After treating children for over 20 years and having 3 of my own, I understand kids’ health and the demands on our children’s bodies. After-school sports, dance classes, music classes etc., on top of homework, make for a pretty heavy school week for most children.
Kids’ Health, Bacteria and Immune System
Add to this the increased travel, eating out and social gatherings, and all the lovely bacteria spread quickly.
As a result, your child can suffer from lowered immune levels, fatigue and mood imbalances.
Kids also learn by watching ‘monkey-see-monkey-do’, so the healthier habits you have, the more likely your children will follow in your footsteps.
Low Nutrition, Vitamins & Minerals
Over the years, I have seen that most children have low vitamins & minerals because food doesn’t contain the nutrition it once did. Most foods are imported and picked green and ripened in fake environments, so the level of nutrition is very low.
Add to this all the pesticides sprayed over everything we eat and the added hormones, chemicals and E-numbers… no wonder our children and many adults lack essential vitamins and minerals.
Not Enough Fruit & Vegetables?
In fact, according to The UK National Diet & Nutrition Survey done in 2016, ‘the majority of UK kids don’t get enough fruit and vegetables, oily fish and fibre (kids over 11 years in the UK are eating only half of the recommended daily intake (400g) of fruit and vegetables.
Children’s Health Statistics
What surprised me, however, were the statistics on children’s health in Australia, where everything seems healthy and packed full of nutrition grown locally and readily available.
According to a survey done by the Victorian Government Australian in 2018, 78% of kids 4-8 years old were not eating enough vegetables, which increased to 95% in the 14-16 age group.
The Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2011-2012* showed that;
- almost three children in every five don’t eat enough fruit
- less than one child in five eats enough vegetables
- more than half of the children aged between 9 and 13 fell short of their dietary calcium intake
- all children consume far too much sodium salt
- four in every five children overeat saturated fat, and
- close to 20% of children aged between 6 and 11 consume more kilojoules (calories) than they probably
Fun & Delicious Ways to Boost Nutrition
Now that you know the statistics, what can you do to boost your child’s nutrition and make it easy, fun, and delicious?
I have created a FREE Kids Mind Body Balance Guide to help you navigate this tricky topic. Of course, kids don’t need to detox, but they require balance and have 1-2 treat meals on the weekends. I recommend keeping their diets free of sugar, processed meats and junk foods during the week so that they can find their school work and sports are much easier, and you have a happier child.
Top 5 Tips To Support Kids’ Health
Here are my top 5 tips to support your child’s health. For the full Free Guide, download it here.
1. Mix & Dip Salads, Fruits & Vegetables
Many children don’t like to eat a whole salad, so give them crudités with lots of colours from the rainbow of raw vegetables instead. Often they love to dip into hummus, guacamole or nut butter. Fruits are great too, and try to encourage lower GI ones such as apples, pears and berries. If your child loves the sweeter fruits like mango or banana, have them with a protein such as nuts or nut butter.
2. Fist Sized Protein x2
Kids need protein twice a day, the size of their fist, and the best protein is wild fish, organic eggs or organic chicken, nuts, seeds, nut butter, organic yoghurt or kefir (sugar-free, so choose natural yoghurt and add fresh fruits), beans/ lentils or hummus.
3. Good Fats For The Brain
Good fats are imperative for a healthy brain. Still, not all fats are created equal, so add 1/2 -1 tablespoon of coconut, avocado, cod liver oil, extra virgin olive oil or any nut oil (if no allergies) and increase fish, avocado and olives in their diets at least three times a week.
4. Quality Sleep
Poor quality or limited sleep is linked to poor immune function, mood disorders, fatigue, learning difficulties and food cravings. Up until 12 years, a minimum of 10 hours of sleep per night is recommended, and for teenagers, around 9 hours a night.
5. Movement For Fun
Movement is vital for all kids’ mental and physical health, so make it fun. Have your child try lots of different forms of exercise to see what they love, so they are more likely to stick with it. Also, if they see you exercising, they are more likely to try new things, so doing things as a family is also great.
