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Why Focus on Nutrition? Researchers have found that there is a link between diet and learning capabilities, behaviour problems, violence in the schools, children’s self-confidence, obesity, and even bedwetting. It’s shocking that something as simple as changes in a child’s diet can affect all these issues. Most North American children get more than 25% of their calories from sugar – in soft drinks, desserts, candy, and many prepared and highly processed foods. In fact, the average North American school-aged child consumes a handful of sugar daily. Sugar is considered a non-food because it creates vitamin and mineral imbalances, which create cravings for more sugar, which further adds to the vitamin and mineral imbalance. It also interferes with insulin production, a precursor to diabetes. It’s a never-ending circle until, or unless, the sugar intake is reduced by modifying the child’s diet to include fresh, natural foods. But be aware… The withdrawal symptoms involved in reducing sugar are as strong as those an adult experiences when trying to quit smoking, so your child will not want to stop eating chocolate every day, drinking pop, or sneaking that cookie as an after school snack. As a parent you can make this easier by involving your child in the preparation of healthy snacks, packing his lunch, and making sure your child has healthy foods throughout the day. What we do today affects our health for many years to come. The health care of the future will focus on prevention…made possible by healthy eating habits. |
