Our Current Norm: How To Maintain Your Sanity Through Your Kid's Nutrition

We are living through a time that, as parents of young kids, we have never experienced before. Now more than ever, we should be aware of how important it is to keep our bodies healthy. Not only is keeping our body healthy good for our immune system, but it is key for our mind as well. So, first and foremost…we need to be healthy for ourselves so that we can take care of our children as well.

Most of us are not stay at home parents and a wrench has just been thrown at us. Some of us are trying to navigate working from home WHILE parenting or just adjusting to having the kids around all day. This juggling act in and of itself can quickly bring on stressors that our immune system, quite frankly, doesn’t need right now.

So, how do we keep our kids happy and avoid melt downs and behavioral issues? I’m not writing this to talk about keeping them on a schedule or all of the current free online learnings that are currently available (there are some really great sources for that!). I will leave that up to child education experts. I’m here to talk about nutrition.

While it may be easy to serve up carb and sugar loaded meals and snacks, I’m here to tell you that it is just as easy to offer them up whole real foods that they will love AND will help to keep the meltdowns at bay. Work on preparing proteins and fats from animal sources (complete), plant sources and naturally occurring carbohydrates in the form of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. While grocery stores are struggling to keep their shelves stocked, it seems that meats and produce have still been available (for now). Look for frozen options if fresh is not available. This quality time at home can also be an opportunity to get your child involved in cooking and turn this into a teaching opportunity.

When your options are limited, or you want healthy quick snack options, I have links below to some good alternatives that can currently be purchased on Amazon.

Let’s talk about the foundations first:

Hydration
Keep water available to your child at all times. Rule of thumb is half of your body weight in ounces plus compensate for diuretics such as fruit juice. Adding in electrolytes if you have them on hand is a bonus. If you do not, you can use this Magnesium and this Potassium and this Sodium. Keep it fun and varied by adding in different fruits/veggies or flavors. Ask your child to help you come up with a new name for the flavored water.
Water is SO important for the following:
- Nutrient absorption and carrying nutrients where they are needed in the body
- Moistens oxygen for breathing (lungs)
- Removes waste and aids in easier eliminations
- Flushes toxins from the body
- Empowers the body’s natural healing process

Sunlight
Getting outside and getting sunlight is one of the best self care activities that you can do for your immune health. Early sunlight helps to stimulate the body to produce Vitamin D. Go outside and look in the direction of the sun. If your climate allows, wear as little clothing as possible to allow the sun to connect with as much skin as possible. Our family loves to stretching and do breathing exercises while in the morning sunlight.

Blood Sugar Management
This is key for kid’s mood and sleep patterns. Avoiding spikes in blood sugar and keeping the blood sugar stable throughout the day will avoid the high and low emotions that come along with it. Ways to keep blood sugar stable:
- Eat balanced, nutrient dense, properly prepared meals
- Meals at least 3 hours apart with little snacking in between
- Do not skip meals, especially breakfast
- Limit processed carbohydrates. Stick to carbohydrates from real whole foods
- Avoid stressors
- Increase movement

Sleep
During sleep, our body’s system are restoring themselves. If your child has a hard time sleeping, refer back to the above topics to ensure these are happening. Evening bath time with magnesium epsom salt will aid in better sleep. I like this Epsom Salt and this Magnesium lotion to apply prior to bed. Again, if you are implementing something new, make it special so they will get excited about it! It can be a fun magic sleeping potion (which it is!). Another option is a magnesium chewable. See the Fullscript link below for purchasing those. Prior to bed, relax with your child in their room reading books, prayers, gratitude and snuggling! This will give your child a little more downtime and relax before sleeping.

Supplements
Immune boosting supplements are hard to come by right now. Most practitioner dispensaries have back orders. But, there are a few that are still available.

Ther-Biotic Children’s Chewable Probiotic - Supports a healthy gut microbiome

Garden of Life Magnesium Powder - respiratory and calming support

Vitamin Code Kid’s Chewable - Non GMO children’s multivitamin

Rosita Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil Softgels - Naturally occurring Vitamin A and Vitamin D

Vitamin Code Raw Vitamin C- this is a whole food version (the only type you should buy) Surprised this is available. This is my preferred brand. I don’t generally recommend purchasing supplements on Amazon, but grab this now on before its also on back order as it is no longer available on Fullscript.

Fullscript is the safest and most convenient way to purchase professional-grade products. Click on the link below to access the Fullscript catalog for 10% off and free shipping on orders over $50. Click on Catalog, then Categories to find my other favorites in my Kid’s section.

Order Here

I cannot recommend dosages unless you are a client. For a full understanding of you or your child’s specific supplement needs, refer to the Work With Me menu tab and look at investing in a Hair Tissue Mineral test and nutritional analysis.

Amazon Favorites

Happy Tot Fruit and Veggie Pouches Stage 4 - these are a great back up option

Coconut Cream - Use to make smoothies or chia seed pudding

Chia Seeds

Popcorn

Fruit Leathers

Breakfast Bar

RX Bars

Epic Bars

Beet Chips

Pumpkin Puree, Organic

Pistachios

Change in life is not easy and can be extremely difficult for some kids. Let’s not forget that the way we nourish our bodies has a direct reflection on our health. Now is the time more than ever to take your health and the health of your kid(s) very seriously. Let’s give our bodies what they are craving to be optimal both mind and body.

For more information regarding kids nutrition, follow @lincolnsplate on Instagram.
For more holistic nutritional therapy information, follow @saltwellnessnutrition on Instagram.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I diagnose disease. Any content found in this site is intended for information purposes only. It is not medical advise. Always check with your doctor before starting any type of health or nutritional protocol.

*This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase, it allows me to make a small commission.