Raising Your Kids From the Inside Out

by Kathy Castillo

Nowadays it seems if many parents are very worried about what their children are watching on TV or what they are looking at on the computer. It seems as if many parents are so absorbed with what their kids are doing that they forget about a very important part of childhood -- the effects of good nutrition. Not only the daily effect, but the life-time effects as well.

Many households today either have both parents working outside the home or are a single parent family where the parent works full time. Full time jobs, sports, activities, homework and more are all daily chores that must be done and they create a very stressful, fast-paced life. There is hardly any time to sit down and eat a well-balanced, nutritious meal and this may be harming children more than it is helping them.

With many families eating on the run, there is no time to consider what your children are really eating. Parents will take the time to see what their kids are watching on TV or the internet, but they don't pay much attention to what their kids are eating. These quick prepared meals that your children are eating are mainly processed foods that are full of sweets, fats, and oils and according to the Food Guide Pyramid developed by the US Department of Agriculture, "...foods that include lots of fats, oils and sweets should be used sparingly". --- www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/food_guide_pyramid.html However, the process of eat and run often caters to a high intake of sweets, oils and fats.

Do you know that by providing your child good nutritious meals every day you can diminish his/her craving for junk food? Children crave junk food because it is quick, fast, and it taste good. Healthy, nutritious foods can also be quick, fast and taste good. You simply have to program your child to know which is better to grab from the refrigerator; a Snicker's Bar or a fresh mango.

The other day, I went to my son's school for a "mommy luncheon" and I was simply horrified at some of the things that I seen these children eating. Some of them had candy bars, potato chips and soda in their lunch boxes. I did not see one child with a piece of fresh fruit or a vegetable. I thought, "No wander there is so much obesity today". I almost wanted to toss all that out and go out and buy these children a healthy lunch. It really made my stomach turn.

Children should eat foods from the Food Pyramid everyday. It is not all bad to eat sweets, fats and oils. As the matter of fact, our bodies need those elements, but in small portions. Children who snack on fruits, vegetable and other healthy foods will not crave junk food. They will not get obese and they will live healthier lives. If your child gets a full belly by eating an apple and some cheese and crackers with a glass of milk after school, he/she is not going to want that candy bar or that soda pop.

In addition to good, nutritious, healthy foods, parents should also give their children some vitamin supplements. According to Dr. Tanya Kurtz, MD, "Children who take vitamins between the ages of six months and 5 years old tend to be healthier. They do not get sick as often and their mental and physical development is at higher levels than children who do not take them." Vitamin supplements can curve a child's hunger or snacking craving between meals and eliminate the threat of obesity. Your child's good health depends on you, so you really should try to boost that good health with a vitamin supplement of some sort. Just think, wouldn't it be nice if your child was the one student in his/her class that did not get sick when the flu broke out? That would be because you took the time to consider his/her good health by providing them with good nutritious meals and daily vitamin supplements.

In conclusion, I would like to tell all parents about something that I have tried. It is called Essentialean(tm) and it is a vitamin supplement that alleviates obesity in children. It can be found at Amazon or at http://www.bodestore.com It curves the hunger so that the child does not have the urge to snack.

It was formulated in large part by a leading doctor who is concerned with lowering childhood obesity by providing a high quality nutritional supplement. I actually gave this a try for a month or so, mixed with a variety of good, well-balanced, nutritious meals and I could not believe what happened.

1.) My child lost about 5 pounds (He was about 10-15 pounds overweight when I started giving him Essentialean(tm)),

2.) My son stopped asking for junk food and started asking for healthy snacks, especially grapes, and

3.) He seemed happier which will reflected in everything he did including school, sports, and other activities. I think that Essentialean(tm) ia a very powerful vitamin supplement and well worth my child's good health.

It is time that parents start worrying more about what and how their children eat. Their eating patterns today will determine how they eat as adults. Our eating habits can easily be linked to our good or bad health. So, start teaching your children good eating habits now, so that they will grow up and be responsible eaters for a life time.

Kathy Castillo is a health and fitness enthusiast and advocate. She writes on a regular basis on timeless health and fitness tips at the Fit After Forty Blog. See more useful health and fitness news and tips at: www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm

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This article is for general information purposes only. Before under taking any exercise or treatment program always first check first with your doctor and health professionals.