B-Vitamins

MILO^® is fortified with B vitamins that help release and utilize the energy from food and are needed for overall health.

Malt Extract

MILO^® contains the natural goodness of malt extract which provide carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in your child's balanced diet.

Milk

MILO^® contains milk and is a source of calcium for your child's healthy bones and teeth.

Cocoa

MILO^® contains cocoa that gives it its delicious chocolaty taste… a taste your child will most definitely love!

• Why is breakfast considered the most important meal of the day?

  • Because it's a good source of protein
  • Because it's a habit
  • Because it gives your child the energy and nutrients he needs

• What happens when my child skips breakfast?

  • Nothing
  • He may feel tired and hungry
  • He can easily compensate at lunch

• Does skipping breakfast affect my child's performance in school?

  • Yes, he will be less alert
  • No, as long as he eats during the day he will be fine.

• Are all kinds of breakfasts the same when it comes to energy and performance?

  • Yes, the most important thing is to have this morning meal
  • No, the quality of food matters

• Is it ok for my kids to have a late breakfast at school?

  • No, it's much better to eat breakfast before going out
  • Yes it's fine

Why is water important?

• Gives hydration and vitality to the body and helps maintain the elasticity of the skin and the sparkle in the eyes.
• Regulates body temperature.
• Eliminates wastes.
• Enhances digestion and transit from the intestines.
• Maintains the hydration and flexibility of joints.

The recommended daily fluid intake should be around 2 liters or 8 glasses. This amount is more during hot weather and physical activity.

As a mom how can you ensure that your child is getting his daily fluid requirements?

Some of this fluid comes from fruits and vegetables your child eats during the day. And of course from water and healthy beverage he consumes. These are most importantly milk, cereal milk beverage and unsweetened fresh juices (in moderation)

Make sure your child gets 8 glasses of water daily.

Here are plenty of ideas for nutritious and tasty snacks!

When preparing your child's lunchbox think variety!

• Include your child in the preparation. From choosing the actual lunchbox to choosing what goes inside.
• Use different types of whole bread each time for change (pita, slice bread, bagel, kaak...).
• Make sure to add some veggies! Could be in the sandwich; it will add crunch and it's good for him.
• Always include a fruit, bite size cuts are best for easy eating.
• Include milk or a milk drink for a Calcium source.
• Don't forget the water.
• When making a sandwich try to be creative with the filling. Tuna, Hummus, peanut butter are all different healthy protein rich options. As well as, of course, cheese or turkey.
• Don't forget to pack a frozen cooling pack if the lunchbox stays out of the fridge. It could be a frozen fruit juice pack that will keep his lunch box cooler and he'll enjoy with his lunch.
• Every now and then put a small piece of brownie or a small bag of chips, it's ok. He will need the extra energy playing at school.
• Surprise him, put a small toy, or comic book, or even a small post it saying "I love you" or "good luck on your test".

Meal :
Hummus- veggie sticks and brown bread, tuna sandwich with corn and tomato, turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato, cheese sandwich with cucumber, peanut butter and jelly on brown slice of bread.

Fruit :
Banana, apple, mixed fruit cubes, pineapple slices, plums, nectarine, peach, pear, berries, melon cubes,mango cuts, grapes, cherries.

Snack :
Popcorn, pretzels, dried apricots (4pieces), mixed nuts, 2 finger Kit Kat, baked chips, fruit yogurt.

Beverage :
Water, fresh orange juice 125ml, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, apple juice 125ml w/o added sugar.

So what to do in this case?

Give him smaller amounts of milk at a time:

Little amounts are easier to digest. Just make sure your child is getting what adds up to at least 2 glasses of milk or equivalent everyday.

Include cheese and yogurt or chocolate milk:

These are well tolerated by children with LI, they have the same nutrients as milk but cheese has less lactose and yogurt has friendly bacteria that help in digesting lactose. Chocolate milk is digested easier.

Encourage other high calcium foods:

Broccoli, almonds, leafy vegetables, legumes, dried fruits and salmon are also high calcium sources; include them in your child's diet.

Good to remember:

make sure to confirm with your child's doctor if he has Lactose intolerance.

If it is OK to drink lots of juice?

Juices are of two types, fresh and packed.
Fresh, of course, is always the better choice when it comes to juice.
Packed juices could be only from concentrate, meaning the only ingredient is the concentrated fruit juice that was reconstituted by adding water. Often other ingredients like sugar, preservatives, thickeners etc. are also added. However, dieticians in general recommend limiting the intake of fresh or packaged juice and substituting it with actual fruit instead.
That way your child will get all the goodness of the fruit, in terms of Vitamins, Minerals and of course fiber.

Did you know that:

1 serving of juice is ½ a cup of juice? So if your child consumes the whole 300 ml pack, he'll be getting more than 2.5 servings of fruit in one go!

How about sugary drinks?

Well of course not!
Sugary drinks like sodas are not at all nutritious for your children and they should not be included in their diet. They are usually very high in calories, simple sugars, preservatives and most of the time replace Water and Milk- the healthier beverages your child should have.

Why your child is eating too much these days?

Do you feel that you cannot stop him from eating lately? Is he getting a bit chubby for his height? Don't worry he's probably in for a growth spurt. In about a few months this will subside and he would have grown taller in flash.

Did you know that kids can grow taller by up to 10 cm in 1 year? So his body could be stocking up to fuel this upcoming rapid growth spurt. Make sure to give him a variety of healthy foods daily and also make sure he gets his calcium needs (3 servings of milk and dairy/ day) to have stronger bones. Also make sure he's active for at least 60 mins daily.

If you should worry about his weight and height?

If you are worried, first check with your healthcare provider. Most likely your child is growing well and when his weight and height are charted; all is perfectly normal.
Here is some advice if your child is overweight:

• Seek professional advice: check with your doctor and dietician. They can give the best advice regarding this issue.
• Cook with less fat—bake, roast, or poach foods instead of frying.
• Limit the amount of added sugar in your child's diet. Serve water or low-fat milk instead of sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit juice.
• Let him start with a healthy breakfast. It will improve his body's ability to burn calories and help to control appetite. Breakfast is essential for healthy weight!
(Go to breakfast section)
• Encourage him to be physically active for at least 60 mins daily.
(Go to physical activity section)
• Dieting is not recommended for children. Changing to healthier eating habits and increasing physical activities will help your child grow into his weight.
• Avoid over attention to food. Don't be overly restrictive. This might lead to sneaking food from elsewhere.
• Pay attention to portions. Try by using a smaller plate; that way; less looks more.
• Get some healthy snacks and stock them out of sight, and use them every now and then.
• Limit video games and TV watching to a maximum of 1-2 hours /day.
• Make it a family thing. Involve the whole family and other siblings in eating healthy and exercising.

• Time it right :

  
  Don't go to the supermarket when you or the kids are tired or hungry. Both of you will be less cranky if you are well rested and not hungry. Bring snacks along so that you can avoid hunger tantrums.

• Involve them from the start :

  
  Get them to help in writing the shopping list to start with. Let them go through the kitchen and see which items to put on the list or go through stuff and see if they need toothpaste or some crayons for school..

• Involve them at the supermarket :

  
  Once at the store divide the list among the kids and have them help in choosing the items or crossing them out. Always make sure to keep them in sight.

• Make it a game :

  
  Try to see which kid can find the item first or guess what would be the weight of the 5 apples in the bag.

• It's good to learn too :

  
  It is a place to play educational games with your kids. They could learn to read, count, add… (read the name of the products, count how many you need and add the total price or amount)

• Healthy habits :

  
  Also it is a good place to teach them good nutritional habits. Tell them why you chose brown bread over white and why brown is better for them. Have them help in choosing veggies and fruits and explain to them their benefits.

• Let them choose their snacks and treats for the week.

  
  (They get to choose one treat/ week) Agree with your children about which treat to choose for the week and try to help them make a good choice. Have them also choose their healthy snacks. Popcorn, dried fruits and peanut butter all are healthy kids' snacks.

• Reward good behavior :

  
  Once your supermarket errand has passed smoothly don't forget to say a nice word to your kids and compliment them on their good behavior. Don't always shout when they are misbehaving. A nice word is good when they are not!

• Good to know :

  
  Do not remove treats totally! Offering treats on a given 1-2 days during the week is ok. Try giving your child a choice of two things to choose from; also try to make healthier choices when it comes to treats. (Ice cream is by far better than gum or a carbonated beverage)

Tips & Tricks to increase calcium in your child's diet

Make a richer and more nutritious MILO^® hot chocolate by replacing the water with milk.

Serve NESTLÉ^® breakfast cereals with milk daily.

Give him a glass of milk or yogurt or flavored yogurt as a snack.

Blend some fruits with ½ cup of milk for a yummy nutritious drink.

Grate cheese over his pasta dishes for extra taste.

Prepare milk puddings (MILO^® chocolate pudding, mouhallabiah, riz bil haleeb, kashtalieh, custard...) a delicious treat with good Calcium content.

Top cut-up fruit with flavored yogurt or Vanilla ice cream for a quick dessert.

Substitute 1 cup of water during baking with a cup of milk to add extra Calcium to your breads, muffins and cakes.

Offer grilled cheese with crackers as a tasty afternoon snack.

Add 2 spoons of powdered milk to homemade soups for extra flavor and nutrition.

Tips to enjoy family outings with children to the max!

• Choose a restaurant that caters for families where you would expect to see children. That way the restaurant would surely have a variety of children food items to choose from.
• Go for grills or Italian… with children it doesn't have to be junk food all the time.
• Time it right. Be at the restaurant early enough to give your child's meal at approximately the same time as home. Hungry children get cranky!
• Make a healthy choice: fries and nuggets don't always have to be the most common items on kids' restaurant menu.
• Choose items from the regular menu. Choose several items and let your child decide. That way he will feel more involved.
• If regular portions are big, ask for half of the portion to go.
• Curb their hunger with a piece of bread. Not too much to drown their appetite.
• Order beverage with or after meals so that they don't fill up on liquids.
• Ask about preparation method. You know best what your child might like.
• Make eating out a pleasant experience for them. Engage in a table conversation and always bring some small toys or comic books to pass the time.

1^st let's start with a checklist of what you need to do:

• Create a guest list.
• Decide on a party budget.
• Pick theme or decor.
• Get party supplies (banners, balloons, party hats, piñata, return gifts, dishes, cutlery, cups…).
• Decide on menu & beverage.
• Create menu & grocery lists.
• Decide activities & games.
• Send party invitations.
• Order birthday cake.
• Make sure your camera is working and has a disc or recording space.
• Enjoy it!

When it comes to food for a birthday party some rules never fail:

Keep it simple

A children's party is not the time to try to introduce a new food or pay too much attention to getting enough vegetables. Serve things that kids will like and that they are familiar with. It's a party remember! The food should be fun too.

Finger food is best

Children seem to do best with finger foods. Tuna sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, cookies, hotdogs, etc. work well because they aren't too messy and most kids like them.

Provide adult options

Always make sure to have grown up options; not that parents will not enjoy the popcorn and sandwiches. But it is always nice to have a fresh salad or two and some grown up finger food. Kebbe, mouajanat, rkakat cheese… or if you want to walk the mile, go for some grilled meat and shish taouk sandwiches.

Healthy options

Provide lots of natural choices such as vegetables with cream cheese based dips and salsas, fresh fruit skewers. Whole wheat crackers, nuts (always check for allergies), pretzels, popcorn, and crunchy snack mixes combining raisins, nuts other dried fruits for sweetness are yummy as well as healthy choices.

Stock up on the beverage

Water, water, water… make sure you have plenty at hand. As for beverage: you can serve fresh juice for the children or packed juice (Just make sure it is with no added sugar). Also make sure to have some sodas for the parents and maybe some tea or coffee.

And of course don't forget the CAKE! The main attraction in every birthday party!