How to eat
  Summer Nutrition
  Autumn Nutrition
  Winter Nutrition
  Spring Nutrition

The way you eat is a significant part of a healthy diet and it is important for you and your child to see mealtimes as fun rather than a battle and that eating is one of life’s most enjoyable experiences.

Taking a special moment to RELAX before eating, prepares your body to receive the full nourishment of your meal. Eating when you are tense or upset is not helpful for your digestion, so try to stay happy and calm as you encourage children to develop a healthy attitude to eating. By taking your time and really tasting every mouthful you often find that you eat only what you need.

By being relaxed at meal time it allows you to take time to breathe deeply and chew well – remember digestion starts to takes place in your mouth with the saliva. You can ask your children to roll and swish their tongue around to create saliva in their mouth, swallow it and visualise their digestive system working well for them.

Avoid drinking or eating anything cold especially before and after meals. Iced cold drinks from the fridge or freezer weaken your digestive system which can cause long term problems later on in life. If you have anything that is too cold or too hot in your mouth then swish it around in your mouth until it feels like the same temperature as your body, then gently swallow.

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In Summer we generally need a diet which is cooling and light, and nature has proved us with just the right fruits and vegetables to eat at this time of the year. Light cooking or a raw foods diet balance out the summer’s heat, which in turn helps us feel lighter, keeps our weight down and keeps our energy up.

Fruits are the most cooling foods, followed by vegetables. The most concentrated foods like seeds, nuts, animal flesh, fats and complex carbohydrates have a heating aspect to them, and should be used in minimal quantities, if at all.
Fruit and vegetable juices, fish and seafood, lightly cooked vegetables and noodles support our energy and at the same time keep us feeling cool and refreshed.

Obviously, if you are very active outdoors or doing lots of physical exercise, then you need to eat more. Be sparing with fried foods and chips, processed and chemical foods, and drugs of any nature – especially caffeine and alcohol.
Leafy green vegetables with a bitter taste, like endive, lettuce, watercress, radicchio and chicory, are good to include in your weekly diet. Remember, too much can also be harmful, so if the Fire element is too weak or too strong there may be a strong repulsion or attraction toward bitter-flavoured foods.

Some Bitter foods
Alfalfa, red bean, asparagus, capers, celery, endive, kohlrabi, lettuce, butterfish, apple, crab apple, loquat, papaya, turnip, vinegar, ginseng, lamb, rabbit, pork, liver.

LATE SUMMER NUTRITION

Later summer is a time when there is a tendency to change our food intake by increasing our protein foods and cooked foods, and perhaps including more dried foods, depending upon where we live and the work that we are presently engaged in. The predominate taste is ‘sweet’ so if there is either a strong craving or repulsion to this taste it can show as an imbalance in the spleen energy. It is very important for us to keep meal times regular for the stomach energy to stay balanced and to take the time to sit down when eating.

Exercise is a positive way to maintain our balance, regulate your weight and maintain strength and vitality. Diet is also relevant, and as late summer is the beginning of harvest time, beans, apples, tomatoes, grapes and zucchini are just a few examples of nature’s abundance and gifts at this time of year.

This is the time of the year for a ‘building’ diet, which includes a little more fat and protein than during the spring and summertime, and more warming and cooked foods. Increasing fish and poultry, if you are so inclined, will add to the potency of the ‘building’ diet. Continue it into the autumn and wintertime if you wish, so that you can feel stronger and warmer. During the seasonal transitions it is also advisable to take a few days to cleanse with juices, total fasting or just cutting down all in take by 50 per cent.

Sweet foods
Abalone, agar, almond, anchovy, anise, apple, asparagus, bamboo shoot, banana, barley, string bean, adzuki beans, mung bean, bean curd, beet, butterfish, cabbage, caraway, carrot, celery, cherry, chestnut, chicken, coconut, corn, cucumber, date, eel, egg, endive, fig, grape, lamb kidney, nori, shiitake mushroom, chicken, lamb, beef liver, mutton, peas, peach, plum, potato, shrimp, turnip.

GROW YOUR OWN FOOD

Children love growing things. Developing an interest in growing food can set up a valuable example for children’s survival in the future. By looking after a vegie garden, children will soon recognise that nature governs our diet by the foods that grow with the different seasons rather than having foods all year round from the supermarket.

If you are unable to have a garden to grow vegetables then bean sprouts are perfect for growing inside and have a high nutritional content. Most of all, children love checking them regularly to make sure they are growing. Luckily, bean sprouts/alfalfa and cress are so simple to grow: simply soak some alfalfa seeds overnight and then put them into a jam jar with holes in the lid, fill with water and watch them grow! Make sure you change the water daily.

The other way of teaching children about sourcing their food is to visit the local farmers markets and check out the stalls that sell certified organic foods – they will usually display a flag which has a number on it. Let them pick out two to three pieces of fruit and vegetables that they would like to eat that week. This way, they will feel as if they have made a positive contribution to the household and their opinion is valuable.

HEALTHY FOOD FOR CHILDREN

Growing children need complex carbohydrates, good quality protein and fat.
Some whole foods available are:- sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, beans, snow peas, beans, cucumber, apples, oranges, bananas, avocados, blue berries, sunflower and sesame seeds, pecans and walnuts, basmati and brown rice, millet, oats, rye, quinoa, red lentils, brown lentils, chick peas in hummous and falafel, whole grain pasta, freshly chopped parsley and coriander, mung beans, alfalfa sprouts.

Some ways of serving nutritional foods for children
Breakfast could include porridge with banana, raisins, dates, coconut and molasses or whole grain bread, toast with manuka honey, almond butter and low sugar jam.  Clarified unsalted butter (Ghee) is a good spread. Plain yoghurt helps with digestion but no added sugar.

Lunch could be include avocado, hommus, falafel, sunflower and sesame seeds, whole grain pasta, potatoes, lightly stir fried vegies, flat yeast free breads, cottage cheese, olive oil (Organic cold pressed) and salads.

Dinner could consist of warm, wet and juicy vegetables and a good quality organic protein. Warm cooked foods are very nourishing for children’s stomach and they require less energy to digest them.

What The Eye Doesn't See...
Try hiding vegetables in your child's meal. You could try adding well chopped vegetables within burger mince, adding vegetables on top of a pizza base or even puree vegetables in sauces. This is a great way to ensure that your child is getting their share of five a day.

Vegetarian protein comes from a combination of grain, legumes, (beans) dairy, seeds and nuts. Education and planning is needed to be a healthy vegetarian. But that is a personal choice for you to make.

Tips to encourage children to enjoy eating healthily….
Giving children the opportunity to join in and create delicious meals will inspire them to eat nutritious foods. Find easy recipes that are fun to make and provide children with a sense of responsibility in the kitchen. Let them make up their own fruit juice cocktails rather than reaching for sugary drinks.
To make it interesting you could add shape to your food by using animal and star cutters to create shapes out vegetables like peppers, zucchinis, and cucumbers. If you want to be even more creative, you can also cut carrots and tomatoes into flower shapes.

Healthy Snacks
Children love snacking during the day. Make sure you stock up on healthy snacks such as toasted pumpkin seeds, oatcakes, dried fruits and fresh fruits. Fruit is best eaten by itself as morning or afternoon tea. Home baked biscuits and bars with wholesome ingredients are best.

Children love smoothies and shakes. Milk can be mixed with any combination of fruit and berries for a nutritious and delicious treat but avoid cold milk straight from the fridge.  Milk builds strong children but you can make it easier to digest by using warm milk and a little spice such as cardamom, ginger or cinnamon.

Drink lukewarm water, herbal teas and a little diluted juice.

Make sure that less healthy snacks like crisps and biscuits are replaced with healthier choices wherever possible. Grapes and cherry tomatoes are easy to pop in the mouth.

Eat natural whole foods in medium quantities in a peaceful way, drink plenty of filtered water and live longer. Happy eating!

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As the weather begins to get cooler we tend to turn more towards more warming and comfort foods that are heavier; such as cheese and bread which are both congestors and will not allow our intestines to flow smoothly, this can manifest in a tendency towards constipation, colds, runny or blocked nose, headaches and sinusitis.

Including foods that are more pungent can help eliminate congestion, an example would be using fenugreek, garlic and horseradish to help clear sinusitis and congested upper respiratory tract. It is also important to be aware that an over consumption of sugar (even in the form of fruit) this will increase the formation of mucus and cause constantly runny noses in children.

Vegetables and fruits are body cleansers, but certain fruits like bananas have a congesting effect and create dampness (mucus) in the lungs and intestines. Mushrooms act as a body builder, as do fish, meat, dairy products, nuts, beans, seeds and grains – but these foods can produce some congestion as well if taken in excess.

Autumn weather brings forth an opportunity to harvest pumpkin, squash, beans, cabbage, turnips, onions, garlic, rice, barley, celery watercress and spinach, to name just a few. Baked squash or pumpkin stuffed with a combination of brown rice, sliced almonds, fish and mushrooms is a perfect meal to embrace the first crisp days of autumn and welcome nature’s bounty. Don’t forget ginger root, which also makes its debut in early autumn and is so helpful for extra body heat and clearing the lungs. Either simmering it with water and drink as a tea, or dip a towel into the tea and apply it to congested areas to promote circulation.

Pungent foods
Anise, bay leaf, sweet basil, capers, red chilli, cardamom, chive, coriander, dill, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, horseradish, onion, kohlrabi, leek, lemon peel, nutmeg, cumquat, radish, rosemary, spearmint, taro, watercress, wheatgerm.

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Winter is the time to focus on storing up energy. Winter is ruled by the Water element, which is associated with the kidneys, bladder and adrenal glands. According to the philosophy of Chinese medicine, the kidneys are considered the source of all energy or Qi within the body, visible externally by the sparkle or vibrancy in our eyes.  During winter months it is important to nurture and nourish our kidney Qi as it is time when this energy can be most easily depleted.

Foods that nurture kidney energy

Staying healthy this winter
There’s a famous Chinese saying - Let food be your medicine and your medicine your food. If we follow this wisdom and let our kitchen provide us with our medicine, then our body has a much better chance of maintaining vital health and wellbeing.

Foods to include:

• Vegetables need to be eaten 1-2 times daily, either steamed or baked.
• Vegetable soups and casseroles are strengthening, nutritious, warming and easy to digest.
• Because much energy is stored in the roots of plants during the winter season, it is beneficial to include root vegetables such as sweet potato, carrots, turnips, onions, parsnips and potatoes which are especially right for the winter diet.
• Garlic and fresh ginger root are warming and pungent, promoting energy circulation and dispersing cold.
• Cayenne pepper and chillies add heat to your meals and warmth to your toes!
• Occasional chicken or red meat can be beneficial – red meat stimulates and brightens up the blood, heart and complexion and is a great building food.
• Ocean fish, low in fats with high amounts of protein, minerals and vitamins, are a very good secondary food source.
• Sea vegetables like kelp, arame, wakame and Kombu are high in vitamins E and A and especially rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, iodine and phosphorus and help to provide good nourishment for the hair, skin and nails, and aid the endocrine system, particularly the thyroid and adrenal glands. Have them in soups, toasted to eat with rice or vegetables or wrapped around rice with vegetables such as Japanese sushi.
• Foods that are predominately salty are - abalone, barley, celery, clam, crab, dill seed, duck, kelp, olive, pork kidney, nori, rabbit, liver, mussel, octopus, oyster, pork, sardine and prawn.
• Try these foods which are warming and pungent. Chicken soup is perfect medicine at this time but must not be over consumed if you are hypoglycaemic.
  
  

  Sweet potato	Shrimp	Garlic & ginger	Coconut milk
  Turnip	Chicken	Nutmeg	Squash
  Onion	Mutton	Capers

Snacks between meals
Green superfoods such as spirulina, barley grass and chlorella are good to help keep our blood sugar level balanced. Nuts and seeds provide protein. Parsley, carrot (small amount) celery juices, along with green vegetables builds the blood.

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With springtime, there is an opportunity to look at old patterns in your life with new awareness.  It's the perfect time to take a good look at your family's diet and encourage your children to develop a positive attitude to food and eating.  Spring time is a time to cleanse your body of toxins. Like spring cleaning for your body.

High Energy Foods
The foods whose energy we extract most easily are unprocessed ‘whole foods’ such as fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts and beans.  The more natural whole foods are, the easier it is for our bodies to digest them.

Foods can be eaten raw, steamed, roasted or lightly fried. Those foods which are factory processed or over heated loose much of their natural nourishment and are often difficult for us to use. This causes an excess of toxins in our body which can create illness. Although in Traditional Chinese Medicine raw foods are not encouraged as they are harder to digest and create a cold condition in the stomach. A rule of thumb would be 80% cooked and 20% raw.

In springtime greens are a big part of diet in most cultures. They are plentiful at this time of the year and their use has always been to refresh, cleanse and build your body. Look for green foods such as lettuce, spinach, asparagus and sprouts – your children may tell you some others that they know.

Fruit and vegetable juices freshly squeezed diluted with some water make them easier to digest.  Drink lukewarm water, herbal teas and a little diluted juice.

In Australia we are blessed with an abundance of beautiful foods. If we take advantage of what’s available when shopping for local and seasonally grown foods we support the local farmers and help the earth to stay healthy too!