Teaching Kids About Food

While we tend to think of summer foods as hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbecue chicken, parents should take these months to get their kids involved with understanding proper nutrition. A great way to do this is to teach them how to cook. Rather than rely on fast food and the above-mentioned summer staples, web sites such as Cooking With Kids and the Food Network’s Cooking For Kids are great resources for turning your picky-eaters into gourmands. And the benefits will be multifold.

In the past decade numerous studies have been conducted linking nutritional disorders with behavioral and learning problems in children. Research shows that children with iron deficiencies sufficient to cause anemia are at a disadvantage academically. Other studies suggest that iodine, iron, folate, Vitamin B12, zinc, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may play a significant role in the development of the brain and in cognitive functions.

Dietary deficiency concerns are not a worldwide problem; any child may be vulnerable to the maladies of poor nutrition due to dietary behaviors. To detail this critical issue, KidsTerrain turned to Dr. James M. Greenblatt, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, Massachusetts, to create a webinar to help parents understand the critical link between proper nutrition and behavior in children and adolescents. Nutrition and Behavior Problems in Children and Adolescents explores the link between dietary deficiencies and to compromised health, intelligence, and basic social skills.

For more information on this program or to view the webinar, go to http://www.kidsterrain.com/products/product.php?productid=18.

Have a joyful day everyone. - Rita
Visit my website at http://www.ritaschiano.com

*Written for KidsTerrain.com. Reprinted with permission.