The Benefits of Having a Well Nourished Child

You are what you eat. This applies to children just as it does to adults. The benefits of making sure that your child eats properly straight from age 0 to 19 are many.

Here is what you can accomplish for your child if you try to bring them up right and teach them to shop well and eat well —

• An emotionally balanced individual who is less likely to suffer from mood swings or depression because the proper nutrition has allowed their brains to develop correctly
• A physically healthier person who is less prone to diseases of all kinds (this is especially true of kids who were breastfed and not fed bottled milk all of their lives.)
• A person who is not likely to develop allergies or other disorders (also the result of being breast fed instead of bottle fed)
• A person who is less prone to obesity (because they have not been exposed to sugar at a young age)
• An individual that has a healthy self-image and does not need to resort to behaviors like bulimia or anorexia (because he or she has not grown up in a household where food is used as emotional blackmail or as a punishment or a reward)
• A calm productive person who does well in school (because a well nourished brain is one that is able to focus and does not develop problems like ADD)
• A richer adult who does not blow money on expensive junk food or impulse purchases at the grocery store (because he or she does not experience cravings)

• A person who can cook healthy nutritious meals and pass good lifestyle habits through to the next generation

Above all you will be raising an individual who is accountable for himself or herself and who is less likely to be a burden on the medical system! Obesity costs Canadians and Americans millions of dollars each year. The system is overloaded with people who think that food comes from a restaurant, box or package. Possibly the best thing you can do is teach your child to buy healthy produce and cook it. Teach them about the evils of too much salt, sugar and fat earlier in life so they do not develop a taste for it.

Furthermore any children that your children have are likely to be healthier as well – good nutrition is a gift that keeps on giving onwards through those who descend from you!

Parenting Tips
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Feeding Routines for Happy Infants

Technically a newborn becomes an infant after reaching the age of one month. The baby remains one until one year old when he or she technically becomes a toddler.
This first year of life is crucial as the way you treat the infant can really affect how he or she will psychologically and physically develop as well as influence the baby's relationship with food.

One important thing is to not force a child of this age to eat. You should never expect him or her to finish a bottle or an entire job of baby food. Putting pressure on a baby causes both emotional and physical discomfort. The pain of overeating for an infant is due to undeveloped organs.

You should also never shame a baby into eating or make him or her think that eating is all about 'control.' This could result in a personality that becomes anxious, obsessive and a future over-eater. Many babies that feel controlled around mealtime rituals become anorexics or bulimics.

Another routine that can never be established early enough is eating at the same time every day. This type of habit tends to 'take hold' as part of your developing baby's instincts and also last well into maturity. It prevents snacking and overeating.

You should try to avoid buying baby foods that contain additives, coloring agents and preservatives. If you must buy commercial baby food rather than make your own then be sure to read the labels. You also want to avoid addicting baby to foods that contain MSG, sugar and too much salt. These additives make food seem so delicious that it will be very hard for you to get your baby to eat things that are less attractive but truly nutritious such as pureed broccoli or yams.

The same thing goes for sugar. The baby who eats chocolate pudding will prefer that over peaches or bananas for dessert. Shunning foods is too easy for an infant' sugar and salt are so addicting they will throw big tantrums to get it.

If you want your baby to develop a positive attitude towards mealtime then it is also a good idea to make it seem more sociable and exciting by talking to the baby about the food and how great it is to share mealtime together. This will make the baby look forward to eating with the family.

Parenting Tips
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