Role Modelling is the Key

Dr Varsha Shah, a consultant with SHARAN, a paediatrician, and a mother of two beautiful daughters, shares how she sprinkles health into her parenting.

As a paediatrician and lifestyle physician, I am seeing a rise in obesity and lifestyle chronic diseases at young ages. Our kids are being bombarded with an increased variety and instant delivery of packaged and ultra-processed foods from all quarters. And the rise in the consumption of dairy products in all forms has resulted in hormonal problems in children.

With children, I strongly believe role modelling is the key. My Gujarati family eats to live, and will not go 100% vegan. Forcing anything on them doesn’t work. I personally consciously make healthy choices when travelling, and generally organise celebrations and get-togethers at home with healthy home cooked vegan food. I carry at least one vegan dish to family gatherings. I am sure that they will notice and remember how I avoided all animal products, avoided all medications and chemicals including cosmetics, and made compassionate choices. These memories will stay with them and inspire them to make the right decisions over time. I let my children experience the after effects of having processed food and dairy. Often eating bread and bakery items leads to constipation. It’s my hope that this feedback loop will help them recognise the benefits of this lifestyle.

I also keep updating myself and have attended a lot of SHARAN cooking classes, challenges and the Health Powered Kids program conducted by Kommal Shah and Vineeta Punjabi. They took us through the science of parenting skills and gave us tips and yummy kid friendly recipes to promote holistic health. Their passion to help parents with true knowledge about health and nutrition is inspiring indeed.

Vegan Banana Muffins

Healthy is tasty! Imbibe this logic into your children with this super easy and delicious muffin recipe. Tip – why not bake with them? Enjoy:)

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 ripe bananas
• 2 tbsp lemon juice or orange juice
• 1 cup soy milk
• ¾ cup organic jaggery
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp unrefined salt

Method

Mash the ripe bananas and mix 1 tbsp citrus juice into it and keep aside.

In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and ½ tsp baking soda together and sift the flour. Leave ½ tsp of baking soda for later.

Blend the soy milk and jaggery in a blender for about 2 minutes. Then, add the dry mixture, a little at a time, while the blender is still running and alternate it with mashed bananas. Add soy milk if it is still a little dry, until the consistency is smooth, but not runny.

In the end, mix in 1 tablespoon of citrus juice and ½ tsp of baking powder, and use only a spoon to fold it in. DO Not OVER MIX IT. Pour the mixture into paper cups up to three quarters the height.

Preheat oven to 375 ºF or 180 ºC.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the cupcake. If it comes out clean, it is ready.

Serves 10-12

Food For The Mind

FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP

1. SHARAN India is SHARAN’s main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.

2. SHARAN’s Vegan Support Group is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.

All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.

Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.

Healthy kids!

One of the best things you can give your children is good health. We might have all the wealth in the world, but a simple headache can bring us to our knees. Lately, lifestyle diseases are affecting even younger age groups. Social and cultural influences are very strong. Even schools and colleges dish out unhealthy food. Health education has become more relevant than ever. Invest in your child’s health before it’s too late.

What can you do to ensure that your kids don’t fall into this trap? Read on to find some ideas…

1. Children do what parents do Remember most of us state that the best meals we have had are those that mom used to make for us as children? Children love meals made with love. When you make delicious healthy meals, children are bound to enjoy them. If you consume fast food and colas, your children are likely to want these too! The option to teach your children to enjoy health is in your hands.

2. Educate them visually Whenever you read some interesting health news in the newspaper or magazines, share it with them. Watch health films, perhaps as a family. Show them some short health videos that are freely available on YouTube to bring home your point.

3. Teach them to read Labels When they chose to buy something, get them to start reading the labels. Do an internet search to learn more about the ingredients that they don’t understand.

4. Take them to Farms / Farmers Markets This the best way for them to appreciate the food that Mother Nature gives us. When they actually see how food is grown and buy the food themselves, they feel much more involved.

5. Cook together Getting both boys and girls in the kitchen to do some cooking together is such a great way to spend time as a family. Kids then begin to value the food they eat, when they realise that a lot of effort preceded the meal that was laid on the table. It also ensures that they will be able to make their own meals.

6. Make Eating Out an Occasion In earlier times, eating out was a special treat. Today many of us eat something out everyday! Cooking might become a long lost skill soon, as more and more of us eat out or order in. Make going out special. Slowly and steadily reduce the number of times you eat out. And when you do eat out, choose the restaurant carefully and order sensibly.

7. Be Smart Invest time in learning tips and tricks to make your meals healthy. Make your own sauces. You don’t need to announce that there is no oil or sugar or dairy in something. If the food is presented well, most of the time they won’t even know the difference!

8. Get creative in the kitchen Make green wraps with spinach and pink wraps with beetroot, and stuff them with the filling that your kids love. Present a fruit platter beautifully decorated and they will want to eat it! Serve salads in glasses. Make an interesting new recipe at least once a week.

9. Take them to the hospital  Help them make the connection between food, sickness and hospitals.

10. Have a healthy friend circle If all your kid’s friends are eating healthy, they will start eating healthy too. Make the peer pressure a positive one. Get their friends’ moms together and work out a plan. It’s not a rule to serve junk food at birthday parties!

11. Volunteer to help at your child’s school School admins are so occupied looking after other things, that most would appreciate your help in getting Health Awareness going at the school. Organise health talks and workshops by professionals for parents and students.

12. Don’t run after your child They will eat when they are hungry! Allow them the pleasure of listening to their bodies and feeling hunger. And avoid deciding how much they should eat! Let them learn to eat according to hunger

13. Keep healthy treats easily available Buy organic and prepare home-made healthy treats regularly. Keep fruits, nuts and seeds handy so that your kids can munch on these when they are hungry. Keep addictive packaged foods out of the house.

14. Get their Vitamin D & B12 tested Despite all the healthy habits that you may teach them, due to our artificial lifestyles many people have these deficiencies. We have seen even four year olds with low levels. So do check these out and supplement if necessary.

15. Don’t be a NAG! That puts everyone off! If your children are eating wrong, let them be. They will learn with time. Lead them by example. Inspire them subtly.