Why You Need to Teach Your Kids to Eat Well

Eating well starts and ends with you. You need to teach your kids from a very young age when they are toddlers how to eat well so they do not end up like so many of the fat young American teens that you see everywhere today.

Eating well is a process that starts with you. First you must shop and cook well for your child and then you must teach him or her how to shop and cook well too. Teaching them about organic and whole foods keeps them healthy.

A child that eats well from a young age tends to be a healthier individual who is less likely to suffer from any kind of a disease. Kids that are well nourished tend to be more do better in school and have better memories. They also are more emotionally balanced and have a better ability to concentrate. This is especially true of the child that is not raised on sugar. He or she tends to be a calm, productive person who can retain information and focus on one thing at a time.

If food is approached in a positive way without being made into a reward then your child will grow up with a healthy self image. He does not need to resort to behaviors like anorexia or bulimia. You will also raise a child that is not going to use food for comfort.

Teaching your kid to shop and eat well has another benefit. Your child will have more money in the bank than most because he or she will not be spending a lot of extra cash on expensive junk food the craving and desire for bad foods that are laden with sugar, salt and fat will simply not be there.

If you raise your child to have a healthy lifestyle he or she is also less likely to get sick. He or she will be less of a burden on the medical system and also be able to keep money that might have been spent on medical bills.

Feeding your child well and teaching him or her good lifestyle habits is a gift that will last for a lifetime and keep on giving good health for many years to come. Even better those good habits will be passed down from you through them to their kids when they have them as well.

Nursing for Happy, Healthy Newborns

Establishing a healthy eating pattern for a newborn can be difficult because newborns do not have a real schedule. They must eat-on-demand. Ultimately this means that if you have a baby that is less than one that you are at the mercy of his or her whims.

For the first month of life the healthiest thing you can do for a child is give up all plans and feed that baby when it is hungry. Most babies will want to feed every three to four hours. Interestingly, most newborns do not scream when they are hungry. Instead they pucker their lips, nuzzle an arm or breast or suck on a fist. Be aware of these signs because you do not want your baby to ever be hungry. A hungry baby often grows up to be a nerve-wracked and insecure.

You should, if possible, choose to breast feed your baby rather than use a bottle. This is because mother’s milk contains everything that a baby needs to grow. Your breast milk contains hormones and other substances that also help the baby develop a healthy brain and immune system. A bottle-fed baby is more likely to develop allergies later in life.

Even though woman have been to alternate breasts every few minutes when feeding a new baby the experts are now saying that it is best to use one breast for one feeding session and then use the other for the next. Staying on one best when the baby is latched onto your nipple is a good way to make sure that the baby receives hind milk. Hind milk is last to leave the breast – the dregs and it has the most nutrition.

You also do not want the baby to associate mealtimes with a lot of stress. Do not nurse if you feel stressed or angry. Make sure that when you do nurse that you are comfortably supported with pillows and are calm and well-nourished.

Yet another thing to consider is whether or not your newborn will need supplementation with Vitamin D. This is usually required nowadays as research scientists have shown that most people, including nursing mothers are short of it. Consult your doctor to see if you and your newborn or both of you need to take extra Vitamin D every day.

Take vitamins as recommended by your doctor when nursing. Remember that part of keeping your newborn healthy is keeping yourself healthy too!