Natural Nutrition For Kids
Children have unique nutritional needs, they're not just mini adults. Good nutrition for kids is all about providing the essential nutrients their growing body, immune system, brain and nervous system need as well as avoiding the things that can compromise their growth and development. Did you know that your child’s brain and nervous system is not fully developed until around twelve years of age? Deficiencies of nutrients notably zinc and essential fatty acids during childhood may result in a child never achieving their full developmental potential. National dietary surveys have indicated that many children aren’t getting enough zinc from their diet and this is just the tip of the nutritional iceberg. Modern processed foods provide empty calories with no essential nutrients. Manufacturers claim to add a bit of extra niacin or riboflavin here or there, but the majority of foods including breakfast cereals are extremely poor sources of nutrition for kids. Your child’s diet and nutrition affects not only their immediate health and behaviour but also influences their health as adults, putting a whole new spin on the importance of getting them to eat their vegetables. Good nutrition for kids is far more important than maths or English tutoring to give them the best possible start in life. Nutritional deficiencies in children can result from poor diet, fussy eating, rapid growth, recurrent infections and even certain medications.
The Importance of Good Nutrition
The Importance of Good NutritionNutrition has a direct impact on your child’s behaviour, wellbeing and weight management, both now and throughout the rest of their lives. Whether this impact is for the better, or worse, is up to you and the food choices you make for your child.Providing the right nutrition for your child is not an impossible or difficult task by any means. It is decreasing and avoiding the unhealthful foods that contain little or no nutrients that can be a bit trickier. It takes a little extra effort, attention and time to make sure your child is eating well-prepared, nourishing and nutrient-dense meals, and is well worth it when you consider that lifelong good health and wellbeing will be the result, not to mention healthier, happier kids. When selecting foods for your child, organic and locally grown produce are the best choice. When buying eggs and chicken, selecting free-range, biodynamic varieties will offer enormous health benefits to your child and greatly minimise their exposure to antibiotics and other nasties. Try to shop more at the fruit and veg market, and rely only on supermarkets for household goods and necessary staples. The more you cook with natural, simple, unrefined foods, the better off your family will be. Anything that is packaged has been processed or altered in some way, so think carefully about where in your kitchen you can cut down on packets, cans and processed foods and replace them with fresh, unprocessed and organic produce. Your children’s’ nutritional education should be given a high importance as a foundation for a healthy life, so remember to involve your children in food shopping and meal preparation. Educating them on good food choices and setting a healthy example yourself are very powerful tools for instilling healthy eating habits in your children. Good nutrition for kids equals healhier happier kids. Nutrition For Kids: Easy as 1-2-3Food is composed of carbohydrate, protein or fat, or a combination of these. When preparing meals for your children, you should include a good amount of quality protein, some Low Glycaemic index carbohydrates and a small amount of beneficial fats.
Protein is made up of amino acids, which are like the lego building blocks of the body. As protein is the basic building material of the body, adequate growth depends on it and so kids need lots of it. There is currently no recommended daily intake for protein, but a good guideline is at least 2g protein/kg of body weight. So a 15kg child would need at least 30g protein each day, and probably a little more. A good guideline is a palm-sized serve of animal protein at each meal to provide sufficient protein nutrition for kids. NB. Protein is ESSENTIAL at breakfast time Good protein sources
Not so healthy protein sources (minimise)
2-LOW GI CARBOHYDRATES
Gaining weight during childhood has much greater consequences than weight gained at any other stage in life. This is because weight gained prior to puberty resulted in increased fat cells. These fat cells, even though they can shrink, can never be lost, and so childhood weight problems virtually guarantee a lifelong struggle with weight and insulin resistance. Proper nutrition for kids during their childhood can reduce their risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes as adults. Low Glycaemic Index* (Low GI) (or slow-burning) carbohydrates are the solution to unhealthy weight gain, food portion problems and junk food snacking. They provide slow-release energy and, like protein, help to stabilise blood sugar levels. Stable blood sugar means better concentration, more effective learning, healthier choices at snack time (they won’t reach for sugary foods) and more stable moods. High-GI (or fast-burning) carbohydrates* on the other hand create a spike in blood sugar levels when they are consumed and can cause a ‘sugar-high’, extreme mood fluctuations, fatigue, decreased immunity and promote an unhealthy appetite as the eventual drop in blood sugar will create cravings for refined, high sugar foods. Symptoms of too many fast-burning carbohydrates include:
Low GI carbs are the best fuel source and provide the most nutrition for kids. Growing children need slow burning fuel not sugar highs and lows from high GI carbs. Aim: Provide more Low GI foods, moderate amounts of Medium GI foods and Limit intake of High GI foods. Remember, serving protein and fat with every meal will help to lower the GI content.
Low GI carbohydrates = sustained release of energy, even & stable moods and a feeling of fullness until the next meal.
Kids need fat. Cells, hormones and neurotransmitters are built from fat and protein. Fat makes up 60% of a childs brain and nervous system. It's the wrong type of carbohydrates that are making our children fat and prone to heart disease. Low fat foods and diet will not provide the correct nutrition for kids to grow healthy and strong. Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) are the beneficial or ‘healthy’ fats that are required by children in good amounts for learning, co-ordination, fine motor skills, emotional health, mental development, immune strength, skin health and mood regulation. Omega 6 fatty acids are too high in our modern diet. They cause more harm than good when they outweigh the more beneficial fats in the diet, resulting in inflammation and behavioural problems. Unhealthy Fats (Trans fats & polyunsaturated fats) We've all been urged to include more polyunsaturated vegetable oils which has caused untold health problems. Contrary to popular belief vegetable oils provide no health benefits or nutrition to kids or adults. These oils are extremely fragile and easily damaged by heat, light and oxygen and can act dangerously in the body. The vegetable oils on your supermarket shelf have been exposed to oxygen and subjected to high temperatures during processing and refining and then shipped to your supermarket in unrefrigerated trucks, making the final product a veritible free radical farm. Trans fats are extremely damaging to health and are found in crisps, margerine, doughnuts and commercial cakes and biscuits. They're often used to provide good 'mouth feel' but contribute no nutrition for kids or adults. High intakes of polyunsatured oils may lead to immune, allergic, behavioural and nervous system problems, hormonal problems and unhealthy weight gain. Provide more Decrease
Cooking Oils = For frying, use Ghee or Coconut Oil, for wok frying use Extra Virgin Olive Oil with either water or stock to prevent burning
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1-PROTEIN
3-FATS