Our children are what our children eat!

We've all heard it before... we are what we eat. 
Most of us don't pay a lot of attention to that - I know I didn't, until I started seeing how much what my kids ate affected them.  That's a whole different story! Time to change the game.

Did you know that obesity takes center stage in chronic diseases in children today, having quadrupled (yes QUADRUPLED!) in the last 30 years!!  ADHD and asthma/allergies are not far behind.

This is the first generation of children who have been brought up with so many nutrient deficiencies, resulting from a variety of problems - with the soil, with nutrient-depleted food, and with heavily chemical-laden foods.  We are just now seeing the beginning of the consequences of these hazards, and it's frightening! 

Our children are exposed to an incredible toxic load - from vaccinations, antibiotics, and chemicals in their food.  While some of these things maybe necessary, and our bodies can detoxify themselves to a certain extent, it cannot be done without the building blocks of good food!  Most kids today are eating the same foods: sugary cereals, school lunches, pizza, burgers and fries, sodas, red, green, and blue drinks, and mac and cheese out of a box. They can't sustain their lives this way - - not vibrant, healthy lives, at least, not for long.

So what can you do?  I'm glad you asked.  And no you don't have to get crazy and be paranoid about every morsel of food, but you do have a huge responsibility because parents will always be a child's most important teacher.  Everything your kids learn about how to eat will come from you.  Healthy eating should be a family affair.  Kids eat what they are taught to eat.  Teach them to eat healthy food and show them by example.  Help them see the benefits of eating healthy food - primarily, feeling good and preventing illness.  Knowledge is power.  What you teach them now, they will know forever. 

And FYI - if the parents are obese, the risk of the child becoming obese as an adult more than doubles, whether the child is obese or not.  Childhood obesity is a predictor of adult obesity, regardless of whether the parents are obese.  So yes, it matters. 

We are rarely taught about the importance of micronutrients, or vitamins and minerals for proper brain function.  In fact, we are told that when we have a brain chemical imbalance, that's just the way it is.  "Cant do anything about it." But this is totally wrong.

The brain is made up of 60% fatty acids and it functions more efficiently with vitamins and minerals.  Brain chemicals are made from amino acids in the presence of vitamins and minerals.  One example, without trying to get too technical, (yes all of this stuff fascinates me and I have a very personal reason for studying it) is the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine.  These are often deficient in children with attention deficits.  They require amino acids, vitamin B6, iron, vitamin C, and folic acid to be manufactured.  If the body does not take in these nutrients, dopamine and norepinephrine will be deficient, and the child's behavior and thinking will be affected.  We CAN change the brain chemistry with specific nutrients and the knowledge about how to use them.

We don't have to medicate our kids! 

It's as simple as this.... Most food that can sit on a shelf, in a box, can, or bag, and not deteriorate, is not worth eating.  It has no life quality if it cannot mold or "die."  How can we possibly expect to create vibrant, healthy, alive and exuberant children with dead food? 

Because of our over-processed, refined foods and our mineral depleted soils, we have become micro-nutrient deficient and unfortunately, more sick and unhealthy. 

Yes, I'm extremely passionate about this and it hits very close to home.  That's why I'm creating a community for families to stand together and support each other and take charge of making their homes a HEALTHY, SAFE ZONE for their families and children to thrive and have the very best future they can.  The world screams BUSY, BUSY, FAST, FAST, CONVENIENT, QUICK, EASY!  But we have to make a better way. 

It's time to reconnect with our families, put down our devices and get healthy together.  Every small, little thing you do to get your family to eat better, move more, and actually communicate with another person instead of with a virtual, inanimate being, is helping to improve their future.  It doesn't have to be radical or drastic. 

I'd love to see this HEALTHY FAMILY movement spread like wildfire and see our kids living happier, healthier lives. And I'd love to have you join us! 

If you'd like to become a part of this, and are interested in more tips to get your family's health back on track,  please email me at kewile@msn.com and I'll send you some info and include you in our Family Fit community!

Diet vs Nutrition

We've all heard or I'm pretty sure said at some point in our lives, "I'm going on a diet."

What does that mean?

Usually it means you want to lose weight and most people will try the quickest way possible, often wreaking potentially irreversible havoc on their bodies in the process.  Most people, don't give any thought to whether they are providing their bodies with what they need to function optimally.  They cut calories and hope for the best and then are disappointed when they don't reach their goals; they can't stick to the diet because its hard to ignore the body screaming for nutrients it isn't getting!

Note that diet and nutrition are not the same.  Diet is what you eat.  Nutrition is what you eat, digest, absorb, and deliver to the cells, as well as how the cells use the nutrients.  There are many steps to this process that can be faulty or inefficient, leading to higher-than-usual nutrient needs.  In many case, diet is terribly insufficient in meeting these needs. So while it may be fine to limit calories, you need to make sure you are still getting the proper nutrients. 

Why am I talking about this?  I'm not a nutritionist by any means.  I do have a passion for health and fitness, but I also have a very personal reason for pursuing the knowledge of all things nutrition.
I'm not a fan of medications.  I won't even take a Tylenol, unless my head feels like it is going to explode, and even then it's questionable.  So I have always looked for more natural remedies, encouraged in part, by my mom, who loves herbs and all things earth-related.

When my first son was born, and shortly after receiving his 4-month vaccinations, which is a whole other issue for another date, he developed severe eczema, dermatitis, whatever you want to call it, over his arms and face.  While it didn't provide him any apparent discomfort, I, was of course concerned.  We saw several different doctors, and finally a dermatologist when he was almost 2 years old, who recommended milder forms of soap, and some intense moisturizing creams, as well as some modifications to his diet. This was my only child who was bottle-fed, although I don't know if that was a contributing factor or not. 

He was also an overly sensitive baby, reacting very intensely to bright lights, loud noises, strange people, smells, etc, and as he got older, he became a very picky eater. 

The doctor suggested that lacking in some key nutrients, such as zinc, omega 3 fatty7 acids, and to a lesser degree magnesium, could be contributing to the aggravating factors, and modifying his diet certainly had no harmful side effects so what could it hurt?

I did some research on my own and learned that not only does zinc have a direct impact on skin integrity, but a zinc deficiency can cause a loss of taste at the taste bud level and also affects perception of taste in the brain.  Once taste is diminished, many foods can become unpalatable and even offensive.  As zinc status declines, taste perception decreases and aversions increase, especially to vegetables and often to specific textures, colors, and smells.  Some children will even gag at the sight of a food that is offensive to them (hello - that was definitely my kid!!!) Now this is not to say that every kid that objects to certain foods has some type of deficiency, but in our case, it definitely had some merit.

Perception is reality, and the child is responding reasonably to the taste perceived.  The child then limits choices to a few foods, such as sweets, pasta, macaroni and cheese, and ice cream.  (That sounds familiar!)  Some even prefer stronger tasting or spicier foods in an attempt to detect enough taste to make the food tolerable (not us).  Other children will simply avoid the unpalatable food (yep!)

So how do you get more zinc?  Of course, if you are concerned about a serious deficiency, you should always consult your doctor, but adding in some of the foods listed below shouldn't pose any harm, unless there are allergies to avoid. 

 With the skin care regimen, and adding more chicken and red meat (he wasn't and still isn't a fan of any kind of meat, but he does like it more now than he used to), yogurt, cheeses, and cashews and almonds, we started noticing a huge difference within about 4-6 weeks.   My personal favorite is of course, the dark chocolate! (Moderation, of course)

My son is now 13 years old, and occasionally has some spots locally on his arms, but I can usually always tie it to his diet/ lack of nutrition.

What was the purpose of my sharing this?  To hopefully show that your "diet" is about more than how many calories you eat, and just like there are different ratings for fuel for your vehicle, and certain ones won't run at their optimal efficiency with the wrong fuel, neither will your body. 

If you are cutting calories, make sure you are getting the nutrition you need and pay attention to any signs/ symptoms.  They just might be related to your diet.

Laake, Dana, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N., and Compart, Pamela, M.D. (2013). The ADHD and Autism Nutritional Supplement Handbook. Beverly, MA. Fair Winds Press.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

 

 

 

 

Dessert for Breakfast?  YES please!!!  AND it's healthy too?!  I love oatmeal for breakfast so when I learned about overnight oats I was SUPER excited because I love to plan ahead and make ahead meals and snacks make nutrition so much easier.  Anyone who knows me knows that cookie dough is my VERY favorite snack and also my greatest food weakness!  Needless to say, this recipe is an answer to my cravings!!!!  Give it a try!  You won' t be disappointed.  :) Even the kids love this and it makes breakfast quick, easy, and healthy.

 

 

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten free (I have also used steel cut oats for a crunchier texture)

1 pitted date, finely chopped

1 Tbsp chia seeds

1/2 tsp honey (or pure maple syrup)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped chocolate chip cookie dough Quest bar (or Larabar)

 

Combine oats, dates, chia seeds, honey, cinnamon, and almond milk in a jar.  Cover and store in fridge overnight.  When ready to serve, sprinkle with chocolate chips and pieces of Quest bar. (I used the Larabar and it was delicious!)

You can add extra almond milk before serving if you prefer a thinner consistency.