Healthy Family, Happy Family (2 page)

Before you get started on you own family’s eating plan for health and wellbeing, I’d like to share with you some success stories from parents, to show you that even some of the fussiest eaters can be won over by using the techniques in this book.

1

Me no carrot!’
your child cries in toddler English. ‘Yeah Mum,’ pipes up your eldest child as she passes you her plate of untouched roast vegies. ‘I’m full; I don’t want any more dinner; can we have dessert now?’

How many times do they complain before you finally give up serving vegetables? Do you let them pick out each piece of spinach from their pasta? Do you revert back to white bread after the grainy sandwich comes home untouched in your child’s lunch box at the end of the day? We’ll get to the 95 healthy food marketing strategies later, which will help enormously. However, right now it’s time to get the scientific information which can boost your resolve to soldier on. It certainly gave me the panic stick I needed to get creative and persuade my eldest child to swap the junk for the ‘jewels’ in the fridge. And after you read this, you—the parent who is all-knowing and wise and stuff—will realise you know best. You always did. You just had cyclone Timothy at the table booming ‘Aww yuck, Mum’ without even sampling a spoonful.

Picture having to help your child pull on their shirt and socks each day. When they eat, you have to lift the spoon to their mouth and wipe away the drips. You teach them to walk, one step at a time. They are learning to speak. You interpret what your child says so others can understand. Sounds like a typical one year old, but imagine it’s your child at 40 years of age. They’ve survived a stroke.

What is a stroke? It is a cardiovascular problem that occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain haemorrhages or becomes blocked. It’s bad news as it can leave you partially paralysed, unable to speak properly and your vision and balance can be affected (and that’s if you survive the brain damage).

According to Professor Andy Ness from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, children who eat at least 100 grams (3 1⁄2oz) of vegetables per day have a 50 per cent lowered risk of strokes when they grow up.[1] This amount, 100 grams, is the equivalent of one small carrot, a child-sized handful of baby spinach, a small floret of broccoli and two thin slices of zucchini. Sounds like a lot? Well, this amount is recommended in the Australian Government dietary guidelines for children and adolescents as it can give your child the best start to life.[2]

Reduced stroke risk is a really great reason to promote the peas, catch-cry the carrots and endorse the eggplant as you pop them on your family’s plates.

I visited the Sydney Children’s Hospital today. As we were leaving I smiled at a little boy in the hospital corridors. He had a shaved head and looked pale and tired. Chemotherapy can do that. It is used to kill cancer cells but it also makes your hair fall out. You vomit lots and feel nauseous all the time but chemo can also save your life. This boy and his family probably spend a lot of weary moments at this hospital.

I took my son home and fed him pesto chicken and baby spinach. And I said a dozen silent thankyous.

I know genetics play a role in the formation of childhood cancers and often there’s nothing you can do to prevent illnesses. But research shows that you can decrease the risk of your child growing up and suffering from cancer during adulthood. And you can do this by feeding them a healthy diet during childhood.[3]

But when it comes to cancer-busting, not any odd scrap of lettuce will do. Some vegies are much better for you than others. Namely, the dark leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, which are the gold standard in vegetables: both cancer-protective and great for your heart.[4], [5], [6], [7]

Research published in the
Journal of Nutrition
reveals that we are not eating much of these top shelf anti-cancer vegetables—we’re favouring the two least nutritious vegetables: iceberg lettuce and French fries (which were once potatoes, apparently).[8] So even though your child may naturally favour less nutritious foods, it’s vital to train their pallet to accept the vegetables that promote a healthy, disease-fighting body.

So, think green and frilly the next time you’re shopping for vegetables. The best anti-cancer picks include dark leafy greens such as spinach, watercress, rocket, parsley, mint and silver beet, and the cruciferous vegetables broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. (Read ‘How many vegies per day?’.)

The C word is a scary one. However, it’s comforting to know that you can reduce your child’s risk of suffering nasty adulthood cancers by serving them nature’s candy: fruit. In a 60–year follow-up study of over 3800 children, it was found that children who ate fruit daily had fewer incidences of cancer during their adult life.[9]

Fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a lowered risk of cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and possibly stomach cancer.[10] Adults who eat less than one and a half cups of fruit and vegetables daily have a 65 per cent higher risk of developing colon cancer.[11] Y’know, the yucky cancer that causes bleeding of the rectum; the cancer that kills approximately 80 Australians each week.[12]

How do fruits and vegetables cut the cancer risk? Cancer can form when a cell
becomes abnormal, continues to grow without control and does not die when it should. According to the Cancer Council of New South Wales, fruits and vegetables contain anti-cancer agents and they help you to maintain a healthy weight, which can also cut your cancer risk.

You won’t get the same protective benefits from a doughnut, packet of chips or chocolate frog. So the next time your little angel hassles you for a treat, give them an antioxidant superfood, with super protective powers. Fruit. Okay, so they may whinge the first time you whip out a watermelon from the fridge. But they will get over it.

Give your golden child polyphenolic-loaded blueberries and raspberries, potassium-rich apricots and bananas, liver-protective grapefruit and lemon, and antioxidant abundant apples and so on. They’re worthy of the name ‘power fruit’ don’t you think? (Read ‘How much fruit per day?’.)

When Ayva was five she declared, ‘Mum I’m not eating grainy sandwiches—the grainy bits get stuck in my teeth.’ She had a good argument for not liking wholegrains. But what was the alternative? Just looking at the ingredients in white bread gave me
heart palpitations. I could see it wasn’t a healthy choice—the nutritious bran and much of the natural fibre, vitamins and minerals were gone. In their place were a few fortified vitamins and flour that had been bleached, which would be great if I was whitening my child’s socks. But I’m not, so I can’t bring myself to go white.

So what’s in it for you and your family if you switch to wholegrains? A daily dose of grains lowers the threat of blood vessel damage and heart disease by 30 per cent. The same goes for diabetes: knock off a bowl of wholegrains each day and your risk decreases by 34 per cent.[17] Eating wholegrains can also reduce your chances of getting cancer of the breast, stomach and colon.[18], [19], [20], [21] Wholegrains also offer a unique mosaic of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals, and energy that is slowly released from the grains, so you’ll feel satisfied for longer.

And there are more compelling reasons. Adolescents who eat wholegrains are less likely to be overweight. These kids are naturally slimmer so they don’t have to obsess about unhealthy dieting and are less likely to be a target for fat jokes at school.

Wholegrains also offer a steady supply of energy for better concentration and stamina—thanks to their lowered glycaemic index, or GI (the glycaemic index is explained in detail). This is a bonus during school exams and sports. Maybe that’s why they’re called brainy grains. Eating plenty of wholegrains can also protect you from bowel embarrassment. They help to keep things moving down there, so you’re less likely to be blocked up with smelly constipation.

So wholegrains help you feel great, look healthy and they can offer some protection against diseases. I wish I had a best friend like this one when I was at school, even if it was just a grainy sandwich in my lunch box, and the bits got stuck in my teeth. And now my daughter agrees (thanks to a bit of healthy marketing and some creative cookie cutters).

You’ll recognise wholegrains as rolled oats (not instant oats), brown rice, grainy breads (with visible grains), corn kernels, barley and cereals such as muesli (granola) and rolled oat porridge. Less common wholegrains include buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, millet, sorghum and triticale. I’m feeling brainier already. (Read ‘How much wholegrains per day?’.)

It’s hard enough being a teenager without the added shame of having Mount Fuji ready to erupt on your forehead. Acne vulgaris can appear as tender red bumps, small white nodules, blackheads and deep, painful, pus-filled cysts that can lead to scarring.[22] And as a result of their appearance, sufferers can experience embarrassment, poor self-esteem, anxiety and depression.[23], [24], [25]

Skin problems can cause social phobias, missed employment opportunities and, if not treated, in very severe cases it can lead to suicidal tendencies. A study involving 10,000 high school students in New Zealand found a strong link between severe skin problems and depression and suicide. I don’t mean to alarm you (or maybe I do) but you should know that, in this study, one in three teenagers with severe acne had suicidal thoughts and more than one in ten had tried to kill themselves.[26]

What can you do as a parent if your child already has acne? Well, firstly don’t panic and start shadowing your child everywhere—you don’t want to embarrass them further. Just let them know that there is a way to manage their acne. However, it does not come in a magic pill that is patented by a drug company. It’s something called a healthy diet.

In modern Western societies (like ours) it’s estimated that up to 95 per cent of people suffer from acne at some point in their childhood.[27] And it’s not just our teens who are breaking out in embarrassing pimples; even four year olds are getting spotty
skin before they hit kindergarten or prep.[28] And we’re bringing zits into adulthood, alongside our distinguished wrinkles (it doesn’t seem fair, really).

But watch a documentary on indigenous people and you’ll note an absence of acne. According to the research, pimples are virtually non-existent in traditional cultures such as Okinawan Islanders, the Inuit, Ache hunter-gatherers, and the Kitaan Islanders. However, modern, processed foods are slowing creeping into these populations and along with it, scientists have noticed emerging symptoms of acne.[29], [30]

So why do some medical practitioners still say that acne is not caused by diet? Well, back in 1969, a clinical study was done on chocolate bars to see if their consumption made acne lesions worse. Half the participants were given a placebo food bar (which had similar ingredients to the chockie bar) and the others ate chocolate bars. And no statistical significance was noted, so it was concluded that diet did not play a role in acne.[31] However, 40 years later studies are showing that a healthy, low GI diet does improve acne symptoms (see GI information). There’s also some interesting research suggesting that dairy products, especially light, or reduced fat, milk, may be implicated in teenage acne.[32] Teenagers with acne can benefit from eating a modified healthy diet and the menus in this book are designed to promote healthy skin.

A healthy diet plays a vital role in the happiness and wellbeing of both current and future generations. Of course, some things we just can’t control. However, we can feed ourselves and our family nutritious foods every day so we have the best chance at health. You can begin by making small decisions such as switching to grainy bread and tossing a carrot into their lunch box. Our fussy eaters and passionate tantrum-throwers do not know best. We do. And with a little imagination (and a lot of heart), we can persuade our crew to eat the foods that will help them grow up strong, healthy and happy.