Nutrition for Kids

Nikiah is a registered Holistic Nutritionist and graduated from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in 2000. Since completing her studies she has focused her energy in the area of Nutrition for Children and Childbearing years for women.

The following article was published in BC Parent Magazine, Back to school issue 2003.

HOW TO FEED AN OCTOPUS

By: Nikiah Seeds, RHN, CH Herbalist, Doula, Reflexologist

When I was first putting together my talks on nutrition for kids I thought about my own children and how difficult it is at times to just get them to eat something, anything! The title how to feed an Octopus was born from the following analogy... Picture it: a small octopus in a high chair or booster seat trying to sit still and having food spooned into it's mouth, or better yet trying to feed itself with all of it's long tentacles! Kids can be the same, fidgety at best, and messy boy are they messy! On another note what if we tried to feed our little octopuses kid food? How well do you think it would go over? Probably no better than if we tried to feed our kids octopus food! Kid friendly foods are the key to coaxing our little eaters. Here are a few creative ways we can help our picky eaters on their way to the table.

THE ABC'S OF EATING

A is for Ambiance

When meal times are made into a special time of the day it is fun for kids. Having older children set the table or even help with the cooking is a great way to get them involved and excited about he meal ahead. A great trick is to push a small stool under dangling feet, having their feet touching something will help stop fidgeting. Making special place cards or table decorations at a craft time also make it fun and inviting. Setting the mood in whatever creative way you can think of will always make meal time for children more of an adventure than a torture session.

B Is for breakfast!

During the course of the day this meal is the most important for little minds learning and growing! It is proven that kids who eat breakfast have better grades and participate more in class than kids who do not eat breakfast. It's simple, the food we eat influences the neurotransmitters our brains need to make the proper connections. The ideal breakfast would contain a combination of complex carbohydrates and protein, some examples of this would be: Cereal with fruit and a cup of yogurt, or eggs, some whole wheat toast and juice. Smoothies are also a creative and fun way to get everything you need into busy kids. Breakfast is worth the effort for growing minds and kids.

C- is for color!

Kids love colorful items especially food! Getting the rainbow into the diet everyday is a fun way to coax picky eaters into eating. Try some of these colors: Red peppers,cherry tomatoes and apples . Orange apricots, carrots,and cantaloupe Green avocados, grapes,and broccoli. Yellow zucchini, star fruit, bell peppers, bananas. Blue try dipping your rainbow of veggies into blue cheese dip! This list could go on and on. Taking the kids to the produce market and letting them find rainbow colors makes them feel involved and hungry and is instant home schooling in a trip!!

Lunch Box Boredom?

For those parents who will be sending little ones to school in September there are a myriad of ways to make lunches with healthy nutritious things that kids will want to eat. Here are a few tips to packing a great lunch.

• Containers, Containers, Containers did I mention containers? Try taking your child to the dollar store and let them pick a bunch of different colored and sized containers. This allows optimal packing and a fun way to unwrap their lunch.

• Children tend to eat healthier if they had a say in preparing the meal. Consider making a weekly lunch menu, this will help with the "what do I pack today issue" If you have all the ingredients at hand it will help you avoid throwing in last minute unhealthy choices

• Pack a special "snack" item and label it as such. Kids tend to eat everything they like either before lunch or during lunch. Pack one goodie such as a slice of banana bread or a homemade muffin and mark it "Snack" this will fuel them at that 3:00 slump .

• A thermos is a great investment especially in the winter. Warm homemade soup or favorite leftovers will really get them fueled up for the long afternoon

• Try freezing their bottle of water or juice so it is cold and still a bit frozen at lunch.

• Packing some granola or cereal and a cup of yogurt to mix in is a great source of protein and grains. Two of the four food groups right there.

One last word on the subject of picky eaters, I love the saying "We decide what goes in their mouth and the kids decide how much" This holds true, so the best way for parents to win the picky eaters battle is to make sure the little bit that does go in is the best food possible. Tricks of the trade such as hiding healthy food in things like Tofu smoothies and Zucchini, carrot muffins are the best ways for kids to enjoy what they are eating without realizing it is an item that they claim to "hate". As parents we want to give our children the best possible access to everything this includes good nutrition. Offering healthy foods, will in turn give them full access to their learning capacity and that is worth it's weight in food!

Recommended Books on Nutrition:

• The Family Nutrition Book By: Dr William Sears and Martha Sears.

• Super Immunity for Kids By: Leo Galland, M.D.

• Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers and up. By: Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson

• Dr Hoffer's ABC of Natural Nutrition for Children. By: Abram Hoffer M.D.

• Brown Bag Success. Healthy lunches your kids wont trade. By: Sandra K Nissenberg MS. RD and Barbra N. Perl MS. RD.