As I talk to other parents and observe the media, I often wonder to myself
When did it become normal for kids to be so SICK????
I’m constantly amazed (and horrified), when parents bring me a child who’s had 10 courses of antibiotics by the age of 3; who is on daily medications; who is struggling in school because of hearing problems, inattentiveness or frequent absence due to illness – and this seems to be accepted by their GP or paediatrician as a normal part of childhood!
I couldn’t disagree more. Barring any major genetic or congenital problems, childhood can and should be a state of robust good health and vitality, punctuated by the occasional acute illness from which the child recovers rapidly.
Can you really have kids who are free of allergies, asthma, eczema, middle ear infections and behavioural problems, when these conditions are now so common?
YES!!!!! My own two children (that’s them, on the right) haven’t had a day off from school due to sickness, in several years.
But if you feed your kids the Standard Australian Diet (SAD) – the kind of eating pattern summed up in the Food Pyramid you see on cereal boxes and in school classrooms – you can GUARANTEE that your children will be sick, both now and in the future.
Kids who eat the SAD – a dietary pattern loaded with refined grains and cereals, dairy products and meat,with regular intake of sweets and oils and only token amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables – are not just more prone to colds, asthma, eczema and middle ear infections…
What we feed our kids in their growing years has a greater impact on their risk of adult cancers and heart disease, than what they will eat for the rest of their lives!
The evidence from research on eating patterns and health is overwhelming and conclusive:
- Children who eat the most unrefined plant foods, have the lowest risk of cancer and heart disease when they grow up (1).
- Children who eat the most animal products have the highest risk of developing cancer when they grow up (2, 3).
- Children who eat sweets and chocolate every day are more likely to have a criminal conviction for violence by the age of 34 (4).
“But my child won’t eat vegetables!”
You’re not alone if you have this problem! But believe me, there are strategies that really WORK to get kids eating healthy foods, without meal-time battles, tears or bribery. As a mother of 2 children who LOVE fruits and vegetables, I’d like to share my top 7 tips for encouraging healthy eating habits in children:
- Breastfeed for as long as you can.
Studies have shown that odour and flavour molecules from foods that a breastfeeding mother eats, make their way into her milk! While formula is utterly monotonous, breast milk provides a wide variety of flavour experiences to growing babies, helping accustom them to the different tastes and smells they’ll encounter once they begin to eat solid foods. - Get them involved in food preparation.
It’s never too early to get kids into the kitchen! Position your baby’s high chair so he or she can watch you as you prepare meals. Give toddlers easy tasks such as washing lettuce and drying it in a salad spinner – they love it! Early primary school-aged kids can stir and measure ingredients, while older ones can be taught how to use kitchen knives and appliances such as food processors safely. By high school, your child should be able to cook a simple meal for the family… but this will only happen if you consistently involve kids in preparing meals. - Encourage kids to try new foods, but don’t make them ‘clean their plate’.
Take your kids to the greengrocer, and ask them to choose one new fruit or vegetable to try each week. Even better, take them to a farmer’s market so they can meet the people who produce their food, and learn about how it grows. When you get your bounty home, the kids can help you find a recipe for it online, and then help you prepare it. Let kids know that we don’t always like a new food the first time we taste it. Give them points for trying it, but don’t insist that they eat it all. - Grow your own.
Kids love to follow the journey of a plant from seed to seedling to immature plant to fully-laden food-producing dynamo! Fast-growing plants such as lettuce, spinach, kale (baby leaves can be picked as early as 25 days after planting) and peas are favourites. Even if you live in a unit, you can grow vegetables and herbs in pots on the balcony. Sprouts (such as alfalfa, lentil and mung beans) can be grown indoors in a large glass jar, nut milk bag or sprouting kit. - Teach kids the benefits of healthy foods.
The Mitch Spinach series of books introduces kids to the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, in the course of fun stories about the adventures of a very cool boy called… you guessed it, Mitch Spinach.
Vegetable Soup/The Fruit Bowl teaches kids about the nutritional value of fresh produce, and links it to qualities and skills they value such as being able to run faster or concentrate better in school.These books can be used to start conversations about how we feel when we eat healthy vs unhealthy food, and how food affects our ability to think, play sport and regulate our emotions. - Never use junk food as a reward.
If you insist that your kids eat their vegies before they can have an ice cream, you’re teaching them that healthy food is a punishment to be endured, while unhealthy food is a treat! That’s the wrong message to send. Make the healthy food appetising and fun to eat.
For example, you can make faces out of salad ingredients; allow your kids to create their own pizzas or kebabs out of a variety of vegetables and fruits; help kids make ‘ice cream’ by blending frozen bananas with fresh or frozen berries or mango; and set them loose making dried fruit and nut balls, rolled in desiccated coconut. - Walk the talk.
It’s no use telling your kids that they have to eat their vegies if they see Mum or Dad sneaking off to eat chips and chocolate! Parents need to model healthy eating behaviours to their kids, including being willing to try new foods; only eating when hungry rather than indulging in ‘recreational eating’; and positioning fruits and/or vegetables as the centre-piece of every meal. Express enthusiasm for the colour, smell, taste and texture of healthy foods, pointing out how individual and unique they are compared to the monotonous characteristics of processed foods, which rely on copious amounts of added sugar, salt, fat and artificial colours and flavours to distinguish themselves from all the other packaged products.
What are the most effective strategies for getting kids to eat healthy foods that you’ve discovered? Share them below in the Comments section!
Are you worried about your child’s eating habits, and how they’re impacting on his or her health? Chances are, your whole family needs to make changes to help your child get back on track.
For expert guidance in sorting through the maze of seemingly contradictory diet information to develop an eating plan that meets the needs of each member of your family, become an EmpowerEd member today! Your first month of membership is 100% free.
I recommend Dr Joel Fuhrman’s book Disease-Proof Your Child to all parents. In this highly readable book, Dr Fuhrman presents the fascinating science that demonstrates how the current epidemic of adult cancers and other diseases is most closely linked to what we eat in the first quarter of life.
He explains how a nutrient–rich diet increases a child’s resistance to common childhood illnesses like asthma, ear infections, and allergies. Additionally, Dr Fuhrman illustrates how eating his nutrient–rich diet during childhood is the most powerful weapon against developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disorders in the future.
Disease–Proof Your Child provides nutrient–rich dietary recommendations for children, and offers guidelines and recipes that tempt even the pickiest eaters to enjoy healthy food.
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