blanket bans on junk or force feeding is the not the answer raising a healthy child is all about a healthy foundation how to read early signs of deficiencies fight those recurring allergies or make your child eat wholesome food when all he craves is junk being a young parent is no small feat but imbibing some wisdom from the field of macrobiotics traditional chinese medicine ayurveda and yoga could answer a lot of questionscatch them youngin macrobiotics it is known that every seven years the body replenishes itself and hence for a growing child the first 21 years 3 times 7 years is crucial at this age getting children to eat healthy is really the most important role of the parents specially the mother as she is the alchemist in the kitchen who creates her childs health chemistry every day a child who grows up eating the living energy of vegetables whole grains beans nuts seeds and fruit develops a strong and balanced immune function this lessens the possibility of chronic digestive issues colds and coughs and also prevents an early onset of diabetes heart disease and osteoporosis moms should spruce up their cooking skills and serve the child a healthy and appetizing meal with a variety of flavours and textures another way is to involve the child in gardening it is enormously beneficial for a child to witness mother nature in action says tarika ahuja who has recently written a book on this subjectsmart packaginghow to wean away your child from addictive chemicals found in fast food dont give up say experts research says that by feeding your child good food a new cellular memory is created and over a period of time the child will begin to crave healthier foods so dont say an absolute no to the food they crave just package it smartly easytoprepare variations of junk food like brown rice smoothie rice and chickpea burger cashew cauliflower soup and apple walnut muffin will appeal to children and improve their heart and kidney function as well as maintain the acidalkali balance in their body says ahuja another way she says is to reduce white sugar and other simple sugars in the diet when a childs tongue is coated with something as sweet as white sugar it is difficult for him to enjoy the natural sweetness of vegetables so use jaggery palm sugar and fruits insteadalternative therapiesbe an informed parent and move beyond what your gp says there is a world of alternative wellness out there to rescue you for instance oriental and yogic teachings say that brown rice improves brain function and intelligence while white sugar hampers neural function and makes a child forgetful maybe thats why unpolished rice brown rice or red rice is given so much reverence in ayurveda the brain functions well when the child eats foods that are slow burning such as whole grains healthy nuts seeds and food rich in natural protein and fats and the brain weakens