Every parent wants their child to grow up to be healthy and happy. To become a healthy adult it's important to invest in a child's health while they are young. Chiropractic care for children aims to assist children to develop into adults who have healthy bodies that are free of disease. There is nothing more important to growing bodies than eating the correct foods.

Nutrition and children

What goes into a child's body not only has a profound effect on their health and happiness as children but also lays the foundation to their future health as adults. Childhood obesity has become an issue for an increasing number of children. This in turn has lead to a growth in the number of 'diets' for children. Any restriction of food intake for children needs to be managed carefully to ensure they are not missing out on the nutrients they need for their bodies to grow and develop.

Eating foods with the correct nutrients is vital to assist children grow healthy bodies. Healthy food assists children feel good physically and emotionally. It also gives their bodies the best chance at fighting and preventing disease. Unfortunately, many of the foods offered to children are the very foods that may actually
weaken their bodies. Most of the fast foods available, which are being consumed in increasing amounts, do not contain the nutrients children (or adults) need.

What should children eat?

What foods do children need to protect and build their health so they can get the most from their childhood and become healthy adults? Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is always the best way to start. They contain all the things the body needs such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fibre.

These things neutralize the free radicals that contribute to many of the rampant illnesses and disease so prevalent today, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and the list goes on. A good approach to ensure a child eats the right mix of foods and gains the nutrients they need is to follow the Food Guide Pyramid. The Food Guide Pyramid gives a general guide to how much of certain foods should be consumed. Each group of foods in the pyramid contains different nutrients required by the body.

Foods at the bottom of the pyramid should be consumed in the greatest quantity. Those foods at the top should only be consumed in small amounts. If you are unsure about the nutritional needs of your child or how to structure their food intake to get the right nutrients you should speak to your chiropractor who can help you, or put you in touch with a qualified nutritionalist. By ensuring your child is gaining the correct nutrients through a balanced diet and regular chiropractic checkups you are investing in your child's health today. You will see the payoff for it as they get older.

Fact

It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that your body is getting food. When your brain gets this message, you stop feeling hungry. So get fast eaters to slow down to give their brains a chance to get
the message. Source: American Dietetics association: Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids. www.wellpoint.com/healthy_parenting/mealtimetips.html

Like most parents I know that fruit and vegetables are an important part of a child's diet and too much take
away food really isn't good for me or my children. That's all great, but now that my children have started making choices about what food they want to eat it can be diffi cult to infl uence them to choose healthy foods.

I've found that keeping foods high in sugar and fat right out of the house stops any urge to snack on these things (both for me and the children). In doing this it is important to have healthy snack food as a replacement, such as fruit, crackers and vegetables, prepared in an appetising manner.

I find that take-away food can't always be avoided but I try and limit the amount and type we eat. Also, not upsizing to a bigger meal size just because it is good value can significantly reduce the fat and sugar intake.

As always one of the biggest influences on children is being a good role model. If children see you making good food choices, and enjoying it, they are likely to want to have your portion to!