Can looking after your kid’s health seem complicated? We understand and are here to simplify it for you. Here are 7 simple things that you can gradually add into your routine to support your little monkey’s health from head to tail!
1. Champion breakfast
1. Champion breakfast
We’ve all heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and for school-age kids it’s vital. A high fibre and protein-packed breakfast powers up the brain and provides constant energy throughout the day. High-sugar breakfast foods, on the other hand, are a recipe for attention dips and less-than-best behaviour.
Growing bodies need fuel in the form of protein. Protein fuels muscle growth and brain development. A good breakfast following a good night’s sleep will give your kids the energy and improved concentration they need to make it through the school day. Adding some protein or collagen powder into a breakfast smoothie (along with some veggies!) is a great start to the day. Also nut butters with fruit and/or vegetable sticks, or eggs on wholegrain toast are other good options.
Keep the protein levels up for snacks as well! Little and often is best for kids – so hummus sticks and veggies, or a hard-boiled egg are a great afternoon snack after school.
2. Building strong, healthy bones
2. Building strong, healthy bones
Did you know that childhood through to the late teenage years is the optimal time in life for laying down calcium stores to build strong bones? This is the time of greatest bone building to reach peak bone density. This means to have the best chance of strong bones for life, we need to prioritise bone-building before age 20.
Of course, calcium-rich foods are important – and not just dairy! Think also leafy greens, nuts like almonds & seeds such as sesame and chia, tinned fish with bones, rhubarb and figs, blackstrap molasses and spirulina – all-important for you kid’s health!
But it’s not all about calcium! Vitamin D is actually an essential nutrient for bones, helping the body properly absorb and utilize calcium for bone health. Many kids are vitamin D deficient despite spending time in the sun so topping up their daily supply of this essential vitamin is a sure-fire way to protect their future bone health.
3. Brain Food
3. Brain Food
Need help nurturing a little Einstein? Although we learn and develop throughout life, our brains are at their most ‘plastic’ or capable of change and learning new things when we’re young. In fact, by age three, a child’s brain has a staggering 15,000 synapses, or neural connections, per neuron – twice as many as your average adult!
Keep those cognitive fires burning bright in your youngster by providing them with the right brain food. Oxygen is an essential brain nutrient. Getting the kids outside using their senses and off overstimulating electronic devices is a good start. Omega 3 fatty acids are also vital for growing brains, such as found in oily fish and flaxseed (slip it into the morning smoothie!). If your kids aren’t fans, supplementing is an easy alternative. Add in B vitamins including choline, plus zinc, iron and iodine and you’ve got great brain-food nutrition.
4. Good gut health = strong immunity AND healthy brains!
4. Good gut health = strong immunity AND healthy brains!
Your little one’s healthy body depends on good gut health. It’s the secret to immune strength AND better brain development. A healthy immune system needs the right balance of helpful gut bacteria to counteract the unfriendly bugs we encounter daily. In fact, your kid’s digestive bacteria called their ‘microbiome’, is as unique as their fingerprints!
These little passengers in our kid’s digestive tracts also support their brain development and mood. That’s because our gut bugs can actually make some of the brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) responsible for our moods.
Anything that compromises the protective barrier of our gut (our intestinal lining) also has the ability to compromise the protective barrier of our brains (the blood-brain barrier). So watch out for inflammatory gut/brain nasties like processed & refined oils, artificial additives in foods, as well as hidden food intolerances.
Encourage good gut health (a balanced microbiome and healthy gut lining) in your kids by:
- Ensuring they get plenty of sleep (see below)
- Eating lots of fruit, veg and healthy fibre
- Making friends with dirt! Get them gardening or playing outside
- Try making a switch to organic where possible – even if it’s just a couple of things in your shop
- Adding in fermented foods and greater food variety into their daily diet.
5. Sleep, Glorious Sleep!
5. Sleep, Glorious Sleep!
Hands up if you have a little scallywag that refuses to go to bed on time?! Or perhaps your precious munchkins routinely wake up at the crack of dawn? There can be many reasons why your child is just too restless to rest. But establishing a good sleep schedule for them is so important for your kid’s health, growth and development. When kids don’t get enough sleep they are not only tired and cranky but also more accident-prone and less able to concentrate.
Set up a regular sleep schedule of the same bedtime and get-up time each day. School-age kids need on average 9-12 hours’ sleep a night. You can support this with a regular calming bedtime regime – reading bedtime stories or listening to guided meditations for kids. Making sure they get enough protein, magnesium and B vitamins is essential to help them make melatonin – the sleep hormone. And don’t forget to make sure the LED-lit devices are kept out of reach for at least 1-2 hours before bed! These white-light sources prevent melatonin production and lead to ongoing sleep issues.
6. Help for For Fussy Eaters
6. Help for For Fussy Eaters
Feeding fussy or picky eaters can sometimes feel like a battle of wills for mums and dads. But it’s important to take the stress away at mealtimes to ensure a healthy approach to eating and food for the future. It can be a relief to know that it’s perfectly normal for a child to initially refuse a new food. In fact, it takes over 30 exposures to a new food before it will be accepted and adopted by most kids.
The trick? Be patient and start them early! Expose your kids when they are young to new and varied foods from the very beginning to expand their palates. Don’t allow them to fill up on drinks or liquid calories that will make them feel fuller faster. Involve your kids in the food growing, gathering, shopping and making processes to pique their interest. And allow them some freedom of choice from the healthy selection you have on offer. Most importantly, being patient and persistent and not forcing food on your kids will also help make mealtimes a breeze.
7. Stress affects kids too
7. Stress affects kids too
Childhood may be considered a carefree period of life but that doesn’t mean your kids won’t be affected by stress. The problems may seem smaller in scale, but to a child, those pressures, worries or fears can be just as consuming.
Anxiety in adulthood often arises from stress and anxiety starting in childhood. Some kids are just wired a little more sensitively than others. If you notice your child’s behaviour changing, or they are becoming more reserved or acting out – it may be an undisclosed worry at the heart. Keep lines of communications open so that your child feels safe to confide their fears. Don’t minimize, but help them to problem-solve by breaking a problem down into manageable chunks with steps to solve each part of the problem.
Kids who learn resilience techniques when they are young are better prepared to face the stressors of adulthood. Teaching relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or kid-focused meditation techniques will also help worry-prone kids develop coping skills.
Had you considered this aspect of kid’s health before?
We hope you found these 7 tips for your kid’s health useful. Don’t go anywhere if you need more information, our website has heaps of resources on your family’s health, just take a look below!