How did you become to be working as a naturopath and nutritionist in Spain?
As a mother of 4 children, I have always worried about their diet and health. I started researching and decided it was important to share my knowledge with other families. Our health depends on our diet! Hippocrates said it best: let the food be your medicine, and this remains valid.
Do the Spanish have a reputation for healthy eating?
At first the Mediterranean diet is very healthy and desirable, but unfortunately we have drifted far from the right path: what is now offered at midday as the menu bar, it has nothing to do with a balanced diet. The current diet also provides us with nutritional deficiencies and excesses and weakens us.
What would your advice be for those planning on getting pregnant? What foods should they eat or avoid?
When a couple decides to try for a child, I would recommend first of all that they follow a cleansing diet to eliminate waste and toxic substances outside the body and this will increase their reproductive capacity. Then provide the nutrients that the body will need during pregnancy. Only the best for the future baby!
How important is a good diet whilst pregnant?
During pregnancy we are feeding two people, mother and baby. Almost everything the mother eats goes to the fetus. A mother should monitor her diet, noting if the diet provides enough vegetables (vitamins, minerals and fiber) and reduce sugar, all refined products and animal protein, acidic things which can damage our body and the bone health of both!
How important do you think it is to breastfeed your baby? and for how long?
Breast milk is the best food that nature has provided for the baby. It gives you everything the baby needs and is easy to digest. During the first 6 months the baby doesnt need any other nutrients. This also prevents future intolerances and allergies and stimulates the development of the digestive and immune system. After 6 months, and when they have the first teeth, it may be the time to offer something additional, providing only one new food is added every 4-5 days, giving time for the intestinal flora to properly adapt
When do you believe is the ideal time to wean your baby?
When mom and baby are tired of breastfeeding is the best time to wean. Ideally it would be best if you can maintain partial breastfeeding until 2 years of age, ensuring the baby's nutritional needs are fully met and at the same time increase their defenses and self-confidence.
What are the best foods to start a baby on?
I always recommend to start introducing foods with fresh or boiled vegetables, the first food for human beings since prehistoric times. I recommend not to make any animal protein for the first the year, the digestible protein intake for the baby should come from breast milk or formula (better from goats milk than cow).
Do you believe all foods should be homemade or are there any ready-made baby foods that you would recommend?
If you buy ready-made food for your baby, it should be of biological origin, without added sugars and mixing no more than 3 different ingredients.
How important is it for children to eat healthily and to exercise?
Our health depends on our diet. Children with their bodies in full swing, more than anyone need a balanced diet, full and natural to optimize their development at all levels. Most childhood diseases and disorders may be related to their diet directly. In addition we are still animals, and we should be moving all day. Spending the day sitting at school, in front of computer or television, is anti-natural behavior, stopping our energy and physiological metabolism.
Compared to other countries do you feel that Spanish children on the whole have a healthy lifestyle?
No, I think our lifestyle is not conducive to the health of our children. Too much stress, schedules, employment demands, responsibilities and little time to play, share and enjoy daily life in Spain and across Europe ...
How common is childhood obesity in Spain?
Obesity is a growing problem due to the lack of home cooking and sharing food around the table with the family. Measures to replace the sugar by chemical sweeteners, makes us sicker. Eating well requires investing time, but our health is at stake. We must set new priorities.
How nutritional would you say school dinners are in Spain?
The majority of meals in school cafeterias do not provide what I would recommend for your health. You can find an excess of animal protein and refined grains, leaving both metabolic waste, difficult to debug and causing fatigue.
How common are food allergies among children in Spain?
When a food is not well tolerated by the body, the intestinal mucosa secrete a protective mucus. This can spread to the respiratory mucosa (just another mucosa), causing symptoms of a cold. Looking at the number of children living with mucus constantly, we can imagine the amount of undiagnosed food intolerances!
For many parents, helping children develop healthy eating habits is a struggle. Do you have any tips on how parents can achieve this?
My recommendations: Teach by example! Talk to your children do not believe anything they tell us through television advertising. Go shopping with them. Buy as little as possible in the supermarket. Avoid products handled, pre-cooked and industrialized. Give preference to fresh and natural foods of the season and the area, whole grains, organic oils, seeds and nuts, and add seaweed (sea vegetables) to the daily menu. Remember how our grandparents ate and recover healthy habits. Explain that only 40 years ago there was no supermarket and the diet was completely different to today. But we are not even consciously aware of this change ...
What advice do you have for parents of a fussy eater?
Parents decide what's for lunch, the kids decide how much they want to eat. Prepare a buffet with raw vegetables and vegetarian pates based on tofu, chickpeas and cheese so they can eat with their hands. Offer fruit smoothies in between. Make a list of favorite menus, always including some vegetables, and organize
joint purchasing. Buy only what you want your child to eat!
Should parents read food labels before purchasing food?
It is very important to read ALL labels before purchasing and teach children. Things that contain ingredients that we don´t want to consume, should be returned to the shelf. Make this a routine habit!
At what age should parents begin teaching their child the importance of nutrition?
From 2-3 years you should begin discussing the arguments for or against food. What they hear day by day, they won´t question it. Do not get tired! Children learn by copying what we do ...
Do you think a child's performance in school is related to the child's eating habit?
Directly! There is a direct relationship between our diet and mental performance. If you look, you'll see that there are foods that leave you more tired and others that give you more energy. We must seize the food they are light and easy digested, increasing our concentration and memory. A ham sandwich tires us, because it concentrates all the energy in digesting and the brain falls asleep...
How often should children be allowed treats such as sweets and chocolate?
The WHO predicts that by 2012 an 30% of the global population will suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetes, due to excessive consumption of sugar and refined products. They are not food, because we do not nurture. We should seek substitutes for this craving for sweets. Occasionally a piece of black chocolate never hurt anyone, but if we consume daily will it exhaust the pancreas!
Can you recommend any healthy Spanish recipes that children might enjoy?
This crunchy granola as breakfast has enough protein and fiber to have a good start in the day!
Time
1 hour
Tools
large saucepan
wooden spoon
cookie sheet
Ingredients
1 c butter
1 c honey
1 c raw walnuts
1 c raw almonds
¼ c sesame seeds
½ c sunflower seeds
4-5 c rolled oats
½ c wheat germ (optional)
1 c raisins o berries (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Melt the butter in the saucepan, add the honey, and mix well. Stir in the seeds and nuts. Add the bran wheat germ, then add 4 c rolled oats. If the mixture is very wet and sticky, add some more oats.
Spread the granola on a cookie sheet and place on the center oven rack.
Stir every 10 minutes or so, and add the optional raisins after 20. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
After the granola cools, store in a tightly sealed container or plastic bag.
This granola makes a wonderful breakfast with yogurt and some fresh fruit. Or for a snack, try just a plain handful.
You can experiment with different kinds of nuts, dried fruit, and spices to find the mix you like best.
Dorte Froreich
Naturopatía y nutrición
www.saludalplato.com dorte@saludalplato.com
