How to Design a Healthy Menu for Your Child

Balancing the meals your kids consume is key to make sure that they are healthy. 

Feeding kids is usually one of the things that make parents wake up drenched in cold sweat. It means they are usually worried about how to create dishes not only appealing to them but that will be nutritious and taste amazing. This is especially important as every meal is the fuel they use to go about their lives, experimenting, growing, and learning what the world has to offer. With that in mind, I decided to give you different options to design a great menu for them.

Food pyramid

When thinking of a healthy menu, one of the questions that arise is what to include in the meals. It’s important for you to remember there are several food groups in the market and a plate should contain something from every one of them in order to have a balanced diet. While the proportions may vary according to the particular needs and taste of the child, it’s a great way to stir them into trying different things. Remember certain conditions like celiac disease or allergies can modify the amount of intake they should have to balance their diet, and this has to be done with the help of a pediatrician.

These are the basic elements on food pyramid according to the World Health Organization:

1. Carbohydrates at the base: Carbohydrates like bread, rice and certain vegetables like potatoes and cereals are the main elements of a healthy diet. In case the child has an intolerance to them caused by disease or hyperactivity that could be aggravated by the consumption of these foods, you need to find alternatives that could substitute them, as they represent 4 to 6 of the rations on the daily menu.

2. Veggies and fruits at the first level: These are not only tasty, but colorful, which will draw their attention to it and will increase their appetite. In the case of fruits, they could be used as desserts or snacks in-between big foods, like breakfast and lunch. They can also be incorporated as juices, but be mindful of them as they can often be overly sweet or contain a surplus of rations per glass. Kids need to have at least 5 of these served throughout the day.

3. Dairy and fat at the second level: Milk, cheese, and other dairy are at this level, along with fats like oils and butter. The amount per each one of them will vary according to the child’s age, being toddlers and small children the ones that will require consuming more milk, but something that is clear about this level is the amount of fat in the diets should not surpass 1 or 2 spoonfuls a day, at most.

4. Meagre meats and grains at the third level: These should be between 3 to 4 rations a day, according to the particular dietary needs of each child. Eggs, chicken, and fish are in this range, along with grains like peas and beans. Make sure the latter are presented in a great way, as they are often hard to palate for small children.

5. Greasy meats and cold cuts: Lunch meats and other types of cold cuts like ham, mortadella, sausages and salami are part of this group. They need to be consumed occasionally, as they are often greasy and contain high amounts of salt. Once or twice a week at most should be enough to incorporate these nutrients into the diet.

6. Sweets are at the top: Sugar is found in every fruit, so small sugary treats are often unnecessary in their diet. These should be spaced out and often consumed as desserts, without making them an everyday occurrence. High levels of sugar can lead to health conditions associated with high blood glucose and increase the uneasiness on children with diseases like ADHD.

Now that you know what foods to incorporate to their plates, there are a few tips you could find helpful to do it correctly:

Make it interactive

For small kids, the world is basically a huge playground. Parents and caretakers need to know these kids need to have these elements incorporated in the best possible way and this can be done through food-play. If they are small (1 to 3-year-old) you can place their food in containers with separations, so they can pick the items that they want to eat in their preferred order. Remember to keep the fruits aside for them to eat them after they finish the other foods.

Be conscious of the amounts: Small child means small stomach, but this is not often an association people make right away. Stuffing kids with excessive amounts of food is sadly a common occurrence, and while a plate with small elements of food might not seem fulfilling, a small-sized plate will be more nutritious than an adult-sized plate. Get indications from your pediatrician on the amount of food for your child needs and work around that, as overfeeding them can lead to serious health complications in the long run.

Add colors: Children are easily dazzled and attracted by bright colors and will happily consume these. Bright yellow peppers, green broccoli or asparagus, and red tomatoes are great examples of this. Make sure you present them individually in small portions, encouraging them to eat and try everything.

Incorporate water: Most kids prefer sweet drinks like juices and sodas to hydrate themselves, but this is not a good thing to do, as it can push their blood sugar levels to the roof. Teach them the benefits of drinking water, and you can spice it up by putting small bits of fruits and dashes of tea to give it a different flavor if they don’t like the plain one. These infusions can be prepared with a short notice, and the bit of fruit can transform into a treat.

Food is the main source of energy for small children and adults alike, that’s why it's so important for you to know how to design a healthy and nutritious menu your child’s particular needs. This will allow them to have the energy to do the things they love, like practicing sports at Autism Soccer. Enjoy your time with them and take advantage of all the energy they’ll have when they are well-nourished and ready to explore the world and its wonders!

You can be sure your kids are eating a balanced diet when you have all the right elements in every meal. 

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The Power of Positivity in Kids

When children are positive, they can reach their goals. 

One of the things that keeps people going is motivation and this is especially true for kids with special needs. They are often self-critical and can get frustrated by not reaching the goals they set themselves or menial tasks they wish to do. That’s when grown-ups need to encourage them to keep trying and to motivate them in a creative way to make sure they feel confident and happy and positivity is key to achieve this.  Positivity is one of the main forces behind their desire to try something new because it makes them feel they are safe. It also paints the best case scenario and makes them feel assured that they are loved by the ones around them.

How can you motivate them?

Kids are much like you, they need to have the correct motivation in order to try their best to reach their goals. This means you need to find something that will keep them engaged throughout the whole process, and that proves to be more rewarding than overcoming the setbacks they could encounter. Many decide to use food as the main reward system, and that’s counter-productive. Sometimes, you can not find that particular cookie they love, which means they will not be rewarded with what they know and like if they do something good that day. Do you see the problem here? Find elements that will be more fulfilling and incredible for their routines, like a trip to a place they like, or something equally physically pleasing. Find something intangible your kid loves and use that as a way to encourage their effort.

When to motivate them?

Some people believe that motivation only comes when they do something particularly rewarding, but this can’t be more wrong. You need to make sure to let your kid know they are loved every day, and that every single effort they do for any task they endeavor is appreciated by you and the ones who care about them. It is a constant and ongoing job, that has to be performed day after day and it can be done through something as small as a happy phrase: “Great job!” or “You are doing amazing!” are a few of the ones you could use to make them feel motivated and positive about their efforts.

Be positive around your child, let them know you are always looking at the bright side, regardless of the difficulties that could arise. This behavior is contagious, and you’ll see incredible results in the way they carry themselves throughout their lives. In Autism Soccer, positivity is one of the bases for their classes, and this is the reason why kids love to do sports in such a great environment.

If you stay positive, you'll see things differently: that same thing happens to children. 

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Things that Every Parent with a Special Child Needs to Remember

Most of the time, you can find a community that will help and support your whole family. 

Children are incredibly important for their parents, especially when they have special needs. It means trips to the doctor, making friends with the pediatrician, and being more than a parent to their kid, being their advocate in the world and their main source of comfort and calm. That can be an incredibly complicated pair of shoes to fill, but it’s all worth it for the child’s happiness and quality of life. But usually, this means they can get lost in their job as parents and lose themselves in the way, and this can be incredibly frustrating. However, even when it seems like the world is going to end, there are a few things you need to remember.

You are somebody’s hero

Your child is always looking out at you, and you need to remember that. More than their primary caretaker, you are their connection to the world, and they are grateful for it, even when it doesn’t seem that way. In the list of superheroes, you are closest to Superman or Wonder Woman for them, because even if you can’t fly or vaporize people with your eyes, you are the one they look for when their world is topsy-turvy.  

You have your own identity

Parents of children with special needs often get their identity defined by the fact that they are caretakers, and get their identity lost in those terms: Being legal guardian and responsible for their medications, doctor’s appointments, and many other things. But you are much more than that, and your essence needs to be preserved for you to live a happy life with your child. Yes, it’s great to mature and grow, but it’s important that you stick to your beliefs and incorporate them into your new life.

Trust yourself

Being a parent is challenging, but when a child depends solely on you and you have to make tough choices, sometimes your personal beliefs are shaken. These can be medical, personal or professional choices, and they can take a toll on your self-esteem and security. All you have to know is you are the only one with the context to make these choices, and while you can ask for advice or support, no one but you has the last word. Trust your instincts and know that regardless of the outcome, you did what you thought was best for your kid.

Be your child’s best advocate

Sometimes, people don’t get right away your child is different, and that’s what makes them unique to you. Their disability doesn’t have to define them, but it will shape how they react to the outside world, and you need to be prepared to teach people about it. Sometimes it’s okay for you to be blindsided by certain questions, or to be tired of the fact that you have to explain over and over again what makes them special. However, don’t let this stop you from presenting them in the best light, and always inform people that are just meeting your child about them needs and disabilities.

Enjoy your kid

Medical bills, appointments, and treatments can work as a vacuum for fun, but I can assure you it doesn’t have to be that way all the time. Enjoy the precious moments your child has to enjoy, laugh with them, and let them know you love them. Regardless of their particular need, they are children and need love and support that only a parent can offer them. Teach them things and be with them in every step of the way. Let them know they are unique and special to you beyond measure, regardless of their condition.

You are not alone

If there is something parents of kids with special needs have is a support system with other parents that are going through the same situation. Inform them of your needs, and talk to them about challenging situations, give helpful advice or just lend a much-needed ear or hug to show your support. Family members and friends are also there for you, and will gladly help you through the process of raising your child.  This means that regardless of what you might feel at a certain point, you are never alone.

These are the things you need to remember every day as you raise your child. I can assure you that you’ll have plenty of alternatives to enjoy life with them without having to think about their disabilities. If you want them to practice a sport that will make them feel confident and free, contact Autism Soccer. They offer classes with supportive and understanding professors who will make your child feel unique.

Some parents with special needs children forget that they belong to a community.

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How to Use Motivation as a Driving Force for Kids

You feel motivated when you reach your goals; the same thing goes for children.

Think for a second on what makes you do the things you do. For example, take something that you love doing, whether it is working or just a hobby, and find out why you do it. Is it because it gives you a reward, like money or sheer happiness about completing a task? That certain force that makes you keep on going or trying new things and practicing is called “motivation”. it is the fact that at the end of the rope, there’s something waiting for you, whether it is something material or not, which gives you a feeling of accomplishment.

For us adults, it is important, but for kids, it’s the driving force for their actions, and what keeps them learning and experimenting new things in order to achieve success as they know it. But sometimes, parents and teachers don’t quite know how important it is and don’t take the extra steps to ensure that children are motivated throughout their lives to make them feel happy and comfortable. Today I’m going to explain to you how important is is for you to use motivation as a tool to make them grow in confidence.

Why motivation?

During these formative years, is important to teach them how to do things that make them happy and the importance of achieving their goals through hard work. This is when motivation comes in handy, because more than ordering them to do something, you are using their own minds and hearts to steer them into the right direction. This means that they must relate to the people around them in order to work together. This is in no way an indication that you should reward every sort of behavior, regardless of its nature. Work with them to figure out what makes them feel happy and fulfilled and use these elements to make sure they are motivated throughout their day.

How can I motivate?

Motivation is an all-over inclusive process, and it requires certain amounts of effort from parents, teachers, and coaches to increase its impact in children’s lives. With that in mind, you need to let go of the notions of motivation through giving prices, as this creates a feel of loss when they don’t reach a goal. More than sticking to the traditional reward system, you need to make sure these incentives purely based on the comforting feeling they will get when they work hard to reach their goals, regardless of the final outcome. Use the eventual setbacks as lessons, and teach them that while they didn’t achieve what they wanted, they gained experience and other particular things according to the case, making them feel like winners either way. I’ll give you some tips on how to motivate:

• Use creative rewards (and make sure they are fulfilling to the child).
• Praise their strengths and achievements.
• Use your actions as an example.
• Teach them how to handle setbacks.

What are you doing to keep your child motivated? Use these pieces of advice to make sure that you kid is working towards reaching their goals in the right way! With the help of organizations like Autism Soccer, you can be sure they will make them reach their goals in a cooperative setting that will impulse their dreams.

Once kids know the main objetives, they work to reach their goals. 

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Autism: Getting to Know the People in the Spectrum

You can start by learning about the autism spectrum and get to know the people affected by it. 

Over the years, much has been said about autism, and one of the main topics of conversation goes around this being one of the diseases without origin than even years after its discovery, it still baffles doctors and scientists. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), at least 1 in every 68 children is diagnosed within the Autistic Spectrum. This is, by definition, the group of developmental disorders that has different levels of pervasion into the lives of the ones who suffer it, which affects mildly or severely their abilities to socialize with others. This, however, doesn’t totally limit their interaction skills, which allows them to work with therapists to improve their quality of life. But there’s more beyond the diagnoses of these individuals, and I want you to learn about people within the autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Most of them are diagnosed with this disease as kids, around the time they start showing signs of this disorder. The first signs might show when they are toddlers, so it's important to learn about the main indicators in order to take action right away. There are certain behaviors that you should pay attention to:

• Socialization problems: As people with ASD don’t pick up the usual social cues that indicate anger, disappointment, and emotions in general, it’s hard for them to communicate and socialize. This means they could be baffled by human behavior, which sometimes can make them feel self-doubtful.
• Difficulty responding: Names are a common way of addressing people, but for kids and people with ASD, these are not easily interpreted as ways of being called into attention. They have difficulty responding to their names, and even to direct calls of attention, and as such, these are interpreted as signs of being drawn back and introverted.
• Emotional outbursts: Difficulties dealing with emotions can lead to frustration, and those, in turn, can lead to bursts of rage, anger and overall aggressive behaviors triggered by things that we often consider menial. They can respond incredibly strong to small problems, which can lead to emotional meltdowns.
• Obsessive routines: People with ASD often require organization and routine to feel comfortable. As a result, they usually have precise and repetitive routines without alterations, which can transform into obsessive behavior. Any change in them makes them feel extremely anxious and could even generate self-harm.
• Echolalia: This is an infant speech pattern that can permeate into ASD patients’ lives even after their formative years. Repetition of words might help them comprehend and communicate, as sometimes, they are unable to respond directly to people addressing them.
• Voice tone: In some cases, these kids keep the usual small child way of talking in a sing-song tone with not completely connected phrases, or display a grown-up speech pattern. In other instances, they develop a robot-like tone, without the inflections that they can not pick up in tone, such as questions, scoldings and so on.
• Over Stimuli: People with ASD have problems dealing with emotions and big crowds, and many have problems with noises too, as these are seen as strong stimulants for them. This affects them and causes them to feel overly saturated, making them prone to burst or shutdowns, where they retract even more. They might feel this way about interactions that we often consider normal social settings, but for them turn to be very uncomfortable.
• Eye contact: One of the most frequently talked-about symptoms of ASD is the lack of visual interaction with others. People within the autism spectrum don’t pick up that social clue either, and most of the time they avoid making eye contact, which makes them look drawn back and reclusive and works as a red flag to their condition.
• Physical interaction: Behaviors like hugging, touching and overall physical touch might be a little too much for kids within the spectrum, and they will withdraw from interacting with people that way. They are respectful of their personal space and don’t appreciate people invading it. They can react more aggressively than expected to this, but flinching and stepping back are the main responses.  
• Extreme behavior: They are either too passive or too active and there usually is no in-between, which is also met with extreme responses to situations, specially when those are changes they had not contemplated or weren’t given any indication, nor time to adjust.
• Repetitive movements: Rocking back and forth, hand flapping, toe curling, pacing and such are often considered key symptoms of ASD and can be found in almost the totality of kids with that condition. This also works as a red flag and can be triggered or permanent, depending on the severity and particular condition of the child.

These are just a few of the signs that people within the autistic spectrum disorder showcase, and they work as frequent indicators that the kid needs to be examined by a doctor to corroborate the diagnosis. If that’s the case, and you want your kid to interact with others in an inclusive sport setting that makes them feel comfortable, you need to visit Autism Soccer.  This organization exists solely with the purpose of teaching kids the love for sports in a fun and creative way, so that you can be sure that your kid is working with professionals to make the most out of practicing a physical activity!  

This condition has no explanation, but this doesn't mean they can't live their lives to the fullest. 

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We are an inclusive organization

Autism Soccer works with all kinds of people to make them feel the love for sports regardless of their condition. 

Most people see the name “Autism Soccer” and think that we only work with kids within the autistic spectrum, but the truth is this organization is not limited to its name. As a group, we are proud of being inclusive and bringing the love for sports and exercise to kids. This is done with the utmost respect and thinking of every individual’s requirement, making them feel comfortable while having fun. With that in mind, our classes are not limited for children within the autism spectrum, as our services are provided to children with Asperger’s Syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Down syndrome, selective mutism, sensory processing disorder, attention deficit disorder / attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), apraxia,  dyspraxia, cerebral palsy (high functioning), learning disabilities, cognitive delays, global developmental delays and those behaviorally challenging children.

This, in turn, means we are integrally prepared to work individually for these children’s needs while simultaneously fomenting the solidarity and interaction that are needed inside team structures. This allows them to feel comfortable with their peers, as well as it increases their health by making them create a bond with physical exercise. At the end of the day, we focus on creating activities that will allow them to feel welcomed and supported. It’s a constant work in progress, changing and modifying our setting to make sure every single moment they spend in the field is great for them, and that they’ll have the chance to participate like any other kids would do in that sort of activity. This is not a place that will highlight their differences in a bad light, as we are always looking for ways to help them transform those differences into strengths and to make them see themselves with a new and positive light that will help them feel confident and loved.

That’s the main objective of Autism Soccer, to include kids into an activity that will allow them to be themselves, without the pressure but with all the fun sports, especially soccer, offer. Much like other organizations, this one strives to motivate the collaboration of others, so go ahead and make yourself a part of this amazing project by participating in any way you like!

We look for passionate individuals to work with people who suffer from different conditions as it requires dedication and love for what they do. 

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