Embraced in a lifestyle that is beaming with options, we all get to frequent malls and supermarkets with aisles full of foods spoiling us with choices like never before. Add to that food offered by street vendors, again, in a bewildering variety of temptations. Now, as parents, what food shall we choose for our children?

Well, the bottom-line is, the simplest foods are still the best for children. Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meats, and natural dairy goods have always been and will always be the best choices to make.

However, the conflict resides in the battle between taste buds and health needs. Let’s face it, we, as urban twenty-first century parents, encourage a great deal of children’s personal preferences in food. The reasons are evident: children these days are more opinionated about their personal likes and dislikes; moreover, readymade delicacies are at the finger tips, thanks to the countless dial-ins in the neighborhood – an easy way out to pamper taste buds with mouth-watering indulgences.

So, what do we do to strike a balance between the delicious and the nutritious? One simple thing to do is to read the labels before purchasing food items. Most labels indicate the contents of additives, preservatives, emulsifying agents, and so on. The ground rule is, lesser the added components, better are the nutritional values. For example, a loaf of whole grain bread with basic ingredients is a better choice over a fancy loaf with a whole paragraph of refined ingredients. So stick to the basics or the naturals, in as unprocessed forms as possible.

Children should be encouraged at a very early age to eat natural produce. It is far better to have your child chew through an orange rather than picking that convenient carton of juice. Instant noodles are yet another favorite grub with children, but you will think twice as parents if you visited the inside story. An anti-freeze ingredient called propylene glycol, used to retain the optimum level of moisture in instant noodles, is believed to be weakening the immune system. Add to that the flavoring agents, the high sodium content, and the wax – certainly not best friends to health.

Stick to the basic and the wholesome. Correct food choice is not about recipes, but about ingredients. Instead of those sodium and chemical laden pizza sauces, consider coming up your own version. All you need is a fusion of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, some Italian seasoning, and natural taste builders like tomatoes, olives, etc. And there you go, load your home-made pizza with your loved one’s favorite toppings! Sneak in an enormous amount of vegetables onto the disc, along with a generous spread of grilled proteins like chicken or lean fish. This will make nothing less than a visual, gustatory, and nutritive treat to your child. Avoid loading down with more than just a thin layer of cheese. When the tangy tomatoes and the vegetables bubble together in the oven, the freshness of the ingredients and the enhanced flavors will make your child not notice the lack of cheese or the big portion of veggies they ate. And you can pat yourself on the back for a job done well!

Despite what its name implies, vitamin D is actually a hormone. It has many roles within the body including a part to play in the immune system. Sunlight is one of the best boosters of vitamin D, and during the spring and summer months our children should get enough if they spend short daily stints outside, without sun protection. However, as the dark afternoons draw in, how can we be sure how much vitamin D our children are actually getting?

We all know that calcium is needed for bone growth and strength, but vitamin D is also needed in the metabolic equation to absorb the calcium. This is why vitamin D is often fortified alongside calcium in products such as children’s breakfast cereals and milk. With recent reports of the Victorian disease of Rickets on the increase in children, it might be prudent to keep a closer eye on our children’s intake Only 10% of our vitamin D is usually through our diet – highlighting how problematic this may become during the darker months (Oct-Mar in the UK) when the sun isn’t around to provide us with the other 90%. Wherever you live, an extra dietary boost may be needed during the months where the sun is not high in the sky. Also, those children with darker skin will require more sunlight when they are outside due to the protective nature of darker skin (increased melanin). Dietary sources of vitamin D are fatty fish (salmon, sardine, and mackerel), liver, cheese, egg yolks, butter and in a lesser absorbed form (D2) from mushrooms. Supplementation is usually from cod liver oil or from fortified foods (eg. breakfast cereal, fruit drinks, nut milks, soya milk and margarine).

There are variations of recommended intakes between different countries, with something in the region of 8-25 mcg per day for 0-12 year olds, and a little more for 12-17 year olds, due to their growth phase. Most of this can be met by a daily sunshine exposure of around 15-20 minutes, with top ups coming from dietary sources. Median dietary intakes of vitamin D in children are between 1.9 mcg and 2.4 mcg per day according to a recent Irish study (2); so you can see that during the darker months or if children have their skin almost completely covered, then vitamin D in the blood may become quite low.

It is thought that bouts of asthma are often brought on by a cold or respiratory infection. However, research indicates that when vitamin D supplementation was given in addition to usual steroid inhalers, there was a reduced risk of events triggered by respiratory tract infections. This shows us how vitamin D has an important role to play in reducing inflammatory responses. There is also some speculation as to whether a lack of vitamin D can increase food allergies in children (3). The mechanism occurs as an increase in infections in the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract increases with vitamin D deficiency. As the internal workings of the GI tract becomes further compromised, it brings on an allergic response to certain trigger foods such as dairy, nuts and shellfish. The reason for this is that molecules arising from vitamin D metabolism help to defend the inner gut lining from foreign bodies. Without the correct barrier, the body ‘sees’ certain foods as invaders.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many other disorders including multiple sclerosis, depression, arthritis, heart attacks, seizures, cardiomyopathy, muscle weakness and even cancer.

It is important to note that vitamin D is fat soluble and will build up within the body if taken in excessive amounts for a length of time. However, you cannot get too much vitamin D from exposure to the sun, as the body will only make as much as you need. Obviously, care needs to be taken with reference to long exposure to the sun and the risk of sunburn.

In summary, allowing your child some daily sunshine, where possible, is essential for a natural vitamin D production. Adding into the equation a mix of foods that are high in vitamin D will ensure that ‘all bases are covered’ when the sun isn’t shining.

The words attention deficit are so strongly associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), many people overlook other far-reaching consequences of the disorder. Among them are poor eating habits, eating disorders, and a higher-than-average risk of becoming overweight as a result of having ADHD. For example, a recent study linked ADHD to binge eating. How these eating issues happen makes a lot of sense when you understand the impact of ADHD on life management as a whole.

Executive function includes cognitive abilities that act as the brain’s manager. ADHD is essentially a consequence of poor executive function, not inattention or impulsiveness. That means it undermines skills such as time management, decision making, organization, and planning. For people with ADHD all these management-level mental abilities can be difficult.

Exercise programs for kids are hugely important. America holds the not so illustrious title of the fattest nation in the world and this moment, our kids are poised to inherit that title. That is something that all parents would not find as a particularly comforting thought. For those of you not yet convinced that an exercise program for your kids isn’t a priority: The American Obesity Association states the single largest factor in childhood obesity is lack of physical activity and excessive sedentary behaviour—that is to say, watching too much TV and playing too many video games.

Why Start My Kid on an Exercise Program?

Outside of the social pariah status of the obese in our society, there are significant, easily avoidable health risks involved with obesity. The AOA lists common health conditions associated with children who are obese because of lack of regular exercise. These conditions include asthma, Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, orthopaedic problems, and most frightening, sleep apnea—a condition in which breathing ceases during sleeping. Obviously not permanently, but the effects are loss of focus and a significant increase in the loss of logical thought.

An exercise program for your children is so important because of the large amount of health problems associated with those are inactive—namely obesity. Since 1974, the number of children classified as obese under the age of 11 has increased more than four times; from roughly 4 per cent to over 16 per cent in 2000 with the single largest cause of obesity is lack of exercise.

To help your child avoid these health risks, not to mention the psychological risks of being outcast because of weight, you need to set them up on a regular exercise program. Children’s exercise programs are not hard to do—just get them outside or keep them inside, but focus on them getting active.

It’s important to realize than a children’s exercise program does not necessarily mean pumping iron—rather it has more to do with cardiovascular activities that burn lots of energy. Examples of great cardiovascular activities are running, swimming, rowing, canoeing, rock climbing—the list goes on. It also doesn’t need to be simply running—it can be a game of tag, catch, playing soccer outdoors; anything that gets your kids heart beating and gets them sweating a bit.

Research has also shown that obese children tend to be more depressed than other children who are fit. In addition, physical activities, especially cardiovascular activities can actually make you feel great. The so called “runner’s high” is caused when someone who is engaged a high amount of cardiovascular activity gets a massive dump of dopamine into the brain—a chemical that instills a euphoric state in the person doing the activity, a natural high.

It would seem logical that getting your child on an exercise program should be a paramount as a parent to ensure the health and happiness of your child. But along with the exercise goes a good diet, healthy relationships, staying active, and of course, laughing a lot. All of these things contribute to your child’s life, and an exercise program for your child is, in reality, just a piece of the puzzle.

• Is the ad showing the right food for the child?
• Or, is that a food for thought?
• Well, that, precisely, is the concern.
• Advertisements on channels dedicated to children or children’s programmes (range: pre-school children to children under 16) must be governed by certain principles. Let’s take a look at these.

Dos:
1.Reduce the exposure of children to promotion of foods that are high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) and increase their exposure to healthier options.

Don’ts:
1.Do not use licensed characters or celebrities to boost sales of food or drinks intended for pre-school or primary aged children.
2.Do not make misleading health or nutritional claims for HFSS products aimed at primary aged children. The claims about food containing vitamins must comply with the regulations of the country regarding fortified food.
3.Do not promote consumption of a food item purely to get a promotional offer.
4.Do not show parents pestering their children over selection of food.
Now, some quick facts to reckon! But first and foremost, have you checked the expiry date of something you eat or drink?

FIZZY DRINKS
Fizzy drinks like Coke and Pepsi contain an approximate pH count of 3.4, which is acidic enough to dissolve teeth and bones. Besides, an aerated drink is nothing but sweetened carbonated water!
Stay away from carbonated aerated water, and say No to all fizzy drinks!

CONFECTIONERY
What is it that makes confectionery items look and smell appealing? Well, it’s the flavouring agents and emulsifiers. Take a pause and reflect – are these agents right for the child?
Bite into one of these and tell. Don’t those cream-filled buns leave a lump of grease in the mouth?
Aah, those chocolate-filled sticks can be a sticky health hazard! Do those ultra-greasy cocoa wafers fill you with cream of health?

FAST FOOD
What happens with those happening fast food joints? The familiar ready-to-eat chips, the fluffed-up white flour rolls, some processed fill-ins dipped in cheese and wrapped up in crunchy
crumbles of a deep-fried batter. Sounds healthy?

INSTANT NOODLES
Wheat flour, starch, and salt in galore. To add to that, a stash of gluten and artificial flavouring. That’s what goes into those ready-to-cook 2 minute instant noodles! So, think again before you consume them.

CANNED FOOD
Think of food with preservatives. Is the nutritional value intact? Or do they compromise on health? The truth is, fresh food is the secret to good health! Stick to natural food is what says the doctor.

CHEWING GUM
As you chew on them, are your gums and teeth protected?

CHOCOLATES
Have you ever wondered what ingredients go into a chocolate?

MOUTH FRESHNERS
They freshen up only your mouth. But do they contribute to the health of your gums?

CANDIES
They freshen up only your mouth. But do they contribute to the health of your gums?

MOUTHWASH/ MOUTH RINSER
It rinses away the germs so long as you don’t swallow it! But is that a medicated mouthwash? Take no medicines without consulting a doctor please.