Dear Moms and Dads,
This blog post is for you…and your kids!
Talking to your children from a young age about the importance of supporting their health through nutrition is a great way to help them understand how the body works to use what we consume. As they grow, they can be informed and make better choices about food. This is a tough topic for many families. I know firsthand, so I’m here to help.
As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I approach health and vitality within the body from a perspective of six foundations of health. When these foundations are in balance, our bodies are properly supported and can work optimally! The result is a life in which we thrive. Feeling our best is the best way to feel.
This post includes talking points for you and your kiddos about the Six Foundations of Health that I am so passionate about as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
I encourage you to start these discussions with your littles. They ask the most curious questions, and I can’t wait to hear about your conversations!
Foundation 1- Nutrient Dense Diet
INTRO QUESTION: What is your favorite color to eat?
My favorite color to eat is red. I love tomatoes and raspberries. Our foods are made up of
macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients is a big word for fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and water. Micronutrients is a fancy word for vitamins and minerals. We need to get many of the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need from the foods we eat.
Fats are important for your body because they make you feel nice and full and they give you energy that can last a long time. Some yummy foods for fat are: fish, nuts, butter, olive oil, beef, and avocados. Which is your favorite?
Carbohydrates give your brain and muscles quick energy. We can get carbs from: fruits and vegetables, potatoes, rice, and beans. What is your favorite veggie?
Proteins are builders in our body. They are important for growing kids! Some delicious proteins are fish, meat, eggs, cheese, and nuts. Next time you eat meat remember- this is helping me grow!
Water might be the most important nutrient! We aren’t camels- so we need to drink water every day.
We have about 30,000,000,000,000,000,000 cells in our body! That’s 30 TRILLION. Every one of those cells uses nutrients from the foods we eat to help us grow, play, think, and heal. So, it’s very important that we eat foods that help us the most. A variety of foods is best.
MOM TIP: Get your child excited at mealtime by talking about the colors on their plate. Can they eat a rainbow? A properly prepared, nutrient dense diet with a variety of whole foods is the foundation on which all the other foundations stand.
WHAT CAN I DO- I’M JUST A KID? Do you like to help cook in the kitchen? Ask mom if you can help with some small jobs as she makes your food. Also, be sure to let mom know which macronutrients you think are the yummiest! And, let her know which NEW food you would like to try!
Foundation 2: Digestion
INTRO QUESTION: If “you are what you eat”, then what are you?
Actually, we are what we digest! Digestion is when our body takes in the food that we eat, breaks it down, and absorbs the good stuff from the food so our cells can use it for energy, growing, and healing.
Digestion starts in our brain. Seriously! When we smell that yummy food that mom is cooking, our brain tells our digestive system to get ready for food! “Hey! Stomach, pancreas, liver, intestines! You have a job to do so get ready!”
Sitting down to eat with your family and paying attention to your food is helpful too. When your body is relaxed, your digestive system works best.
After you chew your food (until it’s mush!) and swallow it, the stomach uses acid and enzymes to break the food down, especially protein. Your liver and gallbladder help to digest those fabulous fats. Your small intestine absorbs the nutrients so your cells can use them, and your large intestine feeds the bacteria that lives there. That sounds bad, but it’s a good thing! After your body uses all that healthy food for whatever it needs, what’s left is your poop! It’s silly but it’s true! Are you pooping each day?
A NOTE TO MOM: It’s important that there aren’t distractions at meal time. This is a great time to put electronics and toys away and enjoy a meal and a conversation with your littles. This foundation is so important. Proper absorption of nutrients supports growth- and there is lots of growth in those little years!
WHAT CAN I DO-I’M JUST A KID? Count to 20 in your head as you chew each bite. Your tummy will thank you!
Foundation 3: Blood Sugar Regulation
INTRO QUESTION: What is your favorite roller coaster ride?
Even though we don’t feel it, our cells and organs are always working to keep us in a state of homeostasis. That’s a fancy word for keeping everything balanced, which is when we function best. When we eat, sometimes we get a little too much sugar. Our super smart brain has ‘PAALS’ (pancreas, adrenals, adipose tissue, liver and skeletal muscle) that help our body to keep our glucose (a big word for blood sugar) at a healthy level in our blood. But, if we are eating lots of sugar every day, our PAALS have a hard time keeping up and this sends our blood sugar on a not-so-fun roller coaster ride. Did you ever have a sweet treat and then feel kind of tired and icky after? That was a “dip” on the roller coaster. Our body likes it better when our glucose is nice and steady throughout the day.
The good news is: If your body gets lots of whole, healthy foods, a sweet treat is okay sometimes!
MOM TIP: Some blood sugar supportive snacks for kids are: cheese, nuts, berries, veggies slices with hummus, and apples with nut butter.
FOUNDATION 4: Fatty Acids
INTRO QUESTION: How much energy does it take for your body to work each day?
Food is fuel for our bodies. Just like your parents fill their car with gasoline so it will drive, we need food to give us energy to live. Fats are a great, slow burning source of energy for us. We can use the energy from fats for a long time. That’s important if we go on a hike or have a playdate with a friend. Fats protect our organs like our heart, help us absorb important vitamins, help us feel full longer, and BONUS- they make food taste delicious! Do you like butter on your toast? The fat in butter makes toast taste amazing.
There are some fats that our body can’t make. These are called Essential Fatty Acids. Essential means very important. Their fancy names are Omega 3 and Omega 6. As a kid, your brain is learning new information every day, your heart is working hard, and your body works to fight off germs and viruses. These fatty acids, especially Omega 3, help your body do these things (Gonzalez & Baez, 2016).
MOM TIP: In order for your kiddos to easily get some of these Essential Fatty Acids in their diet, swap out processed oils (like canola and vegetable oils) for olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or ghee.
Foundation 5: Mineral balance
INTRO QUESTION: What are your strong, hard bones made of?
We need minerals from the foods we eat. They come from the earth so we can’t make them in our body. There are about 18 minerals that are important for our health. Calcium is one of these minerals that kids need- especially to help their bones grow. Bones are made of minerals, water and protein and they actually repair and rebuild themselves all throughout our lives!
We get calcium from the delicious foods we eat like yogurt, cheese, almonds, kale, and apricots. Calcium needs help so that your body can use it. Calcium’s helpers are vitamins- like D, those good healthy fats we talked about, proper digestion, and other minerals. These helpers make sure that you actually absorb the calcium. That’s important as you grow. BONUS- If you get a good amount of calcium when you are young, your bones may be stronger when you are a grown up (Stallings & Ther, 1997).
Foundation 6: Hydration
INTRO QUESTION: How much water is in your body right now?
Last but NOT least! Water makes up more than half of our body! Wow! Water is so important for your body that you couldn’t survive without it. It helps transport those wonderful nutrients through your body, helps you breathe easier, helps your cells to get the oxygen you are breathing, helps you digest food, and much more. When you feel thirsty, your body is telling you that it needs water to help with all the functions that keep you moving.
Electrolytes are minerals that your body needs to be able to absorb water. This is important because your body uses water for everything! Salt, mineral drops, and coconut water all help us get the extra minerals we may need that we don’t get from foods.
Sometimes, when we feel tired or extra hungry, a glass of refreshing water can really help.
MOM TIP: Get your child a special water bottle. Adding sliced fruit, cucumbers (seriously!), or berries can all make water a little less “boring” to drink.
WHAT CAN I DO- I’M JUST A KID? Listen to your body. When you feel thirsty, give your body the water it needs.
I would love to partner with you further in your family’s health journey. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I can support you in improving each of these six foundations in your home from a bioindividual perspective. Let’s talk meal planning, pantry swaps, or any personal health goals you want to achieve.
Blessings,
Carly Elliott, NTP
REFERENCES
V A Stallings. Am J Ther. (1997). Calcium and bone health in children: a review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Francisca Echeverria Gonzalez and Rodrigo Valenzuela Baez. (2016). In Time: Importance of Omega 3 in children’s nutrition. http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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