Today in Club Bonheur, we welcome Laila Bel .
In this episode, Laila Bel, nutrition and well-being coach and mother of two children, talks to us about family nutrition, how to feed your children healthily and how to organize yourself with a particularly intense daily life. It gives us lots of keys to passing on good habits to our whole family. Are you ready to get better?
What is healthy family eating?
First of all, it’s a moment of sharing! The family and social relationship aspect is very important. You need to get into the habit of bringing your family together once or twice a day (morning and evening) and sharing a moment together.
Secondly, it's adding good foods to your plate every day, such as seasonal fruits and vegetables.
When can young children join in at the same times/meals as their parents?
According to Laila, the sooner the better. Between 5 and 6 months, dietary diversification begins so at that time, we can put him in a high chair, at the table with the parents even if it is only 10 minutes. He will thus get used to seeing his parents eat colorful and healthy foods from a very young age.
As soon as the baby has his first teeth, he can already start sharing the same meals with smaller proportions and pieces. Don't be afraid to quickly offer the child the same meal as the parents.
In addition, a child has the same nutritional needs as an adult. Laila reminds that parents must first take care of themselves with their diet by eating healthily and so naturally they will offer the same to their children.
Ingredients to avoid and others to recommend?
Certain products should be avoided such as processed foods, industrial foods with too many additives, fat, etc.
However, if we have no intolerance, we can eat everything in reasonable quantities and go back to the simplest with whole, natural, seasonal, local and fresh foods.
For animal proteins, Laila introduces them into her diet 2 to 3 times a week and recommends choosing them of very good quality: organic, free-range, from small producers, raised outdoors.
Vegetarian diet for children
Laila Bel does not necessarily recommend this diet for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women unless you make efforts in the kitchen to properly absorb all the nutrients. In addition, iron of plant origin is less well absorbed than animal iron, so you must know how to balance your diet in order to avoid deficiencies in vitamin B12, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin D. To do this, you should not hesitate to be followed by your doctor or a nutritionist and have blood tests taken regularly.
Any tips for getting your child to eat vegetables and teaching them good eating habits?
First of all, it must be natural for parents so that they set an example and are not afraid to offer one to the child.
Laila gives us an example of how to put together a plate: 1/2 with colorful fruits and vegetables, 1/4 with animal or vegetable proteins, 1/4 with whole grains as well as a good fat which remains very important. After that, we offer it to the child, without forcing him, but showing him that it is natural and good.
Other tips: smoothies to integrate as much fruit as possible, soups for vegetables, changing the shape and cooking methods.
- To take your child to the market or the supermarket, showing them the different foods, giving them a taste during the preparations.
- Give him a taste for cooking by preparing meals together with a little music and in a good mood.
Other little reflexes to apply on a daily basis:
- Get organized over the weekend to prepare for the start of the week.
- Do not see cooking as a chore but as a way to take care of yourself and your family.
- Try to eat more slowly.
Advice on sugar
In her daily life, Laila explains to us that she avoids buying industrial cakes etc. as much as possible. For cake recipes, she replaces sugar with bananas and mueslis but doesn't deprive herself when she wants to make butter cookies. “Healthy eating is not about being on a diet.”
Laila’s answers to our “Tonic Quiz” (quick questions – quick answers):
- A book to recommend: The conscious parent or The awakened family by Shefali Tsabary
- A favorite place for a family meal: Outside in nature
- An activity to do as a family: A hike
- Your current recipe: Milk kefir with fruit, granola and chocolate chips.
- Next person to interview: Lauren Singer
- One last piece of advice: Prioritize what is important in our lives
If you liked this episode, find Laila on her personal Instagram account @laila.bel and as well as on her blog to discover advice, tips, recipes and free guide https://www.lailabel.com/about-me/ .
Very good listening and see you next week for a new episode of Club Bonheur!
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Link to Apple Podcast
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