First Dr. Davies stated the problem she sees most often in her practice is constipation. Kids get constipated because they don’t get enough fiber in their diets, aren’t drinking enough water and they are more sedentary. As parents we need to get our kids off the couch and outside playing games. We need to make sure they are drinking enough liquids. And we need to make sure they are eating the right foods.

Kids needs to be eating foods filled with the “building blocks” of nutrition. This includes protein (the basic building block), fats (for brain growth), and carbohydrates (for energy). You get protein from beans and meats. You get fats from fruits, beans, pasta and rice. And you get carbohydrates from things like oils and avocados.

So what can we do now that our kids are older and may not like vegetables or prefer McDonalds as their dinner of choice? Well it’s never too late to make changes.

1. First we need to lead by example.
2. Make it a family goal and change everybody’s eating habits.
3. Remove foods with a lot of preservatives.
4. And start to retrain the palate.
5. Also, make sure you are reading the labels. Avoid foods high in sugar and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is high in calories and has no nutritional benefit. However, companies use it a lot because it is cheap, has a sweet taste and is easy to add to food.

So how can you get your kid to eat healthy foods?

• Dr. Davies says it’s okay to sneak foods in to their diets. I was really glad to hear this because I love the book Sneaky Chef, but it gets some slack for encouraging parents to sneak food in to their kids’ foods rather than just teaching them healthy habits. The problem is sometimes kids (especially strong willed teens) need us to be sneaky.
• Make homemade pizza together and let your kids add the veggies to the top of the pizza. When they are involved in the preparation they will want to eat their concoction.
• Use avocado instead of butter. Puree the avocado and spread it on bread.
• Put blueberries on cereal or make blueberry pancakes. Blueberries are an antioxidant which heps boost the immune system.
• Puree vegetables and put them in sauces or ketchup.
• Make smoothies. Who doesn’t love a smoothie?
• Add whole fruit to juice.
• Make fruit pops.
• Make sure kids stay hydrated throughout the day. The foods we eat have water in them, but you can also send a bottle of water to school with your child. Make sure they have liquids before school and after school as well.

What about juice? Many middle school and high school kids think they have outgrown juice. Instead they want to move on to soda (most of which have lots of sugar and caffeine in them). But juice can be a healthy alternative (as well as water and milk). But make sure they aren’t drinking too much juice; around 12 ounces a day is good for an older kid. And make sure they are drinking the right kind of juice. Juice drinks are not juice and may contain as little as 10% of actual juice. When buying juice look for the following:

• 100% pure juice (like Juicy Juice)
• “Natural” may be misleading. “Natural” may also contain very little actual juice in the drink.
• No additives.
• No preservatives.
• No high fructose corn syrup.

Making good food choices starts at home so encourage your teen to eat better foods. These are lessons your kids will carrying on with them to adulthood.

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Post from: Blisstree

Making Healthy Food Choices