Holistic Nutrition for children: What is the best nutrition for my child?
You have probably asked yourself: What is the best nutrition for my child? In HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE an individualized healthy diet with fresh, natural ingredients and ethical origins, plays a major role. Regarding Holistic Nutrition for Children we can follow the recommendations of the Holistic Health Systems.
When it comes to the right nutrition for children and adults, all systems like Ayurveda, Arabic or Chinese Medicine or European Naturopathy select food by individual tolerance and DIGESTION POWER. This varies from person to person and depends on many different factors, including the child’s age and origin, constitution, current state of health, eating habits and living conditions.
On this page you will find a SELFTEST. You can follow the recommendations for nutrition for a good or weakened digestion power, but if your child has any health problems, you should definitely consult an experienced holistic nutritionist or doctor.
adjust the Nutrition to the current digestion power of your child
Before you prepare a meal or snack for your child, always ask yourself how is his or her current digestion power. For this you need to know his/ her digestive activities. As long as your child is small, you can keep an eye on his/her digestion. By puberty you should ask your child about it and also take a look in the toilet.
Holistic Nutrition for Children always considers the digestion power. The following selftest may help you, to assess the digestive capacity of your child. Then follow the recommendations for holistic nutrition for children with good and weak digestion power. Consult an experienced, holistical physician or therapist, if your child is sick or has severe digestive problems.
General recommendations for Holistic Nutrition for children
Of course, holistic health systems also provide general recommendations for Holistic Nutrition for children. They are based on the fact that the digestion power of babies and young children is weaker than of adults until puberty. Therefore, they need food which is easy to digest. The digestion power grows with the child, but at the time of birth, the cells which produce digestive enzymes and juices, such as bile or saliva, are not yet developed or not fully developed.
Holistic Nutrition for children in the first year
Breast milk is considered to be the best food for a child in the first year, provided the mother is healthy and eats properly. The rule here is that the mother should eat healthy and in alignment with her digestion power, because indigestion has a negative effect on the her milk, which gets difficult to digest.
If you know, that the best nutrition for my baby is the milk that I produce, you may pay even more attention to your diet. Keep an eye, if your milk is digestible for your baby or does it create skin rashes or digestive problems, which indicates that you need to change your diet immediately, with the help of a holistic physician.
Holistic Nutrition: Feed with the first teeth
Solid food can be given to a child, when the first teeth emerge and the baby is ready to eat. In an ideal mother-child relationship, the child will automatically reject the mother’s breast at the right time and greedily take what is offered into his/her mouth. If the child is weak or sick, the nutritional situation is problematic or does not meet hygienic standards, breastfeeding can be continued for longer than two to three years.
Natural, Fresh and Healthy Food for your Child
Feed your child like your anchestors did
Holistic nutrition for children starts from the beginning. The first meal of a child should be of boiled vegetables, potatoes, grains, rice with ghee, mild in taste and soft in consistency, as well as sweet and ripe fruits. Feed your child like your ancestors did – with natural staple foods and traditional dishes from your family.
All Food must be healthy for your child
However, your child may also have certain preferences regarding food item, that you need to tolerate, as long as he/ she is healthy and can digest and tolerate this food. In fact, there are children who eat a lot of meat and cheese and those who refuse all animal products from birth. As long as your child is absolutely happy and healthy, no problem. You just have to make sure that it receives important nutrients, minerals and trace elements in other ways and that you get him/her regularly examined by an experienced, holistic pediatrician.
Holistic nutrition for children + family members
Holistic nutrition for children is a family matter. If you want your child to eat healthy or kep a certain diet, because of some health issues, the whole family should eat the same. The entire family should join in and avoid certain foods, dishes and drinks as well – as a sign of compassion and love. This makes it much easier for your child to keep the diet and gets healthy again much quicker.
Selftest for good digestion in children:
Your child has a good digestion when,
- the tongue is free of plaque
- he/she is healthy, happy, attentive and active
- he/she is active immediately after eating
- he/she has regular and easy bowel movements in the morning
- his/her stool is formed, loose and medium firm
- his/her stool is light to dark brown in color
- his/her stool doesn't smell
- he/she hardly needs toilet paper to clean
Ideal holistic nutrition for children with good digestion
- only organic food that is fresh, tender, ripe and natural
- preferably cooked vegetables such as fennel, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, beetroot, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli
- cooked quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, millet or tiger nut, rice and potatoes
- preferably stews and soups with lots of vegetables
- clear chicken or beef broth
- soft-boiled lentils
- vegetable oils such as sesame or linseed oil
- Ghee
- sweet ripe fruits/compote made from apples, pears, honeydew melon, mango, papaya, pomegranate, grapes, cherries, blueberries
- dried fruits such as raisins, dates and figs
- all herbs and spices, but not too spicy
- natural sweeteners such as fruit and rice syrup, coconut blossom sugar, raw cane sugar and stevia
- nuts, kernels and seeds
- lentils and legumes
- cereals, preferably traditional varieties
- low acidic foods such as juices such as citrus fruits, berries (except blueberries), pineapple or kiwis
- avoid carbonated soda, little vinegar and fermented foods, yeast products, refined white sugar and flour
Selftest for weak digestion in children:
Your child has a weak digestion if,
- the tongue is often coated
- he/she is often tired and inactive
- he/she gets tired immediately after eating
- he/she has irregular bowel movements or only after 2-3 days
- he/she always has watery or very loose stool
- he/she has to push for a long time until the stool comes
- bowel evacuation is incomplete
- his/her stool is solid, poopy and/or greasy
- his/her stool is clay-colored or very to dark in color
- his/her stool smells sour
- his/her stool stinks
- he/she needs a lot of toilet paper to clean
- he/she often has a stuffy nose
- he/she often develops colds with lots of mucus
Ideal holistic nutrition for children with weak digestion
- divide meals into small portions every 2-3 hours
- preferably cooked vegetables such as fennel, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, beetroot, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli
- cooked quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, millet or tiger nut and rice
- preferably stews and soups with lots of vegetables
- clear chicken or beef broth
- soft-boiled lentils
- vegetable oils such as sesame or linseed oil
- Ghee
- sweet ripe fruits/compote made from apples, pears, honeydew melon, mango, papaya, pomegranate, grapes, cherries, blueberries
- dried fruits such as raisins, dates and figs in small quantities
- little sesame and chia seeds
- less natural sweeteners raw cane sugar, coconut blossom sugar and stevia
- rice, oat or almond milk
- no nuts but little nut butter
- teas such as fennel-anise-cumin tea, licorice root tea, ginger tea, herbal tea, bitter tea
- always use spices that promote digestion such as pepper, ginger, cinnamon, chili, garlic, paprika, pigment, turmeric, galangal, coriander, caraway, cumin, chervil, lovage, thyme, rosemary, basil, leek, fenugreek seeds, savory, marjoram, oregano, sage, tarragon, dill, fennel, cardamom, anise, peppermint and lemongrass
Holistic nutrition for children is all about Love
Holistic nutrition for children is an expression of love in every aspect. It starts with the love for your child and his/her wellbeing, but also includes the love for your family and yourself and nature.
