BACK TO SCHOOL BASICS FOR YOUR HEALTH

With school just around the corner here in BC, parents will be out in full force this weekend stocking up with things to put in their littles', and not-so-littles', lunch boxes. Unfortunately this often times means packaged and processed foods.

Walk into any grocery or big box store or check the flyers and you will find all sales geared to "back to school". A good thing, right? I mean, who doesn't want a deal on all that stuff we're going to buy to make sure our kids are all set and ready to go come September 6? It stops becoming a good thing however, when you've cashed in on the backpack, jeans and runners deals and begins becoming a concern when the number of packaged "treats" going into those lunches outnumbers the whole-food items. Life is busy, for some it can even be frantic there's no doubt about it. But I also know that if asked directly, "Is your child's health and education is a priority?", most parents would answer "Yes". So why all the noise (can't you just hear those crinkly packages?) about what's in little Johnny's or little Susie's lunch box?

Now, if you'll recall, the question I proposed asking parents had to do with both health and education. Most of the time these two are considered two separate entities and therefore treated as such. What many fail to realize is that a child's level of health has a direct impact, positive or negative, on his or her education. Speaking from the perspective of someone who, for over a decade worked extensively with children, both typical as well as those with special needs, in the classroom I can say without a doubt that their level of attention and focus, ability to learn, self-regulate and interact with others is all affected by food.

For those of you who follow my column or have been to my website, you know I am against dieting in favour of of blood sugar stabilization in order to maintain optimal weight and health. Simply put, it's PFC every 3. And yes, that goes for our kids too. I mean really, our bodies' physiology hasn't changed, we process food in the same way, so why shouldn't we teach our children how to balance their food, fuel with good nutrition and position themselves to win with their health from the beginning? While our kids are small is the time to get them into the habit of good nutrition, making it more likely to continue and become a natural part of their lives. The habits they learn from us will be carried forward and passed on down to their children, creating a culture of health, or sickness, depending what habits they bring with them.

Children who fill up on processed cereals, toaster waffles or pastries and foods having little or no protein have difficulty focusing and attending in class. Highly processed/sugary foods enter the body quickly, causing the blood sugar to spike along with bursts of energy manifesting as fidgeting, talking out of turn, disrupting others as well as missing announcements or instructions from the teacher. Shortly thereafter this spike is followed by a “crash” where the child has exchanged fidgeting for yawning, still unable to pay attention. The only scenario worse is missing breakfast entirely which has the child go straight to “crash and yawn”.

Then there's recess. What began as a nutrition and exercise break to allow students and teachers an opportunity to refuel, regroup and come back ready to learn, is often not much more than a sugar break. Just a little FYI here, anything that comes in a package, box, bag, wrapper, can, bottle is most often primarily a carbohydrate. So are fruits and vegetables. Do our bodies need carbohydrates? Absolutely we do, but which ones are going to give their bodies the biggest benefit? Fruit, or fruit roll-ups? Greek yogurt and fresh fruit or tubes of “yogurt”? Juice boxes or water bottles? Packing foods that fuel rather than foods that cause another sugar spike - because even if there's not much sugar in those packaged foods, the fact that it's processed makes it convert to sugar immediately, causing the sugar spike anyway – sets your child up to succeed in school. And what's the best way to make those good habits stick? Model them yourself. Parents who take the time to eat a healthy breakfast, pack a nutritious lunch, bring healthy snacks for after school activities and plan ahead to have a home-cooked meal are not only saving themselves a huge amount of money, but are creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

So, as you build your back-to-school grocery list, I encourage you to think about how you're going to fill your kids' lunch boxes next week. And when they bug you for those “treats”, because let's face it they're kids so they will, opt for allowing them to choose one for the day, filling up the rest with fresh, whole foods. Although a little less convenient at the beginning, it's more than worth it in the end.

Get your back-to-school basics on how to lose weight without dieting! End the Dieting Madness is back! Join Tania for group weight loss and nutritional education beginning September 13, 11:00am. Space is limited so call 250-469-8800 today to register.