TOP 5 HEALTHY HABITS TO TEACH YOUR KIDS
Posted by Team Ahimsa onBy Cherie Chu, MD DipABLM: Take the time to teach your kids healthy habits now, and you will set them up for success for a lifetime of wellness. It may take a little extra work on the front end, but here is just one reason why it is worth the effort. Studies show that these five habits can help prevent common health issues down the road, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Learn more about the Top 5 Healthy Habits you can teach your kids, followed by ideas to implement them for yourself and your kids.
5 Ways to Teach Independence with Mealtime
Posted by Manasa Mantravadi onResearch suggests there are benefits to including chores in a child's daily routine as early as age 3. These include executive function skills like self-control, planning, creative thinking and organizational abilities. These skills can help children deal with frustration and challenges, leading to success in school, and play a positive role in developing teamwork abilities. A 2-year old cannot take out the trash; however, young children can help with much more than you may think.
Fresh Start 2021: 5 Healthy Earth-Friendly Ways to Declutter
Posted by Manasa Mantravadi onGrowing up in an Indian household meant we did things a certain way. We used stainless steel at the table and our serving sizes were on the smaller side, requiring you to refill only when needed. Glass Folgers coffee jars were reused to store spices. Oh and remember those little...
A Physician's journey through motherhood and a pandemic
Posted by Manasa Mantravadi onThis year has been challenging for every single person on this planet. Those challenges may have come in different forms but this is a moment in time when we realize - we all are just human. We are all more similar than we are different. There is a group of...
Physical Activity for Kids: Why and How?
Posted by Manasa Mantravadi onWe often talk about healthy eating habits at Ahimsa. Well, we are a dinnerware company after all! However, nutrition is just one part of the bigger picture of health and wellness. We must not forget other important factors like exercise, sleep, mindfulness and play when we think about a holistic approach to our child's health. I'll focus on physical activity today.
8 Ways to Live More Sustainably
Posted by Team Ahimsa onOn your next grocery run (or delivery these days) try to take notice of all the plastic surrounding your food. It’s normal to wrap produce in plastic bags that then go in more plastic bags. Each container of strawberries, the cookie trays, the plastic wrap, the sandwich bags - how many sandwich bags did you discard from your children’s lunches last week?
I'm Indian. I'm American. I'm a voter.
Posted by Manasa Mantravadi onI was three years old when my parents immigrated to this country. I didn’t speak any English. I learned from watching Sesame Street and immersion. My father worked long hours as a resident physician and we lived in a small one bedroom apartment in Staten Island. I grew up in...
6 Ways to Eliminate Harmful Chemicals From Your Daily Routine
Posted by Team Ahimsa onOnly in 2009 did the medical community realize that synthetic chemicals commonly used in furniture, agriculture, cookware, food packaging materials, cosmetics and personal care products could impair hormones in our bodies and have serious and lifelong consequences for all of us. Even now, a decade later, awareness is still lagging despite other reports from the World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Program, the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
8 Tips to Prevent Accidental Ingestions
Posted by Team Ahimsa onPoison Control Centers in the United States receive 1.2 million calls each year as a result of the accidental poisoning of children ages 5 and younger. Nearly 90% of these toxic exposures happen at home and 60% involve non-pharmaceutical products such as cleaners, personal care products, pesticides, cosmetics, art supplies, toys and alcohol.
Choking hazards: When to introduce certain foods to children
Posted by Team Ahimsa onWhen my youngest son was one-year-old, my father-in-law unknowingly handed him a whole pecan to eat while I was in the kitchen. Hearing commotion, I turned about to see my sister doing a finger sweep and my son still choking.
Allergy Tests Can Do More Harm Than Good
Posted by Team Ahimsa onAs a mother and pediatric gastroenterologist, I hear this complaint often. Is it because my child needs to poop? Because she doesn’t want to go to bed? For many parents, this happens regularly after their child eats and they wonder: Does my child have a food allergy?
Continue The Conversation with Books & Words
Posted by Team Ahimsa onAs our country continues to listen to voices speaking out against racism, it's important that we also include our children in the discussion. Keeping an open dialogue is important to inform and educate us all on being anti-racist, and books can certainly help. If you’re looking for a place to start the conversation, please keep reading!
Introducing peanuts: what you need to know
Posted by Team Ahimsa onFor many years, parents delayed introduction of foods in an attempt to prevent food allergy. Our understanding of allergy development has come a long way in the last two decades and the LEAP study has completely changed the way we think about early introduction of foods, particularly peanut introduction. It showed that introduction of peanuts in the first year of life was not only safe but could PREVENT peanut allergy in high risk infants. How cool is that?
4 Ways to Encourage Kids to Eat New Foods
Posted by Team Ahimsa onSome days feeding your kids probably feels easier than others. Know the feeling? Why is it never straightforward? It could be the weather, your mood, your little one’s appetite...there are lots of variables, most unpredictable.
We are Pediatrician Parents: Here's what we think about going back to school
Posted by Team Ahimsa onWritten by: Alanna Higgins Joyce, MD, MPH, MST Ah, childhood - the lazy days of summer... and winter, spring, and … fall? Stay-at-home orders during COVID-19 allowed many parents to rediscover the joy of being with their children more often and see the proven benefits of long stretches of...