb and my index finger. Only recently also, whenever I brush my teeth and bend towards the mirror, I feel aches on my back. It reminded me to do my sit-ups to strengthen my back muscles. I have to remind myself that I am getting old and that my body can no longer function the way that it used to and I have to take care of myself also.

Now that I am in my 40s and aging fast, I expect some illness to come upon me later on. I already have high cholesterol (doctor said it is hereditary). My mother has diabetes. I think her diabetes came on her around 50s. It is possible that I will have diabetes come 50s since diabetes is also hereditary. My auntie on my mom side died of colorectal cancer and probably I will have to do colorectal screening when I am in my 50s.

A piece of good news amid the doom and gloom though. When I was in Singapore to fit a new pair of glasses, the optometrist told me that my short-sightedness degrees improved. I wonder what I did. Maybe it was the mercy of God.

As we journey on this earth towards our heavenly home, we can only hope for the day when we will experience no more pain:

Revelations 21:

⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. -kjv

2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Aches, Colorectal Cancer, Diabetes, Health, High Cholesterol, Near-sightedness, Retina Tear

Posted by: thaishin | May 20, 2009

Love your enemies or hate your enemies?

Luke 6: ²⁷But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, ²⁸Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. -kjv Psalms 139: ²⁰For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. ²¹Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? ²²I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. -kjv Question: How to reconcile above 2 verses? Answer from Pastor Brian Ingalls: One of the first things to remember is that as Christians, we believe that Jesus was the Messiah, even God in the flesh. As Christians, we try to look at the teaching of the Old Testament through the words and example of Jesus. It would be easy to read Psalms 139:20-22 by itself and conclude that the Bible here is teaching us we should hate and fight against people who don’t believe as we do. In fact, the ancient Jews did often teach that those who weren’t part of Israel were their enemies and treated them accordingly. In many ways they were very judgmental towards Gentiles (non-Jews) But as a Christian, we don’t look at just Psalms 139:20-22, we look closely at the verses around it, the context of those verses, and at the rest of the Bible too, especially what Christ said. That of course, is sometimes easier said than done. But after some contemplation, here is my view of these passages: First, Luke 6 isn’t the only place in the Bible where this sermon by Jesus is included. It’s also in Matthew. And in the Gospel of Matthew, there is a part of the conversation that wasn’t recorded in Luke. Just before Jesus said to love our enemies, Matthew records that Jesus said this first: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” -Matthew 5:43-44 In fact, Matthew records a lot more of this “sermon” by Jesus than Luke does. And that particular sentence sheds quite a bit of light on things. Jesus quoted a phrase the Jews were familiar with “love your neighbor and hate your enemy”- and for the Jews of that time, your “neighbor” was a fellow Israelite and a fellow believer in God. Anyone else, you could “hate.” That sort of hate, motivated simply by nationality and religious beliefs, Jesus contradicted. And David didn’t hate people just because of what nationality they were, or what they believed or didn’t believe. But we’ll get to that in a second… Instead of “hate” Jesus said to “love” which literally means in a moral sense or duty. In other words, put them ahead of yourself. And you know, even when you don’t like someone, you can put their needs ahead of your own. Even if you hate them, you can sacrifice for them. You might not like it, but you can do it. That’s Christian love in fact. Same kind of love Jesus demonstrated when he sacrificed himself for the sins of the whole world. It’s a love of actions, not feelings or words. And that’s part of the answer I think. In Psalms 139, David is writing from his deep feelings. He even says “am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?” David was grieved because of the wickedness of the enemies of God. Since they were God’s enemies, David counted them as his enemies because David was on God’s side. But listen to this verse: For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! -Romans 5:10 This verse says we were at one time God’s enemies. Yet even though we were enemies of God, He still sent His only Son to die for us and reconcile us to Himself. Even though God hates sin, and hates wickedness, and will someday judge the earth with justice and wrath, God still loved us by putting our needs first -sacrificing Himself for us on the cross. So what Jesus said is true, God wants us to do practice a love of actions (that’s what the word means) praying for our enemies, doing good to those who persecute us. That’s what Jesus did for sinners, even though God hates sin. Even though sin grieves Him. But Jesus was not saying we must always “feel” love, nor was Jesus saying we must always approve of what others are doing. God is a God of love (a sacrificial love of putting another first) yes, but He is also a God of justice and righteousness too. God hates sin. And for those people who choose to be enemies of God, they will someday face his wrath if they don’t repent. So what David said was true for him as far as his feelings went, and admirable in that David so strongly held to God’s standard of righteousness. David’s hate was directed at those people because they had already set themselves up as enemies of God. What David was explaining here was that he was completely committed to being on God’s side. He wrote down how he truly felt because David had a passion for God and a hatred of sin. But even though David was “grieved” and felt hatred, that wouldn’t have stopped him from “loving” his enemies with his actions -given the chance. Despite his feelings, I’m sure David was more than willing to sacrifice for those same enemies if God gave him the opportunity. I say that because, in his life, David often showed mercy and grace to his enemies when he had the chance. So in the end, I think David was speaking of his feelings and explaining the depth of his commitment toward God, (after all those Psalms are very personal things and speak from deep emotion many times) while Jesus was teaching us to love with actions no matter our feelings may be.

6 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Consistency of Scripture, Enemies, hate, Love

Posted by: thaishin | April 15, 2009

Who to marry?

I dedicate this post to all my friends who are still single.

Marriage is a big event for anyone. Finding the person to marry is the behind the scene happenings prior to the big day. Some intentionally scout around. Some will wait for things to happen. I guess different people will work towards marriage in their own way and I will share what worked for me and what I have learned.

Principle I held: The person I marry must be a christian, a born again believer. The rationale behind this principle: A born again christian will have her thinking and actions influenced by the Holy Spirit. It means we will have common beliefs affecting our actions and our thinking.

For a christian marrying a non christian or even a non christian marrying a non christian, it will be more difficult finding commonality, so I think they will really need to be meticulous when finding a mate. For me, I was prepared to be single if I cannot find a believer with mutual feelings. And God gave me a peace in my heart when I was about to go steady with my girlfriend/wife. It was a sweet and deep peace in my heart and it occurred while I was asleep.

Below are lessons that I learned.

Lesson 1:

Marry a person for what he/she thinks. Guys, especially, like to look at physical attractiveness, even for ladies the statement holds true. I am not asking you to marry an ugly spouse but physical appearance should not be the first priority. Adjusting our expectations is important here.

Lesson 2:

It is important that the relationship start right in order for it to carry through to completion, ie marriage.

Lesson 3:

Keep your emotions in check when looking for a spouse. Do not fall in love without first knowing the person. This, in my view, is the most difficult thing to do. For me, I got to know my wife through chat and I got to know more of her first before falling in love. Easier if I don’t meet the person first.

Lesson 4:

Always be honest when relating to your boyfriend, girlfriend. Be upfront about everything. If there is no trust, there can be no relationship

Lesson 5:

I told my girlfriend, now wife about two weaknesses/flaws that I had before we became steady. If she can accept the weakest thing about you, the more likely she is to accept you when you marry.

Lesson 6:

Saving/Spending habits need to be considered. This I learned on hindsight. We are both savers, so no problem for us.

Lesson 7:

It is better that both be informed of their plans after marriage. For example, in my case, my wife always wanted to come to the US after marriage and I had difficulty accepting that fact. At last, I yielded but after seeking advice from friends. Eventually, it turned out that I like it here in Joliet.

Lesson 8:

Be the right person to be married to and be ready rather than look for the right person to marry when you are not ready. It is easier for us christians to be Mr/Ms Right because the measure is whether we are ‘Christ-like’.

Lesson 9:

What you achieve in your career, education etc does not count much when it comes to finding a girlfriend/boyfriend or husband/wife

Advice from the bible about seeking commonality in marriage:

2 Cor 6:14:

¹⁴Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? – kjv

8 Comments

Posted in Marriage | Tags: Achievements, Christian, Commonality, Emotions, Flaws, Honesty, Marriage, Mr/Ms Right, Physical Attraction, Plans after Marriage, Savers, Starting Right

Posted by: thaishin | March 25, 2009

Living in Joliet

We have been staying in Joliet for a year and over now. I guess it’s time to introduce to my friends the city of Joliet.

The city of Joliet is situated 1 hour drive south west of chicago. If we go to chicago, we normally take a train from city center in Joliet and it’s around one and a half hour ride. Joliet is divided by the Des Plaines river into east and west. Security in the east side and near west side is not so good. Sometimes, we hear reports of gang related shooting around the area, even near the city center. Security in the far west side is better.

Joliet has a population of 145,000 and is illinois fourth largest city. Most of the population here are whites with some blacks and some hispanics. Very few asians.

We have 4 seasons here in Joliet. Winter is from November to March. January is usually the coldest month. Spring is March to May. Tornadoes come during spring. Summer from June to August. Fall from September to November.

There are 2 casinos in Joliet, the Harrah’s casino and Empress casino. Tax on revenue from the casinos fund the city budget. Car racing is popular in Joliet and attracts fans from other cities to their Chicagoland speedways and Route 66 raceway. Other attractions include a JackHammers baseball stadium and Splash station. There is also the Louis Joliet mall, a major mall in Joliet. You can find more information on the city of Joliet here.

Bus service is served by Pace. Usually the bus comes around 1 hour or 1/2 hour interval. Taxi service is served by Telecab. There are not enough taxis on the road for us to wait by the road and flag it down. So we have to call a number to get a cab (we don’t have to pay for calling the cab). It is customary that we give tips for cab rides, maybe 10 to 15%. The surface condition of some of the roads here are worst than Singapore as sometimes there are bumps here and there.

Major grocery stores in joliet include Walmart, Jewel Osco, Dominick’s etc. That’s where we can get the meat, vegetables and fruits.There are also retail stores like CVS, Walgreens. These are stores like 7-eleven in singapore but are larger in scale than 7-eleven and they sell some household items and limited groceries like egg and bread. They are not as large as the grocery stores though. By the way, the grocery stores also have pharmacies of their own. All these stores have their own building and parking lot, unlike Singapore where they are usually tenants in a building. There are no coffee shops, hawker center or wet market here. If you want hot food, you have to buy take out from a restaurant or fast food.

I believe it’s God’s will for our family to be living here in Joliet. God’s general will is shown to us in the bible. That part of His will of where we should work, who we should marry, where should we stay is worked out as we live it out and is unknown to us until it happens. Sometimes we may make plans but I attest that a lot of time we do not know what is good for ourselves . Hence, sometimes it is only from hindsight that we can appreciate His good and perfect will for us.

Romans 12:2

²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – niv

²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. – kjv

12 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Chicago, God's will, Grocery, Joliet, Major attractions, Population, Weather

Posted by: thaishin | February 26, 2009

Waking up to a retrenchment

I recently received an email from a friend of mine telling me he was retrenched and asking me if there are job opportunities in US. I gave him a chicago job website and did not probe further but I presume it is due to the global economic downturn.

He has children and I thought it must be hard on him, so I asked if he has enough savings and he told me that he has enough. Thank God that he is prepared.

All of us in the capitalistic world operate within the economic framework and are not buffered from the effects of any recession. In difficult times, jobs are hard to keep and people fall into hardship. There is nothing an individual can do to to prevent it but he can be prepared for it.

Saving for the rainy day is a good virtue and it may be wise in good times to put aside a percentage of our income for savings. It will be good to save up enough cash to last for at least a year or more of unemployment. Six months may not even be enough. Finding a new job may take more than six months and then what happens?

Being aware of your transferable skill sets helps. For example, organisational skills, interpersonal skills, numeric skills etc. This is important especially when you are crossing to a new job domain. When times are good, try applying for new jobs, if not to get the job, at least get some interview experience and you will be able to gain an insight of what kind of other jobs you are able to handle.

Often times, being retrenched may mean that you will have to go back to school again, just to get the skillsets that are relevant. That means also saving enough money to retrain when the times are good.

I think the most important asset to an individual is to keep an open mind and be able to unlearn and relearn. Carrying that attitude will enable you to go a long way.

We should take retrenchment as a form of character training from God if we have not sinned against Him. Maybe God is trying to steer us to another direction in life or He is trying to focus our attention to other things.

Matthew 10:30

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. – niv

If even our hairs are numbered, how much more it is that due to chance that we are retrenched. The point is that things will eventually work out for the good because God is good and He is only training us now. Christians, tune your ears to God’s fine prompting.

9 Comments

Posted in Work | Tags: Retrenchment, Savings, Training, Transferable Skill, Work

Posted by: thaishin | February 12, 2009

We just bought a new car

Finally, after 1 year in Joliet without a car, we just bought a new car. It’s a Toyota Corolla LE 2009.

They say there are 2 times in a year where we can get great discounts. One is when they change to a new model. I think that is during autumn. The other period is during the winter months where the weather is driving away customers. A friend of ours was kind enough to enquire for us (as he is more experienced in this area) and we bought the car in his home town of Peru (illinois), around 1 hours drive away from joliet. We decided to pay a sizable downpayment and then by loan. We went for the five year loan. This will give my wife a chance to get a good credit history with the grant of the loan.

Yes, we got by the first year without a car. But it is evident to us that having a car is almost a necessity. In our case, our son just started attending pre school now and he needs to get to school at 1230 pm and knock off at 3pm. I have to drop him off 10 minutes before school and pick him up 10 minutes after school. Thank God we have managed to borrow a car during this winter from a neighbour of ours. It is most difficult to walk the 15 minute walk to preschool in winter conditions, especially for a 3 year old. I took a cab once and it cost me 22 dollars for the two trips to drop off and pick him up. Going by bus is impossible as the schedule is only hourly.

We really need the car, especially when my wife starts getting assignments in other hospitals.

We decided to buy a new car instead of a used one. Mainly for a peace of mind because we expect to drive a toyota corolla without major repairs for at least the next 5 years. Moreover, it gives good mileage and is less painful on the pocket for gas. Also, we heard that the resale value of the toyota is quite good.

Any maintenance tips, anyone?

1 Timothy 6:17

17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; – kjv

Give thanks to God for giving us a neighbour who has a car to lend us during this winter period.

2 Comments

Posted in Driving | Tags: car, Driving

Posted by: thaishin | January 8, 2009

Attempts to wean from the pacifier

There was once when our family was eating out at a fast food restaurant when we caught notice of a seven to eight year old kid still with a pacifier in his mouth and we thought to ourselves: that was too much.

Our son is 3 years old now and I believe it is time to wean him from his pacifier, I don’t want him to be like that kid mentioned above. So, I made some attempts during his afternoon nap, still giving him the pacifier when he sleeps at night. Below describes my attempts to wean him from the pacifier:

Attempt 1: Our son was shrieking at the top of his voice for 20 minutes and he finally cried himself to sleep. When he woke up in between, he was still asking for the pacifier but I denied him and he went back to sleep. But he woke up finally with a shorter sleep than usual.

Attempt 2: Our son was crying again and I thought it may be too harsh on him, so I just gave the pacifier to him

Attempt 3: Yes, he was shrieking again but I hardened my heart and refused to give the pacifier to him. He was crying and crying and then with a broken voice, he said: “Daddy I love you”. I was touched and impressed. I replied:”Daddy loves you too” There was silence for a while with sobbing then with louder cries and I reassured him “Daddy loves you”. Then there was sobbing and then louder cries. Eventually, he felt hungry and I brought him to the kitchen to give him some fruit loop straw cereals. When he was filled, I brought him back to the bed room and he went to sleep. After he woke up, he was again shrieking and shouting: “Awai Daddy”, meaning fight daddy in ilongo. So much for “Daddy I love you”.

Attempt 4: On an alternate day of denying him, he was asking for the pacifier again. When I refused, he swinged his leg against me on the bed and as I threatened to punish him, he stopped. Eventually, he went to sleep without crying.

Babies suck naturally. That is how they suck milk from the mother’s breast. The pacifier plays into this natural tendency and gives them a sort of security. So, after 3 years of sucking on the pacifier, our son must have felt insecure when I denied him the pacifier, even though he does not need the pacifier if he is not sleeping at this point of time( we have been consciously denying him the pacifier when he is awake). Maybe that is why he says “Daddy I love you” to seek some assurance from me. Most of the time, he says “Awai Daddy” to how much he is seeking assurance from the pacifier.

The above account happened in mid-November 2008. Since then, especially after the vacation we had in Singapore and relenting on our part ( especially the mother), he is back to his old ways. On a Thursday afternoon in January, the mother tried to deny him and our son is screaming for most part of the afternoon again. She is going through the same treatment that I got in November. Seems like both of us have to go through it before he will correct his ways.

As a child that attempts to wean off the pacifier, we are also to wean off our old bad habits towards christ-likeness.

Romans 12:2

Do not conformany longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – niv

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. – kjv

5 Comments

Posted in Parenting | Tags: Pacifier, Parenting, Weaning

Posted by: thaishin | November 21, 2008

Parable of the yeast from another perspective

Post taken from the site of a fellow christian blogger Lightbreak

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” — Matthew 13:33

To explain what the kingdom of heaven is like, Jesus used the analogy of yeast. It only takes a little bit of yeast to spread through an entire batch of dough. The gospel has a potency similar to yeast. If we exercise small acts of faithfulness in bringing our humble surroundings into contact with the Living God, then our surroundings and beyond will change for the better.

But there is another reason why the kingdom of heaven spreads like yeast. In the Jewish tradition, yeast was considered unclean. To illustrate, the bread to be eaten during the Passover meal had to be unleavened (made without yeast) so as to demonstrate purity. So when Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to yeast, the ears of his Jewish audience were surely pricked. The point is that God can consecrate what is regarded as impure and use it for His purposes. We might stay away from a certain professional field because it has a reputation for being full of darkness, for example. Don’t be surprised if God calls you into that field for the purpose of transforming it into something that glorifies Him.

An identity

Work is an important part of our lives. We have been going to school since young and then to college to earn a degree or diploma. And then we go to work to earn the money to support ourselves and our family. We spend a tremendous part of our life preparing for the first job in our life and then another significant part of our life working to earn a living. So much time and energy is consumed in the preparation and leading eventually to finding the work that we desire and then so much time and energy is poured into our work as we labour eight hours or more every day. So much so that work literally consumes us.

It is thus not surprising to me that most people identify themselves with their work. When people ask them how they are, they will mention about their work. When they introduce themselves to new friends, they will say I work in … In modern society, social status is also associated with where a person works. It is because a good position brings good income and thus the finer things of life. I am also not surprised that work gives self worth to an individual. It makes a person feels good especially if he is successful or if he has completed a project successfully. I guess it is a natural thing that results when an individual spend so much time working.

So the question is: Is your self-worth tied to your work? Do you have an identity besides being addressed as Dr So and So or Engineer So and so? What happens when you are retrenched? Or when your business fails? Or when you retire? Will you feel depressed? You might say that the next safety net will be your family when that happens but that might give you a sense of false security because by then you will be in a condition that is very personal.

I learned it the hard way. I was out of job after a few years of obtaining my engineering degree and the opportunities offered by my degree has subsided, more so because my experience gained was not enough to see me through to another job. Yes there is a a need to retrain and re-skill. But more than that, I realised that my self worth was tied to my job. It was very natural. It was the hard way of finding out the truth.

Try some soul searching and ask if that is true of yourself. If yes, do something about it.

For me, it was a humbling experience to be out of job and can’t seem to find another job. It was after that experience that I can truly say now that my self worth is now not tied to my job. Hence, I can now look after my son full time and still be happy about. Ultimately, resting my hope on eternal perspective/Jesus helps me to pull myself out of the slum. It was a painful experience and I guess that it is only from hindsight that I can write what i write now.

1 Peter 3:15:

15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, – niv

15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: -kjv

5 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Self, self-worth, Work

Posted by: thaishin | October 17, 2008

Appealing to the taste of my son

One of my friend is concerned about how much his son eats. It seems that toddler eats very little and I read that it is normal for toddler to eat very little. At the age of 3, my son is not eating much either. It is very little compared to the diet of an adult.

I used to be worried about how much he eats, now I am used to the fact that he will eat only 3 pieces of chicken nuggets together with a handful of fruit loops for lunch and a small plate of macroni cheese for dinner. Sometimes he even skip a meal but he will ask for food at a later time. That’s something good. At 3, he is able to tell me he is hungry and I will just feed him. Another friend of mine commented that his doctor advise that as long as children below 5 drink lots of milk, they are ok. A medical and parenting web site suggest giving enough milk at 16 oz per day. Normally, I just feed my son 2 cups of milk per day. And it’s vitamin D milk. The web site suggest changing vitamin D milk to 2% reduced fat milk for kids turning 2 or 3. I discussed with my wife and we decided to stick to vitamin D milk as we are worried that my son is not taking enough fat. She says he needs the fat.

Other food that I feed my son per serving includes two lengths of sausage with a handful of rice ( I would boil the sausage to remove the sodium) or two pieces of egg white (he hates egg yolk) or one scrambled egg with handful of rice (he eats the egg yolk here) or a bowl of cut corn or a couple of oreos/biscuits or a bowl of cereals (fruit loops/frosted flakes/applejacks etc) with milk or a slice of pizza or a slice of bread with spread.

I am also concerned with the quality of the food that my son eats. Besides making sure that he has enough calcium for his bones (that’s why he needs milk) , I am trying my best to make sure that he takes enough iron (important for making the red blood cells). He gets his iron from the bread. Sometimes from ice-cream. Some iron from the macaroni and cheese. Some from the cereals. The cereals and bread is nutritious with lots of vitamins and trace elements. He is getting the vitamin C from the orange juice and the chewable ascorbic acid tablet.

One of my friend’s daughter is already eating meals together with the family and she eats what they eat. But my son does not. He is a picky eater. Maybe it is because he is not eating together with us ( We feed him before or after we eat) . I tried to introduce new food to him but as long as he does not like it, he doesn’t eat. So the advice from one of our friends is true, appeal to his taste.

Maybe I am too worried. My mom who knew not too much about nutrition also raised me successfully. Except for my high cholesterol, I am quite healthy. I guess we live by faith. How much of the food that we eat gets broken down and assimilated and used in cell building as we know in microbiology is not within the control of any human being. We live by faith that what we eat is being used for the benefit of the body. Besides offering the best food that we have for our son, we live by faith that he will be healthy boy in days to come.

4 Comments

Posted in Nutrition | Tags: diet, Nutrition, toddler