by Vic Shayne, PhD

Science says that it’s up to parents to shape the nutrition of their children. I have to agree. To a point. We can show them the way, but we can’t micro-manage their lives, lest they revolt. And who wants to have revolting kids?

For many, many years our household has been drug-free, organic and chemical free. The result? In the last 20 years of living this way we’ve had zero doctor’s visits and no drugs. Are we lucky? As parents my wife and I can take a lot of credit, but no doubt there are other factors, such as our children’s innate ability to grasp the importance of natural health care and the kinds of foods to avoid if they want to stay healthy. Meanwhile, we’ve totally avoided the onslaught of pizza parlors, McDonald’s and Twinkies. Sure there was a time when they were about 12 or 13 when they dabbled in the junk. That was unavoidable, unless we considered locking them away until it was time to go to college. Not a realistic option for any sane person, not that parents are completely sane.

The result is that their brief introduction to junk food made them feel sick and they didn’t like that feeling. Now they are adults and in total control of themselves. Lucky us for getting through the hard times.

Enter science. A new article from Science Daily states, “Providing fruits for snacks and serving vegetables at dinner can shape a preschooler’s eating patterns for his or her lifetime. To combat the increasing problem of childhood obesity, researchers are studying how to get preschoolers to eat more fruits and vegetables. According to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, one way is early home interventions — teaching parents how to create an environment where children reach for a banana instead of potato chips.
‘We know that parents have tremendous influence over how many fruits and vegetables their children eat,’ says Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. ‘When parents eat more fruits and vegetables, so do their children. When parents eat and give their children high fat snacks or soft drinks, children learn these eating patterns instead.’”

Most of the emphasis these days in regard to children’s health issues has to do with obesity. This, though, is just a symptom of eating all the wrong things. Not to be overlooked are acne, skin conditions, bad teeth, failing vision, inability to sit still, fits of temper, stomach upset, frequent colds and chronic exhaustion.

EXTRA NUTRIENTS AS SUPPLEMENTS

If your children need extra vegetables in their lives, have them take four to six GreenNutrients per day. If they have problems concentrating or sitting still, have them take six BFood Complex a day. These are whole foods, not vitamin pills. They make a difference!

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