Healing Children

Healthy, Happy Kids
by Dr. Molly Force, ND

Having healthy kids is one of the most important roles you have as a parent. Good nutrition, restful sleep, exercise, and love are all foundational to their health.

As a parent, you know better than anyone when your child is not feeling well. A cough or fever may be the first sign that something is not right. Other times, just a slight change in your child’s behavior can trigger your awareness. So, what can you do to support your child’s health?

Cultivate Wellness
1. Take your child to the doctor for preventative screening exams. Even healthy, happy kids benefit from yearly checkups. Establish a relationship with a healthcare provider your child feels safe and comfortable with. If you prefer a natural approach to medicine, a primary care Naturopathic physician is a great option.

The Naturopathic Approach; Naturopathic physicians are trained as primary care, family practice doctors and use natural therapies such as: nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplementation, herbal medicine, and homeopathy. If necessary, we are able to prescribe conventional pharmaceuticals (like antibiotics and hormones). In other words, we use natural, traditional healing methods combined with conventional, modern-day diagnosis and medicine.

Naturopathic physicians individualize your child’s care by addressing the cause of illness rather than focusing solely on symptom management. A natural approach provides kids with safe, effective, and sustainable health solutions.

2. Give your child the building blocks they need to grow with healthy foods and nutritional support. Kids are actively building their bodies, minds, and immune systems. They must have proper fuel to grow. Focus on feeding kids seasonal, fresh vegetables and fruits everyday. When ever possible, buy organic and local foods. They provide more nutrients and fewer toxins.

Vital Nutrients; Foods are the best source of nutrients for your child’s growing body. The problem is some kids are picky eaters. One way to encourage them to eat a variety of different foods is to make a game of eating the rainbow at each meal. Their plate of food should be colorful with greens, oranges, reds, yellows, blues, and purples of fruits and veggies. When kids are craving sweets, suggest fruits as an alterative to dessert. Try to have healthy snacks on hand as well like: fruits, nut butters, sliced veggies (carrots, celery, bok choy, broccoli), hummus, dried fruit, nuts/seeds, nori, hard boiled eggs, avocados, or yogurt.

It can be helpful to supplement your child’s nutritional needs as well. Most kids benefit from a good quality multivitamin and essential fatty acid supplement. In a multivitamin, look for a chewable, powder, or liquid form. Be careful to read the ingredient list closely because many manufactures put in artificial coloring and extra sugars.

Essential fatty acids (healthy fats) are necessary for your child’s brain development and function. Children of all ages, even babies benefit from essential fatty acid supplementation. Around 11% of the brain’s weight is the fatty acid DHA. Look for a supplement that contains both EPA and DHA (two essential fatty acids) from a non-contaminated source. The manufacture should be testing for heavy metal contamination. This information is usually printed on the label. Keep your child’s essential fatty acid supplement refrigerated, because both EPA and DHA are fragile fats that degrade quickly.

Probiotics are healthy bacteria that are critical components of a healthy child’s diet. Probiotics are found in fermented foods. When eaten probiotics colonize along your child’s intestinal walls to help maintain a healthy digestive environment. Probiotics are responsible for absorption of certain nutrients, regulating the immune system, and keeping other pathogenic bacteria from overgrowing. Probiotics are especially important for children and babies who are born Cesarean that have not been inoculated at birth by their mother’s vaginal flora. When kids lack proper probiotics they may suffer from allergies, gas, bloating, abdominal cramping, constipation or diarrhea, or frequent colds and flu viruses.

Strengthen your child’s immune and digestive systems everyday by feeding them probiotic-rich fermented foods. Good sources of probiotics are found in: live-cultured yogurt, kefir, miso, kombuch, kimchee, sauerkraut, and tempeh.

3. Encourage movement every day. Humans are made to move! For kids movement is especially important. Children are actively building their neurological pathways (their brain-body connection). As a society, we teach children not to wiggle or run around but to be still. For young kids, this concept is foreign. As children enter school and are asked to sit at desks for long periods of the day, they become more accustom to the rigid movement constraints of adult life.

You probably notice kids get restless when they are not given time to move around during their day. This is natural. Their bodies require movement for proper development. Set a goal to carve out at least 30 minutes a day for your child to move around. This does not have to be formalized exercise or a sport activity. Playtime outside at home, a park, or playground will give them the freedom they need to move around.

Physical Activity; Movement causes your child’s muscles to contract and squeezes their blood and lymph increasing their circulation. This allows oxygen, nutrients, and immune cells to flow through your child’s body more efficiently. Increased nutrient flow helps every cell their body, from head to toe. Encourage your child to be active and play. Movement Improves their: immune system, blood vessels, heart, muscles, bones, brain, lungs, intestines, skin, and detoxification pathways.