foodconsumer.org: Keeping Kids Flu Free:  The Importance of Healthy Foods

Keeping Kids Flu Free:  The Importance of Healthy Foods
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admin on 09/07/2009 17:12:00
 
By Rachel Stockton - rachels at foodconsumer dot org
To help keep the flu out of your household, the CDC has a list of suggestions to
follow; one of which is to maintain a healthy, nutritious diet during flu
season.  Most adults know the importance of this, regardless of whether or not
it's flu season.  Making sure our children eat as nutritiously as possible isn't
quite as easy to pull off, however.
The key is patience, and a little imagination.  Following are some tried and
true suggestions from veteran parents on how to maximize our efforts to keep our
children healthy throughout the upcoming flu season.
1. Plan your meals. This one can be tough at times, because we live in a drive
through society. We're busy, and so are our children. But, planning our menus is
huge; flying by the seat of our pants, even though at times it may be
unavoidable, is not the way to go for the long haul. Trust me: been there, tried
that, it never worked.
2. Instead of focusing on a nutritionally balanced day, it may be easier (and
just as healthy) to try and maintain a balanced week. After all, there will be
days when all your child will want to eat is cereal. Rather than fighting him
over this, just remember there are six more days in the week. Chances are he
will get tired of Cheerios, and you can then introduce another food group by day
3 or 4.
3. Try to visualize your children's eating habits as you would a marathon.
Training for a long distance event like that requires specialized training that
will take some time. No athlete was able to run an entire race without devoting
hours to improve conditioning. The same holds true with children; we have
several years to get them race worthy, and that's okay.
4. If you must, resort to subterfuge. Pam K. shreds zucchini into her spaghetti
sauce and carrots into her chili; her kids are none the wiser.
5. Remember, the simpler the fruits and vegetables, the better. If we always
drown the broccoli in a stick of butter, or bread, and deep fry the okra, it
will be harder to help them develop a taste for simple foods.
6. That said, if your child refuses to eat broccoli lightly seasoned, then go
ahead and put it in a casserole. For the sauce, you can substitute low fat
soups, sour cream and cheese for the densely caloric varieties. Also, recipes
calling for French fried onions taste just as good with those you saute (in
olive oil) yourself.
7. If you are vegan, remember that your children need the amino acids in
complete protein to help keep their growing muscles strong. The good news is
that this doesn't have to come in the form of animal protein. Just consider that
beans, by themselves, are not complete proteins. But when combined with whole
grain rice? Voila. Same with peanut butter: combine it with whole grain bread to
complete the amino acid puzzle. Imagine, all of that without having to "eat mor
chik'n!"
Though it would be nice, encouraging kids to eat nutritionally doesn't happen
through osmosis. It's a process, and as such, we will have detours and rough
spots along the way. But, the key is to try and be as consistent as possible,
and if need be, well . . . a little tricky.