These are some of the best foods in the
world for kids to eat regularly and they are certainly foods worth persisting
with if your child initially does not take to them.I have chosen food that kids to tend to enjoy. It can take up to 15 or more tastes before a child's taste buds may accept a new food, so don't give up the first dozen of so attempts. Gently encourage them to keep trying.
1)Apples: An apple a day keeps the doctor
away!Apples are low GI lasting around
an hour, (a banana is only about 20mins, great for sports though), and they are high in fiber and are
yummy eaten with a slice of parmesan cheese and walnuts.
2)Blueberries:Very high in antioxidants and known for it’s ‘memory power’. My kids eat
them frozen from the freezer.Add them
to oat or buckwheat pancakes, use blueberry jam, make blueberry pies, or add
them to agar jelly (recipe coming soon).
3)Butter:Controversial? Not in my research! Butter is high in CLA, lauric acid, vitamin A and vitamin D.Vitamin A is essential for the absorption of
other nutrients in the body, and westerners are very deficient in it.It is a nourishing crime to give your child margarine
over butter!For all the health,
benefits visit www.westonaprice.org
and search for butter. The benefits are
too many to state here – many children crave it.Its fat profile is very close to ‘mother’s milk’, which may explain why
my baby eats it like cheese!
We melt butter and add it to freshly air popped popcorn!If your child has an allergy to butter, then
learn how to make ghee.Ghee is
clarified butter, a process where you boil out the milk solids like lactose
that cause reactions. (Email me for the recipe)
4)Nuts & Seeds (including nut butters): Better than fruit roll ups, high in beneficial fats that keep the body feeling full and the brain switched on. TryWalnuts, they look like little brains,and that is exactly what they are good
for.They are high in omega 3 fatty acids;
they are fantastic for memory and learning. My biggest hint for nuts is to soak them first and then dehydrate them in a fan oven at the lowest setting (under 40 degrees for up to 24 hours. Soaking breaks down anti-nutrients liek Phytic Acid, and if you leave them for a day to sprout, they'll be a lot more nutritious - and more TASTY. Children prefer almonds done this way.
5)Dark good quality chocolate:A small amount a few times a week is highly
beneficial.They younger you start them
the better.I am not talking milk
chocolate you buy at the dairy; I mean proper dark chocolate that is 70%
cocoa with no milk solids.Proper
chocolate in dairy free and my choice is Rapunzel brand made with Rapadura
Sugar.Rapadura sugar is made from
organic sugar cane juice that has been dehydrated, it still contains all the
‘good stuff’ sugar in its whole state has to offer like the molasses, which is
full of nutrients and best of all, it’s not bad for teeth.
If your child doesn’t like dark chocolate (because they’re used of milky sweet
junk food), introduce it a few times and give them no other option.Eventually they’ll learn to love it!
6)Eggs: Eggs are a fabulous source of protein for growing kids and make an easy inexpensive lunchbox idea. They are also packed with choline, which helps memory development. Give them poached eggs for breakfast, add raw (from a safe source) to a breakfast smoothie, and offer hard boiled eggs in their lunch box.
7)Oats – good old-fashioned oats. Oats are the best
breakfast for kids and the most economical too.Soak them overnight in water though so they are ready to cook in the
morning.Soaking breaks down phytic acid
which inhibits nutrient absorption.See
our website for the ‘Lively Oat’ recipe.You can also add quick cook oats to pancakes, whiz then into flour and
use in muffins or make cookies and muesli bard from them.They have a very low GI and will keep you
child going until morning tea.Most
common cereals last only 20-30 mins, just long enough to get on the school bus!
8)Broccoli Trees – the number one vegetable! high in calcium, potassium, beta-carotene and B vitamins. Brocolli also contains a natural raw source of usable protein!
9)Fresh Juices:One essential kitchen item is an OSCAR juicer.My girls love making fresh juice.Start them with a carrot and apple mix and
sneak in super greens like kale, parsley, lettuce, celery, small cube of
beetroot, spinach etc.It’s a fantastic
way to get living enzymes into fussy kids!
10)Hummus:Homemade hummus, teach you kids to make it themselves.Loaded with low GI carbohydrate and fiber,
and protein; it makes a fantastic addition to any lunchbox along with carrot
sticks and crackers.Kids love it when
you add mashed left over pumpkin to it.You can make it in advance and freeze it or it will keep in the fridge
for a week or two.It is a fantastic way
of lowering the GI of a meal that includes cracker, breads etc. Try traditional hummus using chickpeas or replace the chickpeas with 1 cup of fresh raw cashews that have been soaked overnight and made the same way. Cashews are known as a natural anti-depressent and great for stressful times at school.
Essential supplements:Nordic’s DHA Junior or Lemon Cod Liver Oil,
Usanables chewable multi vitamins for kids under ten or BodyRox for kids over
ten.Zinc in winter. High dose chamomile
capsules for kids who don’t sleep well or suffer with anxiety (speak with your natural health pratitioner).Chamomile tea before bed works well also!
For great lunch box ideas and to learn more about kids nutrition, join one of our lunch box courses! Email me for details.
