childrens health

In February this year (2015), I was interviewed by Channel 9 News, Melbourne, Australia for expert tips on what foods to put into a child’s lunch box for school.

You can catch the clip below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4Kunclp3o

As a mother of two children myself, their health is so important to me. I see many children with health and behavioral issues that are changed significantly with changes in their food intake. While the dietary aspect is one small part for the families, it makes a difference. What we eat has the power to change our health ‘destiny’.

Children grow and learn at exponential rates, and the amount of ‘work’ their bodies and brains do while at school is absolutely extraordinary. Following classroom rules, school rules, playing, learning, reading, mathematics, making friends, getting messy and dirty, physical education, and if needed, additional support from reading recovery groups, writing groups and the like, takes a lot out of them. And, then there is homework like reading, spelling, creative projects and after-school activities!

If they don’t get a good balance of the nutrients they need for growth and development, how can we expect them to be able to keep up with all the other stuff?

Kids get TIRED, and cranky. We expect a lot out of them. And schools expect a lot out of them too. So let’s start nourishing them with things that will help them be their very best.

I am often asked what my kids take to school for lunch and snacks. It’s pretty basic stuff really, and consists of 3 main things.

1. Water. Every day they take a drink bottle filled to the brim with water.
2. Snacks. These include vegetable sticks, dips, fruit, full-fat yogurt with seeds and berries, a home-made bliss ball or other ‘treat’ (nut free to abide by school rules).
3. Lunch. This is, 99.9% of the time, left-over meat/protein and salad. I dress their salad with either olive, flax or chia oil, and some apple cider vinegar or lemon or balsamic vinegar.

While many children have issues with food intolerances and allergies, there is a reason why they do, and it’s important to find out the cause. These intolerances can cause children to act out, lose focus, struggle in school, become ‘disruptive’ in the classroom, have skin and gut issues, are ‘fussy’ eaters and become quite depressed and self-critical. They may not be getting sound sleep either, which just fuels the fire and they end up in this vicious cycle. They are considered ADHD, ODD, and autistic, among a myriad of other labels.

If your child or children are struggling, fussy, or acting out, or have been given one of the labels mentioned above, let me know. Make an appointment and we will find out the cause, correct any imbalances and give you easy guidelines to follow to help your child, you, and the rest of the family.

You can contact me on:

amanda@vaganutrition.com

Family health and well-being is a big deal, and we MUST be the advocate for our children.

Amanda xx