Better Nutrition June 2019
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asktheNUTRITIONIST/ANSWERS TO YOUR FOOD QUESTIONS<br />
Melissa Diane<br />
Smith is an<br />
internationally<br />
known journalist and<br />
holistic nutritionist who<br />
has more than 20 years of<br />
clinical nutrition experience<br />
and specializes in using<br />
food as medicine. She is<br />
the cutting-edge author<br />
of Going Against GMOs,<br />
Going Against the Grain,<br />
and Gluten Free<br />
Throughout the Year, and<br />
the coauthor of Syndrome<br />
X. To learn about her<br />
books, long-distance<br />
consultations, nutrition<br />
coaching programs, or<br />
speaking, visit her<br />
websites:<br />
melissadianesmith.com<br />
and againstthegrainnutrition.com.<br />
Freeing Your Family<br />
When health crises prompt major diet changes,<br />
focus on the positive and patiently and persistently<br />
adopt new habits to move toward a therapeutic<br />
way of eating /// BY MELISSA DIANE SMITH<br />
: My son has just been diagnosed with the gluten-related autoimmune<br />
skin condition dermatitis herpetiformis, and we recently found out<br />
that my daughter is severely allergic to milk products and experiences<br />
digestive distress from all grains. My husband has irritable bowel<br />
syndrome, allergies, and asthma; I have digestive bloating;<br />
and all of us are overweight and don’t eat enough<br />
vegetables. Going on a grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free diet seems<br />
like it would be best for us, but I’m overwhelmed about how to go<br />
about that. Can you offer some pointers?<br />
—Tanya W., Madison, Wis.<br />
common for health crises to<br />
a:It’s<br />
compel transformation in diet,<br />
and summer is the perfect time to make<br />
the switch so your family can become<br />
accustomed to this therapeutic way<br />
of eating before your kids go back to<br />
school. And, really, it’s a good idea for<br />
everyone to adopt at least a few of these<br />
healthier dietary practices.<br />
“Changing your diet now can save<br />
you time, heartache, and money in the<br />
future,” says Leah Webb, MPH, author<br />
44 • JUNE <strong>2019</strong><br />
of the new book, The<br />
Grain-Free, Sugar-<br />
Free, Dairy-Free Family<br />
Cookbook (Chelsea Green<br />
Publishing). Families who are<br />
not in crisis mode might favor a more<br />
moderate approach to their diet, but<br />
getting grain- sugar-, and dairy-based<br />
junk foods out of the diet can benefit<br />
everyone. “Don’t settle for mediocrity when<br />
it comes to diet when the alternative<br />
feels so much better,” says Webb.<br />
Healthy<br />
Tip!<br />
Summer is the best time<br />
to make healthier changes<br />
to your family’s diet, so that<br />
everyone has a chance to<br />
get used to them before<br />
they go back to<br />
school.<br />
Parents have a responsibility to help<br />
their children learn and understand how<br />
to fuel their bodies in a healthy way.<br />
Feeding our kids the proper foods takes<br />
effort, but the payoff is substantial.<br />
Basics of Making Changes<br />
as a Family<br />
Start with yourself. Improve the way you<br />
eat and the effects will likely gradually<br />
cascade down to other family members.<br />
Next, serve only one healthy meal<br />
each at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.<br />
Don’t cook to order or offer alternative<br />
foods for individual kids. Try to pair new<br />
foods with something familiar that they<br />
like. But if your kids don’t want to<br />
eat the new foods, don’t get<br />
discouraged: Keep trying to<br />
offer them. Studies show<br />
that children won’t even<br />
try a new food until it’s<br />
been offered many times,<br />
according to Webb.<br />
Also, encourage your<br />
children to get involved in<br />
the kitchen and participate<br />
in small tasks during the food<br />
preparation process. Kids are much more<br />
interested in trying new foods if they<br />
have a hand in fixing those foods. Plus,<br />
the more they learn to do in the kitchen<br />
when they’re young, the more prepared<br />
they will be to make their own nutritious<br />
meals in the future.