Feed your children right for success in the 2021-22 school year!
Although it makes children shudder, back to school parents rejoice! But as parents we want our children to THRIVE, not simply survive, in the school year because we know the long term implications of such both academically and medically. Yet another fail to our families and patients, the conventional system offers misinformation and nutrition advice when it comes to food choices and feeding our kids.
Let’s get back to school with kids going back to school. I, as a mother of four who raised four children at home, I understand the challenges of managing a job and getting kids out the door to school on time. Getting everybody to the right place at the right time is sometimes an insurmountable task. So I’m with you there!
What I’m trying to convey to you here, is that the shortcuts proffered in the center grocery aisles, as well as promoted by the USDA and our food pyramid are really toxic to our children.
To be clear, that I’m using the word toxic because those processed foods in the center aisles are laden in sugar and are not beneficial to our children. The labels will mislead you: even though the labels say “gluten-free” or “natural” or “all natural,” please know that that does not confer healthy benefits. These “foods” as such often carry high amounts of sugar and toxic seed oils that are not good and harmful for us.
We have also been led to believe that yogurt is “nutritional” as well. Plain yogurt with a mere 7 grams of sugar, all lactose (milk sugar), isn’t my target here, but c’mon, we KNOW what our kids are demanding right? Fruit swirled on top! Consider a carton of “fruity all natural ” yogurt, which has 19 grams of total sugar. Thus, each fruit-added yogurt has 12 grams of added sugar. This to be clear, is the LAST thing our kids who sit on chairs and /or on devices require!
The industry hides these facts well; there are 262 different names for sugar. By choosing different sugars as the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ingredients, it can rapidly add up to be the dominant ingredient.
Now, I’m even going to go into a little bit of a controversial posture here because we’ve all been taught to go and shop the outside perimeter of the grocery store. And I’m here to tell you that even in the perimeter of the grocery store, there’s plenty of things that we need to avoid for ourselves and our children. As we go back to school, let me focus on the section of the grocery store that has all of those pre-cut fruits, conveniently packed in plastic. Again, a go-to for parents. You open up the lid, you give your kids the fruit, your kids are happy.
Of course your kid is going to crave the big bright red strawberry and the succulent pineapple. And it’s easy to throw in a lunch box for the child to take to school. What you need to understand is that it is marinating in fructose. Fructose is a sugar. It is metabolized almost exclusively by the liver. Once there, it promotes the synthesis and storage of fat, which is therefore going to raise blood sugar levels. And it’s also going to trigger hyperglycemia, which can trigger high insulin levels. That creates metabolic problems. Believe it or not, this then conveys fatty liver disease because the fructose in your diet acts just like alcohol does to the liver. That’s why we’re seeing more and more children with fatty liver disease that have never had a drink of alcohol.
Also, the peeled pre-cut fruit leaching the BPA plastic from the convenient tub it’s marinating in is no good. Instead, purchase only seasonal local whole fruits with peels on whenever possible. Just like our local mango season here in South Florida is not year round, we should not import mangos year round for consumption. The net result of doing so is not more more than consuming a sugar pill. Hit the local farms and farmers markets! Please!
So what can we do as parents to send our children to school and pack their lunches without creating havoc and all of our lives? It’s going to take a little bit of planning. It’s going to take some clean shopping, but it can be done. Trust me, I still have my 15 year old daughter at home that I’m also trying to raise to success.
If you are sending your child off with a high carb breakfast, the convenience is clear, but we’re also putting our children at a disadvantage and setting them up for a long-term chronic disease. So before we start returning to those convenient habits, let’s shake the paradigm up and offer a new model for the 2021-2022 school year for our children.
One of the suggestions that I have for you is to use avocados. Avocados are high in fats, which is really going help the child concentrate cognitively at school. They won’t have the roller coaster of the high glucose, the low glucose and the insulin that makes it a far more steady source of calorie is fats. An ideal breakfast is an egg and an avocado, much more nutrition and much more constant source of energy than you’re going to get from oats, cereal, muffins, or anything processed. It’s really going to help our children focus.
Additionally, add some healthy meats. I make homemade sausage at home from clean pork that I get from the farm that’s grass fed and grass finished, no antibiotics and also free roaming. You skip the processed link, which also eliminates more sugar. Did you know that sausage is processed with sugar?
So moving forward, that’s how you get your kid out the door. Does it take a little bit of planning? Sure. Do you have to get up a little bit earlier? Not much. Eggs really don’t take that much time to fry or to scramble. And if you are generally pressed for time in the morning, plan ahead and do some meal prepping. You can boil some eggs to send with your kiddos. If your children are having egg sensitivity, reach out to Dr. Ziya. I can look into that for you and identify what may be going on in their gut.
Additionally, omega-3 fatty acids supplements will help the children cognitively stay focused in school. I have a lovely liquid form (OmegAvail smoothies) that comes in three different flavors, which are great for children. Please reach out to me and I can help your children succeed.
Yours in Health ~
Dr. Sandy Ziya
This does not constitute medical advice in any way, if you have questions about your personal health situation contact Dr. Ziya OR other licensed medical provider.
