As parents, we are often worried about whether our child is eating enough or perhaps eating too much? What exactly is the optimal healthy eating plan for children? I want to say that children, believe it or not has their own “thermostat” for regulating food intake. There is really no need to force or watch childrens’ food intake per se. However, parents are responsible for the type of foods provided. It is especially important to encourage a healthy palate of wholesome foods from infancy. There may not be scientific evidence but most babies has the same taste buds as their moms. I believe what a breastfeeding mom eats, and eventually what is introduced to a childs’ first years highly shapes their future foods preferences. Just to give an example, if you are from a particular ethnic culture and grew up eating your cultural foods, even if you don’t mind eating other foods once in a while, majority of your diet would highly likely still be your cultural foods. In short, it is much easier to start developing healthy taste buds early on.

Optimal nutrition is also of great importance during the first years to ensure proper physical development, mental learning capabilities and to fight off illnesses. The reason for going organic is obvious. A small, and undeveloped body is not as capable as an adult body to process all the toxic chemicals found in preservatives and additives. The truth is, we are role models for our children. We cannot expect our child to eat healthy when we survive on fast foods, snack on sugary cookies and drink soda all day. Also, candies are not absolutely essential during childhood. The following are some simple, healthy eating guidelines: Read the rest of this entry »

Teen nutrition can be very difficult to manage as a parent. Let’s face it, teens in general can be difficult to manage at times.

There are plenty of obstacles that stand in the way of making sure that your teenage is eating healthy:

Teens spend more time out of the house and on their own than younger children. They are making choices for themselves, often based on convenience and the “hip factor”.

You also can’t keep teens away from food in the house. With younger kids, it’s easier to hide food, or keep the cookie jar out of reach. It gets tough when our kids are taller than we are!

Teens just have a tendency to migrate toward junk. Junk food tastes good, and they really aren’t able to understand or relate to the long-term consequences of eating poorly.

There are several ways that you can make a difference in your teen’s nutrition and overall health: Read the rest of this entry »

Part 1: Start in the Veggie Isle

Teaching your child how to eat right for their particular body is one of the most important things you will ever teach them. Why is this so, you might ask!

If you are honest with yourself you will realize that when you don’t eat right, you don’t feel well, and if you don’t feel well, you are not motivated to accomplish your goals. So, we will assume you want your child to accomplish their goals (even if their goal right now is just to play hard), and given this assumption, what is the best way to teach them about nutrition?

First and foremost, modeling appropriate eating behavior is paramount to teaching your child about the importance of nutrition. This means concentrating on plenty of good veggies.

Making veggies the stars of the show will let your child know they are special. Why are veggies so special? Because they are so colorful. Being so colorful is nature’s way of telling us they’re packed with important nutrients. Read the rest of this entry »