Feeding schoolchildren with nutritious meals everyday is no easy task for moms.
Nestlé Philippines conducted a parenting forum dubbed
“How to Raise Happy and Healthy Kids” at the Nestlé Center in Rockwell to address some issues that moms experience when feeding their school-age children.
Professor Amy Santiago, trainer and resident nutrition speaker of Nestlé Philippines, and
Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, celebrity mom and speaker, gave attending moms useful tips and facts on parenting, nutrition and helping kids perform better in school. Fashion icon and wellness advocate
Tweetie de Leon- Gonzales and celebrity mom
Tessa Prieto-Valdez also shared their insights and personal experiences on the importance of checking the nutritional content of food and having a healthy family lifestyle.
“Studies say that those people who don’t eat breakfast tend to become overweight,” says Santiago. “Breakfast means ‘breaking the fast’. We fast for more or less eight hours while we sleep at night.” We also use up energy while sleeping and our body needs to recharge in the morning. When we skip breakfast, we do not have enough stocked energy in the body to perform our tasks. Thus, later in the day when we get so hungry, we tend to eat a giant meal.
She also adds that breakfast-skippers have short attention span. A study on children says that kids who eat breakfast score high on tests and are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and hyperactivity.
“Start the day with a healthy breakfast,” says Pangilinan. It must be packed with vitamins and nutrients that children need for their busy day.
It’s tough especially for moms to give their children a healthy breakfast especially when their rushing off to school. Santiago recommends breakfast cereals. “Because of the great taste that’s loved by kids, it may help to increase kids’ breakfast appetite. If it’s enriched with milk, breakfast cereal will help to add vitamins and minerals for daily needs. Also, it’s quick to prepare so it is less the hassle of preparing meals,” she says.
About being picky, Pangilinan reminds moms that “it’s all in the delivery.” Moms should be creative in presenting their children’s meal. It must be attractive so that children would be enticed to eat whatever is on their plate.
“Eating while watching TV may lead to obesity,” says Santiago. She reminds moms to teach their kids good eating habits by having family meals and being role models to their children. Kids easily adapt whatever they see on adults. “It’s also a matter of lifestyle,” she adds.
The forum emphasized the significance of whole grain-rich foods that “may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers”, according to a number of large population studies such as the Iowa Women’s Health Study and Harvard Nurses’ Health Study.
Santiago explained that whole grain is nutritionally superior because it has a complete nutrient package, delivering all parts of the grain in the same proportions that they are naturally found. Whole grain contains all three parts of the grain: the bran which is rich is fiber, B vitamins, phytonutrients and protein; the endosperm which has protein and carbohydrates; and the germ, which contains B vitamins, vitamin E, phytonutrients, a small amount of polyunsaturated fat, iron, magnesium, copper and zinc.
In the quest for foods with better flavor, texture, appearance and shelf life, whole grains are often stripped of their goodness through refining, where bran and germ are discarded. What’s left is the starchy, middle endosperm, therefore suffering a huge nutritional loss. Though refined grains are fortified again after processing, the fiber and phytonutrients are not restored. A healthy diet rich in whole grains provides a number of health benefits for the body. Santiago said that eating at least three servings of whole grains everyday as part of a balanced diet will help ensure that a person is getting the health benefits associated with whole grains. “A serving of whole grain is equal to two servings of breakfast cereal made from whole grain, two spoons of brown rice or three spoons of whole grain pasta,” she said.
Examples of whole grains are brown rice; whole-wheat bread, pasta, or crackers; whole oats/oatmeal and the like. White rice, white bread and corn flakes are refined grains. “Labels such as ‘multigrain’ and ‘100% wheat or bran’ do not necessarily contain whole grain,” says Santiago. She reminds moms to always check the labels and nutritional content of what they buy in the supermarket.
She recommended that giving children whole grain breakfast cereals is one strategy in fueling them for school and instilling good dietary habits. A whole grain diet for breakfast helps children maintain a healthy weight while supporting their mental and physical activities throughout the day. The fiber content of whole grain breakfast cereals, combined with energy from complex carbohydrates, keeps the child full for a longer time and helps him maintain a healthy body weight by reducing impulsive snacking or overeating.
Nestlé continues to convert its breakfast cereal into whole grains to improve the nutritional value of breakfast. The latest addition to Nestlé Whole Grain Cereals is
Nestlé Honey Stars. Recently, other Nestlé Breakfast Cereals have been converted to whole grains such as
Koko Crunch, Koko Crunch Duo, Milo, Cookie Crisp, Fitnesse, Fitnesse and Fruit, Almond Clusters and Banana Nut Clusters. To also guide consumers on how to spot a whole grain Nestlé Cereal, Nestlé has put a green banner across the top of every box that says they can find whole grains inside.
Raoul: women won’t have to hide behind bulky clothes this winter. Classic warm-shaded chiffon dresses during the day and feministic black slimming dress at night works.
DKNY: dare to explore on the prints. It’s all about sophistication ladies. 
Michael Kors: have that chic-look by emphasizing the shoulders and having exquisite details. It’s not wrong to be practical at times. Details sometimes tell it all.
Calvin Klein: the minimalist also saves us from cold weather. It definitely does not mean safe, but an elegant and dependable style.
Liz Claiborne: plaid pants or jackets (or having print on both) would definitely give that warm look. It’s a play of print, mix and texture.
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I donned the safety gears and prepared for a one minute zipline adventure. The next thing I knew, I was shouting at the top of my lungs and almost woke the birds silently resting beneath the trees as my voice echoed everywhere.
