The Truth Behind Choosing Healthy Food for kids
There aren’t many people that haven’t heard about the importance of choosing healthy foods for kids instead of inorganic, cheap snacks that are filled with GMOs. At Amazing Explorers; we’d estimate that the vast majority of people know that healthier options are better than the quicker, more modified solutions.
But if there’s one thing that can often be the case, it’s a lack of understanding about why good food is better than bad food – outside of the standard opinion of “saturated fats aren’t good for children or adults”. Although this is true, the real reason behind choosing healthy food options for kids is far less known, and so that’s what this post is all about.
What Makes Food Healthy?
It’s simple really; nutrients, vitamins, good fats, plenty of lean protein, and of course – freshness. These are just a selection of factors that make a good food great. But why do these things contribute to a balanced diet and a healthy body in children? Well, it’s all to do with their metabolism. Between the ages of 6 months and about 12-15, a child’s metabolic rate is typically much faster than an adults.
What this means is that children will usually burn off more fat because of the way in which their bodies process foods. But contrary to popular belief, it isn’t fat that the body needs to maintain its weight and energy levels – it’s carbohydrates. And which types of foods are full of carbohydrates? Bad ones.
Carbohydrates and Your Children
Candy, bread, wheat, snacks, fast food, soft drinks – these are just a handful of food types that are packed with carbohydrates. The more of these your child eats, the more energy they will have, but the greater the toll could be on their body as they get older. One of the main components of carbohydrates are glucides – a readily absorbed chemical that enters the blood stream and provides bursts of energy to the body when needed.
When that energy isn’t used, the body will often begin to store it, which can lead to excess water being absorbed within fat cells, contributing to weight gain and more. In their youth, your children might not struggle with this problem as their body will turn to fatty cells to receive stored energy. The catch with fatty cells is that they never disappear however, they simply shrink; which means that as their metabolism slows, they’ll find their fat cells storing energy far more easily as adults.
That’s why we at Amazing Explorers promote a healthy, body-friendly diet that could benefit your children well into the future. Things with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are bad, while organic, freshly produced alternatives are good – and that’s science backed up by the experts.
The Amazing Choices Program
The Amazing Choices Program was developed in partnership with Nemours Children’s Health System. It’s an exciting program that promotes healthy choices for a Lifetime. By serving healthy foods and incentivizing physical activity, Amazing Explorers Academy advocates a healthy lifestyle to children, staff and parents. It’s policies are a set of statements around specific practices to promote healthy living, nutrition, education and wellness.
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