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Tips for Moms & Dads Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges for parents of children who have been accustomed to the Standard American Diet is to make a change in lifestyle. It is important for children to understand, so be sure to teach them why you are making the changes. Share with them your concerns about their health as well as your own. I. Set a positive
example. Children learn by what they see and hear! It is impossible to
teach good eating habits to children if the parents eat poorly. Start
teaching healthy eating habits as early as possible. The task becomes
increasingly difficult once poor eating habits become established. 2. Maintain authority over the food in your home. Parents should decide and make children aware of what foods are acceptable and available in the home. If you take the time to plan ahead, you can save many hours and lots of frustration. For instance, have fresh vegetables and fruits easily accessible for the children to snack on. 3. Plan your meals ahead, too. There are some tasks that can be done ahead of time to make meal preparation much easier. As you plan your meals make note of things like soaking beans, preparing fruits or vegetables for a salad, or other tasks that need to be done ahead of time. 4. Involve the children in grocery shopping. Have them assist with making a grocery list, and allow them to choose which fresh vegetables they would like to try. Take them on an outing to a farmer's market or to a local orchard that does not use chemicals. Take the time to teach the children about the choices you are making and why. Be sure to feed the children prior to going shopping so they will not become demanding at the supermarket.
5. Include the children when making some of the meal selections. Make up menus ahead of time and post them so the children know what to expect. Children can be involved in preparing for the meal: setting the table, helping with the salad, helping with the juicing, and even cleanup chores. For instance, each child could be responsible to rinse his or her plate after the meal.
6. Make mealtimes an enjoyable occasion for the whole family - a place to share the positive things that happened during the day, tell stories and laugh together. Teach children to slowly chew their food and savor the flavor, to not rush through the meal and hurry off to the TV or some other activity. It may take some extra effort, but it will be worth it in the long run. Parents should also establish a firm rule that the dining room table will never become a battleground. 7. For school lunches, include a vegetarian sandwich on whole-grain bread, some veggie sticks, grain crisps and fruit for dessert. Children don't like to be different. Their sandwiches could include lettuce, tomato and avocado, or almond butter with bananas or an all-fruit jam or a pita pocket stuffed with salad or left over veggie pizza or spaghetti. There are lots of wonderful ideas. With each new day look for something unique to make the lunches an event the children look forward to. 8. Perhaps occasionally take children to restaurants for an opportunity to guide them in learning how to choose healthy foods. Later allow the children an opportunity to eat a school lunch to give them the opportunity to exercise what they have learned about healthy choices. 9. Plant a small
garden that is easy to manage and allow the children to take part in the
care of the vegetables. It gives them a sense of belonging. As a child
watches the plants grow and mature they become excited about eating what
they have helped produce. If you live in an area where you can't plant
a garden, window box gardens are a wonderful option. For instance tomatoes,
carrots and lettuce can all be planted in one-gallon containers with holes
for proper drainage. You could even plant squash if you use a large enough
container, like a half barrel. Push six or eight seeds into the soil,
water them on a regular basis. After the plants come up, thin them to
two, otherwise you will have a jungle! "Train
up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, A Suggested Program for Children Birth Through 24 Months Mother's breast milk is God's plan for nourishing infants and is always preferred. It should be the primary source of nourishment for the child for at least 18 to 24 months. Human breast milk contains all the nutrients a baby needs including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, hormones, enzymes, essential fatty acids, carbohydrates and immune system factors. Expressed milk can be refrigerated up to 24 hours. If breast-feeding is not an option, raw goat's milk is an acceptable substitute. Goat's milk is similar to human breast milk in composition. However, goat's milk should be diluted 50-50 with distilled water as the protein content is slightly higher than that in mother's milk. Goat's milk keeps about four days in the refrigerator. If neither of the above are available, well-strained raw almond milk, diluted Barleygreen and/or well strained, diluted carrot juice may be used. Birth until the Front Teeth Begin to Appear As early as one or two months, raw, freshly-extracted carrot juice, diluted with one part carrot juice to 3 parts distilled water can be introduced in small quantities (1/4 tsp.) at first, and then slowly increased. Juices need to be well-strained through a very fine stainless steel strainer. By age 6 months, serving amount can be increased to as much as 4 ounces. Barleygreen (1/4 tsp.) diluted in distilled water, can also be introduced, along with the carrot juice. As the child grows and develops, the amount of Barleygreen can gradually be increased. If the child develops loose stools, the juices may be too strong and should be diluted with more distilled water. For best assimilation, schedule the juices at least 30 minutes before breast-feeding or two hours after. Remember mother's milk is still the primary food, and it is important to note that if large volumes of juices are given, the child may not wish to nurse as often, which will eventually decrease mother's milk supply and shortchange the child's nutritional intake. Cow's milk and soy products are not recommended. Babies cannot digest them and they often cause allergic reactions. After Front Teeth Begin To Appear Breast feeding, carrot juice and Barleygreen should still be the main sources of food! Children are, however, born with God-given instincts and they will let you know when it is time to add some solid foods. If a child is not satisfied with breast milk alone, if the baby cries after feeding for no apparent reason, or if the child begins to chew on mother's breast, it is a signal that fresh (organic when possible) ripe fruit, can now be added. It is important to remember, however, that solid foods introduced too early will decrease the babies desire to nurse. When introducing babies to solid food, it is vitally important to teach them to take small bites and chew (masticate) their food well. As a child begins to chew, fresh fruit helps develop brain and neurological systems. Offer small (1/4 tsp.) portions once a day of raw apple sauce. Or you may mash freshly prepared, very ripe bananas. Mashed peaches, pears, papaya and avocados are also excellent choices. It is important to remember that when introducing a baby to one of these fruits, only one kind should be introduced at a time. No other new food should then be introduced for at least a week to allow the child's system a chance to adapt. These fruits can be grated or pureed in your Champion or Green Power juicer. Over a period of months, work up to as much as 40 percent raw fruits. Mother's milk should continue to be the largest percentage of nutritional intake. Note: When a child is cutting teeth, dry whole grain toast may be given for them to "chew" on. Never leave a child unattended while food is within reach, as they may take too big of a bite and choke. When Molars Appear Mother's milk is still the primary source of nutrition. As the molars start coming in, vegetables may be slowly introduced in a pureed form to the baby's diet. A blended salad may be made in a blender, Vita Mix, Green Power or Champion Juicer with avocado, a small amount of flesh carrot juice or distilled water, fresh greens, and a small amount of fresh, organic apple may be added for sweetness. To add variety, different greens and vegetables may be used, which will provide additional essential nutrients necessary for healthy babies. Finger foods should continue to be soft, such as very ripe peeled fruit or soaked dehydrated fruit cut into a bite-sized piece (one piece is usually sufficient). Organic raisins, dates and figs are very high in sugar, which promotes tooth decay; therefore, use sparingly until a child is old enough to brush and floss their teeth with a little help! Acid fruits such as tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit and other citrus and berries should not be given to children for at least the first 12 to 14 months, and then only sparingly. Large amounts of citrus fruits can actually eat into the enamel that coats their teeth. When All Teeth Are In After all the teeth are in, you can slowly start weaning the child from breast milk; however, it is important to continue carrot juice and Barleygreen. Now that all their teeth are in, cooked foods can slowly be introduced into the child's diet. However, we never want to reach a higher percentage of cooked food Vs raw food in their diet than 25 percent. When a child is being weaned, start adding new semisolid foods to the diet. Start with small portions of the new food, at no more than one meal per day. Add one new food at a time with no other new food being introduced for at least one week. Puree vegetables at first, later blended or those processed in food processor can be used for a more coarse consistency. Serve food at room or warm temperatures - never hot or cold. As the child is able to handle new foods, vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash and beets can be added, as well as grains like brown rice, millet, quinoa, barley and oatmeal. Baby foods should never be seasoned with salt, spices, sugar, oil or butter. The cooked portion should never exceed 25 percent of the daily diet. Uncooked grain cereals made in a blender or food processor can be slowly introduced into the diet. To prepare, grind grain in a blender, coffee mill or Vita Mix, place raw cereal in a bowl, add enough distilled water to cover and allow to soak overnight. The next morning, place the raw cereal in a blender. Start machine, adding nut or banana milk, distilled water or fruit juice to thin, if necessary, and serve at room temperature. Additional nut milk, banana milk or fruit juice may be added when serving. If a child does not accept a new food, don't force it. Simply wait a few weeks and try it again. Stomach pain after eating indicates the food was not properly chewed or the digestive system is not yet ready to handle this new food. If you notice that food is passing through the system whole, go back to pureeing the baby's food for a few weeks and then try again. Remember, it takes time for a baby's digestive system to develop. Hint: To prevent accidental choking, children should also be taught never to run or play with food in their mouth. After the Age of Weaning A child can be given a modified Hallelujah Diet three meals per day, if required. Gradually include whole grain cereals and breads, almond butter, legumes and whole grain pastas. Food may still need to be cut into small pieces to make the child's transition to whole foods easier. If snacks are given, they should be natural foods (e.g. apples, pears, grapes, celery and carrot sticks, etc.) and should contain no added sugar. If the child is not given "junk food," there will be no need to worry about "spoiling a child's appetite." After the age of weaning, a child's diet should include the following: Barleygreen: As the child continues to grow, the vital nutrients found in Barely Green are essential. Freshly extracted carrot juice: At least two or three servings per day. As the child grows, slowly increase the amount to four to six ounces per serving. Vegetables: Three or more servings a day. At least one of the servings should be raw, dark green, leafy vegetables. Note: Spinach, New Zealand Spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens and kale should always be served raw. When cooked, the oxalic acid contained in them is converted to a harmful form that causes the body to lose calcium and can also cause inorganic oxalic acid crystals to form in the kidneys, according to Dr. NW Walker. Also, beets are cleansers and should be used sparingly during early childhood. Fruits: Two to four pieces of raw fruit per day. Dehydrated fruits, preferably soaked in distilled water, without sulfur may be used sparingly. Select
one of the following groups: Legumes (anything that grows in a pod): Serving size should be no more than four ounces. Whole Grains and Starches: This category includes whole-grain breads and whole-grain cereals, except wheat. Serving size should be no more than four ounces. Nuts and seeds: Almonds and sunflower seeds are most preferred. Other nuts and seeds should be used sparingly. Serving size should be no more than one ounce. Never serve liquid with meals. Fruit, vegetable and green drinks can be given between meals. All juices should be freshly extracted so all nutrients will be alive. All juices found in containers in your supermarket have been pasteurized (enzymes destroyed) so they will have a long shelf life. FOODS TO BE AVOIDED: All animal products (flesh foods, dairy products, eggs), salt, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners and coloring agents, heated oils, cashews and all nuts except almonds. Wheat products should be used sparingly as they are acid-forming and leave an acid ash rather than the desired alkaline ash.
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