Plastic world

If a meal has more plastic than the food itself then is it really worth eating. When eating in fast food chains we use plastic plates, plastic containers, plastic water cups, plastic fork, plastic spoons, plastic straws, plastic juice bottles, plastic wraps, sauce in plastic packets and more. At the end of the meal the amount of plastic landfill that we dump makes me wonder if it is worth eating. In the name of cheap food are we polluting the world.

Wake up Western World

Wake up from the disease causing Soda

Soda is nothing but disease(cancer, asthma, obesity etc) causing  water + lots of sugar + artifical color + artificial flavor

• Please don't let your child drink this poison

Wake up from the disease causing processed food

Tons and tons of processed food in every store shelf.  All wrapped in plastic and added with preservatives, chemicals, artificial colors and flavors.  It is the source for all disease.

• Abandon them. Do not give them to your child.

Wake up from the Plastic bags and the disposables

These enter our life for the sake of  "Convenience". But they land in the landfills without the ability to degrade. They kill several wild animals and marine life and will eventually kill us.

• Stop using Plastics. Let us use recycle bags and avoid disposables

Western world loves the word "Convenience" and they are "generous" for the convenience. The corporate world churns billions just for this word.  But the after effect of this word is only disease. Please give up the word convenience for us and our children to live happily in the future world. Share the word to all the people you know to make our world a better place

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue blogging.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Childhood Asthma Awareness

"Childhood asthma can be prevented"

"Asthma need not be a life long condition"

"Even if you are late in the game, Asthma can still be brought under control and erased"

"Asthma is in the gene but the condition can be suppressed and the gene can be modified"

All of the above is possible by good diet, water, exercise, nature exposure and staying away from processed food, drinks and allergens.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue blogging.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Power of blowing

Is your child have hard time blowing the mucus out of nose? Here are some tricks to help
- practice blowing nose on daily basis. Do it during bath time. Practice makes perfect
- teach deep breathing techniques at home. Deep breathing relaxes the body and helps conquer fear
- if possible attend yoga classes
- practice blowing ballons
- play some simple games like blowing birthday candles or blowing feather using nose
- swimming helps in holding breath and hence increases the lung capacity. It will eventually help with blowing nose

Why is blowing nose very important ?
- it increases the capacity of the lungs
- it helps in blowing away the mucus in the lungs and hence clearing congestion
- it helps with coughing and opening up the tubes in the lungs
- eventually it will help lungs in pushing the mucus out by itself

A child that experts in blowing nose will outgrow asthma in no time. So practice the power of blowing.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue blogging.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

At least one herb a day

Herbs has excellent properties in curing several ailments including asthma. These humble herbs not only posses excellent flavor but they are packed with antioxidants and vitamins. They internally detoxify and protect organs from further damage. Try to include at least one of the following herbs everyday and try a wide variety. Please do not overcook these herbs as they might lose their property.

Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Oregano
Mint
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Lemongrass
Dill
Basil
Chives

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue blogging.
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Lots of Water, Sunshine and Love

Asthma and Eczema are both caused due to dryness. The skin does not to take in the water to remain hydrated and the lungs does not take in enough water to keep itself moist and working well. The lungs is like an engine, when the moisture for the engine is down it starts screeching and has difficulty functioning. Hence lots of water is required for the asthmatic body to function well.

• Invest on a good humidifier for the air to be moist in the bedroom. The steam helps in relaxing and opening up the tubes.
• Keep giving water to your child to help the body.
• Give warm bath to loosen the mucus.
• Incorporate food with water like fruits, vegetables and soups.
• Add lots of physical play for the body to want and absorb the water.
• Swimming also helps.
• Sunshine produces vitamin D that helps the body, hence outside play becomes a must.
• Above all the child needs lots and lots of love

Lots of Water, Sunshine and Love are the best ingredients to help thrive an asthmatic child. Take care of the little sapling.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
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Good signs for Lungs

Coughing
When mucus gets accumulated in lungs, it expels by coughing it out. Coughing is a good sign and it indicates that the lungs is working good. When having cold your child may continuously cough during the sleep. It is time when the lungs works and self cleans itself.  Hence suppressing the cough by giving cough suppressants is stopping the lungs from doing it function. It is better to stick to warm water and honey to soothe the cough. The dry hacking cough does not come under this category and needs to treated by the  doctor.

Running Nose
Usually an asthmatic child does not have running nose as much as a normal child. Running nose is a way to expel the mucus produced by the lungs in response to allergens. The lungs is doing this against gravity and proves it capacity. Since this factor is less in an asthmatic child, the cold gets congested in the lungs and causes wheezing. The lung power needs to improved by exercise, play, deep breathing and practices like yoga.

Sneezing
Sneezing as you know is the instant response to some allergens entering the lungs. It is a good sign too. It is not good to block sneezing or cover it fully. Sneezing into the elbow is good to follow.

Low grade Temperature (99 to 100)degree F
When the chest gets congested with mucus the body reacts by a low grade fever. This increase in temperature is a way of body to fight against the virus. It is not good to reduce the low grade temperature by giving fever suppressant. It would rather be good to increase the fluid intake at this time and aid the body in the fight. However when the fever increases beyond 101degree it needs to treated and consulted with doctor.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Posture correction for asthma cure

The posture of neck and shoulder determines the amount of oxygen that flows to the lungs. A bad posture leads to less oxygen flow and hence poor performance of lungs and more chances of asthma.

If the posture of your child does not seem right try to correct it by asking your child to sit straight and not drop head down. Usually the posture goes wrong when they watch  TV on sofa or while playing video games and hence insist on good posture while doing so. Try to reduce the TV and video game time and encourage outside playtime. Make sure the furniture your child uses provides good posture. Another reason the posture goes wrong is when the child is sad or frustrated. Some may catch the breath when sad or angry. Try teaching deep breathing and relaxation techniques. Try to incorporate as much playtime and outside time.

Yoga, martial arts and certain dance form teaches children good posture in fun way. Physiotherapy may be used in cases where intense correction is required.

To my blog readers

Please pass on the blog to other parents and help heal kids with asthma.

Lets grow our own personal air purifiers

Plants are the best part of nature. They are the main food source for life and they act as air purifier taking in carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen for us to breathe. They can be grown indoors or outdoors to purify the air in and around the house. Whether it be a house with front and backyard or a small apartment on the 10th floor or a terrace garden, plants can be grown anywhere. All it takes is soil, water, light source and some love.

Grow your own herb garden to produce invaluable herbs that can prevent and cure any disease. Grow beautiful flowering plants that gives peace of mind. Grow your own organic fruits and vegetables yielding plants that might surprise you by cutting down a trip to grocery store. Its fun for kids too watching every life stage like germination, every leaf coming out, flowering and yielding fruits and vegetables. You will be surprised by new visitors to your house. A Bird might tell you hello early in the morning and if you are lucky a beautiful butterfly will mesmerize you by her trip to your house every now and then.  It increases the aura of the house and fills it with life.

You can also grown plants in your kitchen window if there is sunlight coming in. Basil, Oregano, Mint, Cilantro and flowering plants like mums are wonderful addition that will clean the kitchen air and also come handy to add to your soup.

It purifies all the carcinogens, dangerous gases and gives the oxygen for us to breathe. So why not grow our own air purifiers.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Food is Medicine

Every bit of nature has a property. The property to create, restore or destroy. Nature by itself is a full circle. It has answer for every problem in it. Every food produced by nature has these properties. When the properties are utilized in the right way to the right amount the desired result can be achieved.

Any disease can cured by in taking the right kind of food. The same is with Asthma.
Below are the Asthma curing properties and its food sources

1:  Vitamin B6

Sources: Banana

2:  Vitamin C and E

Sources: Kiwi, Sweet potatoe mustard greens, Avacado, sunflower seeds

3:  Quercetin

Sources: apples, yellow and red onions, capers, broccoli, lovage, red grapes, cherries, citrus fruits, tea, and many berries including lingonberries, raspberries, and cranberries.

4:  Rosmarinic Acid

 Sources: rosemary, sage, marjoram, peppermint, oregano, lemon balm, and thyme

5:  Limit Omega-6 Fats, Increase Intake of Omega-3 Fats

 Sources: walnuts, soybeans, and flaxseeds, or cold water fish like salmon, cod, and halibut

6:  Vitamin D

Sources: Dairy Products and Eggs 

7:  Carotenoids  

Sources: yellow/orange and green vegetables and fruit such as spinach, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, mango, melon and apricots.

8: Lycopene

Sources: tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, watermelon, and pink guavas.

9:  Magnesium and Potassium 

Sources: root vegetables and beans, flaxseed

10: Anti inflammatory food

Sources: Ginger Garlic Turmeric

These vitamins can be mimicked by us in the form of vitamin tablet. But we surely cannot the mimic the micronutrients and antioxidants that comes along with the natures food. These properties are best absorbed by the body when eaten by the ones from nature.

Avoid whichever food doesn't suit your body and take the ones that your body can accept. The above food sources listed are not the only ones. There can be other food source which contain these properties just the amount of property might vary. Also consume the ones that are locally available.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Is childhood asthma a lifelong condition?

When my child was 2 1/2 asthma hit really hard. There were wheezing episodes every month. My child was such a bad eater and I did not have the parental control to make my child like food. I was scared of everything. I was trying to avoid friends with cold, shopping mall with dust, going to school and used hand sanitizer like a freak. And I thought I was doing the right thing.

The frequency of the episodes made the doctors prescribe maintenance steroids. The doctor also mentioned that Asthma can be a life long condition and has to be kept at check by maintenance inhaler. Giving a drug everyday 365 days made me panic. The side effects of the drugs were really bad. Trembling, going out of control, nervousness are a few to mention.

Just the fear of giving maintenance steroid made me educate myself about Asthma. Thanks to the few sources that took me in the proper direction. All these changes kicked in my parental instinct and made me take charge of my kid and Asthma. Once I started the nature way of cure, the condition was totally gone. At 5 now my child catches cold every now and then. However only during worst cold days the wheezing seem to come but does not last. This makes me wonder what if I had not done the diet and the life style changes and stuck to what doctor said. What if I dint have the time to analyze all these and keep giving maintenance drugs and permanently branded my child asthmatic.

Just as how taking frequent antibiotics reduces the power of the immune system the frequent Inhalers reduces the lungs capacity to self heal. All it needs is the proper nutrition and life style changes to the body for the lungs to regenerate and self heal.

I am writing this article because some mother out there can be doing this mistake and a proper education is required to make us understand that Asthma is not life long condition and can be put to check by natures way. 

If your child starts showing symptoms of Asthma immediately make diet and life style changes to prevent it and from making your child a life long victim

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.
.

Processed food and Asthma

What is Processed food?
The nature provide vegetables, fruits, grains and other food sources. It has abundance of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals in it. Some of the food can be eaten raw and the whole nutrients can be absorbed by the body and some others need to be cooked. The cooking is to make the food more digestible by human body. However when the cooking process is long and harsh the food loses its properties and becomes the opposite. Like say a Potato has wonderful nutrients in it but when heated to temperature >120 degree Celsius and made into Potato fries a chemical called Acrylamide is formed which is carcinogenic.

Pesticides, chemical fertilizers, contaminated water source(by chemicals and radio active substances), contaminated soil(by chemicals and pollution), contaminated air(pollution), preservatives, genetically modified (GMO) are already altering the food produced by nature. Each of these have their effect on human health and are related to diseases like Autism, Asthma, tumor and cancers

On the top these food are even more modified when made into processed food. For example, to make a breakfast cereal the grains are grounded, added unnecessary vitamins and preservatives, molded into shapes and heated to temperatures that can change the property of food and put on shelf for the period of 2 years. Same is the case for a food cooked at home for long time using harsh temperature just to make it more palatable.

All these processing and chemicals has huge impact on children with Asthma. It increases the risk of getting asthma attack several folds.

An asthmatic body requires abundances of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Hence provide raw food like fruits and vegetables atleast 5 servings a day. While for the other food form that requires cooking try to keep the cooking process to the right minimum. Do not encourage any processed and convenience food. This will keep any disease at check.

Training the taste buds

Dealing with picky eater is very difficult and frustrating. Overtime it pushes us to giving whatever food child prefers. When days pass without healthy food triangle in the menu it slowly reflects in the health. Some kids are naturally good eaters while some others are not. If eating healthy food and drinking water does not come naturally it should be done through consistent training.

Few guidelines

• Have only healthy items in your shopping list. Not having options is the best way.
• Let your child get used to looking at healthy items in the cart and fridge consistently. It is all about registering in the brain.
• Serve food only when hungry.
• Don't let your child snack often.
• If your child rejects a food it does not mean it's the end. Try offering again and again. Try altering the recipe and offer when hungry.
• Serve vegetables without much alterations. Broccoli taste very good with butter, salt and pepper. Carrot taste good when raw.  Trial and error simple recipes.
• Include herbs like coriander, curry leaves, rosemary etc. and spices like garlic, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper etc. These increase the appetite, help in digestion and increases body immunity. The more you give the more the taste buds will get used to.
• Offers fruits/vegetables/ nuts/ cheese as snack. This will reduce your stress during mealtime since they are already taken the nutrients.
• Increase the appetite of your child. Certain fruits like lemon, orange, Apple increases the hunger. Soup also helps.
• Water does the trick too. A glass of water first thing in the morning increases the metabolism. Offer water 30 mins before food to increase appetite.
• Increase physical activity to increase hunger.
• If your child refuses to eat pack it in a to go box and go for walk. Try offering outside. The outside fresh air and scenary does change their mind.
• Training your child to eat soup will help on the sick days. Training your child certain food that would be available in the restaurants to reduce your stress on eating outside days.
• Talk about food. Some kids like to hear stories about how an orange helped a small boy to fight cold or how beans help you grow tall etc.
• Be a role model. When your child sees you and your spouse eat certain food they get natural inclination.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

How do I avoid wheezing when my child catches bad cold?

What do I do when my child catches the worst cold so that it does not escalate to wheezing?

Step 1) Vacuum/Clean the bedroom and living room and keep very less things in these areas. Wash the sheets and blankets. I do not use any powerful cleaners.
Why? Dust is the main culprit for asthmatic. We spend most time in the bedroom and living room when sick.

Step 2) Go to the grocery shop to get fresh vegetables and fruits. The fresher the more nutrients.
Why? Fruits and vegetables are packed with essential nutrients to reduce the inflamation of lungs and overall. It is important to keep giving small quantities of food to help body fight against infection, reduce inflamation, avoid vomiting and dehydration.

Step 3) Keep humidifier clean and ready. Warm mist during cold weather and cool mist during hot days.
Why? Humidifier helps in relaxing the tubes in the lungs and sleep better. It plays a vital role in cutting down night time wheezing.

Step 4) I keep ready good entertainment CDs/Programs.

Step 5) Prepare food based on the severity of the cold. Warm soup is always the first on the list. Refer the article "Diet during tough days" for more info.

Step 6) Give my child Warm bath (when no fever)
Helps in relaxing the body and loosens mucous in the chest.

Step 7) Take my child outside for sun and fresh air(not during fever)

Step 8) Keep giving warm water all through out the day. I ask my child to finish the full cup of water.

Even when I am the most prepared there are times when things get out of control when the sickness involves fever and vomiting. In that case I stick to the hydration in any form as the key and let the worst days pass. I have tried few over the counter homeopathic "cold and mucous" syrups which says that it loosens the mucous. I does help to some extent.

I hope this article helps. Good luck with your little ones.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Are you prepared for the winter?

Pomegranate is so in season and it will not stay for long. Don't miss this opportunity. There is reason why nature provides certain fruits at certain time. It for being prepared for winter. The same with oranges and Apple's. Give these fruits everyday and keep your child immune high to fight any battle. And these amazing fruits keep wheezing at check.

Give wide range of seasonal vegetables and greens either boiled, seasoned or in soup. Use spices like coriander, pepper, ginger, garlic which all helps in increasing the immune system.

Mornings are dull and sun goes down by 4 pm. Hence hit the outside in the afternoon to get the sun. Every bit counts.

Get lot of indoor physical activities to keep your child active and breathing.

Good luck Moms! Let's be prepared for this brave winter battle.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

Eczema cure through natural oil bath and food

Oil bath is an old traditional ayurvedic method of taking bath and usually done twice weekly. It involves applying warm natural oil all over the body allowing it to get absorbed by the body for a span of 15 min to 30 mins and washing it off using herbs or flour preparation. The oil bath allows the body to retain oil on the skin and cools the body. Both these benefits the person with eczema.

Natural oil like coconut oil, sesame oil, mustard oil, olive oil have the nutrients to cure eczema and can be used to take oil bath. The flour of the natural grains like gram, oatmeal   have the power to heal eczema. The flour can be mixed with milk and a pinch of turmeric(antibacterial). The flour should just wash the dirt off but not strip moisture. Please apply the flour preparation gently on the skin and wash it off with rubbing.

Usually eczema flare up in the night time as our body's anti-inflammatory property is less at this time. The best test if the oil bath is working for child is prepare the child's body during day time with twice oil bath and maintaining a healthy diet through the day. If the child sleep through the night without itching and eczema flaring up then you are going in the right direction. This would work only for that day and you will have to follow this everyday to keep eczema on check. The frequency of oil bath can be reduced as time progresses and your child outgrows eczema.

The challenge is to find which oil and flour will suit your child. So first test the oil on child's skin in small portion and leave it for 15 mins to see the reaction.  Wash it off with the flour preparation. If the skin feel soft and moist and does not have any rashes then it should be fine. My child is fine with coconut and sesame oil but allergic to extra virgin olive oil. And I use green mong flour with milk and turmeric to wash off.

Few tips to begin with
- If possible use the organic option.
- Always warm the oil before applying. Warming up kills any germs in the oil and when slightly warm oil is applied to the skin it will get absorbed better.
- While warming the oil it can be infused with herbs like garlic which has good properties for skin care. But don't try this before knowing what suits your child.
- gently massage the oil over the skin to help absorption and blood circulation.
- Body oil bath can be done twice daily while head bath needs to be done every 3 to 4 day once.
- Oil bath should ideally be given on empty stomach.
- apply moisturizer after bath to maintain an extra level of oil.
- Please do not give oil bath when your child is sick or has fever.
- if your child has cold or susceptible to frequent cold the frequency of oil bath should be reduced.
- avoid using mineral oil and soap. Mineral oil does not provide any benefit to skin and soap strips the moisture.

Gut is another reason for eczema flaring up. Giving lots of fruits, veges, whole grain, probiotic yogurt all helps in maintaining a toxin free balanced gut.
Avoid anything artificial additives and processed food in your child's diet. Give home cooked( slow cooked) food. Also avoid pesticides, harsh detergents, frequent antibacterial hand wash, cleaners etc.

The important point to note is to keep following these day in and day out until the body outgrowns the eczema. Usually the eczema lessens as the child grows unless there is a constant trigger for it flare up. Hence the oil bath becomes a life style routine rather than a day's fix.

To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share please comment below. It will encourage me to continue writing this blog.
Spread these words around to stop another mother see her child suffer from the condition.

The Eczema and the Asthma connection

Eczema is over reactive skin disease.
Asthma is over reactive lung disease.
These lines should teach you the connection between the two. Both are caused by a defect in a person's gene. This genetic condition can cause over reaction of any organ to some foreign body. The foreign body doesn't have be really harmful( it can be as simple as detergent or dust) but it some how gives a red flag to the body and makes the specific organ to over react. The most affected organs are the skin and the lungs.

Eczema hits babies as young as a month old. But not all parents are well informed about the connection it has with asthma and how dangerous asthma can be if it hits hard.
Hence this article is to teach parents with newborns having eczema  to be well prepared for the next step Asthma. The Asthma can hit a child as young as 1 year old eventhough the worst hit is at 3 when the child starts going to preschool when they get the most cold attacks.  Asthma and eczema can surface at any point during the person's lifetime due to some trigger if the body is not prepared to fight.

Both these conditions are handled by hospital with steroids which help in suppressing the skin or lungs from over reacting. It is very effective medicine but has several serious side effects. Also these medicines only cut the symptoms but does not cure the cause.

The good news is both can be prevented and cured in the nature's way. Once you know that your child has eczema you can prepare your child's body to escape from the several wheezing episodes your child might have in the future.
All it takes is good diet and life style discipline. Please read more about how to prevent and cure asthma in my older post.

The Answer to Asthma

The answer to childhood asthma is very simple. "Nature". Yes nature can cure asthma by following the below blindfolded day in and day out. Your child will be out of asthma in no time.
Please note that these steps need to followed everyday lifelong and hence will become your lifestyle. The benefit of following these steps are you would avoid the unnecessary medications and complications of getting asthma.

Naturally occurring antioxidants and vitamins
3 servings of Fruits/day - Apple, pomegranates, kiwi, banana,  melons, berries etc.
3 servings of veges/day - broccoli, cauliflower, beans, sweetpotato, avocado, greens etc.
Soaked nuts, sprouted seeds and well cooked grains
2 cups of milk and 1 cup home made yogurt
Herbs and spices
Why?
Asthma is due to lack of vitamins and antioxidants. Strengthen the immune by loading your body with food high on antioxidants and vitamins.

Water
Keep giving water ( at least 1 cup) after wakeup, 30 mins before food, 1 hour after food throughout the day and before going to bed
Why?

Asthma is triggered by drought in the body. Flood it with water.

Exercise
Get at least 1 hour of physical activities like dance gymnastics or anything that involves breathing and exercising
Why?
Weak lung is prone to frequent attack. Strengthen it with exercise.

Sunshine
Get at least an hour of sunshine. And keep house well ventilated.
Why?
Lack of vitamin D increases asthma risk. Get sunshine and fresh air.

Avoid
Artificial flavor, color, preservatives, soda, sugary juice, processed/overcooked food Pollution, mold, dustmite
Too much use of Hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap
Toxins, pesticides, detergents, cleaning products
Why?
Intake of anything artificial against nature increases asthma attacks. Avoid it.
Minimize allergens.

Asthma is caused due to inflammation of the tubes in the lungs. All the above listed steps have anti inflammatory effects. By following them everyday you can keep asthma at check.


To my blog readers
If this article has helped you in anyways or if you have some thoughts to share do let me know. It will encourage me to continue blogging.

Say big NO to baby food

Baby food is fast and easy way to feed babies in most developed countries. We can get all kinds of fruits, vegetables, pasta, all grains, rice etc. with added vitamins, DHA for brain growth etc.
- It is made to sounds very healthy
- easy short cut for moms
- no added salt or sugar.
- added vitamins

But think twice. Look at the food package expire. Would you eat a carrot that is six months old. In fact the carrot would not even exist. By putting it in box and not exposing it to the air the food is protected. How is eating fresh fruit or vegetable compared to eating one boxed for months. Just adding vitamins to it does not make it healthy.

- It is not healthy as eating fresh fruit or vegetable.
- shortcut only lead to more doctor visits
- not adding salt, sugar, spices, herbs does not develop the taste buds
- naturally occurring vitamin are easily absorbed by the body than the supplements
- the plastic box is cancer causing and environmental waste.

Make fresh puree of fruits/ vegetables everyday. There is no short cut to parenting. If you want to raise a disease free human then take the long traditional route. Cooking everyday with fresh vegetables and grains. Give fresh fruits. It is not short cut but sure worth it.

These convenience food were created to feed our babies once in a while when we need a break. This article is written to bring awareness that boxed baby food is not "the" food for the babies.

Babies deserve real food. Not processed boxes of so called baby food.

Go natural Breakfast

Breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day. It is eaten after several hours of fasting by the body. During sleep the body sheds its toxins and recovers from stress of the day. The body waits for the breakfast to restart the day with energy. Especially for the kids the breakfast needs to be given with great care. The kids are very active from wakeup to noon. Hence it is essential to provide good nutrition to stay physically and mentally active and grow.

But breakfast is the most neglected meal of the day due to lack of time, hurry in getting ready or just laziness. The most common mistakes are

• Skipping breakfast - because the body is deprived of nutrition and makes it hard to work effectively.
• Eating processed food like cereals etc - even though processed food makes itself sound healthy it loses all its natural nutrient while processing and add on artificial vitamin supplements are just a eye wash.
• Not eating wholesome meal - Realizing the body needs and feeding a wholesome meal makes the body function well and recover

The best breakfast should natural and packed with lots of nutrients to fulfill the body needs. Each body has different needs. Like say an asthmatic body needs certain vitamins and antioxidants to recharge the lungs and immune system. A body that is obese needs food that cuts down body fat and a thin body needs fat to build the muscles. So based on the need eating a wholesome breakfast will help to fulfill your body requirement.
Preparing a wholesome breakfast according to your tradition and place is great and demands lot of effort. But if you do not have time to do so please do not go for processed food rather follow the below tips.

• Some Vegetables and fruits provide wholesome nutrition and are filling too. Steamed sweet potatoes, potatoes make a healthy filling for kids. You can pair it with orange which helps in absorption by the body. It helps in boosting the immunity.
• Banana is filled with tons of nutrients and provides lot of energy. It helps in gaining weight when paired with full fat milk.
• Avacadoes are filled with healthy fat and vitamin E and has regenerative property on lungs. Club with citrus fruits for absorption. 
• Sprouts are high protein source. Soak the lentil the previous morning and remove the water and leave it outside overnight for the lentil to sprout. It's packet with nutrition. Top it with yogurt and spices and salt to make it filling and tasty.
• Oats porridge with fruits like blueberry, strawberry makes a great breakfast.
• Boiled eggs/ Omelette makes healthy breakfast. Club it citrus fruits like lemon juice/ orange/ grapefruit which helps with absorption.
• Millets are great way to start the day. It can be made porridge or pancakes. Any grains, Millets, nuts need to soaked overnight, sprouted(if possible) and fermented to make it easy for absorption and to get maximum benefit.
• Milk or yogurt makes a great add on to the breakfast providing calcium and vitamin D.