Summer vacation may mean longer days and more time to play. But it’s also the season of weight gain for most kids, according to a May 2019 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Lack of structure and easy access to the kitchen makes it harder for kids to eat healthy over their summer vacation. Though you may enjoy the break in routine, you don’t have to let your kids load up on processed snacks and soda.
At Woodlands Wellness and Cosmetic Center, our functional medicine experts understand the role nutrition plays in overall health and wellness. At our office in The Woodlands, Texas, we offer nutrition education services that can provide you with the resources and tools you need to stop the junk food fest.
Benefits of good nutrition for kids
Like you, what your kids eat affects their health. In addition to supporting growth and development, good nutrition can have a significant positive effect on your child’s physical, mental, and emotional health.
Helping your kids make nutritious food choices:
- Helps them maintain a healthy weight
- Improves their mood
- Stabilizes their energy
- Sharpens their mind
- Reduces their risk of health problems now and in the future
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, improving your child’s nutrition may also prevent mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Helping your kids form good eating habits
We know it can be an uphill battle getting your kids to lay off the junk food and make healthier choices over their summer vacation. But it’s not impossible when you have access to the right tools and resources through our nutrition education services.
Our experienced nutrition experts work closely with you to help you create a healthier home eating environment for you and your kids.
We can share:
- Family-friendly meal plans
- Kid-friendly snack ideas
- Tips for eating out
We also encourage eating more home-cooked meals and provide easy, healthy, and delicious recipes everyone will love.
To prevent your kids from turning to chips and sugary cereal for meals or out of boredom, we also help you devise a meal schedule that fits your family’s summer plans and eating routine.
Though we certainly encourage you and your kids to make healthy food choices, you shouldn’t ban treats altogether. It’s important that your kids develop a healthy relationship with food and understand that all foods fit, including the occasional unhealthy choices.
However, junk food should be viewed as a treat and eaten in small portions so there’s plenty of room for the healthy stuff.
Assessing your kids nutritional health
You’re not alone if you have concerns about your child’s nutritional health, especially if the junk food fest started way before summer vacation. Our health experts offer many innovative diagnostic tests to assess health and nutritional status, including:
Genetic testing
Because we see the close relationship between nutrition and health, we offer nutrigenomic genetic testing. Nutrigenomics is an area of science that looks at the interactions of genes and nutrients and how they affect health.
Using what we learn from genetic testing, we can design a nutrition program for your child that matches their nutritional profile. All we need to perform the test is a swab of cells from inside your child’s cheek.
Vitamin and mineral deficiency testing
Vitamins and minerals are essential for normal growth and development in children. If you have concerns your kids may be deficient, we can help with our vitamin and mineral deficiency testing.
After getting a blood sample, we send it to the SpectraCell Laboratories for advanced micronutrient testing, which checks your child’s blood levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Food allergy testing
Food allergies are a growing concern for children in the United States and it’s estimated that about two kids in every classroom have a food allergy. Though food allergy symptoms vary, your child’s chronic ear infections, asthma flare-ups, or behavioral problems may be signs of a food allergy.
If you’re worried about food allergies, we offer food allergy testing that can confirm or rule out your suspicions.
With our nutrition expertise and advanced nutrition testing, we can provide you with the tools and information you need to turn your family’s eating habits around.
To learn more about our nutrition education services and how they can benefit you, your children, and your family, contact us by phone or book an appointment online today.
