MAKING YOUR CHILDREN EAT HEALTHY

How many times as parents we have been frustrated because our children won’t eat the foods we know to be healthy for them. Simply being informed about a healthy diet for children is not enough. If your child does not want to eat healthy foods, it does them no good at all. So as parents what do we do? Give up and take the path of least resistance? This path is serving so many parents in our homes which we know leads to poor health. Are we doing what’s best for our children or what’s convenient for us? Our children deserve better. But how do we convince them of that and all the more convince ourselves to take the best and not the easy path.

Start from the very beginning. You can give your child a solid foundation with good nutrition by breastfeeding for as long as possible. Breast milk is vital to a baby’s growing body and developing immune system. Let your child decide when it’s time to wean. Begin to give your children a healthy whole foods diet the moment you start them on solids.

When children get older, they learn quickly from their peers, adverts around them that there are foods that are quite different and may seem more appealing than what they are used to getting from mother at home? Or if healthy eating is not the norm to you and your family, your kids may be quite obsessed with junk foods themselves. It’s not a good idea to force healthy foods into your children. Start slowly and gradually substitute with appealing alternatives. Kids need to be able to indulge now and then in sweets or something chatpata, but a “well-nourished” child does not regularly crave sweets or chips. Try not to label a food (or your child) “good” or “bad”. This can create guilt and shame around wanting unhealthy foods, causing cravings and food addictions. A better way may be to call foods such as spinach/ bottle gourd or whole grains “everyday” foods and cake, chips and cookies “sometime” foods. If children are forced to “empty their plate” or are bribed with desert, they may feel that healthy eating is a chore or pressure. Some parents even serve a desert or junk food with the meal so all foods have the same emotional appeal.

Eating should be fun and rewarding in terms of health for our body. It’s our responsibility to provide wholesome, nutritious foods and theirs to decide how much they want to eat. Kids will eat as much as they need. They will not let themselves go hungry. Meals should be relaxing, fun and pleasant. Nagging children to eat what you want them to does not work and is not helpful in any way.

It can be a real challenge to attend kid’s parties or other functions with “treats” consisting of sugar, white flour and hydrogenated oils. You know your child is going to indulge in them right away. I’ve learned not to ban these things entirely because it can create feelings of being deprived and wanting to have it even more. I put limits on it, making sure my daughter knows these are “weekend” foods for special occasions. I also take the necessary steps to boost my daughter’s immune system and include wholesome foods on daily basis.

Vegetables are the foods most likely to be shunned by children. But here again you must understand that it does not always help if you hide veggies in your child’s foods. You are assured that they had their quota of healthy vegetables for the day but your child never got the awareness to be able to make a choice when on her own. Still there are many creative ways to encourage your children to eat and all the more love vegetables. Children need to eat frequently and snacking is important. Avoid nibbling or grazing on filling foods that are not nutrient-rich or filling up on juice or aerated drinks or sweets. Make a snack of creatively appealing fruits or vegetables. Serving them with healthy dips like home made green chutneys or curd can make them more fun. When it’s mealtime, serve vegetables as a first course “appetizer” when kids are the most hungry; then add the rest of the meal after they’ve eaten the vegetables. Experiment with different sauces/ gravies to make them taste better and be more fun. Explore and find a variety of vegetables and, when serving ones your kids have never tried, get excited about them. You can mash or cream vegetables into gravies or soups or parathas/ theplas. Show them how much you love these wonderful foods. Set a great example by eating healthy yourself. I always say if you practice you don’t have to preach!

Get your kids involved with the growing, shopping and cooking of vegetables. Vegetable/ fruit shopping, monthly grocery shopping can be a fun shopping trip. Teach them what vegetables/ fruits/ whole grains/ pulses will do for their body and how important they are. Children are fascinated with and want to learn about their bodies. The more they are taught healthy habits, the better choices they will make. Most importantly, don’t give up too soon.

When you introduce new foods, try serving them at least five different times before giving up. Don’t take the first “no” for a final answer and think they’ll never eat it again.

Remember, you can do all this calmly without nagging or bribing your child and trust them to be responsible when given the freedom to make a healthy choice.

Tell them and they will forget,

Show them and they may remember,

Involve them and they will understand forever.

LACTOSE INTOLERANT- DON'T NEED TO TOTALLY AVOID DAIRY

Lactose intolerance should not be a reason for you not to be able to enjoy dairy. Here are a few tips to be healthy and enjoy dairy too.

1) Know Your Lactose Limit

If you're lactose intolerant, it's still possible to eat foods with lactose -- in moderation. The key is to know your limit. Keep a food diary, write down when, what, and how much you ate, and how it affected you. You should see a pattern emerge and will learn how much or how little lactose you can tolerate. Then, stick to your limit. Every individual has a different reaction to lactose so don’t ape someone else’s diet.

2) Consider Lactose-Free Milk and Other Dairy

For regular milk drinkers, most supermarkets have lactose-free or low-lactose milk in their dairy case or specialty foods sections. You can also find lactose-free cheese, lactose-free yogurt, and other dairy products. It can be difficult to get enough calcium when you are lactose intolerant. Lactose-free milk, however, has the same amount of calcium as traditional milk.

3) Take Control of Your Diet

Rather than struggling to find something on a menu that you can eat, take control by “Tiffining” it. When cooking at home, you can replace milk in recipes with lactose-free milk. Or buy a cookbook that features lactose-free recipes and start experimenting. Many classic recipes can be adapted to fit a lactose-intolerant diet. Control what ingredients go in the meal and you may be surprised at how much you can eat.

4) Consider Lactase Supplements

It's not a cure, but taking lactase enzyme supplements can help you tolerate foods containing lactose. Supplements are found in a variety of forms, including liquid, caplets, and chewable tablets. They may be particularly helpful if you don't know the exact ingredients in your meal. If supplements do not resolve your symptoms, be sure to check with your doctor.

5) Look Out for Hidden Lactose

Lactose is found in most dairy products, except those marked "lactose-free," such as lactose-free milk or cheese. It also can be in prepared foods such as dried mixes, frozen meals, and baked goods. Read food labels carefully, and watch out for ingredients such as "milk solids," "dried milk," and "curd." If you choose to eat these foods, you may need to take a lactase supplement to help prevent symptoms.

6) Ask your Nutritionist or Physician for advice

Learning a new way of eating isn't easy, but you don’t have to do it alone. Ask your doctor to recommend a nutritionist or dietitian to help you manage your diet. She can teach you how to read food labels, share healthy eating tips, determine how much dairy you can tolerate without symptoms, and come up with reduced-lactose or lactose-free alternatives to provide a well-balanced diet.

7) Smaller Portions Cause Fewer Symptoms

Maybe you can't enjoy a big glass of milk with toast, but you can try a smaller serving. Start with a 4-ounce glass instead of a full 8 ounces. Gradually increase the amount of dairy you eat until you begin to notice unpleasant symptoms. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you've reached your limit. If you want to avoid lactose completely, try lactose-free dairy milk or non-dairy beverages, such as soy milk which is an easy alternative available.

8) Enjoy Dairy on the Side

Instead of eating or drinking dairy products by themselves, try having them with food that doesn't contain lactose. For some people, combining dairy with other food may reduce or even eliminate their usual symptoms. So don't just drink a glass of milk in the morning. Pour it over cereal like oats or semolina or have a slice of toast or roti on the side

9) Make Better Cheese Choices

With lactose intolerance, you can still eat cheese, but choose carefully. Hard, aged cheeses like Swiss, parmesan, and cheddars are lower in lactose. Other low-lactose cheese options include cottage cheese (paneer) or Feta cheese made from goat or sheep's milk. Certain types of cheeses -- especially soft or creamy ones like Brie -- are higher in lactose. If you want to avoid dairy completely, try lactose-free and dairy-free cheeses if available.

10) Learn to Love Yogurt

When you eat curd/ yogurt, the bacterial cultures can help break down the lactose. Plus just one cup of plain, low-fat yogurt provides a good amount of calcium. But forget frozen yogurt. It doesn't contain enough live cultures, which means it may cause problems for people who are lactose intolerant. To be safe, you can always choose lactose-free yogurt too.

11) Probiotics for Lactose Intolerance

For some people, probiotics can ease symptoms of lactose intolerance. Probiotics are live microorganisms, usually bacteria that restore the balance of "good" bacteria in your digestive system. They can be found in foods like yogurt/ buttermilk or kefir -- probiotic-rich milk and fermented foods -- as well as dietary supplements. Check with your doctor to see if probiotics might help you.

12) Eating Out When Lactose Intolerant

It's possible to eat out following a lactose-free diet. Ask your server if there's a guide for the menu that shows you which foods contain milk. Or let your host know which foods you're avoiding. Take a lactase supplement in case dairy ingredients slip in. Eat simply. For example, skip cream sauces, sour cream, white sauces or baked dishes made with milk based white sauce or milk based bakery products.

13) Low-Lactose Home Cooking

Cooking low-lactose requires a change of thinking. The simpler you cook the better. Use herbs and seasonings to flavor meat, fish, and vegetables. Stick to fresh ingredients and use fewer prepared/ packaged foods. Experiment with chicken stock or lactose-free milks/ soya milk to make sauces or sweet dishes like kheer or milk shakes. Use hung curds in salads or as dressing. Use low-lactose cheeses or paneer for baked dishes. Cuisines like ours (Indian) don't rely very much on dairy products so having “ghar Ka Khana” is always the best option.

14) Avoiding Dairy Will Not Make You Calcium Deficient

A very low intake of dairy does not mean you have no other foods providing you with Calcium. Try incorporating foods like nuts, dry fruits, leafy vegetables, whole cereals, pulses and soya milk/ tofu to ensure you are not insufficient in Calcium levels.

15) Learn to Listen to Your Body’s Signals

As you experiment with eating dairy products, you'll figure out how much your digestive system can tolerate. Listen to your body and choose accordingly. Want a bowl of kheer? Remember how you felt the last time you ate one. Were you bloated, uncomfortable, or getting cramps? If so, take a lactase supplement or have a low-lactose alternative instead.