Kids and THEIR nutrition!

We live in a society where we as adults are all of a sudden becoming conscious about our weight, health and appearance. Let’s face it, many people come to a coach in order to look good, a lot of the times their health is never brought into question and this got me thinking, why? Why is it that we put looks above our health needs??

This isn’t just for us adults either – children come into this bracket as well. I’ve had a number of people come to me recently asking for help with their children’s nutrition as they feel they are looking “fat” or “overweight”. I ask them about their children’s fitness levels, how far they can run, how long can they play football for, do they get out of breath walking to the shops etc etc, and the parents honestly can’t answer me!

Children’s health is and should be, your TOP priority. If you’re wanting to make a change in your physique and your coach has already spoken to you about health implications, then look at your child who you think is looking “overweight” and consider THEIR health implications.

A prime example of this is a personal one. My son was unfortunately admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitis and was subjected to needles, x-rays, scans and bolus amount of fluids in order to get him just a little bit more alert. It turned out that he had impacted bowel. A condition that means his faeces were so hard they were literally stuck in his lower bowel causing pain, infection, abdominal swelling and hardness and vomiting. I was honest and forward with the doctors telling them that his diet isn’t great. I always, without fail, make sure that he fruit and vegetables on his plate 3 out of the 5 meals he has with me at home – but he’s a fussy bugger – he spends a long time pushing them around his plate rather than eating them. He also only drinks about 200mls of fluid a day which is no where near what he should be drinking just to be hydrated let alone anything else.

He was discharged from hospital and we sat down together and made a plan to move forward and try lots of new foods, especially fruit and veg. We also made a deal that he needs to drink when I do and we would try different flavourings of juice to find one he would enjoy drinking more of. Which brings me onto the importance of water in your nutritional intake.

85% of your brain is made up of water as well as 80% of your blood and 70% of your lean muscle – if water intake is reduced you can become dehydrated and your brain can literally shrivel and shrink. This can in turn lead to day time fatigue causing fuzzy short term memory and difficulty in focusing on every day tasks. Water is essential for proper digestion and nutrient absorption. The carbs and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolised and transported by water in the bloodstream. Just as importantly, water helps transport waste products out of the body removing toxins along the way, especially in the digestive tract. If you don’t consume enough water the large intestine soaks up water from your food waste making stools hard to pass.

These are only a few points as to why we should keep ourselves and our children hydrated. There are countless positive points to water and the correct fluid intake, but in my opinion, these are the most important ones to take home.

The next time you as an adult or a parent or school teacher pose questions as to whether or not your child is overweight, think about their health in the long term. Obese children lead to obese adults if something is not done about it quickly. Diabetes, heart conditions, lung conditions are all associated with obesity and that is just the tip of the iceburg.

Be HONEST with yourself and the medical professionals you take your kids to. Don’t say they eat all their veggies if they don’t. Don’t avoid the fact that they are out of breath walking upstairs to bed every night. Don’t think the issue will just “go away” on it’s own if you ignore it. You have a responsibility and a duty of care to your kids to ensure their health is top notch from the onset.

I know how hard it is to get your kids eating healthy, but we are here to help. Let us give you hints and tips in order to take some of the stress away from you and make your meal times easier – even with fussy kids.

#changinglives

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