Food to Learn On

FOOD TO LEARN ON

Healthy Lunchboxes for Success at School and In the Gym

Have you ever read the label on a Go-Gurt in a Tube package? …a box of Fruit Roll-Ups? How about a can of fruit in syrup? Let’s not even talk about Pop-Tarts, Little Debbies, or Lunchables. With our children’s bodies jam-packed full of refined, processed, junk, it’s a wonder sluggish-little-brains and bodies can process at all, much less learn big new concepts at proficient levels.

Since we’re parents and not nutritionists, sometimes it’s hard to cut through all the marketing and hype to know what really is good, healthy, nutritious food for our kids. Labels are often deceptive, and traditional wisdom and common sense doesn’t always tell us everything we need to know. For parents truly concerned about immediate performance and long term health, here are some guidelines.

Things to Avoid:

There's no doubt about it, foods that are rich in simple sugars or simple carbohydrates are known to make people feel physically and intellectually groggy after eating them. Foods such as:

·  White bread (refined grains/flour)

·  Cookies (processed sugars and refined flour)

·  Sodas (processed sugar, processed sugar, and more processed sugar)

·  Chips (processed and grease loaded)

The reason is that simple sugars stimulate the release of a neurotransmitter in the brain called seretonin that actually makes you feel sleepy. To avoid feeling sleepy or sluggish after eating, stick to foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains. And foods that provide some protein, such as lean meats, nuts, legumes, or seeds. These foods do not trigger the release of seretonin and therefore, leave bodies and brains feeling energized instead of sleepy.

There are certain products marketed to kids and parents as healthy, that may be highly questionable, such as fruit roll-ups, yogurts with colors and candy, cereal bars made from sugary cereals, and prepackaged kids lunches. That is why it is so important to read the nutrition label. Prepackaged meals and snacks are certainly convenient, but they are almost always lacking in important nutrients, and they're often loaded with fat, sugar, sodium nitrates, and other preservatives. Parents can always

count on the nutritional values of foods that they prepare themselves. It is hard to improve upon fresh fruit or fresh vegetables.

Whole grains are better for our children than refined grains. The more a food resembles its original source, the better it is for us, in most cases.

White refined flour isn't all that bad. I mean, it's not like it's poisonous or anything, but on the other hand, it's just not all that good. Refined flours have had most of their naturally occurring beneficial nutrients stripped away, as well as their fiber content. Granted, some nutrients, including folic acid and other vitamins, are added back to refined-grain products, but we're much better off choosing whole grains with natural nutrients in the first place. Kids won’t eat brown wheat bread? Look for new Whole Wheat White bread.

Things to Include

It's a very good idea to try to include a food from each of the five good groups, if possible, in your child's lunch. Quality is far more important than quantity. Kids don't have a lot of time to eat at lunch. What they do eat should really count. A good lunch is one that includes, for example:

·  Lean deli meat (minimally processed without Sodium Nitrates) on whole-wheat bread. Sandwiches can be cut with a cookie cutter to cut down on the quantity and to give them a nice heart-shaped or star-shaped sandwich that can be quickly eaten.

·  It's also a good idea to include a few slices of fresh fruit, such as cut strawberries or a small handful of grapes.

·  You can work in a small serving of vegetables by including broccoli florets or a few baby carrots with a little fat-free dip.

·  If you include a stick of string cheese, a tube of yogurt, or a small carton of milk, you've got your dairy product, and this lunch gets your child a serving from each of the five food groups.

This is a good prototype to follow, and notice, there is nothing from the sixth food group which is junk food, in this lunch. Kids don't have time to eat it anyway.

Watch Out for Sneaky Little Marketing Tricks

Food marketers know that sweet, sugary things stimulate our appetite, and make us want to eat more. . . That means they get to sell more. Their solution? Add sugar to EVERYTHING. If it’s a supposedly healthy product, most people are too unsuspecting to even read the label. Name the sugar something else, and even some label readers may be fooled!

Check your labels for high-fructose corn syrup. Think that yogurt is a nutritious alternative to cereal? Maybe, but maybe not. Think one fruit juice drink is just as good as another? Definitely not! Reading labels may take time initially until you figure out which brands and products are nutritionally superior, but just consider it homework which will payoff at report card time and with life long healthier medical check-ups.

Starting Earlier is Better

Before they reach school age is a critical time in a child's life, especially as far as food preferences are concerned. Most children know what they like and what they don't like by the age of 5. How do they know this? They know this because they have been exposed to certain foods during this time. Now is the time to offer children a wide variety of foods in different shapes, textures, and flavors so that we open their minds to trying new foods, and we help them develop a taste for many different foods rather than the same old thing day after day.

If you have multiple children, I know how difficult it is to make a lunch that appeals to each one of them. Some days it feels like work, but feeding our children properly ensures that they grow and develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually to their full potential. Any extra time and effort that we devote to our children's health is well worth it.

My wish to you: May all of your grains be whole, may all of your sugars be natural, and may all of your fruits and vegetables be fresh.

Sources: Healthy Lunchbox, Dr. Rallie McAllister and www.WebMD.com