Education of Children

Parents of young children commonly commiserate about their kids’ eating habits. Complaints often relate to a child’s exceedingly limited “kid food” diet, rejection of anything green, refusal to try anything new or the explosive mealtime battles that make dinnertime stressful for everyone.  I frequently encounter exasperated parents who – convinced they’ve tried everything – come to the conclusion that their child is constitutionally a “picky eater” who is incapable of expanding his horizons. So I decided to roast-test this hypothesis with two experts in the field of feeding challenging eaters : Jessica Piatak, a pioneering occupational therapist, and Kristina Carraccia, an innovative speech therapist, both at The Center for Discovery, based in New York. Piatak and Carraccia specialize in working with children with severe developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and medical frailties and have developed an approach dubbed “Food Exploration and Discov...

Research shows that family meals have a big impact on what children eat as they grow into adulthood and start making food choices of their own. Parents often are confused and might need some help understanding what it means to eat healthy. The good news is that you don't need a degree in nutrition to raise healthy kids. Following some basic guidelines can help you encourage your kids to eat right and maintain a healthy weight. Here are 10 key rules to live by: 1.      Parents control the supply lines. You decide which foods to buy and when to serve them. Though kids will pester their parents for less nutritious foods, adults should be in charge when deciding which foods are regularly stocked in the house. Kids won't go hungry. They'll eat what's available in the cupboard and fridge at home. If their favorite snack isn't all that nutritious, you can still buy it once in a while so they don't feel deprived. 2.      From the foods you offer, kids ge...

    by Chelo Aestrid on September 29, 2013. For the spirit of upcoming October as ADHD Awareness Month, it is good to know a study has found that omega-3 fatty acids has worked in the treatment for ADHD in rats. Scientists have known that diet plays a major role in affecting children’s behavior. A lack of certain minerals and vitamins are present in children with ADHD, and multi-vitamin supplements have shown positive changes against ADHD. Having abundant and tasty foods containing omega-3 fatty acids in meals can be a great alternative to the “over-medication” of those suffering from ADHD in recent years. Omega-3 fatty acids generally need to be consumed because it is an essential fat that can not be produced in the body. Some sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, and herring), plant-based foods (walnuts, olive-oil, flax and chia seeds), and supplements. Recently, a team from the University of...