I don’t know about you have noticed, but the quality of food that children eat seems to have decreased quite a bit in recent years. There is always a lot of information about getting kids to eat healthily, but then you go to the grocery store, and the healthy food costs twice as much as the unhealthy food your child wants to eat. And let’s not even start talking about picky eaters–my daughter is the worst!
Studies show that children who are malnourished during the first one thousand days of their lives really do suffer in more ways than you might realize. During these first important days of their lives, their bodies and brains grow very rapidly. This is when children learn their basic motor skills and the all-important skill–speech. Without proper nutrition, they are at a disadvantage.
While my daughter has never been in this position, during her first five weeks of life, she was not getting the nutrition she needed. I didn’t know it, and it wasn’t until my midwife pointed out that my breast milk was not sufficient for her needs that she began to grow and develop. I was so grateful that she did not suffer as a result of this–I was honestly somewhat concerned. But thanks to proper nourishment, she not only began to grow on schedule, but she thrived. Imagine if she had been in a country where expert health care and ready nutrition was not available! She would have suffered for sure. I am blessed that my daughter was so well-cared for during that time in her life.
Sadly, the trend does not improve just because the child grows into an adult. If a child was malnourished as a child, there is a good chance he/she will earn twenty percent less than those who didn’t suffer from malnutrition. For more information about these issues, please click here.
One of the things I would like to share with you is a “Gr8” healthy recipe. This means nothing more than a recipe that has eight ingredients or less and costs less than eight dollars. One of the easiest recipes I can share is a berry smoothie. All you need is some frozen berries (if you use fresh, you will have to add some ice cubes to this), yogurt (Greek yogurt is best), milk, and possibly some additional ice and sweetener (sugar, honey, agave–you choose). Put everything in a blender (you will want the ice to be towards the bottom), and blend it all together for a minute or two. This is by far one of the best breakfasts and/or snacks you could create.
In spite of any challenges we have in this country, we are still quite blessed to have access to healthy ingredients and foods. So the next time you are shopping at the grocery store, just be sure you don’t automatically get all the “garbage” your kids want. Commit today to eat Gr8 recipes as much as possible.
