Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
How many times have you woken up in the morning to make breakfast for your kids and ended up reaching for the cereal and the milk as a quick breakfast option?
Have you ever questioned the health of the cereal that you give your child? Have you ever looked at the ingredients to check for sugar content and colourings? Have you ever thought that maybe milk will give them more mucous and congestion rather than health?
When you are next at the breakfast table, think outside the box (no pun intended).
Maybe it’s time that you switched their cow’s milk to add more plant-based milk varieties. Why not try almond milk, rice milk, or even coconut milk? They might even enjoy oat milk or quinoa milk. The options are now all available in health shops, so no more excuses.
Will they like it the first time? Probably not. But the key is to keep offering it until it becomes an acquired taste that they will love. Trust me, I’ve tried this. After a few days of fussing, my kids are now big almond milk fans.
And, instead of offering it to them with coloured, sugared breakfast cereal, try organic muesli, home-made brown rice porridge, or even raghi powder (sold at most Indian supermarkets). You can even try chia seeds soaked in almond milk overnight; it makes a great and nutritious breakfast option.
But even if they enjoy the cereal, make sure to vary your breakfast options.
Why not try hummus with carrot and cucumber sticks some days or even boiled organic eggs with a side of tomatoes and olives? You can also try buckwheat, or rice-based pancakes that you can serve with raw honey or hummus.
Teach your kids to have a varied healthy breakfast. It’s a life skill that we all need.
Get more great healthy parenting tips from my book I Want Healthy Kids, sold in bookstores around Bahrain or online on Amazon. The Arabic version is also out and available at all Jarir outlets and select bookstores around the Arab world! For more information, visit www.IWantHealthyKids.com. And make sure to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest: @AliaAlmoayed
IN BRIEF: Despite concerns that iron supplements may increase children’s risk of malaria in regions where it is common, a new study found kids in Ghana who received nutrient powder with iron were no more likely to get the disease than their peers. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there were approximately 660,000 deaths from malaria in 2010. About 90 per cent of those occurred in Africa.
* Steroid shots for carpal tunnel syndrome may help some sufferers in the short term, but most people end up having surgery whether or not they get the shots, according to a small new study. Researchers in Sweden found that one year after diagnosis, three quarters of carpal tunnel patients who tried steroid shots and other treatments first had opted for surgery while more than 90 per cent of those who did not get the shots had the surgery.
* The US Food and Drug Administration said that after testing 1,300 samples of rice and rice products, it has determined the amount of detectable arsenic is too low to cause immediate or short-term negative health effects. The next step, the agency said, will be to conduct an analysis into the effects of long-term exposure to low levels of arsenic in rice.
