For many parents, helping children develop healthy eating habits is a struggle. Coupled with the ever-growing intensity of marketing through the media, unhealthy food has never invaded our lives as much as today. With the hectic pace of many families’ lives and with more working mothers than ever, even the health conscious succumb to the conveniences of life, turning to fast, processed, nutrient-deficient foodless foods. In addition to newly acquired poor diets, many news reports about nutrition contain conflicting information. No wonder many people are confused, especially if they are not well acquainted with the knowledge of natural health.
Just as our national income rises, so do obesity and its related diseases. In many places around the world, obesity, skin problems, asthma, and poor immunity are increasing rapidly, especially among children.
Surveys conclude that children are eating too much fat, too much sugar, too much salt, too much refined and processed foods, but at the same time they are malnourished and suffer from nutritional deficiencies!
As parents, what can we do to guard the health of our precious children despite the circumstances? The best place to start is with our own lives since children learn by example. Thus, a healthy lifestyle is one of the most valuable habits that a parent can pass on.
While you cannot control what your children eat outside the house, you are in full control of the type of food that is available at home. Make sure that it is wholesome, toxin-free, and nutrient-rich live food. Ideally, children should eat five portions (a portion being roughly the size of a person’s fist) of fruit or vegetables a day. Unfortunately, many children nowadays do not find such healthy food palatable. Parents may use the alternative of freshly made juices in such situations.
Be aware of nutrient robbers like sugar (which robs the body of calcium and lowers its immunity), salt (which robs the body of valuable potassium) and “friendly” evils like hydrogenated fats or trans-fat, artificial flavours, colouring, and preservatives.
Encourage your children to become involved in their own healthy food preparation. These may be moments that they will treasure for the rest of their lives! If you sometimes wonder what food you should eat and what food you should avoid, always compare it with nature. The more man tries to “improve” a food, the further away it is from nature. Such foods should be avoided.
Here are 5 suggestions to get your kids on a healthier route:
- Substitute all sugar cereals with whole grain cereals. Do not purchase the overpriced, sugar laden products and feed them to your kids for breakfast. Instead, prepare a bowl of rolled oats for them. Sweeten it with a little raw honey and add in extra virgin coconut oil and nutritional yeast. Or give them a delicious fruit salad: chop up an apple, banana, a few berries (frozen is all right) and sprinkle on a few chopped nuts. Or a bowl of homemade yoghurt with fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, extra virgin coconut oil, flaxseed oil, nutritional yeast and sweetened with a little raw honey. Stay away from flavoured yoghurts. They are loaded with sugar.
- Eliminate refined food like white rice and white flour products in your home. White rice and white flour are sugar’s close cousins. They are totally depleted of nutrients and cause a sharp rise in blood glucose levels followed by a drop, which produces tiredness. Substitute white rice with unpolished brown rice and white flour breads with wholemeal or, better yet, get sprouted whole grain bread. Sprouted whole grain toast with some butter or nut butter is another quick meal to create in the morning.
- If your kids like peanut butter, try making your own peanut butter using the Alpha Juicer or buy the kind that does not have added sugar, or hydrogenated oils. Almond butter, cashew butter and other nut butters are healthier and your kids would definitely love them!
- Remove all snack foods that contain hydrogenated oils. This signifies that you will not be purchasing ANY packaged foods any longer as it is hard to get packaged foods without any sort of hydrogenated oils. Stop using margarine and shortening. Substitute them with real butter and organic coconut oil in baking.
- Stop purchasing carbonated drinks, and other drinks that contain high amounts of sugar, colouring and flavourings. Soft drinks do not hydrate the body, but dehydrate instead. The only drink that properly hydrates the body is water. Give them pure water in the form of distilled water. Whenever your kids need a tasteful beverage, give them some FRESH juice or Honegar . Invest in the Alpha Juicer and begin making some REAL juice for your kids. Get them involved! Take them with you to the shop and ask them which fruits they would like to try out juicing. Wean them off the soft drinks and stop purchasing them altogether.
Here are a few quick snack ideas:
- A wholesome dip, or homemade peanut butter and a few raw fresh vegetable sticks.
- Avocado on wholemeal bread.
- Pieces of organic fruit.
- A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice.
Bear in mind that the habits your kids learn today continue with them for a lifetime. Remember that the next time you feel like giving in to them when they whine and complain about being forced to consume another “healthy” meal, you know what is best for them and it is your duty to encourage them to make wise choices. Do not buckle under and give them junk just to shut them up.
There will be times when it is impossible to feed them a healthy meal. They may be at a birthday party or a special event and in that case, it is all right to compromise once in a while. What is important is that they are consuming healthy meals for the majority of the time. Their health depends on this!
NewLifeTM Nutrition for Children:
- Honegar – 1 teaspoon of Pure Raw Honey and 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass of distilled water. An alternative to soft drinks, Milo, Ribena, etc.
Benefits:
- 100% made from organic apples.
- Very high in potassium.
- Keeps coughs, colds, & sore throats away; removes phlegm.
- Helps relieve constipation.
- Rich in vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.
For cooked food eaters: 1/8 – ¼ teaspoon with each meal.
For children prone to allergies: ½ – 1 teaspoon with each meal and before going to bed (4 X daily).
- ImmuFlora® – Contains 10 billion cells of friendly bacteria. Helps digestion & elimination. Builds immunity.
- Bottle fed infant (0 – 6 months): ¼ sachet.
- 6 months – 2 years: ½ sachet.
- 2 & above: 1 sachet.
Note: Increase dosage in times of diarrhoea or antibiotic treatment.
- Propolplus – A natural food with antibiotic function. Increases immunity.
- For health maintenance: 1 – 2 capsules.
- In times of sickness: 1 – 2 capsules every 2 hours.
Note: Crack the capsule and allow the contents to flow down the throat or squeeze out onto a spoon.
- Omega Gold Flax Seed Oil (FSO) – Helps build immunity. Strengthens lungs, blood vessels and heart. Good for skin health and development of brain cells. Best taken with yoghurt or Spirulina.
Recommended Dosage:
- Bottle fed infant (Birth – 1 year): ¼ teaspoon mixed with milk / yoghurt daily.
- Breast fed infant: To obtain from the mother’s milk. Nursing mothers to take 2 tablespoons of FSO daily.
- 1 – 2 years: ½ teaspoon daily.
- 2 – 6 years: 1 teaspoon daily.
- 6 & above: 1 tablespoon daily.
Note: The above is only for maintenance. Increase dosage if unwell.
- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO) – Take 1-2 tablespoons daily mixed with yoghurt, oats, porridge, etc.
- Zinger Herbal Tea – Soothes cough, drink as desired.
- Organic Bee Pollen – Good source of protein. Gives energy. Builds immunity. Mix with a little water or juice.
- 1 – 2 years: ¼ teaspoon
- 2 – 6 years: ½ teaspoon
- 6 – 12 years: 1 teaspoon
- 12 & above: 2 – 4 teaspoon
Note: Increase dosage during loss of appetite.
- Unsalted Organic Nutritional Yeast – 1 teaspoon mixed with yoghurt.
- Spirulina – Supplies rich nutrients. Boosts immunity. Bottle fed infant
- (0 – 3 months): ¼ teaspoon in milk 2x daily.
- (3 – 6 months): ½ teaspoon in 4 oz. distilled water 2x daily.
- (6 – 12 months): 1 teaspoon in 8 oz. distilled water 2x daily.
- 1 & above: 1 teaspoon of Spirulina Powder + 1 teaspoon of raw honey (if sweetness desired) in distilled water 2-4 x daily.
Note: In times of fever, take a glass of Spirulina drink every 1 hour. Avoid solid foods. Take goat’s milk or yoghurt instead of cow’s milk.
- K-Salt – If children experience chestiness, avoid salt and take K (Potassium) Salt. 1 – 2 years: 1/8 teaspoon in distilled water 4x daily. 2 & above: ¼ teaspoon in distilled water 4x daily.
- Kids Klenz – Recommended for children 6 years and above. Take 1 sachet daily for maintenance. May take two sachets a day when there is constipation. Mix a sachet of Kids Klenz with a glass of distilled water, stir well and serve immediately. To be followed by another glass of water. Children are recommended to drink 6-8 glasses of water daily.
- Rebounder – Builds immunity, motor skills, good eyesight, etc.
- El-Natural Toothpaste – Kills bacteria, prevents bleeding gums & tooth decay. Fluoride free.
- Wonda Oil – Insect repellent, treats insect bites, wounds, fungus, and more.
- Yoghurt – To replace cow’s milk which is a common cause of asthma, allergy & skin problems.
- Castile Liquid Cleanser – The mildest & most natural soap.
- Hydrogen Peroxide – Removes ear wax, disinfects toothbrush and wounds.