Clover House Therapy - The Complementary Therapy Centre for Children

The word “nutrition” is well known today through such programmes as “You Are What You Eat”, “Jame’s School Dinners”, “Fat Club” “Honey, You Are Killing The Kids”, but most people don’t actually know what that word means. We are more unhealthy now than we have ever been. Conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, auto immune disease, arthritis, allergies, behavioural problems are increasing rapidly.

 

60 Years ago most food was farmed and grown in a natural, organic way. Food was supplied to shops from local producers eaten when in season. Most food eaten at home was cooked from the raw ingredients, “convenience” foods being too expensive for most people.

Also, the general population were more physically active, walking to work, shopping on food from local shops, doing manual household chores and the children playing together outside more.

In those days most people were healthy and slim, just from living an ordinary life.

 

Nowadays, life for most people is very different:

Often, parents work full time (either as a family, or as divorced) and so their children are cared for at nurseries, after school clubs, or, if older, left to their own devises (such as watching television and playing computer games).  Modern life is pressured and stressful for everyone.

 

Food shopping takes place at large out-of-town supermarkets. The majority of floor space devoted to cheap, convenient, over-processed foods and drinks. These contain a bewildering number of artificial additives to keep their colour, texture and taste stable for longer Also, to safeguard the profit of the manufacturers, they are made with the cheapest ingredients and fillers resulting in high contents of saturated and trans fats, refined carbohydrates and sugar, salt and cheap sources of meat.

Or we are encouraged to “Go Large” at fast food outlets.

Clever marketing and over-worked parents result in large sales of such products.

 

Even the “natural” choices haven’t escaped the modern need for convenience, but at what price?

 Seasonal fruits and vegetables are now available all year round. Flown in from the other side of the world, under ripe, and artificially ripened using chemicals to coincide with supermarket orders. Farm animals are treated with hormones and antibiotic to increase their growth rate and prepacked salads kept fresh by chemical washing and “altered “atmosphere packaging.

Mineral and vitamin contents of fruit and vegetables have dropped by up to 75%, the iron content of meat by 50% over the last 60 years, due to the use of the high yield fertilisers which contain none of the micro-minerals, which are bodies need to function properly.

The Western Diet results in malnutrition, on a national level. Obesity amongst children is set to increase rapidly over the next few years, almost certainly resulting in the next generation of obese parents. Even children who are slim may suffer from serious health problems, such as constipation, hyperactivity, lowered immune systems, if they are making poor foods choices.

 

Good nutrition isn’t magic. Most of it is common sense, available to all. We are made of what we eat and what we absorb into our bodies. Our whole physical and mental health depends on the food choices we make.

 

 

I will welcome and introduce myself and get the family at ease either in an initial session with other colleagues or at a first session myself with a chat and refreshments.