Child Nutrition - Of Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and veggies are the perfect food to give your child, and nutrition for him becomes less of a worry. Why? For me, as a mother, I believe when Socrates said "Your food shall be your medicine" that he meant healthy eating of vegetation. Unfortunately though, most children have an innate distrust of anything vegetative. They usually take to meats such as chicken, beef or fish, saying that they are much tastier than their organically grown complements.

And unfortunately for us, it is up to us as their parents to change their minds.

People of ancient times have considered fruits to be magical, endowed with supernatural healing abilities and special godly attributes. And why shouldn't they have? Fruits have a special facility, a talent for healing people of their illnesses - gastrointestinal diseases, the common flu, the more common cold, coughs, wounds, etc. Aside from that, their natural sweetness is a joy to taste, enrapturement to the fullest.

Vegetables on the other hand, are highly regarded for the ability to maintain the health and well-being of an individual. It also helps prevent diseases. Like fruits, they are valued for their vitamin and mineral content, specifically vitamins A, B and C.

But both food groups should be consumed as fresh and as raw as possible. It is best not to cook fruits and vegetables for them not to lose their natural nutrients. Cooking or heating kills the nutrients and medicinal value that they should have, so overcooked and careless storage of such will just be a waste. It is recommended that fruits be taken and eaten raw. For vegetables, if needs be cooked, then it is advised to steam or boil them in their own juices on a slow fire. Do not discard the liquid, for nutrients are present there.

It is best not to peel them. The nutrients of most fruits and vegetables are found just beneath the skin. Peeling the skin off would be like peeling the benefits away. Also, do not soak them for too long in water. Clean them under running tap water and pat them dry so as not to lose any more taste, nutrients and vitamins. And never cook them in aluminum cooking utensils. Aluminum acts on acids and alkalis - both fruits and vegetables have them. Scientific research shows that small, sometimes microscopic pieces of aluminum peel away from the cookware and enter the stomach via food, which could eventually lead to serious digestive problems in the future.

Fruits and vegetables can be introduced to your children in a lot of different ways. It is up to you to release your creative mind from its barriers to encourage your kids to eat healthy.

Healthy children snacks, anyone? Click on the link for more info.

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