And another thing from Dr Sear's lecture the other night:

 

He suggests we raise and/or become "grazers" applying the Rule of Twos:

1. eat twice as often

2. eat half as much

3. chew twice as long

 

Who are natural grazers?  Children under 3 - 4 yrs and adults during their last 20 years.  It makes digestion easier.

 

For toddlers:  Prepare a nibble tray:

Put as many different things onto a tray (it's nice if there are little divisions) and put on it things your child will eat that are healthy things.  As the day goes by, he/she can wander over, eat a bite or two, and go back to play.

Ideas he gave: 

1. a little pile of hummus; carrot, celery, cucumber sticks,

2. nuts if they are old enough to chew them, or

3. tiny (organic) peanut or almond butter sandwiches (1 square inch) made with sprouted bread (popular brand is Ezekiel or the Trader Joe equivalent called 100% flourless sprouted bread),

4.  If your child handles milk products you can also incorporate goat-creamed cheese into the almond or pnt btr, also 

5. tiny squares of mozzarella cheese (easiest of all cheese to digest),

6. avocado squares - they won't brown for a few hours -

7. organic raspberries and blueberries when in season

8 banana bits (if not too ripe already)

9. "dirty apples" -  Slice up some apple, put into a baggie, dust with cinnamon and shake, shake, shake.  This will prevent the apple from oxidizing and also helps control blood sugar.

10. and when near lunch-time or dinner-time, take out some bits of organic chicken or wild salmon from the fridge - put back into the fridge any not eaten.

 

 

Mealtime becomes a fight when you insist your child eat too much at a sitting. If you fix such a tray in the morning, you will see it disappear throughout the day.  Then at the end of the day you will know exactly what your child has eaten!

 

Sending such snacks to pre-school is also a good idea and is more welcome than a "meal" to most small children.

 

For older kids, send skewers of food to school:  rolled turkey or chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, mozz cheese, colored peppers, etc.  You might need to clip off the sharp end of the skewer or it might be seen as a weapon.....

 

Or just roll turkey slices around a celery stick that has been filled with goat cream cheese or creamy chevre.  (regular cream cheese isn't nutrition-worthy). Several of these rolls will offer brain food with no bread.  A bag of dirty apples and most teens will be happy. Maybe a few baby carrots as well. For those with greater calorie needs (athletes for instance) include a bag of almonds or the walnut-pepita mixture found on my website.

And water, water, water.  No sodas or fruit juices - diet drinks are the worst.. 

Some kids consume no water all day long.  They are dehydrated and prone to headaches and afternoon loss of energy.  Constant rehydration is necessary!

 

At this time of year most parents are frustrated with the making-lunches part of the day.  So they get fatigued and just get the school lunch program, which in most schools is not known for being nutritious.  Have your grade schooler or high schooler help you with healthy ideas.  "Nix" on things in boxes or packages.  If they have a long list of ingredients they really aren't food.