Lemon Water and a Good Breakfast for Starting the Day

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Healthy Tips for Your Kids (and parents too)

by Mariola Strahlberg

These simple tips will help build children’s immune system, keep them alert and learning during the school day, and even help keep their weight within a normal range. They’re good for the entire family.

Start your day with lemon water

After you meditate/pray and brush your teeth, consider starting your day
an 8 oz glass of warm, filtered water with 1-2 teaspoons of organic
lemon juice.

Why lemon?

Lemon has more than 100 benefits including

• It’s rich in vitamin C (great for your immune system),
• It’s rich in potassium (great for your heart),
• It’s rich in calcium (great for your bones),
• It’s rich in pectin fiber (great for your bowel),
• It balances pH levels in your body,

And most importantly, it helps flush out toxins that got stuck in your system while you were resting.

Enjoy a refreshing glass of water with lemon first thing in the morning. And don’t forget to rinse your mouth thoroughly after drinking lemon juice to protect the enamel of your teeth.

Notice what happens after few weeks to your skin, digestion, elimination and weight with this simple tip.

If you or your child doesn’t like lemon, try squeezing some grapefruit instead. And if that doesn’t work, just drink warm water.

Start your day with good breakfast. It’s a really a good idea

When you start your car every morning, you make sure that the car has gas. I propose that your breakfast is like putting gas into your car’s engine. You may have heard the old saying, “Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at supper.” Your body and brain need good nutrients to function so “break the fast” with a cup of lemon water and a good breakfast

Here are some suggestions:

— Hot oatmeal or other hot grain with soaked raisins and apricots
— Granola with kefir or yogurt and fresh fruit
— Steamed greens with eggs and a toast
— Toast with almond butter and fresh fruit
— Whole-grain pancakes or waffles on special occasions

Many other healthy choices for breakfast are available depending on your diet preference. To make life simpler, create a 5-day breakfast meal plan and make sure that each of the 5 days, you have a different grain, fruit or vegetable.

Rotating foods every 4 days helps prevent food allergies. The important thing is to find what kind of healthy breakfast works for you and your child.

Whether you stick with the traditional whole-grains-and-dairy recommendation, go “Paleo’ with high-fat nuts, eggs, and fruit, or have Asian fare with kimchi, rice noodles and eggs, the most important is that you have food in your belly in the morning.

And remember to keep away from sugar and white bread!

Skipping breakfast is a bad idea:

Breakfast skippers are grumpier, irritable and apathetic, often have extra weight and crave snacks later on in the day.
Breakfast eaters have better grades, are more likely to graduate and have higher paying jobs

Breakfast eater make better food choices and eat 40% less sweets, drink fewer soft drinks and turn to vegetable and fruit for snacks.
Breakfast eaters are healthier all around and have a reduced likelihood of Type 2 diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease.

Create a happier and healthier work environment for a happier parent and child

Regardless if you are working at home, out of your home office or in an office at work, space influences your mood and productivity. This is true for kids doing homework too.

Follow these simple tips to create a happier and more productive presence whether for your work or your child’s homework.

1. If you want to have a safe and conventional thinking, keep your papers orderly on your desk. If you want to be more creative, keep part of the desk messy and see what happens. Check it out for yourself.
2. Natural light increases productivity and lets you sleep better at night. If you are in a windowless office, use full spectrum or incandescent light when you can,
3. Indoor plants decrease stress and increase productivity.
4. Get up at least once per hour, drink at least 4 oz of water and do some simple contralateral movements (like cross crawls) to activate both sides of your brain. Children should get up even more often.
5. Have your lunch away from your office, socialize and take a walk outdoors after lunch if you can.
6. If music doesn’t disturb you while you work, use it since it may help you complete tasks quicker and make you more creative. Some ADHD kids respond well to music. Check if music helps you and your child stay on task and finish more quickly.
7. If you are a kinesthetic learner, try a standing desk or a treadmill desk and see how much it increases your productivity. Let your kids try it also. Some schools are offering children standing desks.

Stay Warm

I often see children and adults dressed inappropriately for cold weather. Kids and parents are running around without jackets and hats even though the temperature has dropped and it’s cold outside. The body needs warmth to process food, to eliminate waste and to provide good flow in the lymph system to keep our immune system strong.

We lose the most heat through the top of our heads, finger and toe tips. We need to keep our core warm (around the navel and below) in order to process and eliminate.

Look at the birds, did you see how puffed up they are?

Let’s do the same:

– Warm hat, warm gloves, warm socks and good boots

– extra layer of clothing such as silk or wool long sleeve undershirt
and silk or wool long johns

– hot water bottle under your feet and on your belly at night. Don’t
forget your children – they love the hot water bottles as much as we
do

– cold weather is for warm drinks, so please skip the ice, refrigerated
drinks and ice cream till the warmer weather is here again.

Your body will thank you and your child will stay healthy during the winter.

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