An excellent article by the Dairy Council of California sparked my interest in what should be more of a focus for educators and parents in the early childhood classroom. Now that we are in the age of food and dietary restrictions becoming a trend; we may be losing sight of what is the most important goal: the health and safety of our children. With all of the substitutions including nut milks, gluten free products and artificial hormones that force us to take milk products out of our kitchen, are we making sure that our children are still receiving the appropriate portions of recommended vitamins and nutrients? This falls way too close to home for me and my children. With two boys who began life with a milk allergy, one of whom also has a nut allergy I know all too well the importance of safety however; I also am aware of the need to make sure I am providing a healthy, well balanced meal plan for my children.
Read the article below for more advice on portion controls, some of the out of balance trends in marketing that consumers are falling for, and some helpful advice and tools that you can implement at home and at school to keep your children and your students healthy.
In the words of Mr. Rogers, "Knowing deep within us that someone is going to feed us when we are hungry is how trust and love begin..." He nailed it, our children rely on us to provide what they need to thrive. Let's do this!
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