Healthy Dietary Guildelines for your Family

As parents, we want nothing more than to give our children the absolute best start and advantage in life.  In today’s world this not only includes giving them a roof over their head, the safety net of your hugs or your endless love but, has to, more now than ever before, include the food that we feed them with.  The old saying, “You are what you eat” is very true!  The foods you and your family choose to eat and the lifestyle that you choose to lead greatly influence how you and your family feel, how you look, your overall health and how your children grow and develop!  And, although, each child and individual is unique, and as such, may need some personal adjustments to what they eat…below is a basic guide that will help ensure that you give your family a natural advantage in life:

1.  Eat a rainbow of colours

Not only will the different coloured vegetables and fruits give us the assortment of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients we need but, it will make eating a lot of fun for you and your kids.

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2.  Divide your plate into quarters

Cover 1/2 of the plate with vegetables, 1/4 of it with lean protein (chicken, fish, bison) and 1/4 of it with carbohydrates.  Please note that carrots, potatoes, yams or other starchy vegetables would be considered a carbohydrate in this case!

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3.  Avoid Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs)

• There are MANY reasons why GMO foods should be avoided, these include but are not limited to: immune problems, changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system, faulty insulin regulation, infertility and accelerated aging.
• The top GMO crops to avoid include: soy, corn, beet sugar, canola, alfalfa, Hawaiian papaya, zucchini and yellow summer squash, and cotton.
• For more information about GMOs please visit: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/
• For a non-GMO shopping guide please visit: http://nongmoshoppingguide.com/

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4.  Eat organic whenever possible

• First of, eating organic is the fastest way to ensure that you are eating GMO free!  Secondly, it decreases your families exposure to pesticides, herbacides and fungicides some of which have been shown, among other things, to alter hormonal systems.
• If you are unable to eat only organic foods here are the TOP priority foods:
  • Dairy and Egg products
  • Meats and fish (make sure that your fish are wild rather than farmed)
  • Dirty Dozen (top sprayed produce):  apples, celery, Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, hot peppers, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, spinach, strawberries, sweet bell peppers, kale/collard greens, squash
  • Clean 15 (produce that is minimally sprayed and thus, okay to eat non-organic):  Asparagus, Avocados, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Eggplant, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Mangos, Mushrooms, Onions, Pineapples, Sweet peas (frozen), sweet potatoes.  Please note that Papaya’s and sweet corn also made this list.  However, because they are typically GMO foods, I would avoid them or eat them organic!
  • For more information on the Dirty Dozen or Clean 15 please visit http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

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5.  Lastly, avoid the following:

• Sugar and products with high sugar content
• Refined and processed foods
• Additives and preservatives (ex: flavours, colourings, MSG…unfortunately, all VERY prominent in many of the foods that children eat)
• Junk or fast foods

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