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Got kids or grandkids? Read this...
3rd April 2009
• 3 simple steps to prevent your child or grandchild
from developing allergies
• A cunning plan to get kids to eat fresh
vegetables
• How to control asthma with this amazing tree
Here's a question for you...
Who'd win in a fight between Carol Vorderman and
Margaret from The Apprentice?
That was the question raging between my friend Gary
and I on Tuesday evening after we'd gone round for
dinner.
While the ladies were upstairs helping Gary's wife
pick out a dress for a wedding (and probably chatting
about stuff like the G20 summit and global warming),
Gary and I were tackling the REALLY important
issues of the day.
'Margaret would win, easily', Gary said, waving a
glass of wine in my direction. 'You don't get to the
top of Amstrad without being able to fight.'
Just as I was about to argue that Vorderman's superior
grasp of maths would give her the better fighting
brain, Gary's eldest son, Wilf, appeared at the door.
'Dad, are you sure you checked this milkshake?'
'Of course. Why? What's wrong?'
'I just feel funny.'
And with that he threw up.
After we'd cleaned Wilf up and helped him upstairs,
Gary checked the label of the milk shake he'd given
Wilf.
And there, right on the label in huge letters, was the
culprit...
'Made with real milk!'
Now this wouldn't be a problem in most households,
but considering Wilf is lactose intolerant,
ANYTHING with dairy products in it is bad for him.
So for twelve years, Gary and Lisa have checked and
doublechecked food labels to make sure it's safe for
Wilf to eat.
But for some reason, this one slipped through the net.
'Look, it's even got a picture of a cow on the packet,'
I said helpfully.
At that moment Gary's wife, Lisa, came into the
kitchen.
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'The ONE time you do the shopping on your own...'
she said, shaking her head, before heading back
upstairs to comfort Wilf.
Now before you start getting worried, Wilf's allergy to
lactose isn't life threatening. It just makes him feel ill,
which of course isn't great (especially when it can be
avoided).
And he's as right as rain now.
But allergies seem to be affecting more and more kids
than ever before. Maybe in the old days kids just
avoided certain foods that didn't agree with them,
without an allergy being diagnosed.
Or maybe the additives and methods used to produce
foods these days just don't agree with our bodies so
well.
But whatever the reason, allergies seem to be affecting
more and more children, year on year, which is why
it's worth taking these steps to protect your children if
they're still young...
And if you're at the age where you spend lots of glorious
time with the grandchildren... then you might like to know
the following insights.
This way you can barrel in and annoy your children by
telling them how to raise their kids and PROVING you
know more than they do.
Ha ha ha! Vindication will be yours!
(Hey, what the heck, my mother in law does it all the time!)
3 simple steps to prevent a child developing
allergies
There are certain steps you can take to protect your
kids from allergies. There are a few tricky points to
negotiate (like getting them to eat vegetables - a point
I'll tackle in a minute), but overall it's a pretty
straightforward job to help them build a resistance to
allergies:
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• Start them young! Ideally you need to get to work
when they are still babies. Breastfeeding for the
first four months is ideal. If you switch to cow's
milk too early it could cause the body to react
negatively. Why? Because the protein molecules in
cow's milk are not the same as human milk, so
your baby's immune system will see these
molecules as the enemy - and attack!)
• Don't switch to solids too fast. A baby's stomach
and digestive system takes a while to be at full
operating capacity (you can tell I worked in
engineering for a while!) so go easy. Solids can
trigger an allergic reaction if the body's not ready
for it.
• One at a time. When your baby IS ready to switch
to solids, try introducing new foods one at a time.
This will allow you to see if there is any allergic
reaction. Symtoms can include rashes, eczema,
severe drowsiness, dark rings under the eyes,
restlessness, excessive thirst and moods. Keep
introducing new foods one at a time, making a
note of any suspect reactions, then go back to the
rogue food once the symtoms have subsided. If
they return, it's clear that that food is a no-no.
This is a broad list, and there are numerous books and
sites that give a far more specific foods dependant on
age, but here are some of the least allergenic foods:
Fruit and vegetables, pulses, beans, rice, fish, oats,
eggs, soya.
Some sources suggest you leave the usual culprits -
wheat, dairy products and nuts - out of your child's
diet for the first 12 months.
A cunning plan to get your kids eating fresh
vegetables
As you may have noticed, vegetables figure in the
foods that are good for kids.
No surprises there. They're good for adults too.
But tell that to children and you'll get a screwed up
face and URRRGGGGGHHH! thrown back at you.
'Just try some. They'll make you strong.'
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'I don't care. I'm not eating THAT!'
And what follows is a battle that's every bit as vicious
as Vorderman vs Margaret.
So here's something you can do so that you both win.
Sneakily (there's no honesty allowed in this ploy),
grate vegetables up and add them to tasty, kid-friendly
foods like mince and mash, burgers (homemade, good
burgers), soups... anything that will disguise all that
dreaded goodness. Gradually make the vegetables a
little more obvious - grate them a little coarser. This
stealth approach will work wonders.
Control asthma with this favourite
I just had a call from Paul at Easy Tropicals with some
great news...
The shipments of healthy, robust lemon trees that are
arriving now are ALREADY flowering.
That means you won't have to wait long for your first
crop of powerful, organic lemons. Really, you won't
believe the difference between these lemons and
supermarket lemons, and you'll be able to benefit from
this natural medicine every day!
I won't bore you with the list of health problems
lemons can fight. It'd be quicker to list the ones they
CAN'T fight.
But as we're looking at allergies today, it's
worth mentioning that lemon juice is a powerful tonic
against asthma attacks - this is true for young AND old.
When taken, the juice acts as an antiseptic, killing
germs that hide in mucus, breaking up blockages in
bronchial tubes and cleaning the blood, which helps
strengthen lung tissue.
So if you haven't got one of these beauties in your
house yet, it's worth looking at this right now...
Lemon Tree Offer
That's all for today. Have a great weekend, and I'll be
back again on Sunday with more news, views and tips
to make your life healthier and happier.
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