Sam Fuller

Dip ION mBANT - Nutritional Consultant

Sam's articles Fit for the new term?

Despite the wet summer our little ones have still spent their holidays running around, building strong muscles, growing inches and learning from their experiences.  All of this activity, whether or the beach or in the garden with their friends, has burnt off precious energy reserves. 

As they start back at school now and are bracing themselves for the new term, a fresh teacher and new friends wouldn’t it be great to ensure that they have a full tank of energy and nutrients to protect them from the approaching winter colds and flus? New, and sometimes stressful, environments burn up even more calories and nutrients and it is crucial that their diet bridges this gap. So, let’s guide you through the day with a few tips to provide practical solutions to delivering the important nutrients our children need for their healthy growth, repair, energy and immune protection.

breakfast:

Often tired children getting up for their breakfast will be reluctant eaters and sugary refined cereals will set their energy levels off on a rollercoaster of peaks and troughs.  Good breakfast choices are wholemeal cereals, porriage and eggs.  Juicy fruit purees are a delicious way to gently sweeten these healthy options.  You can expect to see an improvement in their interest and appetite within a matter of days.

lunchtime:

Lunchboxes are the next challenge – experiment at home in the evenings and weekends introducing different foods.  Asking little ones to help with the preparation of food can lead to lots of tasting opportunities and encourage a healthy participation with the selection of what goes in their lunchbox.  Remember many processed foods contain high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat, so opt for unprocessed simple options where the food has not had anything taken out or added back in.  Colourful foods in lunch boxes help to entice some interest – wholemeal wraps filled with chicken, peppers, cucumber and shredded lettuce are a filling start, followed by cheese and grape cocktail sticks and a fruit puree with natural yoghurt to polish it off!

At home a good combination for lunchtime would be a portion of protein together with vegetables or fruit and a fibrous carbohydrate such as wholemeal rice, pasta or bread.  Brown rice or pasta with fish/chicken and a pasta sauce will be a yummy way to fill those hungry lunchtime tummies.  Sweet pepper sticks to dip into the sauce will help towards their 5-a-day fruit and veg. If you are thinking “I’ll never be able to get my child to eat any of that” then encourage them with a ‘tasting party’ for their friends (under the careful guidance of Mum or Dad of course!). Children blindfold each other and pop different types of fruit and vegetables into their mouth to sample.  The child has to guess which food it is and announce whether he/she likes it before the blindfold comes off.  My daughter likes to play this game with her friends eating grapes and peppers.  They have to guess the colour of the grapes and peppers that they have eaten – it leads to a lot of giggling!

snacks:

Avoiding snacks that are nutritionally depleted such as sweets, crisps and chocolate and encouraging colourful vegetables, fruits and protein will supply the crucial nutrients to help the body make energy.  Vitamin C, Zinc and Magnesium are especially abundant in organic fruits and vegetables and help to maintain blood sugar levels.  Often we observe the effects that foods or drinks which are processed and full of additives have on our children’s behaviour.  A spurt of charged energy is short lived with these foods and leaves our poor children feeling tired and moody.  Fruit snacks or an oatcake with chicken or ham are a great way to greet children from school to stave off hunger pains until they get home for dinner.

dinner:

Encourage your little ones to include plenty of lean protein with their dinner.  Good sources are chicken, turkey, lean beef, eggs, milk and fish.  Protein helps to slow the release of sugar into the loodstream and delivers more sustainable energy.  By reducing the coping mechanisms that the body is designed to perform when blood sugar levels peak and trough will allow valuable nutrients to concentrate on protecting their immunity and promoting their health.

And finally, watching Mum and Dad polish off all their colourful vegetables at dinner time really has an impact on children.  Research has proven that eating habits are inherited from generation to generation and that quality time spent as a family enjoying dinner together will promote a healthy attitude and respect for food.