More of us are eating our meals at home, and recent industry reports predict this trend will continue. Even though home-cooked meals tend to be healthier overall, ensuring kids consistently consume the right amounts of nutrients may be challenging. Ordering take-out a few nights a week, or having a picky eater in the family, may cause you to wonder if your children are getting as much fiber as they need.
Just as you may give your children vitamins to supplement their diet, is it ever alright to also give kids a fiber supplement? Yes! Tomorrow’s Nutrition Sunfiber can safely be consumed by children ages nine months and older. Parents can also be reassured that Tomorrow’s Nutrition Sunfiber carries many important certifications including Non-GMO Project Verification, Clean Label Project, Informed Choice, Glyphosate Residue Free and Kosher. Sunfiber is also 100% gluten free.
How much fiber does your child need?
Here are daily fiber intake recommendations from The American Academy of Pediatrics:
- 2-3 years: 19 grams
- 4-8 years: 25 grams
- 9-11 years (female): 26 grams
- 9-11 years (male): 31 grams
Signs your child may not be getting enough fiber include:
- Hard stools
- Constipation
- Infrequent stools
- Abdominal pains
How to sneak more fiber into your kids’ diets
- Don’t peel fruit. America’s pediatrician, “Dr. Bill” Sears, says: “The skins of fruits are rich sources of fiber, so don’t peel apples and pears. Serve your child nectar (which contains pulp) rather than fiberless plain juice. Better yet, serve the whole fruit rather than its juice.”
- Add Tomorrow’s Nutrition Sunfiber to their favorite recipes. Mix a scoop or two of this soluble fiber supplement into your pancake batter, cookie dough or pasta sauce. It won’t change the food’s color, odor, flavor or texture. This helps your little ones meet that fiber requirement without any fuss. And unlike some fiber supplements, there are no painful or embarrassing side effects with Tomorrow’s Nutrition Sunfiber.
- Pile on the berries. Raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are rich in fiber. Sprinkle berries on their yogurt, pudding or gelatin. Add berries to their favorite breakfast cereal to double or even triple its fiber content.
- Give them popcorn and nuts as snacks. Two cups of popcorn contain two grams of fiber, four times the amount of fiber in their favorite cheesy crackers. Add some nuts – almonds, pecans and walnuts are highest in fiber – to really rev up this snack’s fiber content.
Most of us consume about half of the fiber our bodies need to function correctly. As parents, we may need to get inventive about ways to increase our family’s fiber intake. Because Tomorrow’s Nutrition Sunfiber blends into most foods and beverages without altering their taste, aroma or texture, it’s an easy way to help adults and kids reach their daily fiber requirements.
