Why Healthy Eating is Important
By Sujata Kale-Banerjea CNP, CANNP
Childhood obesity is an epidemic that is affecting children of all ages. Poor nutrition does more than cause excess body weight. Imbalances at a later age can lead to hormonal imbalances, urinary tract infections, skin disorders like eczema, psoriasis. Chronic constipation, other GI conditions, etc. Nutrition is also important for mental wellness, alertness, focus and much more
Take care of your little ones inside and out! Well-nourished kids who eat healthily at a young age are more likely to turn into healthy and active adults.
Healthy Eating Research Findings
Research confirms that young kids in fact ARE drinking fewer sugary drinks and are eating more fruits. However, the majority of kids are not meeting the nutritional requirements. Adolescents aged 12-19 make the worst food choices compared to kids aged 6-11 and 40% of the children 5 and under (Birch et al., 2007).
There is strong evidence showing that diets that are introduced earlier in childhood and adolescence will persist for life. But this requires developing healthy habits early on. The first solid foods given to the child will determine their food preferences later in life.
Steps to Take When Educating Children About Healthy Eating
The first step to healthy eating begins at home with early education. Keeping children healthy is a family affair. Kids have curious minds, and they learn when they are engaged, rather than being told what to do. They like to know the ‘why’ behind things and listen to stories. Hence, nourishing the curious minds through engaging them in stories about nutrition makes the information more interesting and relatable.
Check out this link that shows examples of books for kids about healthy eating:
· Why should I eat well by Claire Llewellyn
· Little Critter: Good for Me and You by Mercer Mayer
· The Boy Who Loved Broccoli by Sarah A. Creighton
· I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
· A Tale of Two Brothers: A Rhyming Story About Making Healthy Food Choices by Brittany Andrejcin
With that said, let’s switching gears -and talk about healthy recipes that will keep them coming back!
Looking For A Summer Treat: How About Mango-Coconut Popsicles?
See a healthy treat recipe below! I will be posting recipes with every blog that I do, so if you have a recipe that your child loves and you want to make it healthier, send me a message and I’ll pick one of the recipes to modify in the next blog! Also please send pictures of your child for my next blog. This blog is featuring Zara today!
Serves: 4
Ingredients: 2 cups of frozen mango, 1 cup canned coconut milk (divided), 1 tsp honey, ½ tsp pure vanilla essence.
Directions:
1. Blend mango and 3/4 of the coconut milk, honey and vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth.
2. Roughly scoop mango puree into 3oz. paper cups.
3. Spoon remaining coconut milk into each cup to fill in the gaps around the mango. This will create a swirl effect when frozen.
4. Insert popsicle sticks in the middle. Place in freezer for 4 hours or until completely frozen.
Notes:
No coconut milk? Use whipping cream, cashew cream
Try different fruits such as frozen mixed berries, frozen pineapple.
Wrapping Up
Nutrition does not have to be complicated – it can be simple and fun for the entire family to get involved. Think about your current eating habits and what small changes you could make to ensure you’re getting the right nutrients. Make those changes and see if you feel a difference in your mental and physical health. If you would like me to assess your family’s current eating habits, reach out to me and we can conduct a diet assessment! The next blog post will feature some tips and steps on how to set a routine when incorporating nutrition into your family. Stay tuned and see you then!
About Sujata
Sujata is a Holistic & Culinary Nutritionist as well as a Metabolic Balance coach. Sujata helps her clients to overcome personal challenges and to help clients live their healthiest life.
Sujata will be writing a series of blogs on how to introduce healthy eating and make it a familial lifestyle that you and your kids will carry throughout life.
Website: https://www.sujatanutrition.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suja.banerjea/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sujatanutrition
References
Birch, L., Savage, J. S., & Ventura, A. (2007). Influences on the Development of Children's Eating Behaviours: From Infancy to Adolescence. Canadian journal of dietetic practice and research : a publication of Dietitians of Canada = Revue canadienne de la pratique et de la recherche en dietetique : une publication des Dietetistes du Canada, 68(1), s1–s56.