The 7 Rules of Kids' Nutrition

A parent's first instinct, when she sees her child gaining weight is to deny him or her extra snacks and nibbles. But that's a losing strategy, just like any fad diet, and another serious threat—to our health of our children.

Here are some simple rules that can teach your child to swim—no matter how rough the nutritional seas may become.

Rule No. 1: Never skip breakfast. Ever.

Rule No. 2: Snack with purpose

Need snack ideas? Try popcorn.
Other great choices include not just the low-cal stuff (vegetables and fruit) but more filling fare like unsalted nuts and even dark chocolate, which is packed with antioxidants and even some fiber. The point is not to deny food, but to teach our children to crave foods that are healthy for them.So when you give your kid an individual bag of chips and a soda—the same snack you might have enjoyed when you were 10—he's ingesting 142 more calories than you did. Feeding him that just twice a week means he'll gain an extra pound within a year, just because of the additional calories.

Rule No. 3: Beware of portion distortion

Buy smaller bowls and cups.

Rule No. 4: Drink responsibly

Too many of us keep in mind the adage "watch what you eat," and we forget another serious threat to our children's health: We don't watch what they drink. The students who consumed the most sweetened beverages took in approximately 330 more calories a day than did those who drank only small amounts or no sweetened drinks at all.

And don't forget milk. Growing boys and girls create at least 40 percent of their adult bone mass during adolescence

Rule No. 5: Eat more whole foods

Rule No. 6: Set the table

Children in families with a more structured mealtime exhibit healthier eating habits. within a society where both Mom and Dad work, keeping the family ritual just once a week gives parents the opportunity to point out what is and isn't healthy at the dinner table. Another smart move: Get your kids involved in cooking. Make a game of trying to pack the most healthful ingredients into your meals. A Texas study shows that children can be encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables by giving them goals and allowing them to help in preparation.

Rule No. 7: Kick the sugar habit.

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10 Ways to Make Your Kid BriGhter

Is intelligence an inherited gift or can it be nurtured and enhanced by the right environment? While intelligence clearly has a genetic component, scientific research is beginning to show that certain approaches boost learning and mental development in young minds.
1) Play mind games
Chess, crosswords, cryptograms, riddles—they all train the brain to perform mental gymnastics. brainteasers around the house and challenge your children to help you solve the trickier problems.
2) Make music
According to a study by University of Toronto researchers, organized music lessons appear to benefit children's IQ and academic performance—and the more years the student takes lessons, the greater the effect.
3) Breast feed
Mother's milk is elemental brain food. It prevents dangerous infections and provides essential nourishment.
4) Foster fitness
Instead of retiring to the TV after dinner, consider throwing a ball around or going for a walk. Even better: Encourage your child to get involved in an organized physical activity or school sport.
5) Surprise! Play video games
Stick to the ones that develop children's strategic thinking and planning skills and the ones that promote teamwork or creativity. A recent study conducted at the University of Rochester found that participants who played video games recognized and learned visual cues much faster than their non-video-game-playing counterparts.
6) Junk the junk food
Cutting out sugar, trans fats and other junk food from your child's diet and replacing them with high-nutrient alternatives can do wonders for early childhood mental and motor development—especially in the first two years of life.
7) Nurture curiosity
Support your kids’ hobbies and interests by asking them questions, teaching them new skills and taking them on educational outings to develop intellectual curiosity.
8) Read!
Reading is a sure-fire, low-tech way to improve learning and cognitive developing in children of all ages.
9) Teach confidence
Especially in adolescence, children can fall prey to negative thinking that limits their potential. Child psychologists encourage parents to positively reinforce their kids with encouragement and optimistic assurances. Participation in team sports and other social activities also helps build
confidence.
10) Breakfast breeds champions
A strong body of research dating back to the 1970s shows that eating breakfast improves memory, concentration and learning. And children who don't eat breakfast tend to tire easier, be more irritable and react less quickly than those who begin the day with a solid meal.

How Caffeine Affects Kids

Foods and drinks with caffeine are everywhere, but it's wise to keep caffeine consumption to a minimum, especially in younger kids.


A stimulant that affects kids and adults similarly, caffeine is a drug that's naturally produced in the leaves and seeds of many plants. Caffeine is also made artificially and added to certain foods. Caffeine is defined as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system.


At lower levels, it can make people feel more alert and energetic.
The study found that coffee drinkers at midlife had lower risk for dementia (The term "dementia" is used to describe the gradual deterioration of "intellectual" abilities and behavior that eventually interferes with customary daily living activities.)and AD later in life compared to those drinking no or only little coffee. The lowest risk (65 percent decreased) was found among moderate coffee drinkers (drinking 3-5 cups of coffee daily).

"We aimed to study the association between coffee and tea consumption at midlife and dementia / AD risk in late-life, because the long-term impact of caffeine on the central nervous system was still unknown," said lead researcher, associate professor Miia Kivipelto, from Karolinska Institutet. [The study was published in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.]Here's how some sources of caffeine compare:

Item =================	Amount of Item =============	Amount of Caffeine ==============
Jolt soft drink	12 ounces	71.2 mg
Mountain Dew	12 ounces	55.0 mg
Coca-Cola	12 ounces	34.0 mg
Diet Coke	12 ounces	45.0 mg
Pepsi	12 ounces	38.0 mg
7-Up	12 ounces	0 mg
brewed coffee (drip method)	5 ounces	115 mg*
iced tea	12 ounces	70 mg*
dark chocolate	1 ounce	20 mg*
milk chocolate	1 ounce	6 mg*
cocoa beverage	5 ounces	4 mg*
chocolate milk beverage	8 ounces	5 mg*
cold relief medication	1 tablet	30 mg*

Activity is Very important for Teenagers

Exercising during adolescence may help guard against a deadly form of brain tumor in adulthood, new research suggests.
Physical activity later in life didn't seem to matter, study finds
The study also found that avoiding obesity during the teen years was associated with a lower risk of developing the cancerous brain tumors called gliomas, while being tall increased the chances of such malignancies.