Tips For Increasing Your Child's Fibre During Meals And Snacks

Fibre, also called dietary fibre, is an overlooked nutrient that most people and children don’t get enough of. We are learning more and more that dietary fibre is a very important part of a balanced and healthy diet.
So how do you make sure you child is getting enough fibre?
Through some simple changes in your meal planning, you can easily improve the amount of fibre your child eats with high fibre foods.
This article will give you specific facts and tips to help you increase your child fibre intake.

Breakfast tips

• Choose 100% whole grain cereals for breakfast.
• Select cereals with at least 3 grams of fibre or more per serving.
• Have cut up fruit in the cereal or as a side dish.
• Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices. Whole fruit has more fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Plus an apple or a handful of berries will keep your child feeling full longer than a glass of fruit juice.

Lunch tips

• Use 100% whole grain bread, rolls, pita or bagels for sandwiches.
• Add fresh fruit and/or vegetables with low fat dipping sauces.
• Add a small bag of nuts or seeds in their lunch.

Dinner tips

• Replace white rice, white bread and white pastas with brown rice and whole grain products.
• If your kids resist the whole grain version at first, try mixing in half whole grain and half processed food. For example, mix half brown rice with half white rice and gradually each week add more whole grains and less processed.
• Cut back on refined foods.
• Include a fruit or vegetable salad with the skin on.
• Add seeds and nuts to liven up the salads.
• Replace meat once a week with legumes, a great source of fibre and protein.
• Replace a side dish with dried peas or beans.
• Have your child make their own trail mix using raisins, peanuts, and oat bran cereal.

Snack tips

• Give half a sandwich made of 100% whole grains.
• Have fresh fruit or vegetables washed and cut on table.
• Make a fruit smoothie.
• Serve up a cup of beans with 100% whole wheat crackers.
• Give them a handful of nuts or seeds.
• Give them a bag of dried fruits such as apricots, figs or raisins..
• Offer a bowl of low fat popcorn.
• Make a baggie of 100% whole grain pretzels or crackers.

Changing your child’s diet should be a positive experience. Explain to them why fibre is important for the whole family to feel healthy. You don’t want to get upset and frustrated with your child if they don’t want to try higher fibre foods. Just be positive with your encouragement and keep introducing higher fibre foods. There is a nice variety of foods high in fibre so help your child find the ones they enjoy. Gradual changes are always best and don’t forget to celebrate the small changes as they occur. Before you know it, your whole family will be used to a healthy high fibre diet! ( Michelle Mirizzi) For further information

http://www.nourishinteractive.com/healthy-living/free-nutrition-articles/13-eating-healthy-high-fiber-foods-kids-tips

Causes Of Migraines

A migraine is an incredibly painful and highly debilitating headache that many of us experience from time to time. Tell anyone who understands that you have a migraine and you will instantly be greeted with sympathy and caution – they know how serious this is and how much space you need.

What makes a migraine so inconvenient is the fact that it affects the very ability you have to think. Suffer from a bad back and you'll find it interferes with much of what you want to do – moving any limb or even just walking/bending will cause it to hurt and risk further damage. With a migraine however you can't even sit still and read without pain and moving or even hearing noise can cause further pain. And a migraine isn't just any headache either – only the most severe headaches, usually complete with flashing lights, cold sweats, vomiting and blind spots (scotoma) are counted as true migraines.

If you've ever had a migraine then, you'll probably be hoping to avoid encountering one again, which is why it can be infuriating that they can seem to come on so randomly and unannounced.

Here then we will look at some of the potential causes of migraines so that you can avoid them in future.

The Biology

The biology behind real migraines is something that is common in all cases. Migraines are caused by the enlargement of blood vessels located outside the skull and just under the skin. If you feel a sharp pain under one eye, or at the side of your head, then that's why. Meanwhile the altered blood flow in the brain can affect the visual region thus resulting in the flashing lights and other visual 'auras' (migraine with auras). In some cases the blood flow changes can cause auras without the migraine itself – known as ophthalmic migraines.

A 'retinal' migraine meanwhile describes migraines caused by vascular 'spasms' that affect one eye leading to flashing lights and scotomas only on that side, usually accompanied by pain. The precise symptoms can vary from individual to individual though and will depend on the precise nature of the restricted blood flow.

In most cases as a result of the dilation or spasm your body then releases chemicals that lead to inflammation and pain and the sympathetic nervous system responds with nausea and potential vomiting/diarrhoea. Blood circulation may also decrease leading to cold extremities and you will find yourself more sensitive to light and sound. You may also experience confusion and auditory or even olfactory hallucinations.

Triggers

For many people migraines are a rare occurrence that come on largely unannounced. If you fall into that category then the best solution is to simply go to bed when you start experiencing the pain or throbbing sensation.

For others however it may be possible to identify particular triggers that lead to migraines and keeping a diary may help you to identify patterns. Common triggers include:

• Inhaling smoke
• Physical tension (squinting in the sun/being very stressed)
• Concentration/eye strain (reading in the dark/using the computer for too long without breaks)
• Low blood sugar (caused by fasting or dieting)
• Alcohol
• Menstrual cycle fluctuations
• Allergies to particular foods
• Foods such as red wine containing tyramin, nitrates (such as bacon or hot dogs) or chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, dairy or pickled foods
• Gluten intolerance
• Poor sleep
• Bright lights
• Certain odours
• Stress

If you are able to identify the precise triggers then you will be able to avoid the conditions that lead to migraines. You should also make sure to be seen by your physician to ensure that there are no other underlying causes. Julie-Ann Amos, For further information : http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/16857/1/Causes-of-Migraines.html

Forget Dieting - Live Well

Dieting, if it helps at all, is a short-term fix: Almost everyone who goes on a weight loss diet regains any weight they lost (and more) within two years. For long-term and sustainable results, say health experts, focus instead on healthy living and preventing weight gain.

6th May is International No Diet Day, established in 1992 to challenge attitudes that contribute to chronic dieting and body dissatisfaction. It’s not a day to “sit and eat cake all day long”, says Terrill Bruere, dietitian at Jean Hailes for Women’s health; “It’s more about deciding not to participate in a culture where everyone constantly discusses dieting and food and is preoccupied with their weight”.

“Aim to stay active, fit and healthy to help your weight stay where it should be”, says Bruere; “Don’t focus on diets to try and lose weight. Live well in the world instead.”

Professor Jane Fisher, Director of Research at Jean Hailes, says people often have an anxious relationship with food, which is only exacerbated by dieting: “We shouldn’t feel there are foods we can’t have, and we shouldn’t be worried or ashamed about eating certain foods.”

Some simple lifestyle changes to help you avoid a lifetime of dieting include:

•             Keep simple, healthy snacks close by (e.g. fresh fruit, nuts, low-fat yoghurt) – have one in the afternoon so you don’t get home starved and eat the first thing you find.

•             Reduce portion sizes – most food servings are bigger than they need to be.

•             If you eat out, take control – check what the food contains; ask for less sauce, cream, cheese, etc; and remember you don’t have to eat everything on your plate.

•             Eat slowly, and stop when you start to feel satisfied, not full.

•             Don’t eat on the run or in front of your TV or computer screen; if you’re distracted, you won’t notice when you’ve had enough.

•             Don’t mistake thirst for hunger – Have a glass of water first; if you’re still hungry, eat.

•             Any physical activity during the day is worthwhile – it keeps your metabolism working.

•             Be confident with your body – focus on your health, not trying to achieve a ‘perfect’ appearance.

Published with the permission of Jean Hailes for Women's Health

- 1800 JEAN HAILES (532 642) www.jeanhailes.org.au

Vitamin D Supplementation

Increasingly, it is thought that many westerners are now deficient in their levels of vitamin D. This is partially due to the fact that many individuals now spend the majority of each day inside and out of the sun (the best source of vitamin D), and also due to the fact that there are very few natural food sources for vitamin D, aside from cold water fish and enriched milk.

What are the benefits of vitamin D? Many or most of us have grown up knowing that this mineral is beneficial for strong bones and teeth. However, most of us haven't a clue as to the role this nutrient may play in other areas, such immune and brain functioning, and the likelihood of developing prostate and breast cancer.

Can you get enough vitamin D from a typical diet? This is debatable, and, as more time passes, increasingly a contentious issue. There are those who believe that a standard (and balanced diet) will generally provide every nutrient that is needed by the human body.

However, the percentage of the population that actually gets something akin to a consistently nutritious and balanced diet may be fairly low. And, then again, there is that fact that we have, as a society, become much more sedentary in our work and recreation, and more reliant on processed foods that are high in sodium, fat (not the good kind) and calories and low in nutritional value.

Individuals who believe in supplementation, including a number of noteworthy gerontologists, contend that:

1. There are optimal levels of nutrient substances, that, if maintained within the human body, may lead to optimal health.

2. These optimal levels of antioxidants and other nutrients are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to obtain through dietary intake alone.

Dr. Michael Holick, a researcher at the Boston University Medical Center, has stated that more than one-third of the U.S. population, perhaps half, is either chronically or seasonally deficient in vitamin D. Other researchers believe that the current recommended levels of vitamin D are too low and that the guidelines may increase, at some point, from 200 IUs (international units) daily to between 800 and 1000 international units daily.
For further information: http://www.vitaminstuff.com/blog/2008/01/vitamin-d-supplementation.html