Out of the Mouths of Babes

We all know that the world is growing and changing rapidly.
One of the things I have seen drastically over my thirty-three years is the food industry.


I remember that when I was a child even into my teens we would get seasonal fruits and vegetables in the market. That meant that being a girl from the Canadian prairies we could really only eat oranges in the spring small Chinese oranges were only available in the Christmas season.


Now we have genetically modified foods, foods that come from far distances or foods that are stored for extended periods of time with the advent of preservatives. These changes have really made a dip in the nutritional content of food and it seems that it would be a good idea for most people to be taking supplements now, even if they eat their fruits and veggies! Another new thing I have seen on the market is real junk food!


When I was little, junk food mostly meant chocolate, hard candies maybe. Not that much food colouring, or not very many preservatives, or really fake artificial colours, like we see today. Being the mom of four kids, I have been very concerned about my kids falling into the clutches of these BAD and FAKE foods.


When ever we give them pop or candy, I tell them that these foods are not nutritious. They can even be harmful if they form a regular part of your diet. My family often laughed at me and accused me of being too strict. I, however, disagree with this.


I feel that the media often spends more time with our kids than we do. I feel that due to this, we as parents must strive to educate our children about good food choices.


There are many preservatives and colours that are quite dangerous, and this is not disclosed to young children. Often times, schools have vending machines where children can buy food without the guidance of the parents. I have made it a major part of my life to try and educate my children about food.


I try to limit the amount of junk they eat, and do not buy junk myself for them. Often friends and family give us candy for our children. I keep them in a canister in the cupboard and try to control the amount that they eat. My son is a bit of a junk fan. My six year old daughter Vasu, however, does not eat a lot of junk food and does not much care for it.


I gave them some of the junkiest of the junk yesterday. You know, red and yellow jaw breakers. I don’t think that there is one ingredient besides sugar in those things that occurs in nature. My daughter took one lick, threw it on the floor, stood up on her stool and gave the following speech!


Why do these people make this kind of candy? This is not food. This is a bunch of chemicals mixed together and wrapped in plastic. The people who make this stuff do not care about people’s health!


No, they are just interested in making money. They are hurting people and spoiling people’s health. This stuff should be banned. They should be forced to stop making it.
It is evil. It is really garbage. Let me tell you.


The seven years of worrying, trying to force granola into young moths and ranting at the site of Halloween candy have all paid off today! We as parents can win the battle against bad food.


The following is a list of my daughter Vasu’s top ten snack foods:

1. Fruit and nut bars
2. Cereal
3. Mangos
4. Almonds and raisins
5. Vegetables and dip
6. Fruit to go – dried fruit snack
7. Sesame snaps
8. Milk with almond or cinnamon cookies
9. Pickles
10. Raita, yogurt, tomato and cucumber salad


My main reason for writing this little article was to inspire parents to learn about food.There are many websites that talk about food additives, colours and packing and their affects on our health.


This site lists all commonly used additives and their level of safely:

http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

This site lists additives and how they relate to various illnesses:

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/


If we are educated we can educate our children so that their growing years a lot them with enough nutrition to be healthy adults. It is important o remember that children grow until they are twenty one andtherefore, they should eat foods that are nourishing and will ensure propergrowth.


If children do not eat healthy foods when they are young they will not have healthy habits as adults. If children do not receive enough nourishment while they grow, they may have ill health in middle age.


Young women will grow up to become mothers and if they do not receive enough nutrition in their growing years they may face anaemia or other nutritionaldeficiencies as adults.


The best thing to remember when we feed our children it to make sure they eat foods of all colours:

Green leafy vegetables containing Iron.
Iron builds red blood cells which help to circulate oxygen throughout the body. Iron deficiency can result in
fatigue and restless ness or itching of the legs due to poor circulation.


Orange carrots and melons containing vitamin A.
Vitamin A is an antioxidant, which means it helps to reduce toxins from the body, and enhance the immune system. It as also good for the eyes and skin. Lack of adequate vitamin A can cause eye problems.


Green and yellow and orange citrus fruits containing vitamin C.
Vitamin C is very important for a healthy immune system. Lack of vitamin C causes theskin to break down and makes one more prone to colds and flus.


Brown nuts containing good fats and protein.
Protein is used to build strong muscles and fat is need by the body to regulate the bodies thermostatand to protect the joints. The brain is mainly made of fat and water. Good quality fats from nuts, pure cold pressed vegetable oils like olive and coconut and hemp all help to build the brain and make the mind sharp and alert.


Inadequate protein can cause weakness.
Inadequate fat can make onetoo cold. It can cause inability to concentrate and can make one feel nervous or spacey.
It is crucial to get fat from healthy sources. Our society is almost turned off of fat. There is low fat everything available in supper markets but ironically, this is also the most obese society on the planet!


This excess fear of fat worries me especially in the case of young girls who might feel very pressured by media to be extremely thin. It is very necessary for young bodies to have healthy fat. Fat is an energy reserve for young growing bodies and is really importantfor those who are studying as the brain is largely made of fat.


Make sure that children eat fats that are healthy.
We need at least 20 – 30 percent of calories from fat in our daily diet. Chose vegetable sources forfat like nuts and vegetables like olives or avocados. Try to eat few saturated fats. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. They come from animal like meats, whole fat dairy products, lard, and shortening. These fats should be reduces for goodhealth.


Unsaturated fats come from vegetable sources like olives, vegetable oils and nuts.
These actually help to lower cholesterol and strengthen the heart when eaten in moderation.


Trans fats are those fats made of vegetable oils that are solidified.
These fats are the worst for the body and are usually found in deep fried foods and processed foods. These should be avoided due to the fact that they are very hard for the body to process and as a result cause high cholesterol and free radicals which cause cancer.


White dairy containing fat, protein and Calcium.
Calcium helps to build strong bones and teeth. Calcium is very important for growing bones andteeth. Inadequate calcium can cause weak teeth and bones in old age.


Meat or yogurt containing vitamin B and proteins.
B vitamins help to keep the skin health. A sign of low vitamin B is cold soars or skin abrasions. Vitamin B also gives one stamina a and energy. Vitamin B and E keep our nervous system healthy and help us metabolize sugars and starches.


Plenty of whole grains for fibre.
Fibre helps to remove waste from the body so that toxins do not build up in the intestines. Food build up in the intestines can result in malnutrition due to poor food absorption. Constipation can also make one feel tired, irritable and restless.


As long as they eat some of each of these each day they should make it out of childhood and teen years into healthy adult life!

Christine Machiraju is an Ayurvedic practitioner and yoga therapist /teacher. She is the mother of four children.