NUTRITION FOR THE SEVEN YEAR OLD & FAMILY
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Dedicated to Derrick Evans @DerrickEvans4WV who is concerned about his 7 year old’s nutrition.
The Seven year old may not have perfect table manners as they stuff their mouth, but good food will entice them to eat well. The parent should have well prepared healthy food and require good manners by eating at the table. Know that Sevens do not usually care about sticking to rules. With their favorite posture often being lying on the floor, they may want to eat there. Eating lunch or dinner at a different location elsewhere in the home may be a reward.
They may still use their fingers to push food onto their fork, talk with a full mouth, eat fast, and hopefully, not spill their milk. They are more calm at the table than at age six and may listen to adults discuss different topics. Even though they are quieter than they were a year earlier, provide opportunities for them to join the conversations.
Their taste buds are working much better than their parents and will peak in efficiency when they are a teen. After teen years, taste buds decrease in accuracy. Since parents taste buds are not working as well as a child, adults may add extra seasonings such as herbs and spices to the food allowing them to taste the food more easily. Strong tastes may turn off the Seven year old and/or upset their stomach. It will be easier for the child at dinnertime if strongly flavored vegetables and cheeses are not served. Keep the preparation simple as their preference for plain foods is strong. For example, when you go to an excellent restaurant, they may pass on elegant food and request a hamburger.
Instead of refusing a food, as they did at age six, they are more likely to ask why they “have to eat” something. Give them the answer. Perhaps sometimes let them get by without eating the food. As a child, my parents made sure we had one spoonful of all the meal offerings. We had to sit at the table until the food was eaten or our plates “clean.” I always preferred fresh vegetables. At Seven, I once had to sit quietly and alone at the kitchen table three hours after everyone left because of canned peas on my plate.
You may begin to think they are deaf, but Sevens minds are often thinking about something else. They may ask a question and tune the parent out at the table or other times at home. If a parent is not sure their child heard them, ask if they did.
Up until this age, parental guidance was most likely needed in food choice. By Seven, parents will acknowledge the child has a good reason for refusing a food. If they absolutely do not like the taste of a particular food, please don’t force them to eat it.
Sevens usually have heard the word nutrition and are aware they should have a good diet. The parent should avoid buying junk food, food with artificial colors, and those with added flavors. Select carefully if the child has an allergy. Feed your kids right!
Sevens are often playing when called for a meal and bring their toy with them. To allow them to concentrate on the meal, direct them to place their toy aside until they are excused from the table. They often don’t wash their hands unless reminded.
I remember at age Seven when my Mother told me to wash my hands, I went upstairs to the bathroom, waited a few minutes, and went back down. She took one look at me and asked me again to go wash my hands. This time, I let the water run a minute and went back downstairs. The 3rd time she asked me with a louder voice evident with frustration to go wash my hands. I couldn’t figure out how she knew I didn’t wash them. As I grew older, I realized my hands must have been filthy. Back then I didn’t pay attention to such things.
Being by now used to the demands of school, they are often exhausted when they come home and want to plop down to read, sleep, or watch TV. They may have fewer stomachaches from diet. Keep an eye on their overall health and schedule annual eye exams when the doctor appointment is made. They will complain when they need medical attention but may not be aware they have a sight problem.
Children’s food habits are pretty much set by age five. Once they enter school they are offered junk food at increasing rates. If they establish good food habits at home, they often don’t eat offered foods that will cause harm to them. Foods eaten as a child often become favorites later in life. Make sure they are good food!
FORTIFIED MILK /PEP-UP
A nutritional drink that can be prepared at home for all members of the family should be kept on hand. This recipe is from the book, “Let’s Have Healthy Children” by Adelle Davis. She was one of America’s most famous food experts in the 1970’S.
Prepare in a blender or liquefier:
2 Cups fresh whole milk
½ cup non-instant powdered skim milk
1 tablespoon of food yeast which can gradually be increased to ¼ or ½ a cup ( Never eat live yeast that is used to make bread! Use no yeast “in which the phosphorus is not balanced with calcium & magnesium.” )
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, or a combination of soy, corn, and/or peanut oils
½ cup of your favorite fruit such as banana, crushed or chunk pineapple berries or undiluted frozen orange juice
1 or 2 raw eggs (unless you prefer them cooked)
½ egg shell, or ½ teaspoon bone meal, or 2 tablespoons calcium gluconate
1 tablespoon lecithin if desired
right before drinking, you may add ¼ teaspoon magnesium oxide or take in a tablet
When these ingredients have been blended, add the rest of a quart of milk. Until you get used to it, use only a little yeast (NOT the kind to make bread, only FOOD YEAST).
Sip this drink slowly. No more than ¼ a cup at meals or in between meals. You can gradually increase the quantity that you consume daily.
Ms, Davis recommended you sip 4-8 ounces at breakfast. It is so rich in nutrients that it will keep the blood sugar high and efficiency “at a peak throughout the day.” An 8-ounce glass contains about 30 grams of protein.
For a child who is not used to consuming yeast, they should drink only a tiny glass, such as a liquor glass daily until they get used to it. Parents should have at least 8 ounces
(1 Cup) per day.
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