If I told you that there was a way to eat that would help you to lose fat, increase your energy, and decrease your chance of illness, would you want your children to eat this way? I would hope so, but why then do we insist that children should be allowed to have a totally different diet than adults? Whenever children come up in the diet conversation, we seem to think that they need to be eating differently than we do. Generally the difference is that they get more junk food in their diet while we try to avoid it. But look at the issues children are starting to deal with more and more today: obesity, type II diabetes, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). These are NOT normal, and as much as people would like to think they are genetic, your genes can be expressed in a variety of ways depending on your environment. The most common environment for children today is full of one thing: sugar.
Sugar is of course found in cookies, cakes, and the like, but it is also found in most breakfast cereals (especially those marketed to children), lunchables, soda & sports drinks, and in many children’s snack items (anyone even have a Yoplait Yogurt? 26g of sugar!). Even the beloved peanut butter & jelly sandwich is stocked full of sugar. Sugar has become more and more a part of the Standard American Diet (SAD) and its prevalence is felt in children and adults alike. We are all putting on pounds and becoming less and less healthy. So I ask again, why are we feeding children with foods that we KNOW we would avoid?
If you are unsure of how diet can affect your child’s health, here are some good articles talking about the effectiveness of dietary interventions on ADHD.
I chose ADHD to highlight because it is more commonly thought to be genetic. As you will can in the articles above, there is a mix of opinions on how much diet intervention can help, but all agree that it is a great place to start. I am of the opinion that it will ALWAYS help, even if it does not resolve the issue entirely. I am not saying that ADHD is without other causes; there are many factors involved that may need medication and behavioral therapy to be resolved. However, I do think people are missing a big part of the puzzle if they ignore dietary factors. Just think about how you would function if you are a big bowl of sugar morning, noon, and night. Your energy levels would be all over the place! You would be bouncing off the walls for a few hours after, and then you would crash. Then you would be up again, and then down. Children are no different, they just have a teacher right in front of them all day reporting that they are disruptive and unable to focus.
In fact, they are in need of high quality foods even more than we are as their bodies are still growing, their brains are forming, and their muscles and bones are building strength. This is when nutrition is most important and yet children’s foods are of the lowest quality. And quality of food is really what it’s all about. If you can feed your children foods that are nutrient dense and easily digested, you will be providing them a head start in life unlike most experience. They will have the opportunity to actually function and grow NORMALLY.
Let’s talk about what types of foods children (and you) should be eating. Well I always like thinking about food in terms of meals, so we will start with breakfast. I am a big fan of the veggie omelet. If you are worried about cholesterol, please read the Fat is Fuel series, as it will debunk the misconception that cholesterol in food should be avoided. Eggs are full of fat and protein, two things your children need to grow properly. Their brain depends on fat to develop, and their bodies depend on protein. Veggies in the mix provide the micronutrients and phytonutrients that make everything run properly, and help with digestion. Second up: lunch. Notice that I do not have a snack here. If your children eat a solid breakfast they will not be nearly as hunger for snacks. If they are at a time where they are growing rapidly, they will certainly have an increased appetite, so just let me go back for seconds at their main meals. So back to lunch, which can be the most difficult meal for children to find healthy options. If they have cafeteria food, this will be hard, but if you can pack a lunch you have options. I will defer to a more experienced health advocate on this one. In the links below, you will find great options for feeding your children at school.
Once they get home, they should be good to go. If you only keep healthy foods in the house, neither you nor your children will be tempted to have poor food choices, even if a snack is required. Once you reach dinner though, make it a good one. Have a big salad with every dinner, cook up a nice hunk of meat (grass-fed or wild if possible), and throw together some steamed, sautéed, or grilled veggies, and you are good to go. This might be a good place to throw in some root veggies as well; who doesn’t like sweet potatoes!
While this may be a total 180 from where you or your children are now in your eating, it only takes a commitment to change and you can make it happen. Good luck and please let me know if you have any questions, this is important information and I want to make sure we are all moving toward healthier, happier lives.
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