Madeleine Memmolo Nutrition
Nutrition by Madeleine Memmolo
— The link between sex hormones and stress hormones is complex and often misunderstood. Getting to the bottom of hormone-related issues can be tricky but understanding the relationship between sex and stress hormones is an important first step. There is no doubt that most people …
What is it? Fibre is in the category of complex carbohydrates, but what makes fibre different is that it is not digestible. An INCREDIBLE food source, fibre is only available through plants including vegetables, fruit, grains and legumes. There are 2 main types of fibre …
So here we are, you have had a long busy day, and now all you want is to have your kids eat their nutritious dinner, filled with veggies.
An incredibly hard job it proves to be, and without the bribe of ‘no dessert’ or ‘no tv’, it proves to be impossible. (Try not to place a punishment for not eating nutritiously; it should be more of a happy place to eat vegetables and not a chore.)
If you are wondering why your kids even need veggies, take a look at my previous post.
Here’s the thing, the constant snacks they are having after school, fill them up too much. Now, there is little chance for them to have any sort of appetite to eat the less appealing veggies on the plate.
They come home from school to snacks of shapes, biscuits, chips and chocolate bars, LADEN with sugar. By the time dinner comes around they are moody and have a strong found stubbornness that they will not eat the veggies whether you like it or not.
By feeding the kids all afternoon, it is actually setting them up to make YOUR job a whole lot harder. Obviously it is completely ok to feed your kids after school, as they are probably starving. However it is key not to let them eat the house down, so eating a snack with protein and fat, will help tie them over till dinner. Also drinking plenty of water is essential, so they will definitely know if they are hungry or just dehydrated.
Dinner will be a whole lot easier when they are hungry and will eat anything that is on their plate.
Taste buds are a funny thing they can be changed constantly as to your dietary intake. So with these kids constantly eating sweet, high sugar foods, their preference is obviously going towards the sweeter foods. When veggies show up on the plate, there is nothing less appetising to these sugar addicted children than bland old veggies.
BUT! In fact it is not the veggies that are bland, it is their taste buds that are constantly given these sugar and salt filled snacks and foods that leave them feeling unsatisfied with any good quality vegetables. You have the power while they are still young, to switch their taste buds and their brains to eat, or even dare I say ENJOY the veggies and nutrient rich foods.
It’s time to get them excited about veggies, go SHOPPING and introduce different veggies. Especially incorporating them in snacks and meals, specifically at breakfast time. This will set them up for a great start to the day, making them also see the importance of them to feel good during the day.
Get creative with vegetables , by cooking and preparing them differently, this gets the kids a) not knowing when they are hidden vegetables in the meal and b) curious to see how this NEW FUN food will taste. Get them helping in the kitchen is critical to get kids interested in food. This will in turn help them get used to different veggies and make them want to eat what they cook. (It may also be a way of helping you in the kitchen too!)
Another idea is to incorporate more BITTER foods into their diet (or earthy tasting). Increasing these bitter foods in people’s diets has been proven to deter them from sugar cravings.
Lastly, don’t be disheartened if they are not happy with the changes or don’t eat every veggie in the day. KEEP AT IT and eventually they will start to eat more and more. Take small steps and make sure you encourage and praise them when they have taken any initiative to eat a vegetable. And lastly, lastly explain why they are so critical to help them grow up and be super strong.
Most of all BE A GOOD EXAMPLE!
Do you struggle to fit breakfast into your hectic morning schedule? Or do you not feel like eating it, and see it as a chore? Let me tell you that taking 15 minutes to eat breakfast is not going to hurt and will in …
Carbs! Such a scary word for so many people. Tell me, how many of you have wanted to lose a little bit of weight or ‘tone up’ and have cut so-called ‘carbs’ out of their diet? I know I have. It makes me so sad …
It pains me to say this, but most parents think they are giving their kids healthy snacks in their lunchbox. Though, in all honesty, the ingredients list in most of these products are filled with a gazillion types of different sugars, additives and preservatives, decreasing your kid’s chances of being the best they can be. However, this is no fault of your own, it’s the clever sales techniques of so many major brands.
* The Australian Health Survey in 2011-2012, stated that the population of Australia were eating on average 14 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR A DAY, more than DOUBLE the recommended 6 teaspoons a day.
Insulin is a sensitive hormone. It is released when we have eaten, to help use the glucose, by moving it around the body where energy is needed.
BUT when eating tonnes of packaged foods a day, our insulin becomes out of balance and therefore cannot control the blood sugar levels, causing insulin sensitivity and may further develop into insulin resistance. This is not an issue to be taken lightly, as it may eventually lead to Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).
* From 2002-03 till the 2011-2012 AIHW Survey, there have been 150 new cases each year, within the age group of 10-19 year olds, that have been diagnosed with T2D. *
This group of the population should not be developing these lifestyle related diseases so early in life.
Going through some common lunchbox snacks, you can find the not so healthy ingredients:
The good old muesli bars… What could be so wrong with some oats, fruit pieces, seeds and wholegrains, since they are all part of a healthy diet, right?
Its those sneaky little additives and sugars that are piled into these to make it taste artificially sweet and keep it on the shelves for an unrealistic amount of time.
In many of the popular brands, the ingredients I found were pretty concerning, and here we are putting them in our kids little bodies every day.
Yoghurt
4. Juice Poppers
TRY INSTEAD
https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/insulin
http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129546359
Have any other ideas for a healthy lunchbox? Share them below in the comments.
