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Saturday, 28 June 2008 22:00 |
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Reshape The Family Diet -- Avoid Dinnertime Trouble
by Cyndi Thomas, ND
When I announced that my family needed to change its diet
somewhat... well, to say my children weren"t as excited as me
would be an understatement.
More than once they cried: What? Salad again! When are we going
to have some real food?
My understanding reply was usually, "This is dinner...eat it or
starve." After all, I had taken it upon myself to get my family
in the best possible health -- NO MATTER WHAT!
I had decided no more junk food. We were going to sprout alfalfa
and have produce delivered by truck once a week. We were going
to have meals made up of just fruits and vegetables. We were
going to drink juice made from... gulp, barley grass and
carrots. My kids were going to be thrilled with the change!
So I sat them down -- all seven of them -- and gave a brilliant
lecture on the importance of good nutrition. I even had charts
and graphs. I knew that once they understood, the change
wouldn"t be a problem at all. After all, I had intelligent kids.
They would understand. Right? Wrong!
C"mon mom... do you really mean no more hot dogs, hamburgers,
ice cream, brownies, potato chips and soda pop. You don"t expect
me to give up soda pop -- DO YOU?
I no longer recommend anyone do what I did. My path to healthy
living was paved with good intentions. But my family suffered
the potholes that accompanied my attempt to overhaul their
eating habits overnight.
You won"t have to endure as much agony. I"ve compiled a few
guidelines to make such a transition easier for the caring
mother (or father) wanting what"s best for her or his family: 1.
Do not say anything to the family about what is to transpire.
(The exception here is if the family already has an excellent,
above-average level of communication and they would rather have
apples instead of Ding-Dongs for dessert!) So like I said,
"Don"t say anything."
2. Without comment -- and over a period of months -- the meals
should gradually become more nutritious.
3. To complement to the regular meat main course, you serve
lightly steamed vegetables and a tossed green salad. Less
high-fat dairy products, fried foods, pre-prepared foods and
canned foods appear on the table.
4. Make a deal with the kids: We eat like I say five days a
week... twice weekly, you can pick the menu. Most kids would be
agreeable to that. Mine were. Of course, it took me a month to
realize the importance of letting them choose occasionally.
(It was during that month that my then 16-year-old son came home
one night with two large pepperoni pizzas. He walked in with a
smile and a grin-delivered greeting: "Gee mom, you work so hard.
I thought I"d take care of dinner tonight!" With his minimum
wage salary from sacking groceries, takeout pizza was something
he couldn"t afford very often.) The transition is much smoother
when mom AND Dad agree on the diet change. Still the rule is the
less fanfare, the better. Slowly introduce more nutritious menus
and set a good example of eating and enjoying. Make positive
comments about how good the vegetables taste -- and how good
they are for the body.
If questions are raised as to why the menus are different, be
honest and direct: "We"ve been reading (or the doctor told us --
or Bob and Mary have been telling us) that junk food makes our
bodies sick."
Follow with statements on how much better you have been feeling
since eating "right" and comment on any noticed changes in the
children"s health or behavior. For example: "Johnny, you sure
have been easier to get out of bed in the mornings since we"ve
changed our diet."
Don"t neglect an opportunity to point out to the children when a
slip away from healthful eating produces direct negative
physical discomfort. Whether it"s affecting you ("Boy, that ice
cream sure gave me a headache!") or them ("Johnny, see how you
are acting since you"ve eaten that piece of cake?"
Keep the "wrong" food out of the house. That way your kids won"t
be tempted into eating something they shouldn"t. If you must go
to the store to get something, you will often think twice about
whether it"s needed -- OR NOT.
Children learn by example. A household that manages food
properly will help children adopt healthy eating habits.
Here are a few quick additional tips:
• Praise your child"s efforts to make better dietary choices. •
Stock the pantry with healthy foods. • Provide balanced meals at
regular times. • Keep snacks healthy (raw fruits, veggies, etc.)
• Lead by example. You MUST also eat healthy. • Reward good
behavior with nonfood items, such as CDs and clothes.
Changing a lifestyle doesn"t have to be complicated. Slow and
steady always wins the race.
My pop drinker rarely indulges anymore. My sugar addict gets a
headache when she indulges. My younger ones can"t eat off the
children"s menu at restaurants -- they don"t offer salads on the
kid"s menu!
And, my husband totally avoids dairy to keep his allergies from
becoming a problem.
Are we perfect? Of course not. But we now spend more time eating
the right things as opposed to the wrong. And it does get easier
with time.
I know your family is worth the effort. And someday they will
realize how right you were and maybe even thank you for it!
Medical Disclaimer: The School of Natural Health has provided
this material for informational purposes only. We do not
prescribe and we do not diagnose. If you use the information
outlined in this website (book, survey form, newsletter,
supplements) without the approval of a health professional, you
prescribe for yourself, which remains your constitutional right,
but neither the author(s), nor the School of Natural Health
assume any responsibility. Please check with a trusted medical
doctor before making any sudden and new dietary changes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cyndi is a Naturopath (N.D. from the College of Natural Health)
and is a member of the American Association of Certified
Consultants. Cyndi has overcome numerous physical problems
through the principles of Naturopathy. She has been published in
ezines and magazines, is the author of "Vibrant Health - It Can
Be Yours" and is the editor of the online newsletter, BNHealth.
Cyndi lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Paul and their seven
children, whom she home schools. You can visit her site at:
http://www.schoolofhealth.com or email her at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
READ MORE: http://joanbramsch.com/health/familydiet.shtml
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Saturday, 02 February 2008 01:01 |
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QUESTION:
What can I do about a landlord who promised a clean and newly
painted apartment before we moved in, but didn"t deliver? We
have moved in because we had nowhere else to go, but I am
concerned about our children"s health and the total well-being
of our family. Can I report the unhealthy living conditions to
the health department? Please let me know of my legal rights or
how to go about this problem in a dignified manner.
ANSWER:
If the unpainted and unclean conditions are genuine health
risks, you should certainly take action. Call the health
department and describe the situation. Depending on the agency"s
workload and the severity of the problems, you might get some
action. If you"re worried about deteriorating lead-based paint,
by all means call.
For tenants facing seriously harmful conditions, many states
have enacted remedies that let them repair the problems and
deduct the cost from the rent, or withhold rent until the
landlord accomplishes the cleaning and repairs. If your state
has these remedies, check them out. Be careful, however, to
follow the letter of the law when taking these steps.
And in the future, get that promise in writing before you move
in. That way, you have a contract that you can point to if you
need it later.
More friendly advice from
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Monday, 27 August 2007 07:00 |
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Many parents struggle to know which foods are healthy for their
children. When they are able to opt for healthy choices, about
two-thirds struggle to get their children to eat healthily, a
poll of nearly 800 parents found. Developing Patient
Partnerships (DPP), which commissioned the survey, said that
parents need more support to tackle the growing problem of
childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 20
years, official figures show. Recent studies suggest that
parents do not know what good nutrition is. Perhaps advertising
of fast foods, and busy life styles has contributed to this.
Nutritional meals can be prepared quickly and simply at home.
Of the parents of children aged 15 years and younger questioned
by the DPP, 45% said they found it difficult to work out which
foods were healthy for their children. When parents did select
healthy foods, 65% said they struggled to motivate their
children to eat it. Three-quarters of parents blamed advertising
and marketing of unhealthy snacks and drinks for making this job
so difficult. Another 87% believed that schools should play a
big role in teaching children how to be healthy.
When more than a thousand children aged seven to 16 were
questioned about their lifestyles, 70% said they would be more
likely to eat healthily and get active if their parents were
doing it. Only 16% said they ate the recommended five portions
of fruit and vegetables per day. This suggests that parents are
not making healthy food choices themselves. There are strong
links between obesity and ill health. The Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare lists the following increased risks of
cancers in obese people:- MenWomen Cancer% Increase
RiskCancer%increase Risk Prostate23Uterus178
Leukaemia43Kidney110 Bowel53Bowel35 Liver128Liver48
Gallbladder76Breast71
Statistics such as these are a stark reminder of the importance
of maintaining a healthy weight level. Children must be given
every opportunity to have a healthy body. In order to get their
family on track to a healthy lifestyle parents need to learn how
to feed themselves and their family good nutrition. A simple way
to improve nutrition is to add raw fruit and vegetables to
family diets. These are foods that have no preservatives or
added color. They provide plenty of vitamins, mineral,
antioxidants, fiber, water and trace elements. (All necessary
for good nutrition.) They look appetizing and have high water
content. They have a firm texture which means we need to chew
them well. This aids the digestive system. The body quickly and
easily processes them. This means less work for the digestive
system. They are natural, that is, not processed and
pre-packaged with extra chemicals. They are pure energy – living
foods. Look for different colored vegetables and fruits when you
shop. Experiment with ones you have never tasted. Visit a market
for more variety and fresher foods. Eat at least one from each
group every day.
Red/Purple Group includes tomatoes, watermelon, berries,
cherries, and grapes Orange/Yellow includes carrots, sweet
potato, squash, mangoes, cantaloupe, apricots, oranges,
mandarins pineapples and many stone fruits Yellow/green among
this group are avocado, spinach, beans, peppers, corn, beans,
broccoli, green leafy vegetables, White/green some in this group
asparagus, celery, garlic, leeks, mushrooms, pears For more
information read, “What Color is Your Food” by Dr D Heber.
Experiment with adding these to your daily diet. Of course a
balanced diet must also include daily servings of dairy, whole
grains and protein. Start with the simple idea of adding more
fresh fruit and vegetables to the family’s daily food intake.
This simple step will have fantastic and long lasting impact on
your health.
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