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NOURISHING OUR CHILDREN |
Excerpted from Chapter 12 of The Staying Healthy
Shopper's Guide: Feed Your Family Safely
by Elson Haas, M.D. copyright © 2006
I know that it is often difficult to improve your
habits for the benefit of others; this
life-enhancing process needs to be something you do
for yourself. However, if anyone can make positive
changes, it is parents for the sake of their
children. Improving your children's health and
helping them start with good habits begins with you.
Here are my top-ten guidelines for parents who want
to teach their children good nutritional habits.
Guideline Number One: The most effective way
to get kids to eat healthfully is to set a good
example! Young people are most influenced by what
they see and experience, not by what they're told.
Therefore, what you do – how you live – has the
greatest affect on shaping your kids' behavior and
their diets. Remember that the habits your children
form while they're young will probably be with them
for life.
Guideline Number Two: Feed your children a
balanced diet. Natural tastes for food develop
early. If kids eat real food and develop a taste for
fruits, vegetables and other delicious flavors from
Nature, they won't depend on the stronger and
enhanced flavor of processed food. Prepare tasty
foods and make sure your kids eat their nutritional
foods first before allowing treats or desserts. A
balanced diet for you and your children includes 70
to 80% wholesome, natural foods. Limit treats and
watch out for excess sugar, caffeine in sodas and
chocolates, and heavily processed foods laced with
chemicals like colored dyes and preservatives.
Guideline Number Three: Don't bribe your kids
with sugar and other treats; rather encourage them
with healthy foods and snacks. It is so easy to
forget to take the time to deal with children's true
needs--which are really love and attention. When
you're busy, it's a temptation to give them sodas,
sweets or whatever, even TV, instead of you. This
can create the habit of satisfying emotional needs
with food or material things, so don't get into the
pattern of substituting food and sugary rewards for
other needs.
Guideline Number Four: Have healthy snacks
around the house for your kids – organic sliced
apples, oranges, grapes or bananas; raisins or
dates; almonds or other nuts; yogurt; pieces of
cheese with healthy crackers; good chips and
guacamole, salsa; and more. It's a good practice to
offer your children healthy snacks at least a couple
of times a day, such as mid-morning or in their
school lunch, and then after school. Around 3 to 4
PM is a time some parents call the witching hour –
recognizing that their kids are becoming cranky and
irritable, but not realizing that they may simply be
fatigued or have low blood sugar. Make a Healthy
Snacks list for your family's needs.
Guideline Number Five: Get your children
involved in shopping and preparing the foods that
they like. When you go grocery shopping with them,
allow them to choose a few appropriate treats. You
could give them a budget, like $10, to spend on good
choices when they help you shop for family
groceries. Most children will appreciate learning to
prepare food that they like. Younger ones will be
enthused about playing "kitchen" and "restaurant"
with the bigger kids or their parents. And be
creative; together you may find some new taste
treats.
Guideline Number Six: This involves helping
your children learn about the Earth and gain the
personal, first-hand experience of growing their own
food. Plant a garden with your kids if you have the
space, or if not, join with neighbors in a community
garden. If you have only a patio or small deck, you
can use planter's boxes or hydroponic equipment to
cultivate organic, fast-growing produce, such as
tomatoes, strawberries, herbs, and lettuce for
example. It's magical for kids to watch things grow
and eat foods fresh off the vine. Or get your kids
to help you make tasty, nourishing and vital sprouts
from seeds or beans, such alfalfa, sunflower,
lentils or mung beans.
Guideline Number Seven: Organize your
refrigerator and pantries in a way that allows the
young ones to get the stuff that they want or that
you want them to have. This makes it less easy for
them to get the treats that you want to control.
Even if they eat too much junk when they're at their
friends or when going out, encourage them to eat
well whenever they can, and keep setting a good
example. It will be worth it for you too in the long
run!
Guideline Number Eight: Help your children to
avoid or to limit their intake of foods with
unhealthy additives. The basic additives to watch
for and minimize with regard to children are:
Artificial food colors in candies, drinks, and many
other colored foods Excess refined sugar in a wide
variety of processed foods and baked goods MSG
(monosodium glutamate) found in soups, cereals, and
crackers Aspartame (an artificial sweetener) found
in sodas, candies, and gum Sodium nitrite in treated
meats Sulfites and sulfur dioxide used in drying
fruits and other preserved foods Hydrogenated fats
found in many baked goods and cereals Olestra, the
fake fat used in potato chips Also limit children's
intake of foods containing artificial flavorings,
the preservatives BHT and BHA, and excess salt.
Guideline Number Nine: Look out for food
allergies and reactions that are so common in
children. They may manifest in ways that are not
typically thought to be food related, even by some
doctors. You will notice that when children limit
foods causing their reactions, they will usually
become clearer, more alert, and healthier. The
delayed type of food allergy can cause more "hidden"
reactions that may not appear until later that day
or the next. For example, chronic ear fluid
congestion (otitis media) is quite common in young
children. When some children who have had chronic
ear infections are taken off cow's milk products,
those with a dairy allergy or sensitivity will stop
getting ear problems. I address this entire issue in
my upcoming book, The False Fat Diet.
There are a number of other problems that relate to
allergies and food reactions. These include skin
problems, mood swings, and certain digestive
complaints. Some of the most common foods that cause
reactions in kids, besides milk include: eggs,
peanuts, citrus fruits, and tomatoes. Since any
specific food can cause an allergic reaction in any
individual at any age, it's wise for parents and
their doctor to pay attention to this possibility.
Guideline Number Ten: Consider giving your
children protective nutrient supplements. Children
don't need a lot of additional vitamins and
minerals, especially if they eat a healthy, balanced
diet. However, the requirement for many nutrients is
high in the growing years, and providing nutritional
insurance by giving your children a few additional
supplements over and above the diet is a good idea.
I suggest an age-appropriate multi-vitamin and
mineral combination, preferably one from natural
sources and without preservatives, sugar, or
artificial food coloring. There are a variety of
healthy brands at natural foods stores and through
catalogues, and even pharmacies have good choices.
Additional vitamin C, in amounts of 100-250 mg twice
a day, can be helpful in maintaining health. Even
more can be given if the child has allergies or
becomes ill with a viral problem like a cold or flu.
When kids are under stress, when they exercise more
or travel on airplanes, or when they are exposed to
chemicals--an anti-oxidant may be protective. Look
for one that contains vitamins E and C,
beta-carotene, a little selenium and zinc. Children
really enjoy the Emergen-C powdered products from
Alacer Corporation; about a half packet (500 mg) is
appropriate for most children over age 4. This is
another good way to supply additional vitamin C and
trace minerals.
What to Pack in a Healthy School Lunch
Overall, I suggest sending a wholesome and balanced
bag-lunch to school with a good sandwich, some raw
vegetables and fruit, healthier chips or cookies,
and some milk, filtered water or juice.
Note: Have a good lunchbox or one of the new
thermal bags that keeps food hot or cold.
- Sandwiches – on good-quality, nutritious whole
grain bread: Tuna salad, Turkey (oven-roasted or
other nitrite-free packaged or deli turkey),
Almond or other nut butter with a natural fruit
jam or sliced banana and honey.
- Apple or slices in small sealed container
- Other sliced fruit or a whole orange or banana
- Raisins (organic and sulfite-free if possible)
- Almonds or other nuts or seeds in a small
baggie or container
- Sliced carrots or celery
- Leftovers from last night's dinner – chicken,
burrito or enchilada, pasta, and more
- Juice and water mixture, or just water, in a
small thermos or send it cold to keep lunch cool
10 Ways to Encourage Children's Healthy Eating
Habits: a Summary
- Set a good example by eating a healthy diet
yourself.
- Provide a balanced diet with a variety of
tasty and nutritious foods.
- Avoid using food as a reward, and encourage
healthy snacks.
- Have healthy snacks available, and offer them
to your children at appropriate times, such as
mid-morning when they're home and in the afternoon
after school.
- Get kids involved in shopping and cooking.
- Help children grow fresh food in a garden or
planter box.
- Organize your refrigerator and cupboards so
that kids can get the right stuff for them.
- Avoid the riskiest food additives--artificial
colors, aspartame, BHT, MSG and excess sugar.
- Look out for allergies and food reactions.
- Ask your health practitioner about a quality
children's multi-vitamin/mineral (without
additives and artificial colorings), as well as a
little extra vitamin C, calcium, or any other
appropriate children's supplement.
Resources:
My book,
Staying Healthy with Nutrition , has a
number of relevant sections on nutrition for
children, including Chapter 15's individual
Lifestyle Programs on Infants, Children, and
Adolescents as is appropriate for your family.
Chapter 14 includes a variety of recipes especially
for children. Also, Chapters 2 though 4 of
The Staying Healthy Shoppers Guide discuss various
chemical and food additive concerns for kids, as
well as what foods to avoid. The chapter on Organic
Food and Farming is also very important, as is
minimizing the total chemical exposure for the
sensitive systems of all children.
Be Well.
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