“We are What we Eat,”
Hippocrates once said, and experiences of schoolchildren, teenagers, and adults who receive appropriate nutrition and transform into ordinary superheroes serve as living proof of his words.
Proper nutrition, as we all realize during the years of the pandemic, is the strongest “weapon” for a strong immune system
Children, in Order to Grow Up
Need first of all love, care and proper nutrition. “Aberrations” obviously have a place in their lives, because they should not be deprived of anything, but there too a measure is needed. Let balanced nutrition be the rule and all the others those small exceptions that are not for … satiety and give extra flavor to our lives, especially when we share food and dessert with good company around a large table.
After all, proper nutrition, as we all realize in the years of the pandemic, is the strongest “weapon” for a strong immune system and precisely because children will return to schools, along with seasonal infections, and with the coronavirus spreading in the community, the more shielded children are, the less they will be at risk of getting sick.
The necessary ingredients for a strong immune system are adequate intake of proteins, vitamins (A, C, E, B complex, especially B6 and B12) and minerals/trace elements (magnesium, selenium, iron, manganese, zinc), as well as omega 3 fatty acids. To meet the needs of children, students and young adults in vitamins and minerals/trace elements, a diet rich in fruits, fiber, vegetables, whole grain products and carob products is required.The widespread urban myth claims that fish does not fit with cheese, but fish, even in a separate meal, are necessary two-three times a week because they supply the body with lean proteins and valuable omega-3 fatty acids.
Dairy Products at The Heart of The Diet
Also necessary are dairy products, milk, cheese and yogurt for calcium intake, as well as probiotics and prebiotics that enhance the microbial flora, ie the human microbiome, considered by experts “the second human DNA”. Milk is associated with the development of children, as are fruit juices, as with a glass, in addition to meeting the nutritional needs of the body, proper hydration is ensured.
What to comment about yogurt, the coolest and healthiest snack that satiates, cools and covers the innate need of man for sweet, if we turn it with a few fruits, unsalted nuts and honey into a healthy dessert.
As for cheese, everyone agrees that a life without cheese would be at least tasteless. Cheese on toast, sandwiches, salads or pasta, cheese sticks together with breadsticks offer a variety of nutritional options for every hour and age.
The widespread urban myth claims that fish does not fit with cheese, but fish, even in a separate meal, are necessary two-three times a week because they supply the body with lean proteins and valuable omega-3 fatty acids. One of the best eating habits that parents can pass on to their children from a young age is to eat fish, not to be afraid of them, because they have bones, and not to consider that food is satisfying only if it contains meat, fish and legumes are equally satisfying. And meat is needed, but in moderation, not more than three times a week.
Parents to Give The Right Role Model First
Because children first copy their parents and because the average parent leaves for work with a coffee in hand, the first big mistake many families make is that they do not teach their children the value of breakfast.
Breakfast is an essential meal because after sleep fasting, it gives energy to the body and limits gluttony the rest of the day. Children can eat breakfast at home or, if they want to gain a little more sleep, they can take it with them as a snack, for the road.
A cereal bar, a roll with Arabic pie or a sandwich in hand, a fruit, a yogurt cup, a few wholemeal breadsticks give energy and essential nutrients to children. In addition, children who start their day with breakfast and have taken with them a healthy lunch box are much less likely to run to the first stall to get croissants, chips, shrimp and other standard foods that give nothing to children other than empty calories.
It is also necessary to have a healthy lunch box that will cover the needs of students while they are at school, especially since the all-day program lasts until four in the afternoon. Lunch box also has a practical side, as it helps children not to miss part of their break waiting to be served in the canteen. The same applies to students and employees, who have an even more demanding schedule.
In the lunch box we can put fruits – not cut, because they lose their vitamins -, handmade or ready-made bars, a slice of homemade cake, breadsticks, a boiled egg, some crackers or wholemeal rusks along with a couple of cheeses. In the supermarket there are many cheeses in bites, rings and sticks, packaged so that they do not dry out and deteriorate until the student consumes them. Other ideas for lunch box are unsalted nuts (or mixed with raisins and other seeds), vegetable sticks, a juice and some wholemeal cookies.
Finally, if children spend many hours with grandparents at home, it is good to check the size of the portions (the elderly tend to “bottle” the children) that they give them and that they quench their thirst with water and not with soft drinks.
