Ensuring your child gets optimal nutrients (Part 1)

Every parent wants to ensure that their growing child receives the optimal amount of nutrients in their food. With the advent of Luncheables and Little Debbies though, this can become quite a challenge. If given the chance, I would have eaten ice cream for breakfast, Reese’s for lunch, and pizza for dinner as a kid, though thankfully, my mother never let that happen! Feeding your child a green smoothie in the morning is probably equally out of the question, highlighting the importance in finding equilibrium between youthful tastebuds and a parent’s desire for quality nutrition.

With artificial preservatives, colors, and pesticides, our modern environment is not what it used to be, either, requiring parents to become super sleuths at the grocery store. By providing a diet rich in whole food and limiting processed food, your happy and healthy child can grow up to be a happy, healthy adult.

 

Food for the Whole Family

The environment in which a meal is eaten is just as important as the meal itself. In an ideal world, mealtimes would always be a family affair. However, school, work, sports, extracurricular activities, and social lives can make this easier said than done. Compensate by requiring at least dinners to be spent together in a jovial, positive environment. Not only does this promote a strong family unit, it also promotes digestion!

A relaxed, comfortable environment stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which regulates salivary and gastric secretion. This translates into better digestion and absorption of food and nutrients. Hectic and stressful eating environments have the opposite effect by slowing digestion and reducing absorption. A positive eating environment will also allow the child to enjoy the taste of new food (hopefully!) and cue into how they feel during the meal. This helps strengthen the mind-body connection as the child learns to identify feelings of fullness, satiety, and possible discomfort.

Encourage your child to “listen to their stomach” by eating when they are hungry and stopping when they are full, rather than demanding that they “finish every last bite.”

 

The Macronutrients

Just as important as vitamins and minerals are the macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) necessary to support a growing body. Each macronutrient plays a unique role in the proper development of the body, from tissue growth to hormone production. The type, amount, and timing each is consumed is noteworthy as well.

 

Fat

Ah, everybody’s favorite. Though shunned for the past 30 years, much to the body’s dismay, fat is a vitally important nutrient. It is involved in regulating the immune system, the synthesis of all steroid hormones (stress hormones and all sex hormones), “feeding” the heart and liver, lubricating joints, supporting brain and nervous system function, maintaining all cell membranes for efficient nutrient-waste exchange, and much, much more.

A low fat diet is in no way appropriate for anyone, let alone a child. A deficiency of healthy fat is associated with ADD/ADHD, poor memory and cognitive function, irritability, dry skin and hair, skin conditions, allergies and other signs of inflammation, hormone imbalance, and the list could go on. There are four classes of fat: omega 3 and 6 polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated, and saturated fat. They all work together to brain/nervous system support, and immune support, and all are a necessary part of a healthy diet. The essential fatty acids (EFAs), omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, are healthy, anti-inflammatory fats that your body cannot produce on its own. The ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 should optimally be 2:1, though the standard American diet ranks in at a whopping 24:1.

DHA has also shown to be effective in modulating hyperactivity, allergies, cognitive function, heart health, and reducing overall inflammation by supporting the immune system.

Saturated fat, wrongfully vilified by society, is involved in giving cell membranes structure and steroid hormone (epinepherine, norepinepherine, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA) production. The concern with saturated fat is when it goes unbalanced with the mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Strive to feed your child a blend of all types of fat each day, and each meal and snack should include fat. Full fat dairy products are always superior to skim.

Below are good sources of each type of fat:

• Omega 6 polyunsaturated fat: nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils (though this is not the preferred source as they tend to be refined, genetically modified, and pro-inflammatory).
• Omega 3 polyunsaturated fat: salmon, sardines, tuna, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds. Supplementation with fish, krill, or cod liver oil is a good idea to meet optimal levels.
• Monounsaturated fat: extra virgin olive oil, avocado, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and other nuts and seeds.
• Saturated fat: animal protein (beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, buffalo), butter, coconut oil

 

Protein

Just like fat, protein is extremely important for a growing body. Considering protein is needed for muscle, bone, and tissue growth, hormone production, synthesis of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals), enzymes (catalysts to ALL biochemical reactions in the body), transportation of nutrients, and more, the significance becomes obvious. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are hundreds of amino acids, 20 of which are essential, which means the body cannot manufacture them and they need to be obtained from diet.

Protein and fat also work together to balance blood sugar by slowing the rate of absorption of food into circulation. This helps balance moods, regulate metabolism, support proper weight management, reduce inflammation, and support optimal energy levels.

The quality of protein is important as well. Protein obtained from animals allowed to roam freely and graze on grasses has superior levels of vitamins and minerals, including beta carotene, vitamin E, zinc, and iron, a higher ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids, and a higher protein content overall. Good sources of complete protein (provide all essential amino acids) include grass-fed beef and bison/buffalo, chicken, turkey, lamb, eggs, fish, and hemp seeds. Soy is also a complete protein source but this is not recommended for children due to its estrogenic and thyroid-suppressing effects. Incomplete sources of protein include beans and legumes, nuts, seeds, nutbutters, and chia seeds. Strive to feed your child 3-5oz of complete protein with each meal, and 1-2oz with each snack.

 

Carbohydrates

Last but not least, carbohydrates. The primary role of carbohydrates is in energy production. Almost all body cells, with the exception of the liver and heart, prefer glucose (blood sugar) to produce ATP, or energy. The brain in particular highly prefers glucose over any other fuel source. Approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of each of your child’s meals should come from carbohydrates.

This is optimal for avoiding blood sugar spikes and crashes. Simple sugars, such as those found in fruit and refined carbohydrates (anything white), are metabolized quickly and spike blood sugar. For children, this translates into imbalanced moods, temper-tantrums, fatigue, and other symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Over time, fluctuations in blood sugar are associated with obesity and diabetes, heart disease, depression and anxiety, fatigue and insomnia, irritability, and more. Of particular importance is watching your child’s sugar intake. Sugar masquerades under many faces: fruit juices, cereal, white bread, rice, and pasta, sweets such as candy, cookies, pastries, fruit snacks, and ice cream, soft drinks, and dried fruit. Diets that contain large amounts of sugar are associated with heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, depression and anxiety, fatigue and insomnia, allergies, skin disorders, and more.

Fresh, whole fruit also contains simple sugar but has fiber, vitamins and minerals to balance and utilize the sugar, though it should still ideally be consumed with fat and protein to slow the absorption.

 

The best sources of carbohydrates are vegetables, hands down. In addition to useable, slowly absorbed glucose, they also provide phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all wonderful and necessary components to a healthy diet. Next comes fruit, 2-3 servings of which can be freely consumed daily (about 1 medium whole fruit or 1/2 cup mixed fruit). Nuts, seeds, and legumes are great as well. Grains should always be eaten in their whole, most unprocessed form. This includes brown or wild rice, quinoa, oats, and millet, while limiting the more processed wheat and corn varieties.

While grains do have their place in a healthy diet, they do not supply any nutrients that fruits and vegetables do not, have a higher glycemic index, can be harder to digest and more inflammatory than their whole food counterparts. Bread never grew on trees, and is therefore still technically a processed food. Refined, white carbohydrates should be avoided or significantly reduced at all costs as they supply no nutrients, have an extremely high glycemic index, and are pro-inflammatory.

To read the second part of this article on micronutrients click here.