Give Kids the Fuel They Need with Good Nutrition

Summer is coming to an end and kids are about to get back into the swing of school. Now is the time to take a closer look at what kind of fuel they are starting each day with. The type and variety of foods that children eat can affect their academic and physical performance, mood, behavior, and overall well-being.  The bottom line is children need good, healthy food in order to perform at their best.  Chicago Healers Practitioner Tiffany Triner, Assistant Nutritionist at Nutrition Connection Balance, LLC offers these great guidelines to better fuel kids:

Foods to avoid

Think twice about giving your children foods with labels listing food additives, colors, preservatives, or chemical names you can’t pronounce.   Also to be excluded:

• MSG
• Artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup
• Genetically modified foods
• Trans fat and hydrogenated fat
• Fruit juice from concentrate
• White and/or bleached flour products.
• Roasted or sugar coated nuts

Healthier options – getting back to basics

Think real food! Start offering your kids whole fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, grains and unprocessed meats.  Choose foods that have not been altered from their natural state.  Whether your child is 2, 12, or 22 it is never too late to change the way you think about food.  Here are some healthy lunch and after-school snack choices for your family that offer flavor and variety along with nutritional benefits.

Lunches:

• Turkey roll up:  A whole grain, rice, or corn pita, no nitrate lunch meat, lettuce or other leafy green, sliced tomato and hummus or whipped avocado as a pita dressing.

• Almond butter sandwich:
  • 2 pieces of whole grain, sprouted grain, or gluten free bread
  • 1-2 Tablespoons of raw almond butter
  • ½ cup of mashed fresh berries or an all natural/low sugar fruit preserve

Snacks:

• A piece of fruit or vegetable slices with raw or natural nut butter
• Trail mix: mixture of raw nuts and dried raisins, cranberries and pineapple
• Mixed berries
• Rice crackers and all-natural nut butter
• Veggie bag: snow peas, green beans, carrots
• Fruit leather, dried fruit slices, or fresh fruit
• Greek yogurt and dehydrated veggie chips

Guest article provided by ChicagoHealers.com-Chicago Healers (www.ChicagoHealers.com) is the nation’s pioneer prescreened integrative health care network, offering a comprehensive understanding of each practitioner’s services, approach, and philosophy.  Our holistic health experts teach and advocate natural and empowered health and life choices through their practices, the media, educational events, and our website. With close to 200 practitioners and over 300 treatment services, Chicago Healers has provided nearly 400 free educational events for Chicagoans and has been featured in 300+ TV news programs and print publications.  For more information, visit www.ChicagoHealers.com.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Girl on Fire

Photographer at Loudmouth Photography

Brandy is the wife to a carpenter/musician and the mother of 3 amazingly awesome homeschool/unschooled girls. Brandy is a Photographer as well as a Coach for the Weebellion as part of Rolling Rebellion Jr. Roller Derby. Brandy is passionate about many things and suffers from a very painful and degenerative neurological disease called CRPS/RSD.

Latest posts by Girl on Fire (see all)

• Benefits of Dual Diagnosis Treatment - January 25, 2023
• How to Help Family With Mental Health Issues? - January 3, 2023
• A Perfect Cup of Coffee Every Time – The Mr. Coffee One-Touch Coffeehouse+ Is A Perfect Christmas Gift! - December 20, 2022