No matter how hard you try, you simply can’t avoid all toxins. Your kids are going to be exposed to toxins on a daily basis. There are too many chemicals lurking in food, water, air, schools, playgrounds – and especially all the stuff in your home. Everyone living in this world has some level of…
Optimizing your children’s gut flora is not that difficult, once you know what to avoid and how to replenish and maintain beneficial microbes. How to Replenish and Maintain Healthy Gut Flora It’s important to eat a healthy diet with a diversity of organic whole plant foods that are rich in fiber. You need both prebiotics and…
Underlying physiological imbalances are commonly overlooked causes of children’s behavior and developmental problems. These imbalances can sometimes be complex and difficult to detect and can certainly affect your child’s brain development and behavior – in both subtle and serious ways. If your child is experiencing attention deficit, anxiety, angry outbursts, aggression, depression, or serious behavior issues, take…
Children love sweet foods, and we like to delight our kids with special treats. But too much sugar depresses the immune system, making your child more susceptible to getting sick. Sugar causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which can create imbalances leading to chronic health problems. It can also affect behavior, attention, and learning. What…
By Jane Sheppard Pay little attention to the pervasive hype about low-fat diets. Children need fats in their diets to be healthy. Healthy fats supply nutrients that are essential for growth and are necessary for energy as well as the absorption and metabolism of some nutrients. Fats are vitally important to the brain, which is…
excerpt from Healthy Food and Nutrition for Kids by Jane Sheppard, Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach and Parenting Coach Is your child super-selective in what he or she will eat? Are you worried about your picky eaters getting enough healthy food? Many kids are very selective, and a common eating pattern is to choose only…
What’ s wrong with GMOs? If someone tried to sell you an apple they “grew” in a laboratory—like Dr. Frankenstein’s monster—would you take it home and serve it to your family? Probably not. Especially if you have a non-Franken-apple, grown on a normal tree to eat instead. And even if you did consider buying it,…
These days, it seems like everyone has something to say about GMOs. On one side we have corporations claiming that GMOs are safe and no different from other foods. On the other side, there are non-profit and public policy organizations that are dedicated to shining light on the truth—that GMOs are far from safe…
Healthy Kids Books It’s important to begin teaching children about healthy food at a very young age. Kids begin to form healthy eating habits as young as babies/toddlers. Valya Boutenko is a children’s book author. She writes books that teach children about eating healthy in a fun, inspiring, and engaging way. These beautiful books make great…
10 Reasons to Keep Kids Off Soda 1. Soda contains zero nutrients, and is high in calories and sugar. Studies show a strong link between soda consumption and childhood obesity. 2. Soda suppresses the appetite so kids are less likely to eat nourishing foods. Soda drinkers are less likely to get the recommended levels of…
While I was in the middle of writing my recent blog post about fruit juice for kids, I had a wonderful conversation with my friend, Shelly. I could hear Nayelli, her 2 year-old daughter, in the background. “I want more juice!” I asked Shelly about the juice and she said she makes her own fresh…
Last fall the results of a Consumer Reports investigation showed there were disturbing levels of arsenic and lead in apple and grape juices. Inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen and small amounts of lead can seriously effect physical and mental development. Many kids regularly drink juice, so it may be a big contributor to arsenic…