“Finally, kids are smart. Yesterday I was talking to a three-year-old about the battle between good bugs and bad bugs, and he told me: they’re not bad bugs, they’re viruses. He debunked my explanation!” This Very important Angela Quintasorganic and clinical chemistry and expert Nutrition and microbiota, is now also a children’s story writer. Quintas has just been published by Timun Mas Infantil, with illustrations by Ingrid Valls, Super fart.A story about understanding the little bug in our belly,a book Explaining the microbiome to young children But it also includes advice for families.
This isn’t the only children’s story to touch on this issue nutrition and food.In a country where 23.3% of girls and boys are overweight and 17% of boys are obese (data from the Spanish Diabetes Federation), the same publisher has published two other reports in recent months discussing this issue Children’s Food and Nutrition: The story of a little chef.Five stories, five recipes for the little ones at home (Depend on Alma Obregoncooks and correspondents) and Tina likes to eat.Five stories to make mealtime a happy moment (Depend on Conci Garcia).
“There is no doubt that one of the ways to achieve this is to Children eat a variety of foods and eat well “It’s about getting them into the kitchen, because from the moment they start learning about the ingredients and understanding the concept, they’re interested,” Alma Obregón emphasizes. To be precise, her book is a book that children can do. The protagonists of their stories were their own children, and the stories they told helped them introduce a recipe that was relevant to the times of the year that were important to them: birthdays, Christmas, the beginning of the school year, summer vacation, Halloween. .. “Letting kids cook can even help them practice math, develop their motor skills by letting them read things they already know… It’s an excuse to do lots of things with them.”
Angela Quintas agrees on the importance of biology Get into the kitchen and learn how to handle food. “Nutrition should be a school subject because ultimately we eat at least three meals a day and it’s something we do throughout our lives. If we have a Minimal information about what we must eat And how we should eat. “
These three books are suitable for girls and boys and can be read with them, but the last three books have been added: family resources: What should I do if he wants to eat cake every day? How do we assign food groups to each meal? What should I do if my daughter or son is allergic to certain foods and can’t eat them at school? These are some of the questions Conchie Garcia attempts to answer in her story.
In this sense, Obregón includes alternative ingredients in their recipes Children with intolerances or allergies, and provide a series of Tips for cooking with kids. Fifth, if applicable, provide some pointers regarding intestinal transit, acute gastroenteritis and the shape and color of the stool.
Eliminate fear of vegetables
Both Obregón and Quintas have increased The benefits of cooking with children Doing this can help eliminate the fear of certain foods that your young child may refuse. “When they make a dish, they are more willing to try it than if they find it directly on the table,” the book’s authors explain. Little Chef’s Story.
Garcia makes a similar point in the story of Tina, the protagonist of his story.Tina goes to the market to check Various fruits exist, and discover that you may not like some green foods very much, but some do, and don’t stop trying them just because you associate their color with something bitter or less palatable. “Having him go to the market with you and see how many fruits are there, the different colors, textures and sizes, and help you prepare them… is crucial,” explains Quintas.
“The idea “My son doesn’t like vegetables“You have to eliminate it,” adds the nutrition expert. “For example, they may start to have a bad relationship with vegetables because of a bad experience in the school cafeteria, but, we must continue to persist through other means. ” Quintas recounted his personal experience during the conversation: how his son stopped loving eat vegetable There was a time, because at school, they gave him leek puree “with hair in it”.
He admits that one of the tricks he uses to overcome this stage without destroying the vegetables is to hide them. “It happens with adults too, you might not like a certain texture, but it’s the same with kids,” he said.He added that it was in his book Forever Slimming Recipes: Simple, Variety and Healthy Menu (Planeta, 2018), there are many “recipes”Disguise vegetables”: “These are recipes that I make at home, like zucchini pasta or eggplant lasagna, all carefully disguised so that my son will want to eat vegetables again,” she explains.
The same can be applied to fruit: the next one “My daughter doesn’t like to eat fruit” “My daughter doesn’t like the fruit I want her to eat” can be hidden. “I can’t give my son a banana or a strawberry because he throws them in my face, but he clutches the lemon like there’s no tomorrow,” she said with a laugh. “So in the first stages of babyhood, he eats lemons and grapefruits all day long… Sometimes there’s so much prejudice, but if it’s a fruit he likes, you have to give it to him.”
Danger?sugar
No, not all sugar is the enemy or dangerous. Alma Obregón’s recipes are pastry recipes This may surprise many people. She clarified that it’s important to differentiate between the sweetness of refined sugars, which are included in ultra-processed foods – and in many cases, even salty foods – that are already cooked or prepared in food stores. “None of these recipes contain refined sugar,” explains Obregón, who has a YouTube channel dedicated to baking. “There are many alternatives to sweeteners these days, but even if we make traditional homemade desserts with sugar or butter, It’s always healthier than buying ready made“.
Quintas agrees with this distinction, warning that, to be precise, Ultra-processed foods are among the most damaging to the microbiome (microbial flora living in the stomach and intestines). “It’s well known that the most damaging thing to the microbiome is pressure Second, consumption antibioticBut it’s important to know that ultra-processed cakes are also on the list,” he explains. “The cake you make at home is nothing like the bread you buy in the store. “
Quintas’s last few books were devoted to these questions: Why Does My Stomach Hurt and Some Digestive Disorders, so when a publisher suggested he write something for children, he wanted to continue discussing these issues. “Children also need to know Bacteria live in our bodies, We have to take care of them, and we have to normalize things that may seem strange but aren’t really that strange.
Those seemingly strange things are exactly that, fart. So the main character is a child superhero who suffers from some kind of disease. acute gastroenteritis: Super fart. “It is considered normal for a person to fart 20 times a day, but coming home full of gas is not good because it can cause colic,” he explains.For little children, there is nothing more attractive than this: the story of Quintas is Apocalyptic festival. At the end of the story, the story offers a stool scale, Classification that helps understand our microbiome and gut status. “Throughout history, when there was no way to do analysis, the real way to detect disease was to look at feces, because ultimately they gave us a lot of information about the person’s state,” he noted. “Kids talk about it without shame and are curious, and it’s okay that they do. Ultimately, it’s something that comes out of their bodies.”
super fart It also includes advice on achieving good intestinal transit and Best posture for defecation without damaging our muscles. “If you look closely, babies in diapers often squat when they poop because this position is more natural than sitting.”
Hygienic side B
Stories are things that are dedicated to a particular space. allergies and intolerances, the child population continues to grow.this Little Chef’s Story include alternative ingredients One of Tina’s stories is about Celiac disease. Quintas also warned about the reasons for the rise in food allergies and intolerances. “This is due to a thousand factors, for example, the moment of birth is crucial. If it is a vaginal birth, the mother will pass some of the bacteria to the baby and make it immune. Increased cesarean section rates As a result, less and less of this natural immunity occurs,” he explains. “And, We don’t let them play and get dirty This makes their immune systems very weak. “
he health progressAlso after the epidemic, there is also the B-side of Sinister Increased food allergies and intolerances. Getting dirty gives them immunity, just like living with animals. “Research has shown that children who grow up in homes with pets, A more diverse microbiome The more diverse they are, the more protected they are,” he explains.
for Protect the microbiome and avoid diarrhea and more serious illness, we began to hear ProbioticsBut this expert remembers that they are not a panacea either. “Not all probiotics are suitable for all situations, and it is important for pediatricians to control which type of probiotics are given to children and at what dosage,” he clarifies. “Finally, if a child has Correct and healthy diet Probiotics are not required and are also found in many of the foods we eat on a daily basis, such as yogurt.