When it comes to your health, it’s really your decision because ultimately you choose how you are going to live your life. You will decide for the rest of your life how you are going to fuel your body. Kids need fuel too and I can not stress the importance of teaching your children to eat right to help them grow. You don't want children “running on empty.” Children require “good fuel” (nutrients) for their growing bodies and they are harmed by “bad fuel” (highly processed empty calories).
Research shows children who have a healthy diet have better attention spans, academic success, athletic success and self-esteem than children who don't. They miss less school, see the doctor less, and take fewer over the counter and prescription drugs.
I have stressed before the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, Food is fuel and the plant kingdom is the only type of food that gives you the energy you need to sustain a long, healthy life. The sun, soil and water give plants their energy. When we eat plants, we get the energy we need to run, swim, play ball and think. Empty calories like chips, sodas, hamburgers, cookies, etc, may fill you up, but they won’t give you the protection you need to fight off disease and give you the energy you need to live a long, healthy life. Plant foods give your body the ability to fight off disease. No other part of the food pyramid or Del Taco or McDonald’s can do that.
Scientists and doctors have shown that 70% of disease is directly related to what we eat and drink. We are seeing an epidemic of disease in children and teens. We are seeing diseases that we used to see in only adults. Diseases like pediatric cancer, pediatric diabetes, pediatric arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. We are also seeing more and more children being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Western Medicine’s solution to this problem is drugs. Many doctors don’t even look at nutrition as playing a role in a child’s behavior patterns or brain activity because they haven’t been taught about nutrition.
I would like to share some startling quotes and statistics with you, that are sad but true..
Dr. David Katz: “This generation of kids growing up today will be the first generation to have a shorter life span than their parents.”
Dr. William Sears: “We are eating factory processed nutrition which is genetically unknown food to our bodies
Dr. Lydia Hazan: “Childhood obesity is already the leading cause of sustained high blood pressure in children.”
Dr. David Katz: “Children today will experience more chronic degenerative disease as a result of their poor eating habits than from cigarettes, alcohol and drugs combined.”
Ode Magazine: “Scientists suspect that many children with ADHD actually are displaying allergic reactions to one of many possible food products or chemicals.”
1 out of 2 children will develop heart disease. Bogalusa Heart Study
Cancer kills more children than any other disease. Gale encyclopedia of Children & adolescents, 1998
1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes
Children at the age of 3 have fatty deposits in their arteries. Bogalusa Heart Study
By age 12, 70% of all American children have developed beginning stages of hardening of the arteries.
Less than 7% of children and adolescents consume the recommended 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables per day. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine 1996.
The complex carbohydrates found in vegetables, grains, and fruits are good for you; the simple sugars found in sodas, candies, frostings, and packaged treats can do harm. It’s as simple as that. Here’s why:
Sugar depresses immunity (Studies have shown that downing 75 to 100 grams of simple sugar solution can suppress the body’s immune responses, the amount in two 12 ounce sodas.)
Sugar sours behavior, attention, and learning (many children and adults are sugar sensitive, meaning their behavior, attention span, and learning ability deteriorate in proportion to the amount of junk sugar they consume.)
Sugar promotes sugar highs. (Research shows adrenaline levels in children remained ten times higher than normal for up to five hours after a test dose of sugar)
Sugar promotes cravings (A high-sugar meal raises the blood-glucose level, which triggers the outpouring of insulin, excess insulin lingers in the system, triggering a craving for more sugar)
Sugar promotes heart disease (People who eat too much sugar tend to have higher blood triglycerides, and this increases the risk of cardiovascular disease)
So what can you as parents, teachers, counselors and mentors do to help with this crisis?
I want to help you with some great starting points for you and your family and the rest is up to you!
Encourage your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.
a Have fruit washed and easily available. Cut up veggies and have them ready to eat.
a Use fruit for a sweet snack.
a Send fruits and vegetables as a snack in packed lunches.
a Serve fruit and vegetables as a snack at home.
a Serve salads first at dinnertime, when kids most hungry.
a Try new fruits and vegetables – don’t assume your kids won’t like them.
(Sometimes a child needs to be exposed to a new food 14 times before they’ll eat it.)
a Give your kids concentrated fruit and vegetable snack foods. (Juice Plus+ Gummies and Chewables.)
Why are raw fruits and vegetables so important.
a Raw fruits and vegetables are the building blocks for healthy bodies. You are what you eat!
a All people, including children, manufacture free radicals as a by-product of metabolism. These free radicals cause destruction and aging of cells and body, including cancer. The more active a child is the more free radicals are created! The antioxidants in raw fruits and vegetables neutralize free radicals.
a The fiber in raw plant foods can lower cholesterol, scrub the intestinal walls, reduce the risk of diabetes by slowing carbohydrate absorption and reduce the risk of many types of cancer. Phytochemicals found in raw fruits and veggies fight disease and reduce the risk of many diseases..
a Did you know that there are over 10,000 phytochemicals in a single tomato?
a Minerals in plant food, like calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium are all vital for proper body function and healthy cell regeneration.
Sandwich Ideas
Refried beans with red bell pepper slices & salsa in a tortilla wrap Hummus, shredded carrots and celery inside a tortilla
Hummus on whole wheat bread. Hummus or avocado instead of
Nut butters(organic peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter) mayo
Nut butters and 100% fruit jam or jelly or honey Hummus with tomatoes, cucumber
Nut butter and strawberry, apple or banana slices Hummus with sliced grapes
Nut butter and grated carrots Hummus with grated carrot
Nut butter sandwiches on small crackers Leftover pasta or grain dishes in a wrap
Nut butter 100% fruit jam or jelly on a whole grain bagel Tofu egg salad in pita pocket with
Nut butter with sliced bananas rolled up inside a tortilla lettuce or alfalfa sprouts
Hummus with sliced & sautéed mushrooms Egg salad on whole wheat bread
Snacks and Sides Ideas
Fresh fruit with dip Broccoli dip
Fruit salad Baked chips
Fruit cups Banana
Dried fruit Raisins
Fruit Leather (read ingredients) Raw nuts
100% Applesauce Dry cereal
Apple, carrots, celery slices w/ nut butter to dip Plain yogurt with fruit, nuts, granola, raisins, dried cranberries
Carrots, celery & pita bread triangles w/Hummus for dipping Granola bars, check ingredients
Research shows children who have a healthy diet have better attention spans, academic success, athletic success and self-esteem than children who don't. They miss less school, see the doctor less, and take fewer over the counter and prescription drugs.
I have stressed before the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, Food is fuel and the plant kingdom is the only type of food that gives you the energy you need to sustain a long, healthy life. The sun, soil and water give plants their energy. When we eat plants, we get the energy we need to run, swim, play ball and think. Empty calories like chips, sodas, hamburgers, cookies, etc, may fill you up, but they won’t give you the protection you need to fight off disease and give you the energy you need to live a long, healthy life. Plant foods give your body the ability to fight off disease. No other part of the food pyramid or Del Taco or McDonald’s can do that.
Scientists and doctors have shown that 70% of disease is directly related to what we eat and drink. We are seeing an epidemic of disease in children and teens. We are seeing diseases that we used to see in only adults. Diseases like pediatric cancer, pediatric diabetes, pediatric arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. We are also seeing more and more children being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Western Medicine’s solution to this problem is drugs. Many doctors don’t even look at nutrition as playing a role in a child’s behavior patterns or brain activity because they haven’t been taught about nutrition.
I would like to share some startling quotes and statistics with you, that are sad but true..
Dr. David Katz: “This generation of kids growing up today will be the first generation to have a shorter life span than their parents.”
Dr. William Sears: “We are eating factory processed nutrition which is genetically unknown food to our bodies
Dr. Lydia Hazan: “Childhood obesity is already the leading cause of sustained high blood pressure in children.”
Dr. David Katz: “Children today will experience more chronic degenerative disease as a result of their poor eating habits than from cigarettes, alcohol and drugs combined.”
Ode Magazine: “Scientists suspect that many children with ADHD actually are displaying allergic reactions to one of many possible food products or chemicals.”
1 out of 2 children will develop heart disease. Bogalusa Heart Study
Cancer kills more children than any other disease. Gale encyclopedia of Children & adolescents, 1998
1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes
Children at the age of 3 have fatty deposits in their arteries. Bogalusa Heart Study
By age 12, 70% of all American children have developed beginning stages of hardening of the arteries.
Less than 7% of children and adolescents consume the recommended 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables per day. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine 1996.
The complex carbohydrates found in vegetables, grains, and fruits are good for you; the simple sugars found in sodas, candies, frostings, and packaged treats can do harm. It’s as simple as that. Here’s why:
Sugar depresses immunity (Studies have shown that downing 75 to 100 grams of simple sugar solution can suppress the body’s immune responses, the amount in two 12 ounce sodas.)
Sugar sours behavior, attention, and learning (many children and adults are sugar sensitive, meaning their behavior, attention span, and learning ability deteriorate in proportion to the amount of junk sugar they consume.)
Sugar promotes sugar highs. (Research shows adrenaline levels in children remained ten times higher than normal for up to five hours after a test dose of sugar)
Sugar promotes cravings (A high-sugar meal raises the blood-glucose level, which triggers the outpouring of insulin, excess insulin lingers in the system, triggering a craving for more sugar)
Sugar promotes heart disease (People who eat too much sugar tend to have higher blood triglycerides, and this increases the risk of cardiovascular disease)
So what can you as parents, teachers, counselors and mentors do to help with this crisis?
I want to help you with some great starting points for you and your family and the rest is up to you!
Encourage your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.
a Have fruit washed and easily available. Cut up veggies and have them ready to eat.
a Use fruit for a sweet snack.
a Send fruits and vegetables as a snack in packed lunches.
a Serve fruit and vegetables as a snack at home.
a Serve salads first at dinnertime, when kids most hungry.
a Try new fruits and vegetables – don’t assume your kids won’t like them.
(Sometimes a child needs to be exposed to a new food 14 times before they’ll eat it.)
a Give your kids concentrated fruit and vegetable snack foods. (Juice Plus+ Gummies and Chewables.)
Why are raw fruits and vegetables so important.
a Raw fruits and vegetables are the building blocks for healthy bodies. You are what you eat!
a All people, including children, manufacture free radicals as a by-product of metabolism. These free radicals cause destruction and aging of cells and body, including cancer. The more active a child is the more free radicals are created! The antioxidants in raw fruits and vegetables neutralize free radicals.
a The fiber in raw plant foods can lower cholesterol, scrub the intestinal walls, reduce the risk of diabetes by slowing carbohydrate absorption and reduce the risk of many types of cancer. Phytochemicals found in raw fruits and veggies fight disease and reduce the risk of many diseases..
a Did you know that there are over 10,000 phytochemicals in a single tomato?
a Minerals in plant food, like calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium are all vital for proper body function and healthy cell regeneration.
Sandwich Ideas
Refried beans with red bell pepper slices & salsa in a tortilla wrap Hummus, shredded carrots and celery inside a tortilla
Hummus on whole wheat bread. Hummus or avocado instead of
Nut butters(organic peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter) mayo
Nut butters and 100% fruit jam or jelly or honey Hummus with tomatoes, cucumber
Nut butter and strawberry, apple or banana slices Hummus with sliced grapes
Nut butter and grated carrots Hummus with grated carrot
Nut butter sandwiches on small crackers Leftover pasta or grain dishes in a wrap
Nut butter 100% fruit jam or jelly on a whole grain bagel Tofu egg salad in pita pocket with
Nut butter with sliced bananas rolled up inside a tortilla lettuce or alfalfa sprouts
Hummus with sliced & sautéed mushrooms Egg salad on whole wheat bread
Snacks and Sides Ideas
Fresh fruit with dip Broccoli dip
Fruit salad Baked chips
Fruit cups Banana
Dried fruit Raisins
Fruit Leather (read ingredients) Raw nuts
100% Applesauce Dry cereal
Apple, carrots, celery slices w/ nut butter to dip Plain yogurt with fruit, nuts, granola, raisins, dried cranberries
Carrots, celery & pita bread triangles w/Hummus for dipping Granola bars, check ingredients