What is a Healthy Diet - Feed Our Children Well.
Many patients and parents ask me “what does healthy eating really mean?” To answer this question concisely I tell them about my daughter’s diet. My husband and I have had the insight and ability to establish exemplary eating habits for her.
Her meals include the following four elements, mostly organic of course.
A protein: chicken sausage, sliced turkey, tofu, eggs.
A whole grain: brown rice, quinoa, rice noodles, corn pasta.
A vegetable: broccoli, green beans, kale, cucumbers.
A good fat: nuts, goat cheese, wild fish.
She eats very little wheat and dairy because these are common food sensitivities in both adults and children.
She does not eat sugar, drink juice or eat fried foods (unless she catches dad eating french fries- hey we all slip at times) If I give her yogurt she eats plain yogurt with no added sugar. She has never had anything else so she does not know about sugar-laden yogurts and she loves the plain yogurt flavor.
She never has juice unless she is drinking from a straw plopped into a fresh coconut. Coconut water tastes like juice and it is loaded with electrolytes and nutrients. Coconut water, similar in pH to that of blood, was used as IV solution during world war II, as a fluid replacement and as a aid to elderly, and ill.
We have never introduced the concept of dessert to her and we certainly do not use sugary foods as rewards for her. Her special treats are chewable multivitamins, strawberry flavored chewable fish oils, and raisins.
Of course she is exposed to many unhealthy foods at school (although she always eats a homemade lunch) and at friends’ houses but she has little taste for these types of “bad foods. She tries only a little and then passes them up.
If we have the insight and ability to feed our children well can’t we attempt to feed ourselves well at least during the weekdays. And if you are not feeding your children well then use these tips to change some habits slowly, one day at a time.
We all will benefit.
Yours in health,
Dr. Britta Zimmer
Chief Naturopathic Physician & Founder
Tags: diet healthy living, nutritional supplement
March 16th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
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