Type 1 diabetes used to be most common in children and teens. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is important hormone that helps glucose, or sugar, get into the cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much sugar stays in the blood.
But now type 2 diabetes becoming more common in children and teens, due to more obesity. With type 2, the body does not make or use insulin well. Children have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if they are obese, have a family history, or not active, and do not eat well. To control and prevent diabetes you should count your child carbohydrates; keeping track of the amount of carbs consumed, which are found in foods like soda, bread, and pasta. Furthermore, as a parent you should encourage your child to eat a balanced diet of lean meats and diary, whole grains, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables. And don't forget to keep your child active by swimming, dancing, riding bikes, or go for a walk.
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Physical activity is important for everybody's health. But teaching your child to be active from a young age will make him/her a physical active adult. Being inactive is a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease. It also increases the risk of stroke and other major risks such as obesity, high blood pressure, low LDL cholesterol and diabetes. Children and adolescents should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
How can you promote physical activity in your child?
(There is a kids workout video in the videos section, please check it out). What is ADHD? ADHD is a common chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. It effects about 10% of school-age children. ADHD children act without thinking, and have trouble focusing. What you feed your kid on a daily basis can have a huge impact on their symptoms. Below you will find the 5 best food to feed children with ADHD:
Feeding kids fast and nutritious dinner can be impossible. Your are just back from work, tired, and have other duties to get done rather than preparing dinner. It can be easy to just grab fast food on your way home. The fatty, salty flavors in fast food are widely popular in Children. Unfortunately,some of their favorite meals can be the most unhealthy. These are 4 of the worst dinner options you can feed your child regularly.
You probably heard it before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless, or irritable. In the morning, their bodies need to refuel for the day after going without food for 8 to 12 hours during sleep. Their mood and energy can drop by midmorning if they don't eat at least a small morning meal. Try making your kids breakfast healthy and enjoyable. I'll be sharing with you 5 different easy recipes to make for your kid.
Try to make your kids breakfast something pleasant, and enjoyable for them. The world is your kids oyster, top their breakfast with what their heart desire! Children can't get all of the nutrients they need just from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's why you as a parent should think of snacking as a way to give your child extra nutrients for growing healthy and strong. They should have about 2-3 snacks a day, but they can't eat whatever and whenever they want. You should create a snack eating schedule between their meals, like having a mid-morning snack, and after school snack, and stick to it. Chips, cookies, and gummies aren't always a good snack for your children. They are full of salt and added sugar, with no nutrients that can benefit your kid. So what should you feed your child? Here are some examples that your kid will enjoy:
Snacking is very important for your child to feel full during the day. But you as a parent should know how to choose the right snack, which may have a huge impact on your child health in general! Be careful with what you feed them. Try to fuel them with more fruits and vegetables, and less sugars. Many children with disabilities have health issues that can impact their nutritional health and eating habits. This makes meeting their nutritional needs more important to keep them healthy. We will be discussing issue that might affect children with disabilities.
Caring for a child with food allergies is hard for parents; from label reading, cross contamination, to stress of the family and when the allergen is ingested. Food allergy is very common in the U.S., about 15 million Americans have food allergies, and it affects 1 in every 13 children under 18 years of age in the U.S. If a mother is breast-feeding, some sensitive babies can have allergic reactions to foods their mothers eat. Children may have different reaction for food allergies, some of the symptoms may be skin rashes or hives, difficulty breathing, sneezing, coughing, runny nose or itchy eyes, and stomach upset. The most common allergies in children are to peanuts, milk, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, eggs, soy, and wheat. All parents of a child with a food allergy should be aware of the possibility of anaphlaxis ( a potentially life-threatening reaction that reduce breathings, causes a drop in blood pressure and lead to death. I would like to share a couple of recipes with you that are allergy- friendly:
Remember always as a parent to be careful for what you are feeding your child, specially if they are allergic to food. Look carefully at food labeling, and be very cautious with food contamination. Try to substitute their allergic food like milk with almond milk so they can still get their calcium needs. Have you ever though if diet may effect your kid's academic achievement? As we all know, kids prefer candies, junk food, and everything that is more colorful and sweet, but should they always get it?
One study was made to see the relationship between kids diet and their academic achievement. The population was kids from 5-18 years old, they looked at their academic performance, and measured their dietary intake. Most of the results were with children who had ate breakfast, or healthy food had a higher academic results than those who had junk food. I'm not saying that your kids plate should be super healthy, but they need at least a couple of servings daily from each of the five main food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein. At least half of your kids grain(3-5 servings) should be unrefined type like whole wheat or oats, because they have higher Vitamin E, magnesium, and fiber than processed grains. An example of grains will be 1/2 cup cooked whole-grain pasta, or 1 slice whole-grain bread. For fruits and vegetables kids should have from 2-4 servings a day depending on their age. A serving of fruits and vegetables way be 1 cup corn, 8 large strawberries, 1 cup broccoli, or 10 baked fries. 2- 2 1/2 servings must be your kid daily intake of dairy. An examples of servings of diary would be 1/3 cup shredded cheese, 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup milk, or 1 piece string cheese. Protein is the last main food group, 2-5 servings is the right amount for kids depending on their age. Protein is high in zinc, iron, and B vitamins. A serving of protein will be 1 egg, 2 Tbs. hummus, 6 shrimp, or 1/2 piece grilled chicken. Taking care of your child health may impact their health in the future. We can balance between giving them healthy food, and giving them candies or sweets once or twice a week. Give them what is good for their health, they will appreciate it in the future! Resources: Burrows T at el. Is there an association between dietary intake and academic achievement:a systemic review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2016;10.1111/jhn.12407 Here are 5 tips to start with your child for healthy eating:
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AuthorTina Mousa. A Dietetic Student at the University of Kentucky. Archives
November 2016
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