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Kitchen Cupboard Remedies

Everyday Management

I would venture to suggest that children today are not given a good a start to the day - if they have breakfast at all it's a refined cereal product with 1/2 fat milk if not skimmed to avoid getting fat.
For us lunch at school was always a hot meal with jugs of water available and strict supervison at the lunch tables by teachers who regarded it as an important part of their duties in caring for the children in the school. Nowadays children (and adults!) often skip breakfast and have a "cold packed lunch"consisting of an inadequate meal made of white refined bread sandwiches with poor quality filling, sugary drink and a chocolate bar. The alternative is often a hot meal in the school or office canteen or local fast food restaurant, consisting of "fast food" high in fat and low in nutrients. In the case of children at school, long queues often exacerbate the poor digestion of food as they end up eating on the run back to the classroom.

This is a sad state of affairs and as a practitioner I am constantly advising parents about simple matters such as a good breakfast in correcting the excessive tiredness and lack of energy in young children and, indeed, adults. When asked if they would prefer bacon and egg (or equivalent for vegetarians) they love the idea of it. Families that make the effort find it very worth while, as parents have to get involved, set an example and sit down with their children. It therefore creates a valuable meeting point for the family providing support and conversation together before the trials of the day. Society today does not encourage these habits - "Fast " being the mantra of the times.

After starting the day with a well balanced meal children have got the energy they need to get on with their day.This is particularly true of children in puberty and teenage years. Recent research from Harvard University in the USA shows clearly that the mental faculties are immediately increased by 50% if a good breakfast is taken in the mornings. Since this is the time that children are receiving their main lessons it would make sense for them to be working at maximum intellectual capacity.

Regular meals at breakfast lunch and supper

A rule of thumb is that the first two meals of the day should be substantial, high in first class protein, carbohydrate and fat and that the last meal of the day be a lot lighter. Carbohydrate after 5/6pm is not easily digested and should be avoided at this meal - the last meal of the day if possible being no later than 6pm.
Breakfast: Egg/ bacon/ beans /on toast glass of juice hot drink if desired
Lunch: Vegetable soup/salad with bread/ cheese and or baked potato live yogurt and/or piece of fruit
Evening meal: Protein -meat/ fish /soya product with at least 3 vegetables steamed, fruit. In addition 2 litres of water or 8 glasses a day should be taken. If tea or coffee are desired a glass of water must be taken after each of these drinks to prevent dehydration as they have a diuretic effect, ie. they increase the volume of urine passed. A glass of red wine a day helps to keep the body healthy. Organic wine is much better as it contains none of the "finings" that ordinary wine contains. It is slightly more expensive but at one glass a day should last until the weekend!

Rest and sleep

After each meal a short rest should be taken to assist digestion. Indigestion is a common cause of rushing food intake and will create chronic digestive problems in the future which may lead to:
irritable bowel syndrome where the bowel action is very erratic and unreliable, ie. constipation followed by uncontrollable diarrhoea, stomach or bowel ulceration, bowel cancer - the most common cancer in the western world today. In convalescence food should be presented attractively and in small portions - it is easier to manage a few mouthfuls at a time than a large plateful which may look very daunting to a recovering patient. Rest in the afternoons is essential for a good recovery. In many countries it is a habit not to work in the afternoons between 12-2 and 4-5 and to continue working until 8-9pm thereafter with a second wind. I have always run my practice in this way and it has worked well for both my patients and myself. As the person recovers in convalescence the afternoon sleep will be replaced by sitting out preferably in the open air and sunshine and a renewed energy for the evening.

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