Meal plan & recipes inside Health wise
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurological syndrome associated with poor concentration and organisational skills. It is, however, poorly understood with many people dismissing it as a fad with no foundation in truth. There are medications available to help manage the symptoms and behavioural therapy can be helpful. While dietary causes for the illness have been ruled out by research studies, there s no question that a balanced and healthy diet is also important in the management of this condition. DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN WITH 1. Plan regular, varied meals for your child and make them small and frequent. Don t allow your child to go for long stretches of time (more than three to four hours) without food. 2. At every meal, include foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI). These foods break down gradually and provide a slow, sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream. 3. Avoid refined carbohydrates with a high GI as these may exacerbate symptoms. 4. At all meals, include protein-rich foods such as chicken, meat, fish, eggs or dairy as the protein helps to stabilise the blood sugar level. 5. Encourage consumption of vegetables and fruits. Children should eat at least five portions of a variety of different vegetables and/or fruit every day. 6. Give your child a daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement. The supplement should provide approximately 100% of the DRI for each vitamin and mineral, and ideally it should also contain iron. 7. Plan a serving of oily fish, such as pilchards, sardines, salmon or mackerel two to three times a week. If this is not manageable consider giving your child a daily supplement of fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids). 8. Avoid restrictive diets. Overly restrictive diets may lead to nutritional deficiencies in growing children. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before trying any alternative dietary treatment approach to. 9. Take care with additives in food. Although there is no conclusive proof that food additives can cause or aggravate, the recommendation is that you should monitor your child s activity and behaviour after eating foods containing additives, and eliminate those foods from the diet that tend to cause symptoms. Helpful contacts To find a private dietitian in your area: Association Dietetics South Africa, www.adsa.org.za Your Special Diet: www.pnp.co.za/healthcorner Recommended recipe books: Sustained Energy for Kids (Steenkamp, Merlin, Wellmann) Simply Good Food (Justine Drake) Meal-planning ideas Choose one option per meal and one or two mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks Breakfast Snacks Light meal Main meal Wholewheat ProNutro with milk and half a small pawpaw A boiled or scrambled egg on toast with a small glass of orange juice Peanut butter and low-gi toast with a glass of milk Smoothie: blend low-fat vanilla yoghurt with two fruits and milk A small tub of yoghurt, or a carton of drinking yoghurt / flavoured milk A fresh fruit, dried fruit and nuts or peanuts and raisins Home-made popcorn or vegetable crisps A fruit kebab made with melon, pineapple and strawberries Low-GI bread or Pro-vita crackers with peanut butter or cheese wedges Biltong, hard-boiled egg, cheese fingers, chicken drumstick or lean cold meat rolled with chutney Sandwich made with low-gi bread with peanut butter and sliced banana, chicken mayonnaise or ham and cheese, with baby carrots and an apple Mini pitas with meatballs or mini hamburger patty and tomato sauce, with finger vegetables Sweet chilli pasta salad, with a banana Mini frittata with Pro-vitas, marmite and baby corn, or carrots and cucumber sticks with hummus dip Pilchard fish cakes with mashed sweet potato and cucumber and tomato salad Beef stroganoff with rice and carrot and pineapple salad Salmon pasta bake with vegetable sticks Spaghetti Bolognese with a mixture of steamed baby vegetables Optional dessert: banana and berry ice cream This meal plan serves as a guide only. Visit www.adsa.org.za and contact a private dietitian for an individual meal plan and portion guide. two Health wise Health wise three
Shopping list of healthier choices Stocking up on healthy food that includes low-gi starches and reduced-fat protein products will benefit the whole family Breakfast cereals Wholewheat ProNutro Original and Apple Bake flavours Bran flakes, high-fibre bran, shredded bran Oats porridge cooked in milk Raw oats-based mueslis Cooked starches Baby potatoes, sweet potatoes Wholewheat pasta Brown rice Mealies / sweetcorn Bread and biscuits Pro-vitas 100% rye crackers and bread Seed loaf and low-gi breads Vegetables, fruit and legumes All fresh and frozen vegetables and fruit Canned tomato and asparagus Dried fruit bars and rolls without sugar Canned or dried beans, lentils, chickpeas Dairy Low-fat or fat-free milk, yoghurt and cottage cheese Low-fat flavoured milks Mozzarella, Cheddar, Gouda and feta four Health wise Low-fat cream cheese, plain or flavoured Cheese wedges Meat, fish, chicken, eggs Lean beef, pork and chicken, trimmed of all fat and skin Ostrich Bacon and cold meats trimmed of all fat Eggs Fresh or frozen fish fillets, fingers or cakes Tuna in brine Omega 3-rich fish (eat two to three times every week) Pilchards and sardines Mackerel and herring Salmon smoked, canned and frozen fillets Fats and oils Olive / canola /avocado oil Seeds Unsalted nuts Olives and olive paste Peanut butter Avocado Low-oil dressings and reduced-oil salad cream Spreads and snacks PnP hummus PnP tzatziki Popcorn kernels Lean biltong Bokomo Up n Go and Milo drink Need tips for packing a healthy lunch box? For great recipes and practical suggestions visit www.pnp.co.za/ healthcorner or contact the dietitian at the Health Hotline, healthhotline@pnp. co.za or 0800 11 22 88. Healthy living Nutritious and so simple, your kids can even make these dishes themselves... Vegetable crisps An easy way to boost your kid s veggie intake. Use any root vegetables you have. 1 small carrot, shaved into ribbons 1 small beetroot, shaved into ribbons 1 small sweet potato, sliced into thin matchsticks 1 small butternut, thinly sliced 1 parsnip, shaved into ribbons 1 Tbsp (15ml) PnP Extra Virgin olive oil SERVES 4, as a snack Preheat oven to 180 C. Toss vegetables with olive oil. Spread out on a baking tray in a single layer; don t overcrowd them. Bake for about 20 minutes until dried out and crispy. Serve warm as a healthy snack or side vegetable. Health wise five
Sweet chilli pasta salad Use wholewheat pasta or brown rice to boost the fibre content! Salad: ½ packet (250g) PnP fusilli, cooked 1 /3 cup (80ml) PnP cheddar, cubed 1 cup (250ml) PnP frozen peas 2 peppers, diced 8-10 cocktail tomatoes, halved Salad dressing: ¼ cup (60ml) PnP reduced-fat mayonnaise 1 /3 cup (80ml) PnP low-fat yoghurt ¼ cup (60ml) PnP sweet chilli sauce SERVES 4 Cook peas according to packet instructions and add to salad ingredients. Combine dressing ingredients together and stir through salad. Banana and berry ice cream This ice cream is as healthy as it is delicious. 4 bananas, peeled and sliced 1 cup (250ml) PnP frozen mixed berries 1 cup (250ml) PnP low-fat plain yoghurt 1 cup (250ml) fresh strawberries SERVES 4 Place bananas on a baking sheet lined with cling wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours or until frozen solid. Tip frozen bananas, mixed berries and yoghurt together into a blender and blitz until smooth. Halve strawberries. Spoon generous dollops of ice cream into bowls and top with fresh strawberries Serve immediately. Each serving contains one fruit portion. Mini frittatas You can add virtually anything to a frittata it s a great way to use up leftover cooked vegetables. 1 packet (200g) PnP diced butternut 1½ discs PnP traditional feta, crumbled ½ cup (125ml) PnP frozen peas 4 PnP free-range eggs 1 /3 cup (80ml) milk 12 cupcake cups or silicon moulds Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a muffin tray with cupcake cups and divide the butternut, feta and peas among them. Beat eggs and milk together and carefully fill each cup. Bake for 8-12 minutes until set, golden and puffed up. Cool slightly before serving. MAKES 12 CUPCAKES six Health wise Health wise seven
Healthy lunch Useful tips for lunch boxes Some lunches can be prepared the night before such as pasta salads, sandwich fillings, coleslaw or something from last night s dinner like chicken kebabs. Try to resist your children s demands for high-fat snacks and fizzy cold drinks. If your child likes crisps put some in a small bag or wrap some crisps in foil. Buy a sturdy plastic container that s big enough to accommodate the food without it getting squashed. Eating a variety of foods from different food groups gives children the best chance of obtaining a balanced diet. Most children will leave food that takes a lot of effort to eat, as they want a quick refuelling stop. Peel naartjies and cover with cling wrap, cut kiwi fruit in half or make colourful skewers with bite-sized pieces of fruit. Water is still the best drink to include in a lunch box for children. Freeze the bottle overnight and this will provide your child with cold water through the hot summer day. Bottled sparkling water is a treat for children, but be careful not to include the flavoured varieties or vitamin water. Flavoured milks are also healthy and great for before sport. Add a personal touch. Tuck a surprise like a note or stickers in your child s lunch box or hide a special treat at the bottom. Pack fun napkins, draw a face on a banana with a marker pen or cut sandwiches into novelty shapes using a cookie cutter. On weekends, get your children involved in the kitchen making things like muffins which they can then take to school the following week. boxes A healthy lunch box should help to improve your child s attention, behaviour and learning throughout the day and into the afternoon. Remember that lunch boxes may have to replace three to four meals a day. Vary colours and textures Published on behalf of Pick n Pay by John Brown South Africa