Thursday, April 4, 2013

Cutting Fast Food

Good Morning.....

So one of my dear Sorority Sister's passed me this article this morning pertaining to fixing healthy food for your children..so I am going to share!!

The website the article was taken from is: www.raisingheartyboys.com



Raising hearty boys amidst our fast food culture is not as easy as a mom would hope. Our schedule often become monopolized with school programs, sports, church functions, and other extra-curricular activities. It’s just too easy to default to fast-food and other convenience foods. On top of all of that, the “nutrition advice” our government has purported that we learned from childhood has resulted in a nation of fat and sick people living a less than optimal life.
The rates of ADHD, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune diseases in children are rising. Your sons are more likely than ever to become afflicted with one of these problems while they are still a child. On top of that, it appears that the life expectancy rates are now declining. But there are things you can do to give your son an optimal start to life, lower his risk of disease, and help his body heal from any existing maladies.

What’s a Mom to Do?

Making family dietary changes can impact the health of your family more than just about anything. Don’t go out and do a total overhaul of your diet today, though.
Make one small, manageable change at a time. Stick with it. Baby steps.
If you try to do a complete overhaul, chances are you’ll get burned out and won’t stick with it. There are many people who look in on my life and wonder how we’ve moved from a diet with a decent share of convenience foods, pasta, and sugary treats to a nourishing nutrient-rich whole foods diet. It didn’t happen overnight.

Where Should I Start?

There are any number of places you can start. Start with with changes that are easy to implement. Stick with it for at least a month —make it a habit. Then, move on to the next change. Here are some ideas for small changes you can start with.
1. Find a source of farm-fresh eggs and begin using them on a regular basis. Your family won’t even miss the anemic eggs you’ve been purchasing from the store. Along with having a more robust flavor eggs from happy hens allowed access to pasture are more nutrient-dense. Your eggs purchased from a local farmer contain:
    • twice as many omega-3 fatty acids
    • 2/3 more vitamin A
    • 3 times more vitamin E
    • 7 times more beta carotene
    • 4-6 time more vitamin D
2. Increase consumption of healthy fats. Yes, increase fat consumption! It’s a myth that fat makes you fat. Fat is an excellent source of fuel. Fat nourishes the body as well as the mind. Be sure you are using natural, real fats.
When your sons don’t get enough fat it will rob their brains of the raw materials they need to function.Diets high in saturated fat have been found to be effective treatment for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and prevention of stroke.
3. Cut the sugar! I mean, really cut the sugar. Sugar is difficult to get away from, but extremely detrimental to your health.
You may even need to decrease or eliminate natural sugars from fruits for a time. Many kids (and adults) are addicted to sugar and it can be difficult to break the addiction while eating even natural sugars. You may want to begin cutting sugar back a bit at a time.
Stop buying cereal, pop tarts, and other sugary breakfast items. Replace these with eggs cooked in grass-fed butter or coconut oil, bacon, and sausage. This is great brain food and a fantastic way to start day.
When I began feeding my boys a high protein breakfast with plenty of fat they stayed full for much longer. They used to complain that they were hungry constantly and snack throughout the entire day (no wonder—their blood sugar levels were like a roller coaster). Now, my boys are satisfied with their meals and ask for snacks much less frequently.
After you tackle the sugary breakfast, work on cutting sugar throughout the rest of your boys’ day. If you are able to tackle the sugar issue, your boys will be much better for it!

1 comment: