Seven Summer Fruits Your Child Must Have

Fruits and vegetables are at their nutritional peak during their prime growing season. And summer is a great season to enjoy delicious seasonal juicy fruits that not only satisfy your sweet taste buds but also provide maximum nutritional benefits to us.

Here Priya Singh, Editor Guardian Health Chronicle brings to you seven top must have summer fruit and their health benefits. Eat yourself and make sure your kids gorge on these to stay on top of health this summer -

Watermelon – Juicy and sweet, this summer fruit not only helps to quench the thirst but is also a good source of beta carotene, vitamin C, pectin, lycopene, potassium and iron. True to its name watermelon has extremely high water content and a crumbly and subtly crunchy flesh which makes it a favourite thirst-quenching fruit. Enriched with lycopene, Vitamin A and C, watermelon acts as an antioxidant powerhouse for body. Furthermore it is a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin B1, magnesium, and potassium which makes it a natural resource of energy for our body. With all these additive properties, proper and regular intake of watermelon can help in treating kidney, bladder and other digestive problems.

Cucumbers – One of the best foods for your skin, joints, & energy levels, cucumbers are loaded with the mineral silica, which is an essential component for healthy connective tissue (muscles, ligaments, cartilage, bone, & skin). It is also full of ionic potassium, magnesium, & vitamin C which give it a powerful alkalizing effect within the body. Additionally, cucumbers are particularly rich in fluids that hydrate the skin, joints, and tissues. So fix this fruit in your daily food habits to stay healthy and cool this summer.

Berries – Enjoy most of the berries in summer. The phytochemicals in blue berries, blackberries, strawberries helps boost immunity, have a protective effect against cancer, protects against heart diseases and circulatory problems. Cranberries have a healing effect in urinary tract infection. So make berries of any kind, as per your choice as a must bought item of your fruit cart.

Peaches and Plums – These contain good amount of vitamin C, beta carotene, antioxidant phytochemicals and anthocyanins all of which help to eliminate the free radicals from the body and helps to reduce anemia, fatigue as well as high cholesterol.

Papayas– It is an excellent source of vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin A and fiber. With plenty of fibers it is also called as a Digestive aid. Papayas are the only natural source of papain, an effective natural digestive aid, which breaks down protein and cleanses the digestive tract. Also this is great for weight loss and is often used as a natural remedy for constipation too.

Cherries – Bright red cherries not only taste great but also contain ellagic acid which inhibits the growth of carcinogenic cells in the body. It is highly recommended for glowing skin.

Pineapples – Besides being packed with most of the vitamins and minerals, pineapple is a very good source of an enzyme bromelain which aids digestion. It contains antioxidants that protect the body against diseases and are also great for digestion and weight loss.

When Kids Learn to Lie

Parenting is akin to enrolling yourself in a school. Everyday springs new surprises and has lessons to offer, wise parents keep learning and moving on. Often, parents feel shocked when they learn that their otherwise honest and truthful child has begun to experiment with lies. While some lies are innocuous and are products of overactive imagination, there are some, which are spoken intentionally. Now, there is a good and bad news attached to it—the good news is that the child has become grown up enough to tamper with facts to wriggle out of awkward situations like an adult to save his skin and the bad news is that he has learned to lie.
‘Though, Suhana never lied to me’, says Anchal about her seven-year-old daughter, these days I often catch her lying to me without batting an eyelid. “Agreed, her lies are not big and are usually in response to the questions that she prefers to avoid, yet lying is not good”, says the worried mother.

Why kids lie?
Lying is a symptom and it calls for parental affection and concern. Eight-year-old Sagarika complained of unexplained aches and pains in her leg just before the Kathak class. The pains would last only for an hour. Her mother insisted on taking her to the class and sat through out the session. She found that Sagarika was not able to dance like the older girls in her class and felt de-motivated for this reason. When she joined the class meant for girls of her age group, she became the star dancer and her pains vanished. ‘Now, in fact, she looks forward to her Kathak class’, says the beaming mother.

Sometimes what we call lying is just a figment of imagination. Kids live in make-believe world and their thoughts correspond accordingly.
Many a time unknowingly parents introduce their children to the web of lies. What do we expect our children to learn when we ask our spouse, friend or staff to answer a phone call for us and concoct an excuse for us. The impressionable minds of children are quick to learn that adults tamper with facts, and so can they.
Often, parents tend to attach strings to their love towards the child. Sometimes this can coerce your child to tamper with truth because s/he wants to conform to the standards set by parents. Manisha, a mother of two children shares her childhood memory, “When I was young, once I scored less marks in Maths. Studies were of paramount importance in my family. Hence, I lied to my parents that I have scored well, but I have misplaced my report card because it would reveal my lies.”
Also, if you find that your child experiments with lies make them understand that lies erode trust. Have faith in your children and try to get to the root of lying; you might find a fear lurking there.
Dr. Jitender Nagpal, psychiatrist, Moolchand Medcity says

• Refrain from scolding your children. Parents should always encourage children so that their morale gets boosted.
• Basic discipline should be developed among children in order to make them a good citizen.
• Love and affection should be present all the time to make out a happy and healthy family.
• There should be clarity in communication between the parents and children.
• A disciplined family’s pattern goes hand in hand to develop a child.
• And very importantly a communication agreement should be followed in a family, i.e. the mother and the father should agree and clarify all the rules and regulations before going to discipline a child.

As kids grow they become more independent and want to exert that too. Often lying becomes an escape route to wriggle out. Try to see them the reason behind your questions and they are likely to conform to your expectations.

Go Beyond Words & Numbers

If you see your kid doodling, do not fret thinking he is wasting his time when he should be studying. Rather use this act of drawing images while teaching him. And you may find it to be an effective learning style of his.

Kirti, a six year old, sings the mathematical formulas quietly to herself. Kavisha learns spellings by tapping her pencil in rhythmic patterns. Krish needs to put everything in points in order to cram. Anika draws pictures first and then explains the objects. Raghav puts his own logic to extend his knowledge of simple facts to harder ones. These children naturally express their preferred intelligences as they attempt to master their school assignments.

 “God never makes junk! Each one of us is special and has a unique set of qualities that just needs right encouragement and sometimes guidance to blossom”, says Dr Rima Sehgal, Counselor at Bal Bharti School, Ghaziabad. We are all endowed with different personalities, special skills, preferences and tastes. Think of any one child or person who is not doing well in life and you would be able to find one or the other intelligences highly present in her.  And our ways of learning are as diverse as the colors of the rainbow.

Unfortunately, our conventional education system is focused towards rat race, where a child’s worth is determined by her Report Card, and parents have limited and comparative vision regarding their child’s future and career goals like Engineering, Medicine, CA, CS, BBA or maximum variation can be teaching career for girls! The paradox is even you win this race you are still a rat, tells Nitya Ramaswami, Head Child Development and Academics, Zee Schools.

Let’s survey and understand our children’s intelligences and make them their guide. In fact, there can be no one better than parents to assess the leanings of the child. 

UNDERSTAND THE TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE

Besides the two intelligences that we focus on – ‘linguistic and mathematical skills’ – there are six other intelligences that are equally important to a holistic human development. They include–

1. Visual/spatial intelligence
2. Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence
3. Musical intelligence
4. Interpersonal intelligence
5. Naturalist intelligence
6. Intra personal intelligence

These ‘Multiple Intelligences’ are eight different learning styles or ways to demonstrate our intellectual abilities, which was conceived by renowned educational psychologist, Dr. Howard Gardner.  Every human being is blessed with all the intelligences, it is just a matter of being less or more developed in particular intelligence added Gardner. So as parent if you observe and value the difference of intelligence in your child and what kind of learner he is, you can build up activities that will increase the chances of his success. 

JUDGE YOUR CHILD’S INTELLIGENCE

Pay attention to the questions of your children and the activities he tries to do. Like does he dismantle household equipments or he asks questions. Whether he is good with expressions, sways to beats of music or doodles on walls. Observe your child if he plays a leader in a game and see what activities disinterest him. “Once you have a clue of the bend of the mind of your child, learning becomes a child’s play”, reasons Nitya.

While playing with your little one, chalk out a few activities and give him options to perform…solve a puzzle…sing a song…draw a picture or tell a story. You do not need to repeat all the activities every time but keep adding new ones and repeating just two or three. Soon his interest will come to the fore. Use this interest as his learning channel. You might also come to see a blend of intelligences in him.

Expose your child to a variety of activities and things that he is passionate about and wants to do. Allow him to express his knowledge in a range of ways. Soon you would notice recurring success and enjoyment in certain areas. That would be hint enough on the talent or specific high intelligence areas. 

ACT WISE AS A PARENT

• Understand that intelligence is not fixed and there are innumerable options open for the child in spite of poor or average academics. Every human being is blessed with all the eight intelligences; it is just a matter of being less or more developed in a particular intelligence.
• Help your child develop self-esteem that is essential to bring about any positive change, through appreciation and affection.
• Find out the exact cause of poor performance and help the child do better accordingly.
• Focus and encourage what the child can do best rather what he would land up doing average!
• Help him draw his strengths, focus on the learning skills that he can master and see what acumen he would like to expand.
• Remember-One may not measure up to every task presented in life but come out with flying colours in the best chosen ones. Therefore it is very important to encourage children to discover and tap into their intelligences.

Creating a rich, fostering, and a motivating environment filled with interesting and constructive materials, toys, games and books, lays the foundation for healthier, happier and brighter children! So, nurture your kid with such kinds of experiences to help him learn almost anything!

Control Childhood Obesity

You don’t need a survey to track the rise in obesity among children. Only a visit to your kid’s school will be more than enough to get a clear picture. Children are becoming extra large these days! And the experts blame the marketing muscle exercised by fast food chains and quick serve restaurants for this. There is also a greater likelihood for plump kids to grow in overweight teens and finally as obese adults. Hence, it becomes imperative to curb childhood obesity.

Dr Atul Peters, Director, Institute of Bariatric, Metabolic & Minimal Access Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi speaks to Priya Singh in detail on this dreadful disease that is complicating the young lives today. Read on to understand the obvious causes, the after affects as well as about the actions, as a parent, you can take.

When a child is ‘overweight or obese’

Kids fall into one of below given four categories:
• Underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile
• Normal weight: BMI at the 5th and less than the 85th percentile
• Overweight: BMI at the 85th and below 95th percentiles
• Obese: BMI at or above 95th percentile
To look for overweight, calculate BMI by dividing weight in kg by height in meters squared. For pounds and inches, divide weight by height squared and multiply the result by the conversion factor 703. When a child is above the normal weight for his or her age and height, he/she can be referred overweight.

What are the causes

Children become overweight and obese for a variety of reasons. However, the most common causes are:
Genes play a crucial part in the current obesity crisis as it helps determine body type and how your body stores and burns fat similarly as they help determine other traits.
Poor eating habits like consumption of high energy, nutrient poor foods which are high in simple sugar and unhealthy fats. When the baby is young, mothers tend to force feed their child with rich, creamy food, thinking that it will nourish their foundation. But in contrary, this lays the foundation for obesity in children. Moreover, as the child grows he also bombarded with the ads of hard sells junk food which again encourage unhealthy eating. Also if the adults in the family eat junk or unhealthy foods, it is not the child’s fault to give in to such temptation.
Lack of physical activity All TV and no play makes kids fatter day by day. Apart from the junk Too much of sedentary lifestyle is responsible for making our kids overweight. Earlier kids would hop and jump in the playground after coming from the school, but now they sit before the TV or watch re-runs of their favourite shows or play online games. Internet too sneaks in the lives of kids in the garb of research for homework, and in turn lessens the time spent on the playground. Moreover, popcorn, cakes, cookies and chips give kids company while they while away time online.

Why is it dreadful

Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term effects on health and well-being. Kids who are obese have far greater likelihood in growing as obese adults. And, they turn on a greater risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low energy levels and sleep apnea. Obese girls have an increased likelihood of developing polycystic ovarian disease, hormonal concerns and infertility. In long run, obesity also put kids on increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Also an obese child can’t negate social and psychological problems such as stigmatization, negative self esteem, depression and anxiety. In long run, they get trapped in the vicious cycle of obesity. Their peers and fellow classmates trigger end of jibes and sneers and to bottle up their sadness, an obese kid start eating more, particularly junk food which acts as comfort foods. And this way get entrapped in the vicious circle.

What parents can do

Encourage healthy eating habits. Include plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products, and low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products. Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein. Encourage to drink at least 8 ounce of water a day. Fruits must be served in appetizing manner in between meals. To develop interest, involve your kids in menu planning, buying grocery and cooking.
Restrict calorie-rich temptations like chocolates, chips, ice creams and other high-fat and high-sugar, or salty snacks. Teach them the difference between healthy foods and junk foods and try adding tasty fruit and vegetable recipes such as a medium-size apple, a medium-size banana, 1 cup berries or grapes. You can allow them to eat their temptations at times in moderations a truly treats.
Watch portion sizes and make them understand the concept of balance diet, different nutrients and their functions in our body. Our plates have become bigger over the years, and we are often guilty of piling them high with food. Generally, vegetables should fill over half the plate for you too.
Eat together as often as possible. Not only is it more fun, but studies have shown that children who regularly eat with their parents consume more fruit and vegetables, and are usually less likely to be overweight.
Make them participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity daily. Include brisk walking, playing tag, rope jumping, playing soccer, swimming or dancing, etc. in your own daily routine to encourage your child to join you.
Reduce sedentary time. Although quiet time for reading and homework is fine, limit the time your children watch television, play video games, or surf the web to no more than 2 hours per day.
With firm, loving support, as an involved parent you should make smart lifestyle modifications and effectively help your child overcome obesity.

Make Your Child Eat Smart to Study Hard

Exams involve stress. This time of the year is heavy with the anxiety of students cramming for their forthcoming class X and class XII exams. Obviously, students are frazzled studying for their exams and nutrition takes a backseat. This is the time when nutrition becomes more important than ever. Guardian Health Chronicle shares tips for fuelling your body and brain during exams.

1. Do not skip breakfast. Quick healthy options include–
   Whole grain cereal/ wheat flakes, milk and banana
   Instant oatmeal with raisins and milk
   Vegetable upma or poha
   Mixed vegetable porridge with boiled egg
   Missi roti /Stuffed Parantha with buttermilk
2. Re-fuel every 3-4 hours. For long lasting energy, start with a fruit or vegetable; add a grain product and some protein (milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, eggs, fish, beans, nuts, seeds or peanut butter.) Plan study breaks and include a light meal or snack to keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable.
3. Have healthier snacks available. High fat, high sugar snacks provide little brain fuel and can cause unwanted weight gain. Have healthy options in your reach. The season offers many healthy options like—raw carrot with lemon juice, roasted almonds or walnuts, chocolate milk, steamed corn to name a few.
4. Cut down on caffeine. While caffeine can give you an immediate energy boost, its effects are short-lived. Overdo it and you’ll feel—jittery, restless, irritable, and unable to relax. Limit your caffeine intake to 2 small cups of coffee per day and try lower-caffeine beverages like green or herbal tea or decaf coffee.
5. Hydrate them. Not drinking enough fluids can leave you with a headache.
6. Make them avoid mindless munching. It’s easy to polish off a bag of chips or savoury snacks while you’re concentrating on your notes or reading, so don’t bring snacks to your study spot. Eat only in the kitchen or away form your desk. Take regular study breaks and look for true hunger signs.
7. Serve non-food stress busters. Learn to decrease stress without turning to food. 
8. Let them get some fresh air, send them for a walk around the clock, call a friend, put on your favourite music, take a 15 minute nap, play a game of solitaire, or try some yoga, deep breathing or meditation.

Or better yet, let make make a list of some nice things to do for themselves when their exams are finished!

Handy Tips to Cope With Exam Phobia

Exams exasperate. Now, that they are almost there, students are cramming into everything with feverish pitch. Your child spends frantic hours cramming the night before the examination and worries that she cannot retain what she has learnt.
Making sense of it. Your child could be suffering from high anxiety and also mental block due to an inefficient study pattern. She needs help.
PQRST Model suggested by Imperial College London is a good revision technique that can be used

• Preview - skim the material to get an overall preview
• Questions - formulate questions that highlight what you aim to derive from your reading
• Read Actively - make appropriate notes of key ideas
• Summarize - identify the main points using lists, key words, flow diagrams, etc. and connect them with knowledge from other sources
• Test - test yourself by reciting and reviewing the summaries immediately after learning the material and again at later intervals

Students have the misconception that continuous long hours of study are the secret of high performance levels. It has however been proved scientifically by extensive studies of the human brain that concentration starts to increase after 20 minutes of study, peaking at 40-45 minutes after which it steadily declines, thereby increasing the time taken to learn and remember in cases of long hours of continuous study, reducing effectiveness. It is therefore recommended to take regular short breaks after about 50 minutes of reading to maximize memorizing and concentration levels.
Coping with Anxiety
Exam time is stressful for children. However, with the support of parents, children can defray stress.
Tips

• Be affectionate but don’t make the child uncomfortable with over-attention. A hug in private just works fine.
• Spend some light moments with your child. It could be sitting at the dinner table and sharing some jokes with the family.
• Forget about an exam as soon as your child has appeared for it, ruminating over it is not going to help you or your child. Inculcate the same in your child.
• Spend some time together with your partner.
• Do one thing that gives you joy or happiness every day. Encourage the same in your child.
• Do not set down rules for your child; let the child follow his or her routine while studying
• Encourage your child to take adequate breaks.
• See that the child gets eight hours of shut-eye.
• Nutritious food is essential for your child but steer clear foods that are high in fat and sugar. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the best bet.

It is however recommended that in extreme cases of stress, insomnia and tearfulness expert consultation should be sought.
In the exam hall
The exam hall is where it all counts! All those hours of preparation and practice, hence you will be suffering from some amount of stress. However, there is a way to bell the cat and we have enumerated these for you—

1. Map your time. This is the primary rule of writing an exam. Read the questions carefully and allot time to writing answers to these. While solving numerical questions if you are getting stuck, it is a good idea to move on and return to the question later. Always strive to have 15 minutes in hand so that you can revise the answers before handing your answer-sheet.
2. Avoid irrelevance. This is not going to fetch you any mark.
3. Write in a legible handwriting and avoid grammatical and spelling errors.
4. Underline important points. Leave a line between paragraphs and between the answers. They may sound common sense, nevertheless are overlooked in the hurry to complete the answers.
5. Start your answers with crisp definitions, and give relevant diagrams wherever necessary.

Finally, remember external pressures around exams can be huge. It can be hard to deal with, especially with family and people you respect, but you need to remember that it’s your life and your exam, with you in control. Also try to put the last exam out of your mind and look ahead to the next one – you can’t go back and change things.
Dr.Vinita Jha is a Gurgaon based psychiatrist and runs her own wellness company