Childhood is one of the most crucial times of development and growth. Overweight and obesity rates have doubled among children and quadrupled among adolescents in the past 30 years. Obesity in children increases their risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, joint problems, sleep apnea, early puberty, and most cancers. As bad as the health is of adult Americans today, health authorities predict it will get even worse, and today’s children will live shorter and less healthy lives than their parents.
The poor dietary habits of today’s children are contributing to the development of obesity, reduced brain function, higher incidence of allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and emotional and behavioral disorders, such as depression and ADD. Poor nutrition also increases occurrence and severity of infections and results in chronically reoccurring infections such as sinusitis and otitis media (ear infection). It is also laying a foundation for poor academic performance, chronic disease later in life, violent behavior, and premature death. A Nutritarian diet is essential for a disease-free, healthy, and happy child.
Children are often treated with antibiotics inappropriately when they have a viral infection. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics leads to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, weakened immunity, yeast overgrowth, increase recurrence and severity of future infections, increased cancer risk, and many other potentially dangerous side effects. Those with behavioral disorders are often medicated with dangerous drugs instead of focusing on root causes. Lack of breastfeeding, sedentary lifestyles, and a diet deficient in immune-boosting and disease-fighting nutrients will set the stage for poor health. The goal should be to instill healthy habits in our children early on so that they grow up at a healthy weight, appreciate healthy food and exercise, and hold on to those habits as adults. A Nutritarian diet is key to a child’s future success and health.
A Nutritarian eating style is ideal for a growing child for superior health. It supplies a sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that optimizes the immune system, promotes good gut bacteria, and decreases the rate of infections.
Focus on a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, including G-BOMBS (greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds) to boost immunity and promote overall good health.
Start building healthy dietary habits early. Children prefer the foods they eat frequently and early in life.
Make healthful snacks available. Stock the home with a variety of produce, like fresh fruits, raw vegetables, raw nuts and seeds.
Keep only healthful food in the house.
In conjunction with a Nutritarian diet, properly formulated supplements that includes sufficient amounts of zinc, iodine, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and DHA and EPA (omega-3 fatty acids) are recommended.
I am breastfeeding my four-week-old baby. The pediatrician said to give him 400IU of Vitamin D daily because breast fed babies are usually found to be deficient in Vitamin D. Is this because the mom is usually deficient? I have had my vitamin D levels checked and am in the normal range. Will I pass this on sufficiently to my baby, or should I indeed be supplementing him with 400 IU daily?
I do recommend baby vitamin D drops too. You don’t want to take the chance because the vitamin D level is so important for their normal development, and it is not adequately passed in the breast milk if the mother is low or borderline. If the mother’s Vitamin D level is normal (I would suggest above 40 in this instance), then studies do show that the child gets enough without supplementing. So, I guess if you are really certain your blood levels are excellent, you can forgo the baby drops.
I am breastfeeding but do not think I am producing an adequate amount of breast milk for my two week old baby. The doctor wants me to supplement but I don’t want to use baby formula. What would be an alternative? I am taking Dr. Fuhrman’s Prenatal vitamin.
La Leche league can be very helpful. Sometimes it is just a matter of repositioning the baby or other things to help. In the meantime, a Nutritarian diet with about 4 oz. of seeds and nuts a day plus the DHA-EPA supplement works great to produce plenty of great tasting milk.
I have an 11-month-old who is currently breastfeeding. He was exclusively breastfed for the first six months before being introduced to foods. He is breastfeeding less often and also breastfeeds for shorter amounts of time. One reason is obviously because he is eating foods, but the other reason is that he’s NOSEY! He doesn’t want to nurse for very long because he must think he’s missing out on other important things. So, I am producing much less milk, almost to the point of not having enough for him on a daily basis, and he won’t drink formula. What can I do if I’m not producing enough milk and he won’t drink formula?
I would not worry about it because even the little bit of breast milk he is getting will be supplying valuable immunoglobulins and other beneficial factors. So, just keep encouraging him to nurse by nursing him when he is hungry instead of giving him food first. Use a breast pump once a day if you have to in order to stimulate milk production.
My seven-month-old is breastfed and now eating pureed vegetables and fruits all made fresh. I hope to nurse until he is one. Can I introduce foods like nuts pureed with veggies to make a creamed soup or berries or potatoes other than sweet potatoes?
I am concerned because I know certain foods could cause allergic reactions, like those mentioned, and should not be introduced until a year old. What is your feeling on this? How about peanuts (peanut butter) and honey? At what age?
The key to preventing allergies is to introduce all the new foods that the mother is eating while nursing is continued. It is stopping nursing and then introducing new foods that increases the risk of allergies. That means, if you hold off until one year of age to introduce nuts after you have stopped nursing, you will be increasing the risk of nut allergy. The best thing to do is to introduce new foods early, not late, and make sure that you and the baby eat them together and the nursing continues well after all the new foods have been introduced. I strongly recommend that nursing be continued for 18 months.
It is best not to introduce honey to a young child at all. It is dangerous before a year but still an unhealthy substance that just fosters a desire for sweets. Peanut butter can be introduced at one year as long as you are eating it first and breast feeding is continued.