Children and Nutrition Made Easy!

by Dr. Susan McCreadie

We are what we eat. We’ve all heard that before. I like to say we are what we consume. Whether that comes from the food and drink we digest, the air we breathe, or the products we put on our skin - it all makes up who we are. In today’s world, we are bombarded with toxins to process, from food, water, air, and all the products we use (soap, shampoo, cleaners, sunscreen, bug spray). The list is endless. My goal is to reduce my (and my family’s) toxic burden. How? By eating REAL organic and local food, drinking purified water, and reducing our exposure to toxins. That’s a tall order, but I believe necessary to maintain optimal health.

What do I mean by REAL food? To simplify, I like to break down food into three main types: REAL food, fake food, and in-between food.

REAL food is local, organic and as nature intended: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and sprouted whole grains. With animal products, REAL food includes meat and poultry from grass-fed animals, free range eggs from grass-fed chickens, raw dairy from grass-fed cows or goats, and wild fish.

The opposite of REAL is fake food. Fake food is far from its natural state. It may be processed, genetically modified, contain pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial colorings, dyes, or other chemicals. Some examples of fake foods include: processed grains (enriched flour), and products that contain high-fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated fats. With animal products, fake food includes factory farm-raised meat/poultry/fish, conventional dairy, and eggs.

In-between foods are clearly real food, but some processing has taken away or changed its nutrients. This would include conventional fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, non-sprouted whole grains and organic animal products from grain-fed animals (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy).

A great way to teach this concept to children is with an analogy to a traffic light. REAL foods are Green foods and mean “go” - eat a lot of these food to grow healthy, strong, and fast. Fake foods are Red foods and mean “stop” - stop eating these foods if you want to be happy and healthy. In-between foods are Yellow foods, we want to “slow down” on eating so many of these foods as they are not as optimal for our health as REAL foods. This system is very easy. Believe me, I’ve seen the children’s faces - they get it and fast! Lay out a few examples from your own kitchen on red, yellow, and green construction paper. Watch their faces shine when they see the apples they love on the green sheet, and their eyes pop when they see those goldfish or teddy grahams on the red sheet. It all becomes crystal clear! Remember: keep it simple.

The bottom line: we all eat a lot of in-between foods for convenience. The goal is to become more balanced. Take one step at a time to shift towards more REAL foods for every meal and snack.

Why? Why bother? It’s so much easier to eat the organic unsweetened applesauce already prepared in the jar! Did you ever stop to realize how that is processed? What happened to all the phyto (or plant) nutrients from the colorful peel? Yep, they peeled it away. What about the vital enzymes to help us digest that apple? You guessed it, they cooked the apples at high temperature (pasteurization) and in the process, most if not all of those enzymes are gone! Wow. What’s left? Fiber, sugar, and some of the original vitamins/minerals are all that’s left. That’s it! That is why it is important to include lots of raw foods (fruits, vegetable, nuts, and seeds) into your diet and your family’s diet. That way you are eating LIVE food, filled with phytonutrients, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and overflowing with goodness. Try to analyze everything you eat. Where did this food come from? How has this food been processed (if at all) before I received it? You’ll come to see that most Americans are eating a S.A.D. (Standard American Diet): highly processed and void of most nutrients.

Avoid falling into the “it’s too hard” trap. That’s a great mind trap. It’ll get you every time! “I can’t eat all REAL foods; it’s just too hard.” Stop. Start realizing it is possible. It may just take you some time. For example, my family eats mainly in-between and REAL foods. It’s rare that a fake food comes into the picture. I’ve incorporated all the REAL foods into our diet, except I still haven’t moved to all grass-fed meat/poultry/dairy and eggs. So there is my room for improvement. I know I will make that step, because I value its importance. I also celebrate all the positive changes we have made as a family. It’s a journey. It doesn’t happen all at once.

One way to make your life easier and be more successful at feeding your family REAL food for meals and snacks is to follow the One Easy System. This is a 3-step process: plan, shop, and prep. Sounds easy, it is!

Step One: plan your weekly menu. List out four or five dinners, and a few different options for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. From this menu, you create your weekly shopping list. Step Two: go shopping. Watch how easy and effortless shopping becomes once you shop from a list that actually makes meals and snacks. You avoid picking up non-essentials (often fake foods) and save time, energy, and money by only going to the store once (maybe twice) a week. Step Three: preparation. This is my hardest step, but it is vital to your success. Once you unpack the week’s worth of groceries, you start prepping what you can for the meals and snacks. For example, chop carrots, celery, and peppers so the family can snack on healthy vegetables, rather than grabbing for the chips. Next, chop onions, potatoes, or any other food that may be used in a meal later that week. You could even brown some ground beef for tacos. I used to try to do this all in one day, but became overwhelmed. So now I break it up over a couple of days, and multi-task. For example, while the ground beef is browning, I’m grinding oatmeal for homemade pancakes. After a while a routine develops and it is relatively easy. I highly recommend this One Easy System. It primes you for success!

There are a few food caveats with kids. I can hear you saying them now! How do I get my child to eat more vegetables? Of course, no one wants a “picky eater” and everyone wants his or her child to be the “adventurous eater”. Me too! My first suggestion is to start early, from the very first foods your child eats. But, don’t despair! Taste buds are trainable. Even if your child won’t eat a single green thing, here are a few suggestions.

1. Set Expectations - Kids model adults. Eat your vegetables and expect your child to do the same.
2. Be Consistent - Avoid giving in to tantrums or engaging in arguments. It’s simply a rule in the family that everyone takes 2 bites (that hit their stomach) of everything on their plate.
3. Educate through Conversation & Experience - Eat as a family and talk about the food you are eating, and why vegetables are just as great as other parts of the meal. Include your children in food preparation; they are more likely to eat what they prepared!
4. Encourage and Celebrate - Avoid labeling a child as a picky eater, instead encourage adventurous eating and celebrate the great foods that the child has eaten.
5. Prioritize Health for Your Family - How important is eating healthy to you and your family? Are you willing to set aside time to plan, shop and prep? Children who see their parents vested in bringing healthy food to the table learn through experience (choosing meals, going to the farmer’s market, helping prep for the week, etc.) that eating nutrient dense food is not only healthy buy fun!

Feeling overwhelmed? I hope not. Remember it’s a journey; I’m on this journey as well. I’ll leave you with 6 steps to creating healthier, happier children:

1. Feed your child REAL food - food as close to its natural state as possible.
2. Choose organic and local when possible, to reduce your child’s (and our planet’s) toxic load.
3. Eliminate processed foods that contain: partially hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors, artificial sweeteners and MSG.
4. Drink purified water and lots of it.
5. Limit juice, and eliminate pop, energy drinks, and other high sugar drinks with artificial ingredients.
6. Use only non-toxic personal care products (soap, shampoo, lotion, sunscreens, etc.) and cleaning products.

Remember to surround yourself with support; it’s important to keeping yourself on track. If you don’t know of anyone around you, find an online community. That’s one reason why I co-created www.NourishMD.com, to support those committed to the REAL food journey and healthy living. Remember, if you fall off-track, and most likely you will, step back up and start moving in the right direction again. It’s a journey. It’s not about the final destination, but all about your experience along the way.