How many servings of
vegetables did your child eat today? If you have a picky eater like my little
girl probably not enough. The U.S.D.A now recommends 3-5 servings of
vegetables per day. The
World Health News reported that unfortunately 93% of Americans do not get
the recommended amount. This trend can be especially harmful to children,
whose growing bodies need adequate nutrition
to ensure a proper development. So how can we get those veggies
in and keep our kids healthy and strong? This is a daily worry
to many parents. Multiple vitamins can help but research has found that many
multiples are derived from inorganic substances and therefore are unable to be
absorbed by the body. These synthetic nutrients will go straight through and
end up in the toilet! Then I came across superfoods.
They contain concentrated amounts of minerals, vitamins and amino acids, The
amount of nutrients in broccoli pales in
comparison to a superfood, Yet since it is a real
food it can be absorbed by the body easily and efficiently. A few great
examples of green
superfoods are spirulina,
chlorella, barley, and wheatgrass. For example barley
grass
contains all eight of the essential amino acids, 92 minerals, 22 vitamins, phytonutrients and chlorophyll. (Wildoats
Market Inc). How do you get your child to
taste a green food like barley grass much less eat it?
That's a definite question when it comes to picky eaters who may not be so
happy about your new find! There are a variety of things you can do to make
green foods a not so miserable experience for your child, You can buy green
foods for children in liquid, powder or chewable pill forms. You could also
choose to buy fresh greens like wheat grass and juice them yourself. Juicing is a very efficient
method to extract the high levels of nutrients from a fresh plant. The wheat
grass juice can then be mixed with other fresh juices or the child's favorite
bottled juice. The fresh juice tastes really good!
However since we don't always have time to pull out the juicer I've found that
the powdered forms are a really easy and quick alternative, plus some of the
powder mixtures on the market contain a variety of superfoods
together. (Word of warning on this, I've found that my kids like the taste of
the barley grass powder plain better in comparison to some of these mixtures)
My children will take the plain powders mixed with water, juice or straight
from the spoon. You could also sprinkle the powder into one of their favorite
dishes. I have also come across a chewable greens pill for children. I have to
hide the bottle, they taste so good! Personally I tend to rotate using all
three forms juice, powder and pills, just so they are getting a bigger
variety. Most green foods can be found at a local health food store,
The brand really is not important as long as it is made out of only the
natural superfoods, not synthetic. Here are some
links to a variety of superfood products on the
Internet.
Greensplus
has a powder form that is safe for children; It
is packed with a variety of superfoods.
Acta Health Products. hasspiruilna and chlorella
in bulk powder form.
Nutrimart has several different brands of green
food available.
