Keeping-Children-Healthy

Proper Nutrition and Supplements are Necessary for Keeping-Children-Healthy

Unfortunately good nutrition isn't 'on the menu' for most kids. That old saying 'You are what you eat' is very true, and it is up to parents to insure that children get the nutrition they deserve - not always easy!

Just as it is important to see that our children get the exercise and activity that they need it is also vitally important that we encourage them to get the correct nutrition.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCMR) is a non-profit organisation in the US that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research. The PCMR has expressed their concerns about the nation's school lunch programmes.

"One way to reverse current trends of childhood obesity and diabetes, is to get more low-fat and vegetarian meals on the school menus," said PCMR staff dietitian Jen Keller, RD. "Kids need more fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. They need fewer greasy hamburgers, chicken nuggets and French fries. Learning how to eat right is a lesson that will benefit them for life."

And, as Dr Nugent, NMD, PhD explains. "A very sensible course is to make sure your children take the right dietary supplements daily. First, a good multiple vitamin/mineral product, since vitamins act as catalysts and/or synergists to manufacture vital enzymes and ensure that all phytonutrients and glyconutrients are utilised to their maximum potential. Do everything you can to provide the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and glyconutrients daily. Give your children these nutrients in the most natural forms possible."

Some Nutrition Tips for Keeping-Children-Healthy.

• Kids should eat a variety of foods including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• They need to balance their food intake with physical activity - set a good example for them by exercising regularly.
• Kids need to learn to recognise when they are full so they can avoid overeating.
• Avoid buying kids fast and/or junk foods.
• Keep easy-to-fix, healthy foods on hand.
• Provide them with good quality natural food supplements.
• Please, please limit soft drinks and be careful, too, with fruit juices (lots of them have too much sugar).

I know that most people will say that children don't need supplements - but how many children do you know who eat enough fruit and vegies? I think it is most important that children get all the nutrients they need as their bodies are developing.

There are many good children's supplements available - just make sure they are not synthetics and that they are all natural food sourced. If you'd like to know my recommendation for the ideal snack food for kids (and adults love them too) just click on the link and leave your details.

Have fun with your children, play with them and show them how much fun you can have while being active. Be creative and teach them some of the games we used to play. Skipping and jumping is always fun, kids love 'Simon Says' and how about 'French Cricket'.

Set a good example by practicing heart-healthy habits yourself.

How much time do you spend in front of the television or at the computer?

Plan family outings that involve sporting activities, hiking or cycling etc.

Find out which sports and activities they most enjoy and then find out about lessons and clubs in your area.

Kids should be active after school and before dinner, so postpone the homework till they've run off some steam.

Hey, if you're reading this, you're probably already doing all these things but I know how easy it is to let things slip, how easy it is to just let the kids watch the telly ... we'll get outside and play tomorrow!! ... so I don't think it hurts to give you a little reminder and get you to think about what the kids are doing and what they are eating each day.

The following article sums it up pretty well.

Closely related to the issues of overweight and obesity among our children is their growing tendency to lead sedentary lives. For the first time, we are raising a generation of kids who spend most of their fun time sitting down. Never before has an entire generation of young people cared more about the speed of computers than they do about shoes that can help them run faster. Most of them are more familiar with joysticks than baseball bats and feel greater confidence setting up a personal website than setting up a tent.

The vast technological wizardry of the Information Age has given youngsters many gifts that bode well for their future lives and careers - fast motor skills and eye-hand coordination, a quick learning curve for using the latest capabilities of computers, and ease at accessing a whole world of information, to name but a few.

However, the physical price children are paying for these gifts has, in many cases, been high. It is estimated approximately 20-25% of Australian children are not sufficiently physically active for health benefits. Moreover, physical activity declines dramatically throughout adolescence. The results of this 21st-century mostly sedentary, inactive lifestyle: increased risks of juvenile heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, some forms of cancer, weak muscles and bones, and depression.

Regrettably, sedentary children are by far the group most prone to become sedentary adults. And that means the juvenile disease risk factors described earlier could graduate into the even more serious, often life-threatening, adult disease category.

The Facts of Sedentary Life

The costs of physical inactivity by both adults and children to our nation are mind-boggling. A few facts and dollar figures offer some idea of the magnitude of the problem:

According to the Queensland Government, "A lack of physical activity is responsible for about seven percent of the burden of disease in Australia, making it second highest to tobacco smoking for males and the highest factor for females as a factor contributing to disease generally.

Physical inactivity costs $377 million in direct health care costs alone. $3.6 million per year could be saved for every one percent increase in the proportion of Australians who are sufficiently active."

A Call to Action

The broad spectrum of solutions for children's inactivity should be obvious.

Keep time in front of the computer or video game platform to a limited number of hours per day or week. Talk with your children about the need for physical activity, listen to their ideas, then set aside ample time to expose them to a variety of participatory sports and other activities, so that they will find several activities they enjoy and want to pursue. Plan frequent outdoor activities in which the whole family can participate, such as football, volleyball, tennis, biking, skiing, boating, camping - even walking together for a little while every evening through the neighbourhood.

Put the "active" back into "activity". It doesn't have to be expensive, and the goal is not to turn every child into an athlete. The purpose is to use our bodies in ways they were designed to be used, so that they will say fit and healthy.

Article as featured in "Health & Living" US Magazine Vol3. No8

• O'Connor, H. and Eden, B. (2000). "Recommendations for nutrition and physical activity for Australian children". Medical Journal of Australia, 173: supplement.
• http:///www.srq.qld.gov.au/why_get_active.cfm 14 October 2003

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