Here are some very general tips for keeping children
healthy any time of the year!
1. Allow them the
time and structure to get plenty of fresh air and
exercise. A guideline is 1 hour of unstructured
outdoor play (weather permitting) and 1 hour of
structured physical activity per day. This is ideal.
2. Offer them plenty of purified water. A good
guideline is 1/2 of their weight in fluid oz per day.
3. Identify and eliminate food allergens. The
most common food allergies are to peanuts, wheat
and gluten, cow dairy, citrus, soy, tree nuts, eggs, and
chocolate, though really they could be allergic to any
food.
4. Allow them enough sleep. Young
children need 10-12 hours of sleep per night and
teens also need at least 9-10.
5. Make sure that
much of their learning is play based and experiential.
Children have the capacity to do a lot of rote
memorization of factoids though the latest research in
brain development indicates that more of the learning
before age 12 is best in an experiential and creative
setting.
6. Feed them 3 balanced meals and a
snack per day. Constant grazing keeps children too
full to eat a proper meal.
7. Use organic foods
and non toxic household products . Children are
very sensitive to toxins. Early puberty in girls is
linked to consuming non organic dairy and meat
products due to the exogenous hormones directly
placed in the food and the hormone like effects of
pesticides and household chemicals.
8. Give
your child a good multivitamin. They may not always
eat in a balanced way when you are not with them.
9. Avoid sugar, processed foods and TV!
10.
Most importantly of all give them tons of love and
lots of attention! Be well and enjoy them!
Find out more....
