Conscious Choice: Nourishing Our Children

August 2000

Nourishing Our Children

by Elson M. Haas, M.D.

I know that it’s difficult to change your habits for the benefit of others. However, if anyone can make positive changes, it is parents for the sake of their children. Here are my top ten guidelines for parents who want to teach their children good nutritional habits.

1. The most effective way to get kids to eat healthfully is to set a good example! Young people are most influenced by what they see and experience, not by what they’re told. Therefore, what you do — how you live — has the greatest effect on shaping your kids’ behavior and their diets. Remember that the habits your children form while they’re young will probably be with them for life.

2. Feed your children a balanced diet. Natural tastes for food develop early. If kids eat real food and develop a taste for fruits, vegetables, and other delicious flavors from nature, they won’t depend on the stronger and enhanced flavor of processed foods. Prepare tasty foods and make sure your kids eat their nutritional foods first before allowing treats or desserts. A balanced diet for you and your children includes 70 to 80 percent wholesome, natural foods. Limit treats and watch out for excess sugar and caffeine in sodas and chocolates, and heavily processed foods laced with chemicals like colored dyes and preservatives.

3. Don’t bribe your kids with sugar and other treats; rather encourage them with healthy foods and snacks. It is so easy to forget to take the time to deal with the true needs of children — love and attention. When you’re busy, it’s a temptation to give them sodas, sweets or whatever, even TV, instead of you. This can create the habit of satisfying emotional needs with food or material things, so don’t get into the habit of substituting food and sugary rewards for other needs.

4. Have healthy snacks around the house for your kids — organic sliced apples, oranges, grapes, or bananas; raisins or dates; almonds or other nuts; yogurt; pieces of cheese with healthy crackers; good chips and guacamole or salsa; and more. It’s a good practice to offer your children healthy snacks at least a couple of times a day, such as mid-morning or in their school lunch, and then after school, around 3:00 to 4:00 pm (a time some parents call the witching hour — recognizing that their kids are becoming cranky and irritable, but not realizing that they may simply be fatigued or have low blood sugar).

5. Get your children involved in shopping for and preparing the foods that they like. When you go grocery shopping with them, allow them to choose a few appropriate treats. You could give them a budget, like ten dollars, to spend on good choices when they help you shop for family groceries. Most children will appreciate learning to prepare food that they like. Younger ones will be enthused about playing "kitchen" and "restaurant" with the bigger kids or their parents. And be creative; together you may find some new taste treats.

6. Help your children learn about the Earth and gain the personal, first-hand experience of growing their own food. Plant a garden with your kids if you have the space; if not, join with neighbors in a community garden. If you have only a patio or small deck, you can use planter’s boxes or hydroponic equipment to cultivate organic, quick-growing produce, such as tomatoes, strawberries, herbs, and lettuce for example. It’s magical for kids to watch things grow and eat foods fresh off the vine. Or get your kids to help you make tasty, nourishing, and vital sprouts from seeds or beans, such alfalfa, sunflower, lentils, or mung beans.

7. Organize your refrigerator and pantries in a way that allows the young ones to get the stuff that they want or that you want them to have. This makes it less easy for them to get the treats that you want to control. Even if they eat too much junk when they’re at their friends or going out, encourage them to eat well whenever they can, and keep setting a good example. It will be worth it for you, too, in the long run!

8. Help your children avoid or limit their intake of foods with unhealthy additives. The basic additives to watch out for with regard to children are: artificial food colors, excess refined sugar, MSG (monosodium glutamate), aspartame (an artificial sweetener), sodium nitrite in treated meats, excess sulfites in dried fruits and other preserved foods, hydrogenated fats and the fat replacer Olestra. I also limit my children’s intake of foods containing artificial flavorings, the preservatives BHT and BHA, and excess salt.

9. Look out for food allergies and reactions that are common in children. They may manifest in ways that are not typically thought to be food related, even by some doctors. You will notice that when children limit foods causing their reactions, they will usually become clearer, more alert, and healthier. The delayed type of food allergy can cause more "hidden" reactions that may not appear until later that day or the next. For example, chronic ear fluid congestion (otitis media) is quite common in young children. When some children who have had chronic ear infections are taken off cow’s milk products, those with a dairy allergy or sensitivity will stop getting ear problems.

There are a number of other problems that relate to allergies. These include skin problems, mood swings, and certain digestive complaints. Some of the most common foods that cause allergic or allergy-like reactions in kids, besides milk, include eggs, peanuts, citrus fruits, and tomatoes. Since any specific food can cause an allergic reaction in any individual at any age, it’s wise for parents and their doctor to pay attention to this possibility.

10. Consider giving your children protective nutrient supplements. Children don’t need a lot of additional vitamins and minerals, especially if they eat a healthy, balanced diet. However, the requirement for many nutrients is high in the growing years, and providing nutritional insurance by giving your children a few additional supplements over and above the diet is a good idea. I suggest an age-appropriate multi-vitamin and mineral combination, preferably one from natural sources and without preservatives, sugar, or artificial food coloring. There are a variety of healthy brands at natural foods stores and through catalogues, and even pharmacies have good choices. Additional vitamin C, in amounts of 100-250 mg twice a day, can be helpful in maintaining health. Even more can be given if the child has allergies or becomes ill with a viral problem like a cold or flu. When kids are under stress, exercising more, or traveling on airplanes, or when they are exposed to chemicals, an anti-oxidant may be protective; look for one that contains vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, a little selenium and zinc. Children really enjoy the Emergen-C powdered products from Alacer Corporation; about a half packet (500 mg) is appropriate for most children over age four. These are another good way to supply additional vitamin C and trace minerals.

What to Pack In a Healthy School Lunch
I suggest sending a wholesome and balanced bag-lunch to school with a good sandwich, some raw vegetables and fruit, healthier chips or cookies, and some milk, filtered water, or juice. Use a good lunchbox or one of the new thermal bags that keeps food hot or cold.
• Sandwiches — on good-quality, nutritious whole grain bread: tuna salad; turkey (oven-roasted or other nitrite-free packaged or deli turkey); almond or other nut butter with a natural fruit jam (conserve) or sliced banana and honey.
• Apple or slices in small sealed container
• Other sliced fruit or a whole orange or banana
• Raisins (organic and sulfite-free if possible)
• Almonds or other nuts or seeds in a small baggie or container
• Sliced carrots or celery
• Leftovers from last night’s dinner — baked chicken, burritos or enchiladas, pasta, and a lot more
• Juice and water mixture, or just water, in a small thermos or send it cold to keep lunch cool

Healthy Snacks
Whole Wheat Toast
Organic Fresh Fruits: Apples, Pears, Peaches,Grapes, Bananas, etc.
Organic Tortillas, Corn or Wheat
Refried Beans
Brown Rice
Raisins and other Dried Fruits
Rice Cakes
Fruit Smoothies
Cookies, whole grain, fruit juice sweetened
Almonds, Sunflower Seeds
Oatmeal, with milk or yogurt
Little green salads, Carrots
Hearts of romaine with dressing
Baked Potato
Celery, especially the tender inner stalks
Chicken or Tuna
Black Olives
Organic Peanut or Almond Butter
Yogurt
as well as a little extra vitamin C, calcium, or any other appropriate children’s supplement.

Foods & Additives to Avoid to Keep Kids Healthy
*Additives to be Cautious About*
Additives	Source
Sugar	Many foods; check the label for "sugars"
Aspartame & Saccharin	Diet sodas, baked goods
Artificial Colorings	Drinks, candies, cakes, confections
Sulfites	Dried fruits
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)	Chinese food, canned soups (check the label)
Caffeine	Some sodas, chocolate
Nitrites and Nitrates	Hot dogs, lunch meats
BHA, BHT	Some perishable foods, crackers and cereals
*Food Treats and Related Health Concerns*
Foods	Concerns
Non-organic Strawberries	Highest in pesticides of any fruit
Sodas & Colored Drinks	Aspartame, sugar, artificial food coloring
Fried Foods	Deep fried fats linked to heart conditions
Fast Foods	High levels of fats and sugars
Candy	Sugars, fats, and artificial colors

Elson Haas, M.D., is the medical director of the Preventative Medical Center in Marin, California, and author of several books including Staying Healthy With the Seasons and Staying Healthy With Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine. The latter has a number of relevant sections on nutrition for children. More books, articles, and information may be found at his Web site.

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