

When you’re packing lunches for your kids, the best thing you can do for them is to give them something that is both delicious and healthy. If you really want to offer your child the best in nutrition this year, and likely see his/her athleticism improve, mood optimize, and energy increase, here are a few tips to follow.
The best diet for children heading back to school is one founded in fruits and veggies. A child needs five servings of fresh vegetables and four servings of fruit daily. Whether you’re making breakfast, packing a lunch, plating a snack, or cooking dinner, there should never be a meal you’re creating without at least one fruit and one veggie finding its way.
Whole and cracked grains are important, but many of us generally over-consume grains (particularly wheat). For a change, try and go gluten-free if possible (reducing barley, rye, spelt, and wheat) and instead introduce different grains in rotation such as millet, quinoa, and kasha. Aim for three servings (aim for no more than five daily) of grains. If your family likes pasta, make sure that you cook it al dente and limit it to no more than twice per week and try your best to limit bread (for example, instead of a sandwich, try packing some of the previous night’s leftovers).
Another important component of a healthy diet is beans and legumes. When mixed with grains, beans offer copious amounts of vegetable protein. Try to incorporate them into soups, salads, sauces, and even alongside grains for breakfast (you can easily hide some white lentils the morning oatmeal. When topped with yogurt, blueberries, organic maple syrup, and almond milk, you have a powerhouse breakfast!). Other good sources of protein include natural, organic cheese, yogurt, omega-3 eggs, skinless organic chicken, and lean meats, but limit the aforementioned foods to 1-2 servings a week! When it comes to soy products, while there is some controversy around them, when enjoyed in moderation, they can be good for you and the entire family. Try to incorporate 1-2 servings of edamame, soy nuts, soymilk, tofu, or tempeh per day.
One important item to remember to include in your child’s diet when heading back to school is fish oil. Due to mercury, heavy metals, PCBS, dioxins, and furans, fish and seafood must be selected carefully. I recommend wild Alaskan salmon, Alaskan black cod, and sardines about 3-4 times per week.
When it comes to healthy fats, make sure they get at least 1 tsp (5 g) of a high quality fish oil before heading out the door (even better if it has vitamin D already included in the formula). Other ways to work good oils into your diet include cooking and preparing foods using extra virgin olive oil or expeller-pressed canola oil. Getting good fats through food is important, so try to include more walnuts, avocados, seeds (including hemp seeds), and freshly ground flax seeds into the family diet. All of these go well as part of a snack, in salads, or on cereal.
A great thing to do is to increase healthy herbs and spices incorporated into your family’s food, starting as early as possible with your little ones. The earlier you do it the more accustomed they acquire a less fussy palate, on top of the fact that spices are just great for their brains, immune systems, and helping with disease prevention. Garlic, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon are just a few of the spices that you can bring in to your family’s diet with huge benefits at unlimited servings every day.
As for beverages, water should be the staple. If you can, pick up a reverse osmosis machine that filters impurities out of the water (and helps to save the environment by cutting down on plastic bottles). Fill a stainless steel water container with water from your home filter and send them to school with that instead of a juice box, pop, or other junky drinks. Save organic juices for after-school treats, which can be paired with some fruit or nuts (or nut butter on celery, for example). If your kids are looking for something a little more dessert-like, serve them dark chocolate sweets (preferably around 70 percent cocoa).
As an insurance plan, it is a great idea to include a high quality children’s multi-vitamin alongside the fish oil and vitamin D. Good health means for a good school year!
Bryce Wylde
Is one of Canada's leading experts on natural medicine. He is the author of The Antioxidant Prescription and host of Wylde On Health on CP24.
www.homeopathicdoctor.ca
The Jerusalem Artichoke
by Jennifer Phennings
For Mom and Baby
by Julie Watson