Childhood

Children are the new generation and should therefore want to give them guidance, love, support and appropriate protection to enable them to develop into healthy and balanced adults. Children do not belong to parents but have their own unique lives; yet parents are fully responsible for the unfolding and nurturing of their development.

Good nutrition is the basis of good health; it is the fuel that builds and sustains the physical body and also influences the emotional development of children.

Calcium, vitamin C and magnesium are essential for growing children; therefore consider food sources for all of these like citrus fruit, walnuts, parsley and sunflower seeds. Superfood is pleasant tasting if made with fresh fruits and is full of essential nutrients. A daily cup or bottle of nettle leaves, dandelion root, chamomile flowers or hibiscus flower tea will also support children - in fact, any simple herb tea will be preferable to tea, coffee, squashes and fizzy drinks.

If you choose to bring your child up as a vegetarian or vegan you must ensure that you replace the nutrients which meat would have provided and do read all of Rose Elliots vegetarian cooking books and especially her ones on babies. The Vegan Society website may also be if use to you.

Nutritional Advice

Good nutrition is the basis of good health; it is the fuel that builds and sustains the physical body and also influences the emotional development of children.

Calcium, vitamin C and magnesium are essential for growing children; therefore consider food sources for all of these like citrus fruit, walnuts, parsley and sunflower seeds. Superfood is pleasant tasting if made with fresh fruits and is full of essential nutrients.

When preparing food for children make it appealing and fun. Occasionally, cover the table with many foods with different tastes, for example sliced raw carrot, olives, olive oil, garlic and raw mushrooms, cauliflower, sunflower seeds, carob pods and apple boats and then let them try each of them and draw attention to the different flavours and colours. Children love to copy, so join in!

Children eat proportionally more food than adults. This is necessary because they are growing and, therefore, their metabolism is working at a much faster rate. They are also naturally more active than adults, leading to their using more calories, so it is always advisable to have nutritious snacks for them to eat like bananas, apples or pre-soaked dried fruits. In the summer you can make your own fruit juice ice-lollies.

A banana rice milk shake is a tasty and energising drink, which is ideal for children:
To make, liquidise up to three bananas with ½ cup of rice milk, soya milk, coconut milk or almond milk, 5 pollen grains and ¼ tsp powdered cinnamon.

Children, like adults, will show clear reactions to certain food-groups if they have allergies to them.

They will also experience reactions if they are nutritionally deficient e.g. headaches, insomnia, a lack of appetite, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea and/or catarrh. Candida or a runny nose and general low health may all indicate possible nutritional problems with reactions or allergies, stemming from inadequate digestion, malabsorption or nutritional deficiency.

Avoid food colouring and additives in foods and limit the intake of sugar, especially 'hidden' sugars like those in cakes, pastries and chocolate.

These can complicate and exacerbate conditions such as hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder.

Some 80% of children who have a combination of physical, intellectual and emotional difficulties are simply afflicted by food-related allergies or childhood candida. These cause a range of symptoms including stomach, liver and bowel disorders, chronic fatigue, eczema, aggression and specific learning difficulties. Food allergy testing will help you identify foods that should be avoided, but a good rule of thumb is to initially avoid pesticide-ridden vegetables, steroid- and hormone-fed meat, dairy products, and wheat products altogether. One reason for this is that children's blood grouping is changing. Many are now type A or AB, rather than the usual type O of their grandparents. Some practitioners feel this has an effect on digestive enzyme levels, specifically HCL levels, many have less hydrochloric acid in their stomach and this, in turn, produces allergies if mishandled. Over time the digestive capacity of the child can be built up by using herbs like meadowsweet herb with a range of intestinal flora foods. Eventually the child should be able to process a wider range of foods with little or no reaction, but seek out professional allergy and nutritional practitioners in order to properly diagnose and treat these problems.

Immunisation, the overuse of antibiotics and an increase in 'junk food' have radically altered the health of children and there are now visible reactions to these changes.

Children will especially benefit from linseed oil and other essential fatty acids that will support neurotransmitters thus supporting the brain.

Zinc levels, so important for building up the immune system, are also often difficult to maintain in children because they use so much to grow with.

To help calm and soothe children on all levels, whether they are over-worked at school or generally hyperactive, consider using some of these herbs; lemon balm, lavender herb, dandelion root, chamomile flowers, catmint herb and liquorice rhizome.

Baby & Toddler Recipes

When feeding babies and young toddlers it is always best to use a variety of home-made meals. Some nutritional and easy recipes follow:

Purchase Rose Elliots wonderful baby food book for more tasty and nutritious recipes.

Breakfast:

50% ground organic millet flakes or millet flakes (or cooked whole millet).
50% fresh fruit or vegetables - preferably organic, but definitely alkaline like apple, peach, banana, cauliflower, carrot, parsnip or courgette. With fruits, add powdered cinnamon, and with vegetables, add a pinch of powdered turmeric and a little finely chopped garlic.

Soak the millet overnight and gently cook through on a very low heat. (sieve through for very young babies). Add sieved or mashed fruit or vegetables and serve.

(If using vegetables, add finely chopped parsley for older babies which will provide useful iron and calcium). This meal provides protein, iron, magnesium, calcium, B vitamins and a range of other vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

Rice and Seaweed Soother

• 1 cup of cooked organic brown rice
• ¼ cup pre-soaked dried seaweed (any variety e.g. purple dulse, bladderwrack or arame - there are so many kinds, so always vary your choice).
• ½ cup steamed chopped carrot
• 1 tsp arrowroot
• ½ tsp thyme leaves
• ½ clove of garlic

Mix all the ingredients together in a liquidiser. Add a little spring water if the mixture needs moistening. For extra protein which is a vital body building component for growing babies, add either 2 cholerella tablets or 2 teaspoons of Superfood to the mixture whilst liquidising. Finally stir in a teaspoon or two of virgin olive oil before serving.

This meal supports good, easy digestion and provides a rich variety of vital food values.

Energy Meal

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ¼ cup freshly sprouted seed e.g. alfalfa or sunflower
• 1 tsp Olive Oil

Liquidize the quinoa with the sprouted seeds and olive oil.

This menu provides a good balance of protein, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, with the bonus of the raw sprouts giving plenty of 'Raw energy'.

The White and Green Dish

• 1 cup mashed organic potato
• ½ cup mashed avocado
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ½ tsp of dried marjoram (or 1 tsp fresh leaves)
• ¼ tsp fennel seeds (or 1 tsp fresh fennel leaves)

Liquidize all of the ingredients together for very young babies. Rich in protein and oils, it also contains a host of vital vitamins and minerals, while helping digestion considerably with the herbs.

Fruit Delight

• 1 cup apple puree
• ½ cup prunes - mashed
• ½ cup vanilla stick finely chopped - scrape out the inner flesh and add the paste.
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder

This recipe is excellent for digestion and slightly sluggish bowels. It is also easy to prepare. Add 1tsp of uncooked arrowroot if more help is needed with digestion (and correspondingly a little water to loosen the mixture). Apple is a very healthy food. 'An apple a day, keeps the doctor away'.

Childhood Illness

Children can be quick to get sick but equally quick to recover, and essentially they have the potential for greater resilience and strength if every illness is treated correctly. Those who are supported with herbs, baths, massage and good food and left to fight out their illnesses without antibiotics and invasive, suppressive medicines, will build up better long-term defenses and consequently require less nursing in the long run. There is nothing better than parental care, home and bed to deal with sickness, and early, good support can keep the child out of both the doctor's surgery and the hospital. It takes effort, input, patience and knowledge, but that the results are worth it.

First signs of illness can be anything from a lack of appetite to high or low facial colour with shivering or fever. A child can be restless, loud, angry or quiet, withdrawn, vulnerable, weepy and in need of holding (or being near you). Be alert to odd behaviour for that particular child. Very often they complain of headaches or nausea, or will simply need sleep at odd hours. Knowing when to call in professional help is a difficult decision to make, for we have fewer large family groups nowadays in which grandparents, aunts and so on can help and advise: but seek help if you feel that you need it.

The following symptoms may help you to know when to ring for help:
Prolonged vomiting and diarrhoea, convulsions, a temperature that fluctuates quickly between hot and cold, blurred vision, drowsiness, headache after a bang on the head, drifting in and out of consciousness during fever, turning pale or blue, shallow breathing, eyes dull, sullen or glazed, can all be signs that you need prompt professional help.
In fact, you will probably feel it when something is really wrong, you will know it by instinct - trust your instinct...