NB: This post was originally authored and published by me on coachesquad.com, my online fitness site.
Hey Moms,
Can I just tell you how EXTRA I am? Lol
The time was past 2am and I was working through my to-do lists, and what I was tackling at the time was Nutritional supplements for kids.
You see, this year, I had made a very conscious decision to really invest my time in my family. Like I wanted to spend as much time as I spent on my business on my home. It wasn’t serious yet but at the rate I was going last year, this year I just may have started NEGLECTING my home so I am glad God brought that to my attention and then I started to work at it.
Today, I had scheduled that research on my POWER PLANNER and so I got to work. I am currently in school for my advanced diploma in Nutrition and we had worked through deficiencies and supplements so I wanted to chase that rabbit down even further as I applied it to my home. This post is not to give us a full run down of my research but I wanted to highlight 2 minerals that our growing babies need for strong bones.
Calcium and Vitamin D
Both go hand in hand as Vitamin D is needed for absorption of Calcium into the body. As in, if I am taking Calcium but there is a shortage or absence of the D vitamin, then the body cannot break down and use the Calcium.
Calcium is super important for strong bones and teeth among many other things and if you take care of both from NOW, your kids will grow up with super strong bones and fewer to no bone issues like pain, brittleness and more in the future.
I decided against supplements on both cos I can get their daily requirements from their diet if I put in just a little work…
If your kid is 1-3, he needs 700mg of Calcium daily and if 4 to 8, he needs 1000mg.
So, to meet these requirements, here are a few foods rich in Calcium which you can find a way to include daily in their diet…
1. Milk.
2 to 3 cups of milk a day works. Yogurt too but most of our yogurts in Nigeria are just sugar filled. Ewww…
2. Beans.
So, you can do moimoi, rice and beans, or beans and plantain/potato as a way to get beans into diet…
3. Greens.
Green leafy veggies, peas and even okro. I love that Okro was mentioned cos it is a staple here. I personally give my kids swallow for dinner like 5 times a week, with okro and ewedu are the two soups we rock at home. I give elubo/amala/plantain flour, and poundo as the swallow options.
4. Eggs.
Of course. An egg a day rocks for everyone especially kids. Except in cases of high cholesterol
There are more but these ones are popular around here
Then per Vit D. sunlight remains the best option. Even if for 15mins a day, they can get enough, so plan some play in the sun for them.
Other Vit D sources are oily (not scaly) fish, egg yolk, Liver (yay love it) and oranges.
So, feel free to pick from the list and ensure they have these foods daily, among other healthy food options.
Remember fast foods are just CRAP. Don’t feed your babies that. Let’s be intentional about feeding them in such a way that their bodies are equipped to thrive and fight diseases not break down from avoidable diseases and sicknesses.
Remember, when moms get it right, the whole family gets it right.
Love,
CoachE’
PS
So, I tried out this amazing recipe I created today. At the time I was researching, I was also cooking it in the Air fryer (I just got one, and an oven so I am going CRAZY with recipes).
I will do a proper post sharing the recipe but I contains Irish potato and other stuff.
My kids HATE fried tubers (yam, Irish, sweet potatoes) so I had to get creative in finding another way to get them eating. Let us just say this and custard or pap will be a stable in my home for breakfast twice a week going forward. Plus, it works for adults and is SO FIT-FAM. No frying. Yay!!! Look out for the post with details, and a name which I will have to invent for it haha
Coach E.