Archive for the ‘Healthy Eating Habits for Children’ Category

When it comes to weight loss for kids, there are challenges to be faced that are unique compared to the challenges faced by adults losing weight. In the first place, dietary changes and restrictions are IMPOSED on children, whereas, adults are act on their own behalf in most cases.

Helping a child understand the reasons for the change in their diet can be awkward to say the least. Any sudden changes in food and portion sizes are unsettling for children. The younger they are the harder it is. For example, explaining the health risks of obesity like heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc probably doesn’t mean much to a kid unless they happen to know someone who suffers from those ailments. Furthermore, you don’t want to frighten them with worst case scenarios, nor do you want to undermine their self esteem and cause them to have a negative body image. Check out this post on Helping children develop healthy body image.

It stands to reason that if a child is overweight or gaining weight then you need to reduce their calorie intake in order for them to lose any excess weight.

Thankfully, it is possible to reduce their calories WITHOUT decreasing their food intake. It is simply a matter of substituting natural foods for processed foods. For example, instead of giving them a candy bar or packet of potato crisps as a snack, give them a piece of fruit… it contains about half the calories, is just as filling and is nutritionally rich from all the vitamins. And instead of pizza, take out burgers or chicken nuggets and chips for dinner, whizz up a quick fish burger with uncrumbed fish (ie. not the freezer fillets) and salad on a wholewheat (brown) bun. An alternative is homemade salmon patties (tinned salmon, peas, finely chopped carrots and mashed potato to bind rolled in breadcrumbs and heated in a non stick frying pan without oil). If they don’t like fish then make patties with minced beef, lamb or chicken, finely chopped onion, an egg, salt and pepper to taste and a little all purpose flour to bind… the point is not to have all the msg which acts as an appetite stimulant, fats and sugars. Those are the biggest culprits in weight gain.

Another thing to watch for is what your child drinks. Did you know that one can of soda contains around 160 calories. If they drink four per day that’s an additional 640 calories that do NOTHING to satisfy appetite… i.e. they are empty calories. That is about one third of their daily calorie needs. But don’t fall into the trap of always giving them fruit juice either as that contains almost as many calories… better for them to have a piece of fruit which will also satisfy hunger. Encourage them to drink water but if they must drink soda at least make it diet soda.

If your child likes eating noodles there is a brilliant new product on the market called shirataki noodles. Actually, they’re not new, they’ve been consumed in Asia for over 2000 years, but they are a new concept to so-called Western nations. Shirataki noodles are made from a combination of water and soluble fiber to form a gelatinous noodle which the body is incapable of converting to energy making them effectively calorie free. I recommend that you attempt to find these noodles at your local Asian food store. If they don’t stock them then thankfully, they are available online from Miracle Noodles. If you need some recipes visit shirataki noodle recipes

Exercise is another aspect of weight loss for kids and it’s really not that difficult to get them more active. If they attend school locally then encourage them to walk to school instead of driving them. If they catch a bus encourage them to get off a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the way. Go for a family bike ride at the weekend or give them the job of taking the dog for a walk. Actually, it’s probably better if the whole family does that together as you would all benefit from the extra excercise. If you have trouble dragging the child away from their console games then get a wii and some of the games that will encourage them to get active like Wii sports and Wii fit. That way, it combines their favorite activity with some excercise.

As you can see, weight loss for kids isn’t an insurmountable challenge. A few small changes and your child will live a long, healthy life.

What lessons were you taught about food about food as a child? Were you taught healthy eating habits, or unhealthy? Most parents teach the same lessons they were taught, and these lessons will be passed down through many generations until someone decides to break the cycle.

Were you raised in the “eat everything on your plate” generation. Eat everything on your plate, even if you were already full. Were you told to think of the starving children in third world countries? Did you ever understand how leaving one potato could help a starving child in another country?

If you are concerned about starving children around the world don’t use it to encourage your child to overeat, think about buying less food and donating money to a charity that supports famine relief.

If you want your children to learn healthy eating habits then prepare healthy meals at home, and try not make them feel guilty when they have had enough.

Of course, the approach is completely different for a fussy eater who won’t eat anything except what they want to eat. Fussy eaters should be encouraged to eat SOME of everything on their plate so they don’t try to avoid the foods they don’t like. And to stop them eating their favorite foods then saying they are full you can impose a one hour time limit after dinner before they are allowed to come out with the infamous “I’m hungry!!!”

It’s not a good idea to use the ‘eat everything on your plate or you don’t have dessert’ motivation either. This encourages children to overeat in order to get the yummy foods. Having a half hour break between dinner and dessert can help with this.

Of course, ultimately you need to build up some idea of just how much each child is capable of eating and base their portion size on this amount. Sometimes they will be hungrier, in which case make sure they understand that they can request more. But care should be exercised in what they are eating. Don’t give them an extra sausage as these are high in fat (and therefore calories since fat has four times the number of calories compared to protein and carbohydrates) give them extra vegetables instead and if they need to lose a little weight then reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates on their plate (potato, pasta, rice or white bread) and increase their other vegetables. There is a very good reason for this, carbohydrates provide the majority of our energy requirements but simple carbohydrates require virtually no digestion which means less calories are used in the digestive process and any excess calories consumed are more likely to be stored as adipose tissue (fat). Complex carbohydrates on the other hand burn a lot of calories in the digestive process making them much less likely to contribute to fat stores.

So consider, if you were raised to eat everything on your plate, have you continued the cycle by teaching your children to do the same?

Imagine 15 years into the future. Your child has become an overweight adult suffering all kinds of health issues. They may even blame you for making them eat everything on their plate, or not allowing them to leave the table without their plate being clean, or constantly feeding them junk food and take outs. They are even more likely to blame you if they were overweight as a child. Now back to the present, how would that make you feel?

Give them something valuable to pass on to their children by teaching your children healthy eating habits.

Have you ever wondered how emotional eating becomes a habit? As parents, we are role models for children, either good or bad and unfortunately, it is usually us who teaches a children the concept of emotional eating.

Remember when your babies were learning to walk. Or when your toddler fell over because they tried to walk or run too fast.

Do you remember seeing a baby trying to walk for the first time? Definitely a case of practice makes perfect. Initially they learn to stand and wobble and then fall down. It is also a time in which tears are common. Sometimes because the child is startled by the fall other times they hurt themselves by hitting body parts on floors or furniture. The child will cry for a few minutes, but soon determination makes them try again and eventually they succeed.

But there is another side to this story. Within seconds of the child falling a parent or other adult will usually reach out and try and comfort the child and this is great. It’s important to comfort the child and reassure them that it everything is okay. But how we comfort them can have far reaching and unforseen effects on the child. Do we simply cuddle them, or do we reach for a treat like a cookie, the pacifier or a bottle of milk.

If our response is the latter then there are lessons the child will learn from this, including:

• If you feel upset, eating is comforting.
• It’s NOT okay to show your emotions. Shove something in your mouth to replace those feelings quickly.

If no food was offered then the child could be comforted by the hug from the adult. The pain or fright soon goes away and the crying stops. But instead the child is being taught the concept of comfort eating. Even worse if they were given a sweet treat then they have been given a taste for sugar and that becomes addictive in itself.

Here is another example, this time for an older child. Their room is a mess and we want them to clean it up. So we offer them a candy and a soda if they will clean up. Uh oh… trouble brewing again! The lesson learned… When you work or achieve something, eat a sweet treat to reward yourself!

Unfortunately, unless we later study food and nutrition, then the food lessons we are taught as children are passed on to the next generation. Why? Because we don’t know any better ourselves!

As you can see, we need to consider what food lessons our children learn from our actions:

• Do we use food to bribe our children to do things?
• Do we use food to comfort our children?
• Do we use food to encourage children to conceal their feelings?

Learn to understand the lessons your actions teach so you can break the cycle and ensure that your child never relies on emotional eating. Whether you like it or not, as parents you are important role models for children.

In modern society it is estimated that one in three children is currently overweight. The statistic for adults is closer to one in two (50%), for this reason it’s crucially important that parents be proactive in dealing with childhood obesity in order to bring this disturbing trend under control so this generation does not become the first in hundreds of years to have shorter lifespans than their parents.

We all understand that there are several factors which have contributed to this dramatic increase in childhood obesity:

1. We have busier lifestyles and therefore have less time to prepare nutritious, home made meals so more processed and fast food is consumed. It seems odd that with all the advances in technology that are supposed to make life easier we are busier than ever. This phenomena is easily explained however. The fact is that the technologies cost money so we are all working longer hours etc in order to afford the technologies so in fact it doesn’t make life easier at all, just increases our need for a greater income.
2. Then of course we also tend to engage in less physical activity. It’s not as safe for children to play outside as it was 30 years ago when I was growing up. Combine that with the invention of gaming consoles and computers and children spend so much time on those pursuits. Thankfully, the giant gaming companies have started listening to parents and doctors concerns about the lack of activity in children and have begun developing console games that require movement like Wii sports etc.

While recognizing the causes is relatively simple, it’s not always so simple to create a solution.

Here are a couple of things you can do to help your children lose weight or lead a healthier lifestyle to avoid becoming overweight in the first place:

• Lead by example. Provide your children with an example of healthy eating and excercise habits. Let them see you enjoying these things, don’t make it look like a chore. Encourage them to come when you take the dog for a walk. A couple of times a week after work or school, rather than vegetating in front of the t.v., go for a swim, bike ride, kick a football, shoot some hoops or fly a kite. Arrange weekly family activities like bike rides, picnics in the park, ten pin bowling etc. The point is that if we foster a love of healthy food and outdoor activities our children are more likely to carry that outlook with them into adulthood, thus avoiding obesity in the first place.
• If your child is already showing signs of being overweight there are a several things you can do to turn the tide. To start with, take them to your family physician for a complete checkup (the doctor can also offer advice on how to help them eat better). Then work with your child to lose weight, because if your child is overweight there is a good chance that you are also. Just as in step one, spend quality time together engaging in a wide range of fun activities. It’s vitally important that you don’t make this seem boring or a bore. Have fun with them but don’t lie to them about their weight (don’t tell them it’s ok to be fat because they have grandma’s hips) but don’t make them feel bad about themselves either. Let them know they are beautiful and worthwhile regardless of their weight and abilities. Just handle it logically and teach them the changes they need to make when it comes to what they should eat, and how much, as what they do for recreation.

When it comes to helping obese children develop healthy eating and exercise habits it’s all about making permanent changes to their outlook on food and exercise. Try to refrain from focusing on weight loss, focus on living a healthier lifestyle instead. Doing this will make your child less likely to feel negative about themselves and more likely to enjoy the time spent with family engaging in fun activities. Again, it can’t be stressed enough, DON’T FOCUS ON ‘WEIGHT LOSS’, FOCUS ON EATING PROPERLY AND BEING ACTIVE. If you make a big deal about their weight then they may develop self esteem issues. Focus on healthy living and your kids will learn great, healthy eating and exercise habits without feeling negative about themselves!

Aside from it’s primary purpose, there are several monosodium glutamate side effects. Technically speaking, monosodium glutamate is a “flavor enhancer”. It stimulates your childs taste-buds, making them more sensitive to food flavors. This improves the taste of food, or rather, your child’s response to that food.

If that was all MSG did, it wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Monosodium glutamate side effects go far beyond this purpose, and not all of those side effects are positive. Unfortunately, the FDA has not acted on the problems and monosodium glutamate maintains the status of “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS). Considering the negative side effects of this chemical on children and adults alike, MSG should be banned, especially since it is abused by the food industry so much.

So what are the negative monosodium glutamate side effects?

1. Some children are allergic to MSG: A child can consume a small amount of it and have an anaphylactic reaction to it. Like other allergies… peanut, wheat, citrus, shellfish etc. the reaction varies from causing discomfort to being life threatening. Because MSG is commonly used in a wide variety of products that are consumed by children, it should be banned. The reason is simple. If your child had a severe peanut allergy, you would avoid giving them peanuts and products containing peanuts. Products containing peanuts or potential traces of them are required to indicate this on the packaging. Compare this with monosodium glutamate where most processed foods contain it but, because of insufficient labeling laws, it is not required to be listed in the ingredients. This creates a potentially dangerous situation that requires government intervention. Companies should at least be forced to label the foods correctly.
2. Monosodium glutamate dramatically stimulates appetite and causes binging: Have you ever wondered why one potato chip is never enough? Monosodium glutamate is the reason. Your child can be physically full, but monosodium glutamate stimulates a part of their brain that tells them to eat more. Food manufacturers use monosodium glutamate to make their foods addictive. Binging on any food causes obesity. MSG takes away a child’s choice in what they eat by creating a dependance similar to drug addiction. That is immoral and should be illegal. Monosodium glutamate has also been identified as a major contributor to the dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes in society. It’s also a major factor in bulemia. Monosodium glutamate encourages children to binge. That’s why snack producers use it. Thankfully, people are becoming savvy to this and choosing not to allow their children to consume food containing MSG. However, companies are not content to allow even this level of personal choice. Because of the GRAS (generally regarded as safe) designation, they are permitted to include MSG as an ingredient in a list of so-called “secret ingredients”. These are ingredients that are not required to be listed on food labels because doing so may allow competitors to copy their recipe and steal their business. Further, some products contain MSG and if companies list that product, they are not required to label the individual ingredients. The names of these common products include ‘Natural Flavorings’, ‘Naturally Flavored’, Artificial and Natural Flavors’. These are PRODUCT NAMES rather than FDA designations. These names conceal the fact that those products are additives. The primary ingredient in many of those products is monosodium glutamate, so if you see them in the ingredients list, replace them with the words monosodium glutamate…because that is basically what it really means.
3. The most controversial problem with MSG is HOW it stimulates your child’s appetite: MSG is referred to as an “excitotoxin”. This is a chemical that stimulates your child’s nervous system using a mechanism usually used to fight infection or remove damaged tissue. A child’s brain is generally sterile and doesn’t have the same immune system as the rest of their body. The main immune system is based on an inflammatory mechanism. Inflammation in the brain is potentially deadly, so the brain uses a glial system instead. The glial system releases chemicals that destroy invading particles and stimulate the brain. Guess which mechanism MSG uses? Guess what the side effects are? If your child consumes large quantities of MSG then in the long-term it will destroy brain tissue. Monosodium glutamate has also been implicated in Alzheimer’s.

As you can see from these side effects, the consumption of MSG should be avoided not only in children but in adults also. Most modern Chinese restaurants understand this and have now removed this ingredient from their recipes.

The main problem in modern society is packaged and processed foods, especially those at fast food restaurants and snack foods. If you want to avoid your child consuming large quantities of monosodium glutamate you need to limit consumption of those foods.

This post published with thanks to Mr Roger of Fatzilla.org who graciously permitted me plagiarize his work.

This post does not constitute medical advice nor should it be substituted for professional medical advice. This post titled “Monosodium Glutamate Side Effects” is intended for informational purposes only.

Making fun and healthy snacks is a challenge for all parents. Children love snacking and they can be good to encourage fussy eaters, but are they having healthy snacks for kids?

The problem is that many children love to snack on foods that are high in sugar, fat and calories that, whilst nutritionally sound in themselves, are not healthy for them in large quantities. Modern parents are so busy that it is easy to purchase processed snacks from the grocery store. It can be muesli bars, crisps, fruit bars, muffins and single serve packets of cookies etc. Many children go to school with several of these snacks in their lunch box, placed there by well meaning parents who don’t want their children going hungry but who simply do not understand the potential harm that can be caused.

One of the problems for parents is to know what constitutes healthy snacks for kids. Many foods designed for children contain far too much fat and sugar, even when the packaging says they are healthy. It all comes down to moderation. Even foods that are labeled low fat can contain high amounts of sugar. Parents need to learn to read and understand food nutrition labels.

In a report produced in the United Kingdom it showed that children who eat a packet of crisps/chips per day consume 5 liters of cooking oil per year. That is a huge amount of fat. Unfortunately, many children eat more than one packet per day. Some children regularly consume 3 or 4 packets per day. Consider the implications of the calories they are consuming and the potential damage caused by their arteries becoming blocked at a young age.

Children are always hungry when they return home from school. They want to be fed instantly. They don’t want to wait for dinner. They want something to satisfy their hunger immediately. Maybe they open the fridge and grab the closest food, it may be a pie or pastry but most children know where snack foods like crisps and candy bars are kept and these are the foods they grab.

But if you don’t have any in the house and give them an apple instead, the tantrum starts because they want their favorite foods. They are children who have no idea about nutrition so you need to take control. Maybe it does mean removing processed snacks from the pantry. It may take a couple of weeks for them to stop grumbling but in time they will get used to you providing healthy snacks.

So what are some healthy snacks for kids? Here are a few pointers:

• Stay close to nature: Fresh fruits and vegetables make a great snack
• Purchase or prepare a dip for them to have with celery or carrot sticks
• Make a fruit smoothie with fresh fruit, milk or juice and a dollop of low fat yogurt. You can even add an egg for extra protein to satisfy their hunger
• Make your own crisps by using a peeler to create thin slices of potato then lightly spray with extra virgin olive oil spray and bake in the oven, then you control the fat and salt
• Cut up a range of their favorite in season fruit to create a healthy fruit salad, or poke a skewer through fruit chunks to make fruit kebabs
• Always keep a store of fresh fruit in the house
• Make up your own fruit and nut mixes with their favorite things like sultanas, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, peanuts, cashews, almonds etc and leave a bowl on the bench

Doing this will ensure that there are always healthy snacks for kids laying around where kids can grab for them rather than processed snacks that are high in calories, fat and sugar.

Learn to be creative regarding the snacks you allow your children to eat. A good way to look at it is to treat it like you would an allergy. If your child had an allergy to nuts then you would ensure that no nut product was provided for them. Well, do the same with high calorie snacks, treat it as though they have an allergy to excess sugar and fat and provide foods that won’t cause health issues in the future.

As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your children remain fit and healthy and eat balanced meals. Make those unhealthy foods they love an occasional treat. Don’t make a big issue if when they eat unhealthy foods or they may develop emotional issues based upon their physical appearance. You expect them to live for at least 70 years so you want to encourage healthy eating habits early on. Do you really think they will never eat another packet or crisps/chips, chocolate bar, pizza or burger? They will still eat these foods but they need to learn how to eat these foods in moderation and not see them as easy snacks and quick energy fixes.

This post does not constitute medical advice nor should it be substituted for professional medical advice. This post titled “Making Fun and Healthy Snacks for Kids” is intended for informational purposes only.

How to pack a healthy lunch for kids is a skill that all parents need to learn. Do you know what your child is eating for lunch? Do they take a packed lunch or do they purchase lunch from the school canteen?

Whatever they have, have you ever considered the nutritional value of what they eat. Children they have no concept of what is a good or bad choice nutritionally until we teach them. They naturally choose what they like rather than what is healthy. Because sugary foods and fried foods are tastier they gravitate toward them without any consideration of whether those foods represent healthy food choices.

If you don’t know how to pack a healthy lunch for kids and supply them with junk food then they learn that it is acceptable to constantly eat unhealthy foods. Of course, in practice, this will lead to health issues. Children must be taught about healthy nutrition and how to make healthy food choices, either through the school or home environment.

It isn’t enough to rely on the school to educate your child about this. You need to be educated about healthy nutrition so you can incorporate the knowledge into family meals and pass those lessons on to your children. After all, children learn more from example than by being told. Discuss what they are eating in school. Explain that while all foods are okay to eat, that they need to balance their food intake in order to supply their body with all the nutrients it requires to function properly. Explain that too many sweet or fatty foods can lead to future weight issues. Help them to see that they can make choices about what they eat. Help them to understand that eating chocolate occasionally isn’t bad but that eating chocolate bars daily may be unwise.

If you want to pack a healthy lunch for kids you need to consider what is included in it! Schools in some countries are banning certain foods from school lunch boxes. No more crisps/chips, chocolate, cake or sweets. If your child’s lunch box contained these items would you know what to replace them with?

Of course, when it comes to how to pack a healthy lunch for kids the biggest problem isn’t what to replace unhealthy food with but getting children to eat what goes in. A sudden change in foods from unhealthy to healthy can be a huge shock. Suddenly they no longer receive the foods they like and must start eating foods that they may be unfamiliar with.

Did you ever watch Jamie Oliver’s ‘School Dinners’ program? When he got the canteen to stop serving junk foods like turkey twizzlers and replace them with healthy foods, an enterprising group of young students mutineed against the whole idea by boycotting the canteen and starting a petition to bring back the junk food. Good for them to demand their rights but sad that they are using it to achieve something that is actually bad for them.

So how can you help them get over this problem? Start by introducing foods into their other meals. Instead of soda try giving children pure fruit juice or water. There are lots of different flavored waters around with no added sugar, buy those and try them out. Many are only 1 or 2 calories for 1 liter bottles. Soda drinks contain so much sugar (at least 5 teaspoons of sugar) and up to 160 calories per can.

Replace white bread with whole-wheat or multi grain bread. If they are fussy about this then try one slice of white and one slice of whole-wheat. Put in a filling that they might enjoy, but be adventurous. Open a tin of tuna and chop a little onion into it. If they don’t like mayonnaise then substitute ketchup to it to bind it together. You could also chop a little tomato or cucumber into this mixture.

Give them chunky vegetables to eat. Tomato, cucumber, carrot sticks, celery etc. Give them a little low fat cream cheese as a dip. Increase their fruit consumption, add a piece of fresh fruit to their lunch box. Or add small packets of dried fruit.

Once you know how to pack a healthy lunch for kids it’s easier to work with school recommendations.

Child and adolescent health issues are of greater and greater concern in modern society. More children and adolescents are suffering from illnesses that previous generations only experienced in adulthood. Current dietary and exercise trends mean that many children and adolescents could develop heart disease during their teens.

Many child and adolescent health issues are directly related to their eating and exercise habits.

Some examples of these child and adolescent health issues include

• Heart attack
• Coronary disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Type II diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Malnutrition
• Stress/depression
• Digestive issues
• Some cancers (including rectal)

Did you know that despite more children being overweight or obese, these same children also suffer from malnutrition. Amazing isn’t it? Gone are the days when malnutrition was a tragedy only experienced in third world countries, many children in the West now suffer from malnutrition. The only difference is that visually, the picture is not of a child who is all skin and bones, rather, the children are those being ostracised for being overweight or obese.

Many child and adolescent health issues could easily be avoided if the eating and exercise habits of families were addressed. Of course, only parents can accomplish this under the guidance of family health care providers.

None of us wants to see their child face a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and weight gain. By addressing their nutritional and exercise requirements now you could be saving your children’s lives.

We need to stop reaching for foods that are appealing or convenient for us with our busy lifestyles. It really doesn’t take that much more effort to prepare healthy, low fat, nutritious meals. Too many of us try to cater to our children’s fussy eating habits by giving them only the foods they wanted. Forty years ago, parents never let us get away with that, we ate what was on the plate or went hungry. As a result we learned to eat, and enjoy, most foods.

Here are some tips on how to change some of the things that are currently leading to all those child and adolescent health issues.

Eat more:

1. Fruit: Remember the food pyramid, two serves of fruit per day
2. Vegetables: Frozen vegetables are great, generally more nutrients than fresh vegies because they are frozen within hours of harvest which retains nutrients
3. Lean read meat: Red meat should generally only be served once per week as it tends to be very high in saturated fats
4. Chicken: It is important to remove skin prior to cooking where possible as that is where most of the fat is
5. Fish: Fish is low in fat and high in omega 3 fatty acids which help control blood cholesterol levels
6. Whole grains: Eat wholegrain or multi grain bread, wholegrain pasta etc as they are fiber rich which makes them burn slower keeping your appetite satisfied for longer
7. Legumes and Nuts: These are really high in protein and can be used as a meat substitute.

Eat less:

1. Fried foods: Grill, boil, bake, steam or poach foods instead
2. Processed foods: Foods like frozen battered/crumbed fish fillets and frozen pizza are really high in fat, sugar and calories
3. Sausages: Commercially prepared sausages are high in fat, salt, sugar etc and are really unhealthy.
4. Cookies, cakes, potato crisps, snack bars, candy and sweets.
5. Salty foods: Salt is the major cause of fluid retention.

Exercise more:

1. Walk the children to school instead of driving if possible – Start a ‘walking schoolbus’
2. Schedule a family activity each week: A bicycle ride or picnic and ball game in the park, even a Wii session with a game that requires the family to get up and get active
3. Encourage your child/adolescent to take up a sport or dance classes.

NOTE: A walking schoolbus refers to a group of children walking along a designated route where other children join them along the way. The ‘bus’ is accompanied by at least one adult who picks the first child up. The role of guardian (or driver if you want to think of it that way) is generally rotated between the parents of participating children who are available to perform the duty.

As you can see, it’s relatively simple to make the changes necessary to avoid the child and adolescent health issues that result from unhealthy eating a exercise habits.

Dinner is the one meal that most parents have total control over. Preparing healthy dinners for children is a challenge that parents can overcome. In most cases, parents are responsible for purchasing food and cooking the meal. But sadly, it is a meal that now lacks the meaning it had in the past. The concept of a ‘family dinner’ in which all members of the family sit down together to eat their meal is a challenge which many families feel unable to achieve. Differing tastes, work schedules, social lives all succeed in disrupting this once important family time. Discussion of the days events with the whole family is sadly a thing of the past for many families.

Instead of a family dinner it is easier to prepare a quick meal which everyone eats at their own time and frequently on the run or while watching television.

When asked, many modern children had never eaten a dinner at the dining table. Some don’t even know how to use a knife or fork correctly and fewer still consume vegetables regularly. Some children were shown a potato and asked what it was. Relatively few knew what it was and when they were told that chips/fries were made from potatoes they answered, “No they don’t, they come from a plastic bag in the supermarket freezer!” This may seem funny, but it is a sad indication of modern society’s dependence on processed, ready made foods and the lack of fresh vegetables that many family consume.

Yes it is easier to ring for pizza and have it delivered to your door, or pull out a microwave meal that takes only minutes to prepare. But have you considered the consequences of these actions?

Life is full of choices and choices always have consequences. Maybe you were never taught to cook by your parents, or maybe you feel that you don’t have time. But if you rely on these processed and prepared meals then your children will learn to do the same. The problem is that these meals are high in fat, sugar, salt and calories and you know what that means don’t you? It means you are increasing the chances of yourself and your children becoming overweight

Perhaps you think it is cheaper to buy these ready meals or ring for pizza or go to the burger shop. Maybe it is cheaper, but constantly consuming these foods effects health and you could end up paying a much higher price than the actual cost of the food. It could even be argued that providing only fast foods is a form of child neglect since these foods are notoriously low in nutritional value and consuming them constantly can make them physically ill.

There are many obesity related diseases including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stress, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome. These potentially life threatening illnesses are being experienced more frequently in those decades younger than was occurring even 30 years ago.

Stop the cycle today and start cooking dinner for the family. It doesn’t have to be a three course gourmet affair. A skinless chicken fillet with a serve of wholemeal pasta. Teach your children to sit at the table and use a knife and fork. Introduce those vegetable into the meal. Have fresh fruit salad with low fat yogurt for dessert. If you don’t know how to cook them you can prepare vegetables from the freezer section of your local store. These are highly nutritionally intact since they are frozen within hours of picking. You also don’t have to clean and chop them and nothing has been added to them.

Start cooking lean meat, chicken and fish rather than processed foods. Experiment with different foods and create your own burgers out of quality minced meat if that is what your children like. It’s time to stop them dictating what they will eat. Don’t tell them you’re putting them on a diet, diet is a dirty four letter word! Just talk about making healthy food choices. Explain to them the benefits of making healthy food choices.

You might think this is expensive but think of the money you will save on medical bills when they are no longer running to the doctor with various complaints.

And as far as time goes, it really doesn’t take that much longer to prepare healthy dinners for children and the family. The main difference is that you need to supervise the cooking rather than just throwing it in the oven and coming back when the timer goes off.

Take back control of dinner and experiment with different foods, you will be surprised how many foods children will eat once they become accustomed to them. And the biggest reward for you effort will be when they are fit and healthy in twenty years time and thanking you for loving and caring enough to prepare healthy dinners for them as children.

The importance of children eating breakfast should not be overlooked. Many children attend school without having breakfast beforehand. Scientific research indicates that not having breakfast can lead to overeating throughout the day. Yes, that’s right, a couple of hundred calories first thing in the morning can stop you from binge eating 400-500 calories later in the day. This is one of the reasons that eating breakfast assists with weight loss.

Just consider, a child eats an evening meal then sleeps for 8-10 hours and now they are heading to school for the day. But if they don’t have breakfast they have no fuel for the day ahead. That is like trying to run your car without any fuel in the tank.

Is it reasonable to expect a child to perform well without providing the tools to accomplish it? If they become hungry during class they will lose focus and possibly even start snacking on the nearest food source. It could be cookies, crisps or chocolate which will provide a temporary burst of energy that will quickly be exhausted leaving them hungry again.

Another contributing aspect to the importance of children eating breakfast could be referred to as ‘brain food’. When a child is hungry a kind of lethargy hits them making it harder for them to concentrate. So providing them with a healthy, satisfying breakfast can also help their cognitive function and therefore their academic performance.

Do you know why breakfast is called breakfast?… Because it is time to break your fast. This means it is time to eat again after not eating for several hours.

Of course, getting a child to each breakfast can be a challenge. Every child is different and has their likes and dislikes. My daughter would be quite happy to go to school without eating anything but I don’t allow her to do that. To be honest, I’m happy to not eat breakfast but I have to force myself to eat in order to provide a good example to her, even if I only eat a piece of fruit. So what can you give your child for breakfast to provide energy and help them focus without adding excess calories from fat and sugar which can lead to weight gain.

Here are some healthy breakfast ideas for children.

1. Cereal is an easy choice. But there are healthy cereals and unhealthy cereals. Try choosing cereals with no added sugar or cereals containing dried fruits to add sweetness. Oatmeal with honey is an excellent choice since oats are slow burning and contain lots of fiber to help satisfy hunger for longer.
2. Milk is required for strong, healthy bones but talk to your physician and see what they recommend. They may suggest a reduced fat, calcium enriched milk for your child. But whatever milk they consume they need calcium to build strong bones and teeth.
3. Fruit is another component of a healthy breakfast. It could be a piece of fruit or a glass of unsweetened fruit juice. It is important that it be unsweetened 100% fruit juice as this not only provides important nutrients, it also avoids excessive sugars. If your child finds pure juice too strong tasting you can dilute with water.
4. You could also add dried or sliced fruit to the cereal to add sweetness and reduce the need for added sugar. Or you could add fresh fruit to natural unsweetened yogurt. When strawberries are in season try throwing 6 in a bowl and microwaving them for 1 (one) minute, this makes the juice come out, then just add half a cup of natural or vanilla yogurt. Yummy!
5. A boiled egg with a slice of whole wheat or multi grain toast is another good choice. Bread should always be brown/whole wheat/multi grain as these are higher in fiber giving them a lower glycemic index which means they take longer to digest and therefore satisfy hunger for longer.
6. Baked beans on toast is recognized as a balanced meal. Again, always select wholegrain or multi grain bread.
7. A fruit smoothie is a delicious breakfast option just add fresh fruit, juice, a dollop of low fat yogurt and 1 (one) raw egg to the blender and blend.

As you can see, there are plenty of healthy options available. You should always encourage your child to have a habit of eating a healthy breakfast.

Children learn from experience and you need to set a good example by eating breakfast yourself. Your children will see you eating and will mimic your behavior. If you routinely skip breakfast, don’t be surprised if your child starts doing the same. They don’t respect rules of ‘do what I say not what I do’. They respect rules that you abide by yourself. Setting an example makes them more willing to follow your rules.

This post does not constitute medical advice nor should it be substituted for professional medical advice. This post titled “The importance of children eating breakfast” is intended for informational purposes only.