Say no to preservatives

Mothers always have a tough time trying to make their kids eat healthy. It’s a never ending battle between the two were usually the kids win. Mothers spend hours cooking hot, delicious meals for the kids but the kids end up eating either not finishing the meal or eating it after it has turned cold.

So, why is it that kids today prefer unhealthy food over naturally available food? My child’s choices made me wonder if he was getting enough vitamins and minerals. I even wondered about the kind of preservatives used in those packaged products.

One of the most popular packaged foods is a fruit drink. I was always curious to know what’s inside those juices that made them taste so fresh. Then I learnt the harsh truth of “added sugar and preservatives”.

In order to gain more awareness on this subject, I attended a meet organized by #Tinystep and #TropicanaIndia on “Keeping up With Nutrients”. The panel comprised of a nutritionist, dietician and an R&D expert from Pepsico. There were 25 other mom bloggers at the event. We could clear any doubts we had about the making of these juices. This session definitely gave me a lot of insights about Tropicana juices. I was relieved to know that Tropicana 100% and Essentials range contains no added sugar and no preservatives.

The packaging of Tropicana juices is done by Tetra Pak which comes with 6 layers for complete protection from the external environment. Hence, there is no requirement to add any preservative. The packaging itself is sufficient to keep it as healthy and fresh as you need it.

It’s absolutely fine for children to consume juices when we know the ingredients well-enough to trust that brand. Tropicana has started a new range of juices called Tropicana Essentials. Tropicana essentials is a new range which is a blend of fruits and vegetables fortified with essential nutrients.Right now, there are two variants available – Tropicana Essential Iron and Tropicana Essential Fruits and Veggies. As you might have guessed by the name, they contain essential nutrients like iron, Vitamin A&C required for my child’s proper nutrition. Tropicana juice should not, however, be considered as a supplement but can be added to complement a healthy lifestyle.

Although it is recommended to consume 5 servings of fruit and veggies per day, the average intake is only 3.5 creating an average deficiency of 1.5. Just 1 serving (200 ml) of Tropicana Essentials FRUIT & VEGGIES is equivalent to consuming 1 serving of fruits and vegetables thus helping to bridge the nutritional gap.

So, the next time you give a glass or a pack of juice to your child, be assured that you are making the right choice. One serving of Tropicana juice per day along with well-balanced nutritious meals will help your child to obtain the essential nutrients that they need.

Just take a sip and relax… Trust your motherly instinct, as I always say. It can never go wrong.

Importance of cursive writing

We need to understand the importance of handwriting and the importance of cursive writing. We always hear a for and against debate about writing. Writing is an important aspect in the development of a child. It helps to develops their hand muscles and enhances their imagination.A beautiful handwriting is a confidence booster and cursive handwriting helps them to gain speed.

You can feel the difference between text writing and cursive writing. If you use text, you will see that the speed is a bit slow and if you use cursive the speed of your writing increases. It helps when you grow up. When the notes to be prepared are more. When the written load is more. It helps you at that time. If you use cursive it will ease the process of writing and taking down the notes. Do try it out or compare the differences between someone who uses text and someone who uses cursive.

Now you might wonder if it is useful in the later age why do we need to use it now with our little children?

The reason behind imparting this technique to young children is because small kids are like wet clay. They can be molded in the way we want. They don’t know what is right and what is wrong. They have not set their parameters. They are still learning and are eager to learn. So, it is much easy to teach them at an early age what is good for them.

Small children are still developing their grip, muscle formation is developing. It is the right time to give them the stimulus to use it in the right way. That is the reason Dr. Maria Montessori introduced cursive letters and small letters before the capital letter to young children. Children are unaware what is difficult and easy. They are just learning.

So, if we introduce them without stress and in a fun way, they will pick it up. But what we do is we start to stress on repetition, and this repetition leads to boredom. So avoid repeating things with the child. Let the child enjoy, if you feel the child is getting bored leave it. Do it some other time.

Our aim is to provide the best to the child and to provide the environment which is suitable for their development. Which will help them once they grow. So, encourage your child to write, don’t force them to do it. Small efforts reap to better results. Encourage your child, appreciate them always. Appreciation develops confidence and motivates to do better.

Patience

Read my new blog post about patience on http://www.parentune.com.

Here is the link to the article. Share your experience too.

http://www.parentune.com/parent-blog/richa-is-a-super-patient-mom-find-out-how/2386?utm_source=whatsapp-organic&utm_campaign=whatsapp&utm_medium=richa-is-a-super-patient-mom-find-out-how