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Healthy Foods For Children Biography

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Around half of all children take their lunch to school – that’s 5.5 billion packed lunches every year. Unfortunately, many of them are unhealthy!

According to a Food Standard’s Agency study, nine out of 10 packed lunches contain foods high in sugar, salt and saturates and fewer than half contain fruit. Here’s how to pack a nutritious lunch for your kids…

Use wholegrain or wholemeal bread, rolls and pitta and try ciabatta, mini baguettes, bagels and raisin or sun dried tomato bread for variety

Pack pasta or rice salads instead of sandwiches from time to time

Cut fat by using less butter, spread or mayo in sandwiches and choose low-fat fillings like lean ham, turkey, chicken, tuna in water, cottage cheese, Edam or banana

Add two portions of fruit – don’t just stick to apples and pears, though. For variety, add grapes, fruit salad, a slice of melon, a small box of raisins or a can of fruit in juice

Include cherry tomatoes, carrot and pepper sticks and add salad to sarnies

In the winter, fill a flask with vegetable, tomato or carrot soup – or even a casserole or stew.

Replace cakes, biscuits and chocolate with scones, fruit bread or low-sugar cereal bars (check the labels)

Swap fizzy drinks for water, unsweetened fruit juice, fruit smoothies, cartons of semi-skimmed milk or unsweetened yogurt drinks.

Healthy Snacks for Children and Teenagers

Fresh fruit – chop it into bite-sized pieces for young children to make it easier to eat or buy packs of ready-prepared fresh fruit slices or chunks

Mini boxes of dried fruit such as raisins or small packs of apricots or mixed fruit

Small packs of chocolate-covered raisins or nuts (avoid giving nuts to young children because of the risk of choking)

Chopped up vegetables such as carrot, celery and pepper sticks and cherry tomatoes with a favourite dip (look for those low in salt and fat if you’re buying ready-made dips)

Fresh popcorn made without salt or sugar

Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and banana or low-fat soft cheese and tomato

Fruit smoothie

Unsweetened yogurt drinks or a pot of low-fat fruit yogurt or fromage frais

High-fibre cereal with semi-skimmed milk

Wholemeal sandwiches filled with lean meat, chicken, tuna in water, cheese or egg and salad.

Small packets of unsalted nuts and seeds – try mixing with dried fruit.

The main appeal of keeping your fat intake low and eating starchy carbohydrate foods instead is that you can enjoy so much more food. You can relish vast quantities of starchy, high fibre foods. Whilst a high-fat snack is over in seconds, you are still munching on an alternative carbo food. It is possible to eat a whole meal for the equivalent calorific value of one packet of crisps!

Red Meat

Use smaller quantities of meat in meals and larger quantities of beans, vegetables or pasta. Use lean cuts of meat or trim off any visible fat.

Poultry

Most of the fat content of chicken is just under the skin, so remove the skin before cooking and the fat comes away with it. Try organic chicken or turkey - the flavour of the meat is different compared with intensively produced birds which can be rather tasteless. You get a better eating experience, the birds get a better life!

Overcoming an eating disorder involves rediscovering who you are beyond your eating habits, weight, and body image. It also involves learning to recognize and deal with your emotions in healthy ways, rather than using food—whether by obsessing about it, avoiding it, or overeating—as a substitute.

Heart disease is a worldwide problem and the leading cause of death among Americans. The good news is that over the years, nutrition experts have come a long way in determining what's good for our hearts. Things like alcohol and fat aren't the evil things doctors once thought they were. The trick is to have the right kinds of fats and to drink alcohol in moderation. There isn't any one magic food that can guarantee a healthy heart, but adding certain foods to your diet on a regular basis can go a long way to helping you to avoid the emergency room or operating table.

We'll get to some specific foods in our top five list, but what most people should know is that a whole-foods approach to eating is the healthiest way to go. By whole-foods, we don't mean the trendy grocery store that puts a dent in your bank account. We're talking food in its most natural state. For example, raw veggies are best, followed by lightly steamed or sautéed. Fresh potatoes with the skin on are loaded with vitamins and nutrients, but potato chips will clog your arteries. Whole grains like oatmeal are great for you, but sugary, processed instant oatmeal packets lack many of the healthful properties of their unprocessed cousin.

Avoid packaged and processed foods as much as possible and you've got a head start on our list. That said, we'll get to the top five heart healthy foods. Who's hungry?

A whole grain contains the entire kernel; refined grains have been milled -- a process that removes the bran and germ. Ditching these two ingredients may help the shelf life, but it removes B vitamins, fiber and iron. Some refined grains are enriched, meaning some of the vitamin B and iron is added back into it, but you still miss out on the fiber. So what's the big deal about eating the entire kernel and loading up on fiber? You can cut your risk of heart disease by about 15 percent, that's what. This happens because fiber acts like a Brillo pad on the inside of your artery walls, cleaning out the bad cholesterol before it has a chance to stick around. Whole grains are also packed with vitamin E and as most people know, the fiber will aid your digestion -- an added bonus. If you want to make the switch from refined to whole grains altogether, you can reduce your risk of heart trouble by up to 30 percent.

So what are whole grains? Oatmeal, for one. And yes, we mean the plain old boring oatmeal, not the yummy sweet packets we discussed on the previous page. You can sweeten your oatmeal with a little cinnamon or scoop a little fresh fruit preserves in while cooking. You can even cook it with a blend of apple juice and water. If oatmeal isn't your thing, get a high fiber, whole grain cereal. Just one bowl of Raisin Bran a day can lower your cholesterol level by 16 to 28 points. Look for breads that list whole wheat as the leading ingredient and try brown rice instead of white.

I would have a bad day and reach for a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar as a way of making myself feel temporarily better.

I would go to the kitchen, open the cupboard doors and decide which, out of the many treats and titbits inside, I wanted to soothe me.

Watching the television programme made me realise just how little thought I gave to food. It is always “just there”. I can have whatever I fancy, and if it isn’t in the house then I would just head to the shop (I live on a street which has two of the “Big Four” supermarkets at each end.. open 24 hours and stocking everything I could possibly want).

That is part of the reason why I am here at WLR. I was spoilt for choice; food was always in the cupboard and if what I wanted wasn’t there I could just go out and buy it.

The people on the programme were in a completely different world when it came to food. Depriving themselves of meals so their children could eat. Literally have a few pence each day to spend on nourishing an entire family;

The goal of healthy eating is to develop a diet that you can maintain for life, not just a few weeks or months, or until you've hit your ideal weight. For most of us, that means eating less than we do now. More specifically, it means eating far less of the unhealthy stuff (refined sugar, saturated fat, for example) and replacing it with the healthy (such as fresh fruit and vegetables). But it doesn't mean eliminating the foods you love. Eating bacon for breakfast once a week, for example, could be considered moderation if you follow it with a healthy lunch and dinner—but not if you follow it with a box of donuts and a sausage pizza. If you eat 100 calories of chocolate one afternoon, balance it out by deducting 100 calories from your evening meal. If you're still hungry, fill up with an extra serving of fresh vegetables.

Try not to think of certain foods as “off-limits.” When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. If the rest of your diet is healthy, eating a burger and fries once a week probably won’t have too much of a detrimental effect on your health. Eating junk food just once a month will have even less of an impact. As you reduce your intake of unhealthy foods, you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.

Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entree, split a dish with a friend, and don't order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small. If you don't feel satisfied at the end of a meal, try adding more leafy green vegetables or rounding off the meal with fresh fruit. Visual cues can help with portion sizes–your serving of meat, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards and half a cup of mashed potato, rice, or pasta is about the size of a traditional light bulb.

Healthy eating tip 3: It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat

Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.

Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.

Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.

Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.

Avoid eating at night. Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then fast for 14-16 hours until breakfast the next morning. Early studies suggest that this simple dietary adjustment—eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day—may help to regulate weight. After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories so are best avoided, anyway.

Healthy eating tip 4: Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables

Shop the perimeter of the grocery storeFruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and with every meal—the brighter the better. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions each day.

Some great choices include:

Greens. Branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options—all packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.

Sweet vegetables. Naturally sweet vegetables—such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions, and squash—add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets.

Fruit. Fruit is a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

The importance of getting vitamins from food—not pills

The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases. And while advertisements abound for supplements promising to deliver the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables in pill or powder form, research suggests that it’s just not the same.

A daily regimen of nutritional supplements is not going to have the same impact of eating right. That’s because the benefits of fruits and vegetables don’t come from a single vitamin or an isolated antioxidant.

The health benefits of fruits and vegetables come from numerous vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals working together synergistically. They can’t be broken down into the sum of their parts or replicated in pill form.