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Energiser bunnies

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Like adults, children of this century have more than ever on their plate.

An endless treadmill of school time, tuition time, extracurricular, homework time, and dare I say, iPad time ­ leave them with very little window to do anything else. Also, like adults, they also have many roles to play: as students, as friends, as teammates and as general creators-of-ruckus! Having said that, we mustn’t forget that children of this age are also still developing, both physically and mentally. Food is not just a tool to keep them going, but also a tool to keep them growing. The challenge is how do you make sure they get their daily dose of nutrients while maintaining their required levels of energy?

PLAN

Plan the menu for the week. There are many healthy substitutions for junk food your kids like. Make your child’s tiffin the envy of the class. Swap deep-fried for air-fried or baked, heavier red meats for healthier white meats and high-fat for low-fat. It’s not so much about weight control (even though the rate of child obesity has spiked), but about your child getting a sustained release of energy through the day. And here’s why…

GET COMPLEX

Everything we eat gets converted into glucosesugar, which in turn provides us with the vital energy we need to perform our various functions. Sugary foods, processed foods, refined foods and some high-fat foods are simple sugars, i.e. fast energy sources which may provide that extra burst of energy, but soon lead to a crash in blood sugar levels just as quickly as they had spiked.

So before you pack that chocolate as a treat for your child in the tiffin or buy a tetrapack of fruit juice -which also has tons of sugar, by the way, and is not as healthy as it may seem -check yourself.

Fluctuations in blood sugar levels brought by these foods are unhealthy.

Choose complex sugars in stead, like fresh fruits, vegeta bles, home-cooked healthy foods, lean meats and eggs. These foods take a longer time to break down into glucose by the body, and provide your child a sustained release of energy through the day.

HYDRATE

We mustn’t forget another factor that contributes greatly to children feeling tired or run down: dehydration. Lack of adequate water drains both muscles and brain. Water helps maintain the salt balance apart from reducing ex haustion. Daily water requirements range from 1.3 litres (for children aged 1-3) to 1.7 litres (for children aged 3-8), 2.4 litres (for boys aged 9 13 years) and 2.1 litres for girls in the same age group. Older boys and girls (aged 14-18) need 3.3 and 2.3 litres, respectively.

Note: A tall glass of water is approximately anywhere between 200-250 ml (approx.)

Lastly, lack of sleep and exercise both contribute to a tired and listless child. Ensure that they get enough sleep and can tear themselves away from their virtual lives to get out in the sunshine to live a real one. If children must bring the house down, they should do it well, I feel, and for that they need to be fuelled by the best nutrition.

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In Articles to munch on

Kid gloves

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It won’t be an exaggeration to say that many of the eating patterns that we as adults have adopted are a throwback to when we were kids. Our first associations of sweets are with happy occasions. Cakes on birthdays, laddoos for good exam results…We do not have the tradition to celebrate with fruit or with a nice, gleaming, fresh, chunky salad. Sigh. Ah well, that’s life.

It’s crucial to nurture healthy relationships with food at an early age so that every meal is a happy one later in life. If food is used as a bribe from an early age, the child will grow into an adult who uses food for reasons other than its purest need ­ nutrition. And we all know what that leads to. While the following may sound lofty, you’d be surprised at how even the smallest at tempts to change behaviour can go a long way in altering our fundamentally bad relationships with food.

TRY NOT TO REWARD, PACIFY OR PUNISH WITH FOOD

This is probably the hardest to enforce. Which parent has not given into a child’s tantrums or tried to make him happy after a sad day at school by baking his favourite treat? The reason I put `try’ instead of `don’t’ is because 100% implementation is quite simply, not feasible. But, as a parent, do not give in to the urge to constantly use food as a bribe. Pacifying your little ones with his or her favourite treats leads to a greater dependence on emotional eating as an adult.

EXPLAIN, DON’T FORCE

This method works best when trying to ban sugary drinks or treats or an overload of fat. “Because I said so“  is unfortunately no longer enough to stop a child. Make your kids understand the impact of what excess sugar actually does to their teeth or how it slows down their academic performance or even their level of physical activity.

MODERATE, DON’T DEPRIVE

Forbidden sweets are always, pardon the pun, sweeter. Moderate the intake of unhealthy food but don’t ban it altogether. You could, for example, set up a system where your child gets one treat a day: you could let THEM choose where they’d like their sugar from: chocolate, flavoured milk or eating at a birthday party. You could also allow them to choose their own time and environment to eat it in, giving them a better sense of control over the process. If they know they can still dip into their favourite treats once in a while, exercising restraint at other times becomes easy… on both your child and you.

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In Articles to munch on

Get well soon

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Uh-oh. Your child sneezing in a row could only mean one thing: the onset of a cold. A mighty cold. Or not. While every child’s illness symptoms escalate in hisher unique way, the point is that of ten, the occurrence of illnesses can either be mitigated or staved off entirely depending on their nutrition.

In other words, what your kids eat can be the solution for a whole host of child-related maladies ­ right from mood swings to constipation to the management of colds, coughs or viruses.

BUILD IMMUNITY

While protein is a beautiful immunity builder it does wonderful work to combat dis ease in your children along with bolstering their resistance and repairing general wear and tear -it is important to choose the right protein, like egg whites, lean white meats, fish, dals and quinoa.

Vitamin C is another fantastic booster of immunity and can be found in amla or kiwi or even in multivitamins, on a doctor’s prescription, of course.

Vitamin B12 is a brilliant way in munity levels can be raised in a child.

It positively influences the speed of recovery too. However, it’s important for vegetarians vegans to take note here: as B12 is found mainly in animal products, like dairy and eggs, children may need to take a B12 supplement on the recommendation of their paediatrician.

IMPROVE CONSTIPATION

Constipation is painful for children or adults for that matter. Foods with fibre can help your child. If he she is constipated, feed them raw vegetable juices, chia seeds, papaya and kiwi. And lots and lots of water: hydration is very important for a happy, smiling and fully functional digestive system.

TACKLE MOOD SWINGS

Is your child an angel one moment and a devil the next? While it’s tempting to blame your in-laws for all the character traits you don’t like, sometimes mood swings may not be part of a child’s personality, but have its roots in gluten intolerance. The best way to check would be to eliminate all sources of gluten, and see if the symptoms persist.

Having said this, no matter how much information is out there, nutrition’s role in maintaining the health of your child remains underestimated and misunderstood. Why cure when prevention is possible? Why miss school or exams or vacations if it just means smarter eating? When the remedy for so many things can be found in the plate, why take the pill?
Keep in mind that food is the most natural way to heal your child.

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In Articles to munch on

Sweets for your sweet

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I can honestly say that children have far more hectic social lives than adults do. From birthday parties and festivals to school events, they are out of the door as soon as they come in. The little ones now have big lives and with their `big little’ lives, come big problems. From cakes, pastries, ice-creams to popsicles served at various events and birthday parties that they attend, kids now have far more access to sweets.

Sugar is bad for children’s teeth, metabolism, concentration, weight maintenance, energy and fitness levels… the list goes on. So how does a parent tackle the festival season? By being inventive. Here’s how you can regulate sweets for your sweet.

TEACH, DON’T TELL

Instead of stating sweets are bad, tell them exactly why. I find kids today are far more in quisitive than ever before, and it may be good to inform them of the very real consequences of eat ing excess sugar. You can simply tell them or use the inter net to explain it through short videos. You can check the con tent before traumatising them too much ­ you’d be surprised at how much they imbibe.

PREPARE, DON’T EXPECT

Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping your host puts something healthy on the table, you could make-and-take. Instead of taking a bottle of wine or a candle set as a gift for the next adult-and kids soirée, you could consider taking a dessert brimming with healthy ingredients.

SAVOUR, DON’T SWEETEN

You don’t always have to take something sweet. Hot snacks like baked samosas, home fries, poha, upma or even healthy toasted sandwiches could satiate even the fussiest appetites. Figure out how you can pull kids to wards the healthy food by using fun shapes and food colours at the next party you host.

PACK, DON’T ATTACK

You could also halve your child’s intake of unhealthy foods by packing half a dessert in the lunch box. A nice little treat in the school dabba gives them bragging rights and will never fail to delight. Another trick to ensure that your kid gets adequate nutrition is to feed your child before they land up at their event so that the delicacies on display have limited appeal. A glass of milk could fill up their little stomachs before their 4 pm party at the neighbour’s. This trick works beautifully for adults too, who want to maintain their weight. Just saying.

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In Articles to munch on

Picky eaters

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Picky eating is usually a phase, and rarely indicates any co-existing condition. But it would be a good idea to check with your paediatrician to see if it isn’t something more serious or chronic like acid reflux or something more insidious. If all’s well, a skipped meal here or there is not the end of the world.

So long as your child is energetic and engaged and is deemed healthy enough by her doctor, this phase in her life can be overcome with no harm done.

However, if her nutrition is being compromised and her growth parameters are being affected, it is best to address the issue as soon as possible.

Kelli Dorfman in her seminal book, What’s Eating Your Child? , introduces a technique that she has tried on hundreds of her own patients. I thought I could reproduce the same for you in these pages. It’s a simple method which encourages experimentation and helps to widen your child’s palate at a more gentle pace. Called the E.A.T method, she urges you to:

ELIMINATE

First, start of by eliminating a list of foods that your child is rejecting or even foods that have no nutritive value like sugary or processed foods. This could be anything from roti to rice to potatoes to peas to packaged snacks. While it sounds counterintuitive, maybe the reason some of these foods are given the thumbs down by your child is because it doesn’t genuinely suit her. By eliminating foods that she fusses over, you set the stage to:

ADD

Once all rejected foods have been eliminated, you will now have to inform your child that you will be adding one new food every two weeks. This could be the same potatoes or peas, but one food at a time.

This is done to investigate the cause of the pickiness or any sort of physiological reaction to the food. While you can anticipate tears or, better yet, tantrums… you can mitigate any adverse reaction by telling them that all they have to do is:

TRY

All they have to do is try. Just one bite. One bite of the new food for the next two weeks. They don’t have to like it, but they do have just try one bite of the same food daily just for a fortnight.

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In Bombay Times - Ask the expert

My son is crash dieting – help!

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Dear Pooja,
My son is 14 yrs, height 5’3″ but weight is 84 kg. He started a crash diet . I want a healthy diet which can help him reduce weight but with no loss of essential elements .
His daily routine is wake up at 6:30 am and go to school at 7:30am . In school two break at 9:30am and 12:00pm respectively. After that he comes back at 3:15 and goes to the gym at 4:30 pm for a hour. Then comes home to eat some snacks. At night he eat dinner at 8:30 pm. We are pure vegetarian. Please help me

In today’s children awareness about the weight and their body size is setting in earlier then before and especially once they in their teens they are conscious of the way they look particularly in comparison to peers. Teaching them the correct relationship to food at this point (and many a times even much earlier) is most essential else they fall in to the trap of equating food to calories and thus fearing it always. Giving up food or starving then seems to be there only route to losing the excess weight they are carrying. Teaching them the importance of food through its food group system and the significance and function of each is the prime crux. Carbohydrates (which most fear – leave alone just kids) are the prime source of fuel – daily activities of running, studying, playing even just sitting requires energy that comes from carbs and this vital food group is usually the first to be omitted. Lack of adequate carbs leads to growth retardation, poor immunity, low stamina, crankiness and mood swings among a hundred other side effects. Importance of proteins for growth, height increment, wear-n-tear and repair is most crucial. I cant even stress enough on the daily inclusion of fruits and vegetables as this is what will shape their skin, nail, hair, bowel movements and so many essential internal body functions all of which depend on the vital vitamins and minerals nutrients they provide. A balance of these essentials is fundamental to live a life of quality, growth and prevention of disease. Sadly I am unable to provide a diet particularly for your son through this column but I’d strongly recommended visiting a professional that will advise and guide him in the right direction now itself. All the best!

 

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In layer1

THE A-Z OF TETRA PAKS FOR PROTEINS DIET

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Did you know that boiling and re-boiling milk on a high flame for an extended period of time affects its nutritional content, particularly the proteins and B group (B1, B2, B12) of vitamins? These vitamins evaporate as heat increases. A lot of people are unaware of the fact that consumption of fresh milk is always advisable, and just one boil is enough to retain the nutrients of milk. A recent survey conducted by Research Pacific India reveals that 60 per cent mothers are unaware about the nutrition loss in milk due to boiling. Even after the first boil, they continue boiling it for about seven minutes. If you’re buying milk from the milkman, the ideal way to consume it is to heat it at 100 degrees Celsius for less than 8 to 10 minutes.
Another great solution is to opt for tetra paks. With rampant adulteration and microbial contamination of milk causing varied health risks, the use of aseptic packaging is a boon for the white revolution. Using either UHT (ultra high temperatures) or HTST (high temperature short time), the milk is heated on a prescribed high temperature for only a few seconds and then cooled down and immediate ly aseptically packed in tetra paks. This not only prevents entry of any microbes but also helps retain the nutritional strength of the packaged product. Once you open the tetra pak, refrigerate it and consume the milk within two to five days.Apart from being environmentally friendly, aseptic packaging increases the shelf life of the product, eases its transportation and also prevents adulteration of any sort.There are many myths surrounding tetra paks. We bust a few elementary ones:

MYTH #1

Tetra pak milk and dairy products have added preservatives: The use of high heat (75 degrees Celsius for 15-20 sec or 138 degrees Celsius for 23 seconds) helps remove all micro-organisms from the milk including bacterial spores. This process, followed by packaging, is conducted in a sterile con dition. The packing technique further helps prevent spoilage of the milk. All this together aids preservation and hence no additional preservatives are added.

MYTH #2

Tetra pak products are not nutritious: Heating on a high temperature for a very short time prevents the loss of most nutrients ­ something that occurs in the conventional method of boiling. Many homemakers repeatedly boil milk for long durations to ensure that all microbes are de stroyed but in doing so, there is in turn a loss of all wa ter-soluble vitamins. This is the reason why aseptically packaged milk and milk products have better nutritive val ue than other forms of bottled milk.

MYTH #3

Tetra pak milk needs boiling: Boiling of tetra pak milk is an unnecessary step that causes loss of many B complex vi tamins plus leads to wastage of time and resources. The aseptic packaging involves transferring the UHT treated milk into pre-sterilised packages in a sterile environment, thus there is no risk of contamination and therefore no need to boil the milk before use. You can have it directly or warm it slightly to have it as a hot beverage.

MYTH #4

Tetra pak is not suitable for children: With hygienic packaging of unparalleled quality, tetra pak milk is extremely safe for a child’s growth and development. Easy usability, convenient portability, and better nutrient strength ­ all these factors make it a preferred choice for kids.
The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has confirmed that 70 per cent of the milk available in the country is adulterated with detergent, glucose and skim milk powder. Hence, though we consume milk for its protein and calcium which may be retained post boiling too, tetra pak is an ideal option for packaged milk as it eliminates the chances of adulteration due to its absolutely hygienic process ing and packaging methods.

 

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