The right diet exists, for adults and for children, and it is a varied, complete and tasty diet. Avoiding or excluding foods, unless there are full-blown cases of intolerances, celiac disease, or documented allergies, can often be very harmful, even more so than their intake. This is why, especially with the little ones, we must not make the mistake of demonizing any food.
GEK Laba laboratory directed by Doctor Attilio Speciani, clinical immunologist and allergy specialist, made up of a medical staff of specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of food-related inflammation, has developed over the years a series of diagnostic tests based on the relationship between inflammation and nutrition. The goal is to set up a nutritional regime aimed at improving the well-being of the individual and also at the elaboration of one rotating diet personalized, which above all in younger people, it can improve school performance, sports performance, help growth, but also where necessary to alleviate problems such as migraines, skin rashes or other food-induced disorders.
To understand how to set up a balanced and non-inflammatory diet for children, but also how to make them understand the benefits of a rotating diet, we consulted the doctor. Linda Vona, biologist and nutritionist of the Studio Speciani teamwho has taught nutrition education at primary schools in Milan and promotes the philosophy of disease prevention through nutrition, which is as important as treatment.
Who are the patients who consult it?
“In the SMA medical center in Milan, where we deal with nutrition immunology,
very often I meet stories of patients who, especially in the presence of ailments, arrive
after having (autonomously) set up elimination and demonization diets
food. The classic phrases I hear are “pasta hurts, milk creates stomach ache ..”. These
bad habits are often the basis of inflammatory responses, and therefore the goal is
to set up a varied diet for them in which all foods are consumed. Remove
food categories in fact, especially in the period of growth, is extremely
counterproductive in that the child (but also then the adult he will become) grows up with
the idea that food is an enemy and by removing gluten, for example, you will start
automatically to eat more rice or potatoes, regardless
that it is precisely the repetitiveness that generates an inflammatory state, related to various disorders.
This is why the key to taking action on health is to set one diet of
rotation and never eliminationin which during the week there will be days of
abstention (for example from bread and pasta) and fundamental days of reintroduction, precisely
in order to recover a friendship with food ».
How to make children understand the value of this way of eating, sometimes the word diet is not perceived in a positive way, but as a deprivation.
«The term ‘diet’ is unfortunately associated with rigidity and often ‘hunger’. Here because it is more useful
talk about good eating habits. When I found myself in front of the school classes
primary Milanese (and not only), the surprising thing was the extreme curiosity of the boys.
It was easy to get a child to understand that the way he eats today builds the
his health tomorrow. A sowing in the ground, if cared for and watered carefully, will become a sturdy tree. “Do you want to become solid and strong trees? Be flash while playing football
or learn geography faster to have more time to play with yours
companions? Eat smartly“! Every child, like us adults, has a goal
(join a football team, don’t wake up with a headache, sleep well …),
you have to focus on his desire, explaining that nutrition can help
make it happen. Obviously it takes more imagination. Steamed broccoli is not very popular with adults,
let alone the children. But if the broccoli fits inside chickpea tigelle, with di
alongside tasty chicken nuggets and home-made mayonnaise, history changes ».
There are special cases, in which she recommends this type of diet also for the
smaller, and it’s an ongoing setting or sooner or later you can go back to
eat as before?
“Disorders and pathologies are unfortunately also present in the world of the little ones and feeling
well is also their priority. As the evidence shows, the relationship between nutrition
and inflammatory symptoms (headaches and headaches, learning disabilities, hives without
apparent cause and still chronic fatigue for example) is getting tighter and tighter
documented. In these cases, follow a personalized diet based on measurements of
specific inflammatory markers including BAFF, PAF, Metiglioxal and Glycated albumin
through diagnostic tests that can be easily carried out in pharmacies or medical centers, it allows you to take action
specifically on improving the state of well-being, even of their own children without
randomly and dangerously eliminating random foods as a result of “diagnoses” made
with the “pendulum”. Also it is in the child that true prevention can be done: teaching the rules of a healthy diet from an early age, you can prevent all those ailments that are
sadly becoming more and more common (obesity, diabetes, etc.) e it is not a “diet” for which you then go back to eating “as before”, but a style
healthy and varied nutritional: which is just how you should always eat ».
Can you tell us what are the benefits that children derive from a diet a
rotation at a time when they are growing, developing muscles and bones, maybe they do
sport, must they perform at school?
“Without necessarily having to think about a specific pathology or symptomatology,
to follow a rotation diet allows you to modulate chronic low inflammation
degree due (or amplified) by a food repetitiveness (pasta and bread every day ad
example) or from an individually excessive consumption of sugars (fruit
including), often very present in the world of children. Rotating the foods during the week not only allows the child to explore a greater variety of foods (mom or dad may be amazed at how they like quinoa or black rice and not just pasta), but also to act directly. on the nerve component (greater concentration, less restlessness, better school performance ..), on growth (improving gastrointestinal well-being, it also improves the absorption capacity of proteins, vitamins and minerals, at the base of strong bones, muscles and adequate growth) , and also on sports performance by reducing recovery times and acting directly on energy levels during performance (from soccer to swimming, to dance) ».
He gives us some examples of breakfast, the most important meal, or balanced snacks
to take to school or to eat before sport?
«To allow your children to have the right energy and concentration, even at school
of school, breakfast is definitely a fundamental meal: the classic “milk and biscuits” or
still “bread and jam” lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar
giving a fictitious energy that collapses shortly after when the only sugars, quickly
absorbed, are linked to a subsequent hypoglycemic condition (the child will feel
tired, not very concentrated and will again be hungry for sugars). This is the reason why,
especially in the growth phase, the protein share plays an important role. Examples of breakfasts are wholemeal bread, natural dried fruit spread (plenty of it) and freshly squeezed orange juice toast with cheese. Or strawberries, crêpes with eggs and fresh fruit (I know very well that time is short, which is why preparing more crêpes together and freezing them is definitely a great idea). ricotta, dark chocolate flakes, cereals and fresh fruit
biscuits (without chronicity are allowed!), natural yoghurt, dried fruit in good condition
quantity and pieces of fruit. Even putting a balanced snack in your backpack is less complicated than you might think: single-serving packets of oil seeds (flax seeds, sunflower …) or even walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds. Wholemeal paninetto with well-made cold cuts (speck, bresaola, ham ..)
Crepes with eggs and chestnut flour (naturally sweet). Single Serves of Parmesan and a Fruit These examples are also great to use before a football match or a cooking class.
dance as they give children prolonged energy. Finally remember that sugar is a dose-dependent food (the more sugar you eat, the more sugar you will seek). For this reason it is important to “educate” the palate of your children to less sweet flavors, allowing them to eat (rightly) the dessert on occasions (whether it is the birthday of the best friend or even when passing by his favorite ice cream parlor).
Source: Vanity Fair
