Eat your vegetables!

How many times have you had to tell your child that? Fact is, children only eat what they like and only like what they know. If you put a strange-looking vegetable on their plate – don’t expect them to eat it.

You may worry about what your child eats and won’t and that it will negatively impact their growth, but an average child will over the course of a week get the necessary nutrients to grow and be healthy. If you have a picky eater on your hands, or your child suffers from an intolerance or allergy that limits their food options, they may benefit from a supplement to help them.⁽¹⁾

FoodState^®’s Multivitamin + Mineral for Children is ideally suited to children to give them all the vitamins and minerals they need to prosper.

 

Choose wisely⁽²⁾

To make sure that your child gets all the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development, include portions of protein, fruit and vegetables, starches and dairy into their daily meals.

How big is a portion?A portion will fit into the palm of your child’s hand – the size of their portions will grow as they grow! (2)

Children don’t need different nutrients to grow, but they do need different amounts of specific nutrients at different ages. It is important to include in their daily diet the following:^(3,4)

• 2-3 portions of fruit e.g. fresh, dried or canned fruit. Fruit juiceshould be freshly squeezed and limited to a small serving (125 ml) per day.
• 2-3 portions of vegetables. The more colourful the better – remember, kids eat with their eyes.
• 2 portions of protein, such as meat, fish, eggs, beans or lentils. Protein is the main building block in the body, e.g. muscles, connective tissue and skin.^(2,5)
• 2-3 portions of dairy like milk, cheese or yogurt. Dairy products are good sources of Calcium to help build strong bones and teeth. ⁽⁶⁾
• 6-11 portions of starch such as whole-wheat bread, oats, quinoa, brown rice or potatoes. Starches are good sources of energy. ^{(2, 5)}

Try to avoid processedfoods like canned soup, cookies, biscuits, ready-made meals, chips, salted nuts, processed meats and sweetened soft drinks – they contain much less nutrients but the same amount of kilojoules as unrefined and fresh foods.⁽⁵⁾

Proper nutrition is key

Sometimes, no matter how well you plan your child’s menu they might still develop deficiencies. These days there is a lack of nutrients in food making it hard to include enough vitamins through diet alone. ^(7,8)Not getting proper nutrition can lead to problems with a child’s intellectual development, they may feel tired, unable to learn at school and more likely to get sick and miss school.⁽⁹⁾

To make sure your children get the necessary nutrients to supplement their growth and development, give them FoodState^®’s Vitamin C Complex, Vitamin B Complex and the Multivitamin + Mineral for Children.

Encourage healthy eating habits^{(2, 9, 10,11)}

Here are some tips on how to encourage healthy eating habits:

• Eat together as a family for as many meals in a day as possible.
• Make sure they eat breakfast – children who skip breakfast do not do well at school and struggle to concentrate.
• Have all meals and their snack times (for your toddler) at the same time every day – children need to have the security of a routine.
• Mealtimes should be fun and social times for a family to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. So make a rule that all electronics, phones, televisions or any other devices are turned off – otherwise their attention is on posting something on Facebook and not on the meal you’ve just prepared.
• A helpful hint on how to get children to eat something new, is to repeatedly include it in a meal with other foods they do like to eat. They need repeated exposure to this new food before they’ll even put it in their mouths – and probably take it out immediately. But don’t lose hope – they are trying.
• Make their food look interesting, by building a mountain or making a face – the more colourful the better. Children eat with their eyes!
• Give smaller portions to children. Rather give them the chance to ask for more, than expect them to finish a full plate of food – overeating can lead to overweight children.
• If your child refuses a meal, do not make them something different to eat. The sooner they learn to eat what the rest of the family is eating, the better your chances of them not developing fussy eating habits. Let them remain seated at the table whist the rest of the family finish their meal and eventually they will learn to eat what the others are eating. If you allow them to get up and go to watch television, you will only reinforce bad eating habits.
• Try to offer them only water in between meals – filling them up on juice, milk or snacks will decrease their appetite and they won’t be hungry at meal times.
• However, if they really are not hungry, do not force them to eat. Don’t bribe them with, “if you finish all your food – you can get pudding”. This will only encourage overeating and lead to overweight and obesity.
• Have set days for serving dessert e.g. on Wednesdays and Sundays. Then make sure that at least one of them is a healthy one, e.g. fruit salad. This will fit in nicely with their routine – making them look forward to dessert as something special and not a bargaining chip for eating all their veggies.
• If you make a healthy lifestyle fun and one where they could learn new things, they are more likely to keep to it. E.g. let them become part of the preparation team where they could wash the veggies or set the table.
• For health reasons, try to reduce your and your child’s salt intake. If you can, do not have a saltshaker on the dinner table. Many ready-made meals and processed foods contain too much salt, another reason to steer clear of it.

Active children are healthy children ^(4,10,11)

Children, who have a healthy weight, are fitter, healthier and better able to learn. They are also more self-confident and have less health problems later on in their lives. There is much you can do to help them achieve their healthy weight for age.

Adapt your behaviour – Your childrenlearn their behaviour and eating habits from you. They copy you, so, in order to encourage your child to have healthy eating habits, you must set a good example. If you don’t eat spinach, they won’t eat it either. If you eat in front of the television, they would want to do so as well. To change their behaviour, you must first change your own.

Get active with them – Instead of vegetating on the couch every night, go for a walk around the block. Over weekends, encourage them to be more active – make the rule that they can only surf the web if they have been playing outside for an hour or so. Being active together is a great way to build your relationships and to encourage a healthy active lifestyle in your children. Children need about an hour of physical activity a day to be in good health, which you can break up into 5-10 minute sessions over the course of a day.

Limit their television viewing – Watching television encourages them to be more inactive, making them more prone to picking up weight. Limit screen time (including PC games and time spent on electronic devices) to 2 hours a day.

Let them sleep more – children who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight. Being tired also influences their moods and behaviour.

 

Here are some supplements to take that could help your family get through the winter months ahead.

Antioxidant Immunity Formula

Our bodies need oxygen. It is an essential element for life. When the cells in our bodies use oxygen to generate energy free radicals are created, which could be either good or bad for your body – too many of them being bad. This leads to what is called oxidative stress – which leads to ageing, arthritis and a break down in your immune system. ⁽¹²⁾ FoodState^® has created an Antioxidant Immunity Formula, packed with antioxidants like Vitamins C and E. ⁽¹²⁾ Two lesser known, but equally important boosters to your immune system is also included – beta-sitosterol (a plant extract) and selenium.^{(13, 14)} Both of which in the right quantities hold benefits to keeping the flu bugs at bay.

 

Multivitamin + Mineral for Children

A child goes through several growth spurts – infancy, preschool, middle childhood and adolescence. Nutritional needs change for each stage of a child’s development – and it differs from child to child. ⁽⁹⁾ Even if you provide your family  with a healthy diet they may still develop a deficiency due to the nutritional content of foods or because their active bodies are burning through their stores of nutrients faster. ^(15-18) To prevent nutritional deficiencies from lowering your immune system we recommend FoodState^®’s Multivitamin + Mineral for Children.It contains many vitamins and minerals to boost growth and development in your children and it is also available in a chewable format. Adults and older children could take the Multivitamin + Mineral Formula.

Vitamin C Complex^{(19, 20, 21)}

Vitamin C is important for the growth and repair of all cells in the body, e.g. skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. It helps with the healing of wounds and to maintain and repair bones and teeth. It is also an antioxidant, which means it can reduce the damage caused by free radicals in the body. Taking FoodState^®’s Vitamin C Complex could help reduce the duration of a cold.

Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin B is needed to maintain a healthy nervous system and to produce red blood cells that are so important in carrying oxygen through the whole body. ^{(22, 23)}Vitamin B cannot be made by the body, therefore you need to provide it as part of your child’s diet or give it to them as a supplement. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Give your child FoodState^®’s Vitamin B Complex to help their bodies convert food into energy and to maintain healthy brain function. ⁽¹⁾

Omega 3 Formula

This formula is also beneficial for your cardiovascular system health, nervous system development and to fight inflammation. ⁽²⁴⁾FoodState^®’s Omega 3 Formula is a high potency fish oil supplement containing DHA and EPA*, and is free from mercury, dioxins and PCBs**.

*DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) andEPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)are polyunsaturated fats,which play a very important role in the functioning of our bodies.

**PCB: Polychlorinated biphenyl is a synthetic organic chemical compound of chlorine

Zinc Complex with Copper

Zinc is one of the main immune protectors and could help treat the symptoms of a common cold, and reduce its duration by nearly half. ^{(19, 20, 25)}Zinc is needed for normal growth, development and sexual maturation. It is also helpful in regulating the appetite as well as the sense of smell and taste. Zinc has antioxidant properties and plays an essential role in the immune system. We recommend FoodState^®’s Zinc Complex with Copper to help protect your immune system this winter.

References:

1. Vitamins and Minerals. What you should know about essential nutrients. Mayo Clinic – Women’s Healthsource. [online] [cited 2015 Apr 17]. Available from: URL:  http://www.mayoclinic.org/documents/mc5129-0709-sp-rpt-pdf/doc-20079085 2. Eating Well for 5-12 year olds. Nutrition and Diet Resource. [online] [cited 2015 Apr 17]. Available from: URL: http://www.ndr-uk.org/vmchk/English/Eating-Well-for-5-12-year-olds.html. 3. American Academy of Pediatrics. Portions and Serving Sizes. HealthyChildren.Org [online] [cited 2015 Apr 17]. Available from: URL: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Portions-and-Serving-Sizes.aspx. 4. How to involve your child in being healthy. NHS.UK [Online] [cited 2015 Apr 17]. Available from: URL:http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/childhealth6-15/Pages/Get-children-involved-inbeing-healthy.aspx. 5. Merck Manual Consumer Version. Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats – Overview of Nutrition. [online] [cited 2015 April 17]. Available from: URL: http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/disorders-of-nutrition/overview-of-nutrition/carbohydrates-proteins-and-fats 6. Vitamins and minerals – Calcium. NHS choices. [online] [cited 2015 Apr 20]. Available from: URL: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Calcium.aspx. 7. Marler JB, Wallin JR. Human Health, the Nutritional Quality of Harvested Food and Sustainable Farming Systems. Nutrition Security Institute. [online] [cited 2015 Feb 11]. Available from: URL: http://www.nutritionsecurity.org/PDF/NSI_White%20Paper_Web.pdf. 8. Davis DR. Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition: What Is the Evidence? HortScience 2009;44(1):15-19. 9. Normal growth and development. MedlinePlus. [online] [cited 2015 Apr 17]. Available from: URL: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002456.htm. 10. Children’s nutrition – 10 tips for picky eaters. Mayo Clinic. [Online] [Cited 2015 Apr 17]. Available from URL: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/childrens-health/art-20044948. 11. Healthy weight children – advice for parents. NHS Choices. NHS.uk [online] [cited 2015 Apr 20]. Available from: URL: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/childhealth6-15/Pages/child-health-measurement-programme-healthy-weight-advice.aspx. 12. Pham-Huy LA, He H, Pham-Huy C. Free Radicals, Antioxidants in Disease and Health. Int J Biomed Sci 2008;4(2):89-96. 13. Bouic PJD, Lamprecht JH. Plant Sterols and Sterolins: A Review of Their Immune-Modulating Properties. Altern Med Rev 1999;4(3):170-177. 14. Hoffmann PR, Berry MJ. The influence of selenium on immune responses. Mol Nutr Food Res 2008;52(11):1273-1280. 15. Langan RC, Zawistoski KJ. Update on Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Am Fam Phys 2011;83(12):1425-1430. 16. Kass LS, Skinner P, Poeira F. A Pilot Study on the Effects of Magnesium Supplementation with High and Low Habitual Dietary Magnesium Intake on Resting and Recovery from Aerobic and Resistance Exercise and Systolic Blood Pressure. J Sports Sci Med 2013;12:144-150. 17. Peeling P, Dawson B, Goodman C, et al. Athletic induced iron deficiency: new insights into the role of inflammation, cytokines and hormones. Eur J Appl Physiol 2008;103:381-391. 18. Calcium and Bone Health. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. [online] [cited 2015 Feb 11]. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/calcium.html. 19. Common cold – Diseases and conditions. Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org [online] [cited 2015 May 7]. Available from: URL: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/basics/definition/con-20019062. 20. Cold Remedies. What works, what doesn’t, what can’t hurt. Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org [online] [cited 2015 Apr 20]. Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in-depth/cold-remedies/art-20046403. 21. Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid). University of Maryland Medical Center. [online] [cited 2015 Apr 17]. Available from: URL: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-c-ascorbic-acid. 22. What Is Iron-Deficiency Anemia? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. [online] [cited 2015 Apr 20] Available from: URL: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/topics/ida. 23. Butler CC, Vidal-Alaball J, Cannings-John R, et al. Oral vitamin B12 versus intramuscular vitamin B12 for vitamin B12 deficiency: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Fam Pract 2006:279-285. 24. Omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, alpha-linolenic acid. Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org [online] [cited 2015 Apr 21]. Available from: URL: http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil-alpha-linolenic-acid/background/hrb-20059372. 25. Prasad AS, Beck FW, Bao B, Snell D, Fitzgerald JT. Duration and Severity of Symptoms and Levels of Plasma Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist, Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor, and Adhesion Molecules in Patients with Common Cold Treated with Zinc Acetate. J Infect Dis 2008;197:795-802.