#23 "Healthy Eating Habits Is Not About Depriving Food Of Your Child But Rather Educating Your Child" with Karin Adoni

What is Ultra-processed food and how it’s affecting your child's body?
How much of the US population has a nutrition deficiency (according to the CDC)?
Is it recommended to supplement your kid?
What a balanced meal should look like? 

Karin Adoni Ben-David is a highly sought-after Certified Nutritionist and Health Coach specializing in healthy lifestyles, emotional eating, and sugar detox. After suffering from severe eating disorders for over a decade, she transformed her life and now devotes herself to the practice of health and nutrition. Karin made her mark as a nutritionist at one of Israel’s most successful practices. Working with celebrity clientele and using the most cutting-edge resources. Later, she became the Head of the Nutrition Department at Reebok Sports in New York City. Today, Karin has an exclusive, private practice in Los Angeles and leads the popular and successful online nutrition programs for clients nationwide. 

To learn more from Karin and about her online programs check her Instagram, Facebook, and Website.

During the conversation, Karin recommended this Supplement by Mary Ruth.  

Here are more episodes around forming healthy habits:

• How To Form Healthy Habits And Raise Calmer Kids? With Michelle Cole
• How Can You Support Your Child In Developing Healthy Sleeping habits? With Deborah Winters
• 5 Ways To Prevent Tech Tantrums And Develop Healthy Screen Habits! With Jennifer Strube Bochsler

I want to hear your feedback about this episode and what you want to hear in the next season.
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Transcript

Tammy Afriat: 0:00

Hello Karin. Good morning. How are you?

Karin Adoni: 0:02

Hi. Good morning. I'm good. And you

Tammy Afriat: 0:04

I'm doing great.. I'm so excited to have you here. Honestly, I think eating habit is something that both parents and kids are struggling with, so it's awesome that you accepted the invitation and you are here today.

Karin Adoni: 0:19

Thank you for having me. And thank you for the invite.

Tammy Afriat: 0:21

Oh, of course I am honored to do it. And actually, there's so much to talk around this, but we will try to focus on the basic things for

Karin Adoni: 0:31

also

Tammy Afriat: 0:31

kids ages two to eight years old so, start with what does, a

. Karin Adoni: 0:37

So , first of all, protein, which is something that kids kind of lacking . Protein is important. It's important for their growth, for their immune system, muscles, hair, for everything. a protein, can be fish, can be chicken, beans, eggs, cheese, can be any of those. And then, we're looking to always some complex carbs to give them some good, , energy. So it can come from, rice, it can be sweet potatoes, bread, corn, it can be whatever the kid likes. Of course we want, always wanna add some vegetables. For some extra nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals., if kids do not necessarily like veggies, then I would add fruits because they also have antioxidants in them, and they do need that. Fiber and fats are always good. So fats can come in a form of . a Avocado peanut butter. Almond butter, or just to cook, you know, and add extra olive oil , to the meal. So oil and healthy fats are super crucial for their brain development. Tammy Afriat: So I'm hearing Protein carbs, and then vegetable and oil. So let's dive into, well, the thing that all of us are very concerned with, which is the carbs. Can you please tell us what's the difference between rice, fruit, all those types of carbs?

Karin Adoni: 1:55

so first of all, I wouldn't be concerned with carbs whether there's are healthy. High quality carbs for kids. Kids needs carbs. They need the available energy. They burn off on energy. You know, while my kids are sitting around in the living room and I'm sitting on the sofa, they're probably, you know, circling the living room area like seven times, 10 times while I'm still sitting. You know, so , they need that for their growth bad reputation that carbs got in the last few years. Isn't justified, but I understand where it's coming from. So first of all, back in the seventies it., the fat hysteria. Everyone were afraid of fat. Everything became fat free. So it was jello fat free. It was , fat free cookies, fat free whatever. Ice creams, everything. Everything became fat free. And Then the obesity epidemic continued to grow. Diabetes continus to develop fatty liver, heart diseases, cardiovascular health , and just overall obesity., so we have now decided that carbs is the reason. Now the truth lays in the middle, but it's not only that because. Where the problem lay is not the carbs and not the fats. If we're talking about healthy carbs and healthy fats, it's in within the processed food. It's the fact that we stopped eating real food is the fact that we're eating ultra processed food. Okay, so when we're talking about the processing in foods,, we divide it into three. We have natural food, which will be like strawberries, chicken, tomatoes, processed food will be tomatoes that turn into a tomato paste. Chicken turned into cold cut, , raspberries turned into a gem, and then we're talking about ultra processed food. So the tomato went from being a tomato paste to now being a frozen pizza with 26 ingredients. The chicken turned from like a chicken to cold cut to chicken dinosaurs nugget. And, , strawberries run from being a strawberry to a gem to now, you know, strawberry cookies with 36 different ingredients. Now, what they add to those things is a, of course, the simple stuff like the sugar, the carbs and whatever. But they're using emulsifiers. Preservative. They're using stuff that are carcinogenic. That we know that can be correlated with cancer, with irregular development of our dna that throws off all of our hormonal balance and hormonal balance. I don't mean our feminine hormone, I mean like how full we feel hungry, satisfied our cortisol levels, so everything. So am I afraid of giving my kids pasta or rice or even high quality pizza? But what I would be more is from the frozen meals is from the dinosaur chicken nuggets with 36 ingredients that have, you know, an expiration of two years with high sugar ketchup, with high fructose corn syrup. Those would be the things that are very far from being real food. So that's where the problem is. And again, I give my kids candy, I give my kids snacks. It's not about, , depriving, but using snacks as snacks. Snacks as food and using real, exactly like, it's like eating., chips, it's not a meal, you know? Or eating chips with highly processed hummus. It's not a meal. It can be a snack. But again, now, we blame the carbs. So carbs now became the thing. I Sometimes hear moms, it's like, no, I cut back on the carbs for the kids, or I'm moving the kids to keto diet. And , unless there's a medical reason and then it's a different conversation. There shouldn't be a reason. So it would be more get your kids outside and running, , you know? And the more you put 'em in front of the TV and.. I have to normalize my kids watch tv. It's not like my kids climb the trees all day long, but you have to understand it's not only what they eat, it's also the fact that they're not active. And like they get addicted to tv. get addicted to those strong flavors from the food companies, from the high fructose corn syrup, or a lot of added sugar that they're putting, or all of the salt and MSG that they're putting. And there are taste buds now needs to taste things that are extremely dominant and strong in order to taste good versus them eating real foods that all of a sudden banana tastes sweet, you know?, they can't eat chocolate, but it shouldn't be just that.

Tammy Afriat: 6:12

yeah, so your main approach is give your child a balanced meal and to not replace super processed,, food with meals , that's not considered as a meal

. Karin Adoni: 6:24

And also, I hear many parents struggle. with their kids not wanting to eat meals and they wanna snack all day long. So there's also an unrealistic expectation of how much kids should eat. So if your kids goes to, I don't know, daycare, school, whatever it is, if you let them snack throughout the afternoon until dinner, do not expect them to sit down and have., it's not gonna happen because their stomach not digest so much. They got full from the snacks. So it needs to be like a deadline, like a cutoff time. Like, the kitchen closes at three or three 30., if some families have dinner at five, then it should be even earlier. But let's say at least three hours, two and a half hours before you wanna have your dinner kitchen. And then it's a cutoff time.

Tammy Afriat: 7:10

Is there any thumb of rule for what's an appropriate amount for a child to eat?

Karin Adoni: 7:17

Depends on the age, depends on the gendered sex, depends on how big this kid is. Small, active, not active.

Tammy Afriat: 7:25

So it's mainly from a parent perspective, trust your child that he knows when he's full.

Karin Adoni: 7:31

Yes.

Tammy Afriat: 7:31

force him to complete the whole plate. Like, yeah, I put it and I worked hard for preparing this, so go ahead and just eat it all.

Karin Adoni: 7:40

So few rules of thumbs for that. Number one, as I said, cut off time, no snacking before dinner or lunch, breakfast, whatever it is, cuz then it's like an unrealistic expectation. Okay? That's one., number two, understand the proportions and the portions your kids need for their age. Meet them where they're at, so a two year. One eats like this piece of chicken, it will, I'll probably eat like two strips of chicken and a little bit of rice, and maybe like a carrot and a tomato and whatever it is. So it won't be as the same amount. Another thing that would be is that the more ultra processed food you give to your kids, the more you confuse their hunger levels so they get addicted to food, and then it's harder for them to regulate because we are born with a perfect balance. When babies are hungry, they eat when they're thirsty. Once they start, you know, eating more solid food, they're thirsty. My one and a half year old when she wants water, she wants water. When she wants food, she wants food. There's no confusion. We confuse them at a very early age, whether it's emotional eating, whether we push food towards them, whether it's a matter of control. because. the majority of the decision is not their. Now kids at some age, usually the age of five or six, some kids that are more advanced,, would start earlier. kids those ages, One of the things is for them is to control is over their body and what goes into their mouth. So it's a matter of control. And if you push, then they'll push. And that's something that many parents don't understand and realize.

Tammy Afriat: 9:05

Yeah, I, got that. It's mostly power struggle and not really, the kid doesn't like to eat eggs Yeah, I totally get that. And I want to ask you, what are the component that, kids or adult might get addicted to in the, super processed food.

Karin Adoni: 9:21

So sugar. Usually , the food companies would use high fructo corn syrup, which is more addicting and they're probably gonna use three, four different kinds of sugar., Tammy Afriat: Is the syrup is the one that, suspected to be carat in Carcinogenic? No, no. sugar is correlated to many things. It's not considered carcinogenic. Carcinogenic will, stuff like care again in all kind of preservatives, emulsify, or thick. Anyways, high fructose corn syrup is correlated because our body does not digest it as it digests regular sugar. It's much more sweet., it is more correlated to type D diabetes, fatty liver, and and you see that by default, some kids are drawn more to sugar, , especially kids that, , sometimes have problems with texture., and kids that are hyperactive or have some sort of a, d d or adhd. Okay? They're very drawn to it. So that's one. Number two, it would be the very salty stuff. So some kids are like into the chips, you know, all of those would be what kids get more addicted to. Now. I don't believe in depriving because I think once you do that , goes back to the control thing and then the kid will overcompensate whether it's going out to friends, whether it's being in birthday parties or whatever it is, and then they're just gonna eat everything that comes along their way. It's just a matter of teaching them boundaries of educating them. So it's not good and bad and it's not necessarily healthy, but also giving an explanation, So Less being upset on them for not eating and more explaining also to dinners are important. making things that the kids like. So it doesn't need to be just kids. But it needs to be a combination of all and continue exposing. My child don't like vegetables, so I don't make it. I get it. But if you're not gonna show it,. He'll never try it. Sometimes kids needs to see and experiment something 5, 6, 7, 10, 20 times before they're even open to try it out. So I get it that it's upsetting, but the seeds we're gonna plant. will prove themselves later.

Tammy Afriat: 11:25

So don't give up. continue to provide whatever it is that you're eating and ask your child if you wanna do it and just move on. I want to ask you about, if, we'll look at the plate, is there any specific amount for each of the component you mentioned

, Karin Adoni: 11:41

I would make it kind of equal to the best of their ability., That should be ideal, but it doesn't necessarily always happens, you know?

Tammy Afriat: 11:49

Okay, generally speaking, that's your accommodation to put equally each and one of those. So also the fat.

Karin Adoni: 11:56

the fact I would use a little bit less just because , it depends. So if, you're using avocado, so it'll be like, couple of slices. But if you're, you know, cooking with olive, the oil or avocado oil, depends if you're making a hot or cold. Then I'll just go into your meal as is.

Tammy Afriat: 12:12

Mm-hmm.. Okay, I get that. And now I do want to ask you, is there really things such as sugar rush?

Karin Adoni: 12:18

Of course. Of course.

Tammy Afriat: 12:19

so what is, an okay amount of sugar for a child per day or per dessert? I don't know how, what's your approach towards

Karin Adoni: 12:29

So listen, the regular overall,, recommendation for kids is up to 15 grams of added sugar per day. That's their re 15 1 5. That's like the fda. How

Tammy Afriat: 12:41

Is it goes by, , children mass weight?

Karin Adoni: 12:45

There's like an overall recommendation, , which is about three teaspoons, and I kind of guess that the majority of the kids surpassed that , but that's the overall recommendation for kids when kids like it's up till the age of 19.

Tammy Afriat: 12:59

Mm-hmm.. Okay,

Karin Adoni: 13:00

the smaller, the smaller the kids are, the less it should be.

Tammy Afriat: 13:03

Of course. So let's say that we have a cereal, but this one , hasn't added sugar. That means that I need to go and check out if their dessert is not having another 15 grams

Karin Adoni: 13:15

Yeah, of course. So overall, you, whenever like dessert kind of obvious will have added sugar, cereal is a candy in a box., And there's better options. You know, there's ones with less sugar, there's ones with no food, food coloring,. There's one with more honey and aga and maple. Yes, of course it's still sugar, but the quality of the food, the standards of the company, is usually in a higher level and.

Tammy Afriat: 13:39

I get that So let's go back to the protein though, cuz you mentioned few types of resource, eggs and chicken. Meat and cheese. Is there any different between those type of proteins in terms of how our body consumed them?

Karin Adoni: 13:54

So there is something that is called a biological value. So that means how our body absorbs it, utilizes it and uses it for its own purposes. However, I would say variety is I. Because our gut bacteria needs it. Our immune system needs it. So variety will be super important. I wouldn't just stick to one., eggs are considered to be the highest source of protein, the highest biological value. Then we have soy, which I wouldn't use for kids. I do recommend for adults, not for kids., and then fish is a great source. Fish are especially, that are high in omega three s. that is correlated with kids that have harder time to focus kids with A D. D and H D D I highly recommend giving them fish and if they don't like it, I would supplement omega-3 for kids.,

Tammy Afriat: 14:41

Got it. So, generally speaking, you're just saying combined all of them. So the body will get all the benefit of each and one. so let's, move on to the, oil. Cause with oil, we also have those different types coming from an animal like having a really fatty meat, or having it from a vegetable like, , avocado you mentioned. So is there any difference between those,

Karin Adoni: 15:08

Scientifically it's called like saturated fat versus unsaturated fat. So there's differences in the kinds of fats. All are important.. I wouldn't necessarily avoid, , having, fat that comes from, I don't know, chicken or like salmon it is saturated fat. Our body needs it all. Each one plays a different role in the human body Each one contributes to different things. And , , ultra process hot. They're eating or chicken dinosaur or nuggets, that's where the problem is. Or deep fried food that are more, I would say, , trans fat or ized fats because they've changed their, chemical chain because of the deep frying. So there's a lot of things that my thing is that don't be afraid of real food. That's not where the problem is. I would say biologically our body needs protein, needs fat, it can survive without the I do not think it's smart by no means because you're avoiding nutrients and vitamins and antioxidants and phytochemicals that you have to do.

Tammy Afriat: 16:09

Mm-hmm.. So actually the body's able to digest. And, takes protein and fat and breaks it down and makes it into sugary,

Karin Adoni: 16:21

no. Basically what happens, it takes the fats, not the protein.. Our body can use two micronutrients as a source of energy, carbs, or fats. But when there's carbs, the body will always preference the carbs. When we avoid carb presence in our bloodstream and in our digestive system, the body changes the source where it utilizes the fuel and uses the fat as the fuel.

Tammy Afriat: 16:48

Mm. Okay. So now you also kind of explain us, cuz you said it's really important to explain your child why it's so important to each, each. And one of the components. So you just mentioned that carbs, you need in fact to have this energy available for you to move around, jump and think whatever you need. And then you need protein. So your hair grows, your skin grows it's like build up your body tissues.

Karin Adoni: 17:15

It builds up your tissues, your muscles and also your immune system.

Tammy Afriat: 17:19

mm-hmm.. Okay.

Karin Adoni: 17:20

And then fruits and vegetables are important, you know, for antioxidants. Which basically. Fights all the free radicals. Free radicals creates a chain of bad reactions in our body that oxidates the cells in our body. and it's also important for healthy digestions because we don't talk about gut bacteria, as much, but our gut bacteria is in charge of 70% of our immune. There's probiotics, food like kombucha, sauerkraut, and fermented yogurt, and there's probiotics. That would be garlic and onions and cauliflower and cabbage that are found in fruits and vegetables. We don't talk enough about gut bacteria in many kids and adults, but kids, because that's a conversation, get sick because their gut bacteria isn't working efficiently.

Tammy Afriat: 18:09

Mm-hmm.

Karin Adoni: 18:11

And then also fiber would be the complex carbs. and you can explain it to kids with, like, this gives you energy, this gives you muscles that makes you, I don't know, you're eating a carrot. This will make you see better in the dark.

Tammy Afriat: 18:23

Mm-hmm.

Karin Adoni: 18:23

But kids love it. You know, my four year old is like, this will make me strong, mommy. We need to educate our kids and not preach them , and top of everything, set an example for not setting an example. They'll never follow.

Tammy Afriat: 18:36

Of course. And also it reminds me of my son. He also, like, he knows that MI makes him strong. So he comes by the end of the meal and he shows me his arms and I, am I strong? Am I strong? And I was like, yeah, you're so strong.. the protein was digested so easily, so fast. Two minutes but anyway, it does the work. He eats, you know,

Karin Adoni: 18:56

It doesn't work. It really does. It really does.

Tammy Afriat: 19:00

so that's great. I want to ask you, about P heater and supplement, what kind of supplement do you recommend? And also if there is a difference between supplement for a picky heater versus a child that seems to eat a very balanced,

Karin Adoni: 19:16

it's a very interesting conversation and I get asked that quite a lot. So . Do we know that only 8% of adults in the US get the proper nutrition? Eight. Eight out of 100%. Yeah.

Tammy Afriat: 19:27

Wow, that's amazing.

Karin Adoni: 19:28

The CDC announced that number., it's an official number It's crazy. So let's say kids are on the same number.. Or even better, we'll say 20%. Okay. Fifth of the kids in America, which I super doubted, but we'll go with that number. So fruits and vegetables that we eat , a are grown in ways that they're meant to survive or stay perishable for a long, long time and stay fresh so we're not getting the nutrients that we're supposed to get from them. There's a phrase called farm to table. Basically the fastest you pick , the fruits, the vegetables, the more nutrients you get, the longer you like, the nutrients die out. So an average apple at the store is nine to 12 months old. Yeah. So adding that, , the soil isn't as rich as it used to be. The food is highly processed, so, The fact that people think that if they're just doing really eating well, that they're getting everything they're needing. Again, if there are really on a high super standard, , yes, 100%. The majority of the people that I know are not even close to it, you know, by no means. So I would supplement. I supplement to my kids and they do eat healthy. so , it depends what you're looking for. You can give them zinc if you want to. Strength like immune, so zinc and vitamin C, and if your kids are into, eating bell peppers, kiwi strawberries, and cirus on a daily basis, then they're getting a good amount of vitamin C. Okay., zinc is a little bit harder to get for kids. It's like pumpkin seeds and all kind of nuts and walnuts and kids don't tend to eat those things. zinc is., multivitamin, again, it's your decision whether you wanna give them or not., I give my kids vitamin C, Aisha, I give them sink, I give them multivitamin, I give them mushroom boosts, so it's all kind of immune boosters., and I give them herbs, that are found to be safe for kids, for focus, concentration,, help with like brain flow. I give them omega three,. I'm a strong believer in starting at an early age and. When people ask me, I say, , this is what I do.. I'm not saying that this is what you should follow. Now again, if you wanna go basics, then you can give them multivitamin zinc vitamin C, something like, . , I wouldn't use any fat soluble vitamins. There's two kinds of vitamins. They're water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble means that our body releases, , through sweat, urine, whatever it is, fat solubles. Our body can create toxicity levels. So A, d, E and K are fat, so, So sometimes I even see parents give their kids like vitamin D and I'm like, is there a reason? Like your kid is deficient. It's like, no, I heard it's good. Great. Don't give it to them just by giving them. Okay, so that's one. And then vitamins, all C and all B vitamins are water solvable, so whatever your body doesn't need, it releases. And then there's also standards of vitamin. So you need to know what you're buying. I like Mary Ruth. I think they have good standards. Like there's brands that I like their standards, because whatever, I even did like an Instagram, , real one time on Flintstones, on like supplements that the pediatrician recommends. And I looked at it.. And I was like, horr. Because they have car Gannon, they have food coloring. They have so many things that are problematic there that I would say do not use.

Tammy Afriat: 22:46

Mm-hmm.. So let's see if I got it right. So you do recommend to get the, probiotic and then multivitamins and vitamin C and the zinc. So that's like the basic, right. Okay., and then for Peaky Eaters, I'm just sensing that what you're saying, it doesn't matter if your child is Peaky eater or not,

Karin Adoni: 23:07

Let alone if they're, and it's even more, yeah,

Tammy Afriat: 23:10

mm-hmm., . That's great. Just towards the end of our conversation, I want to hear about your services,

Karin Adoni: 23:18

Yes, of course I have classes or like online programs from 21 days to 90 days where I walk through people teaching them about healthy lifestyle, weight loss, mindset change. I'm all about the, nutrition part, educational I'm a big believer in education, giving extra, not just talking about good or bad, or I wanna explain to why you do things and then to give them the option to choose.

Tammy Afriat: 23:44

I love that

Karin Adoni: 23:45

I publish three recipe books. I also give a lot of information on my Instagram, , coronia nutrition also on Facebook. So a lot about teaching people that it doesn't need to be a restrictive, it doesn't need to be too hard. It doesn't need to be problematic. It needs to be a healthy, sustainable lifestyle through education

Tammy Afriat: 24:02

that's awesome, which is just the same thing that you need to do to your child in order to form these healthy eating habit for them. I love it., is there anything else you would like to add?

Karin Adoni: 24:13

Anyone who's looking to do a change, needs to remember that. It needs to be realistic. It needs to be a part of a lifestyle. It needs to be something consistent and it needs to be something that you feel that, okay, I'm learning. I'm explaining healthy lifestyle needs to be something that your health come as a priority, and your health is not just when you get sick. How well you sleep, how's your energy levels, how you know, how happy, how motivated, and whatever it is that you are. So there's many things that comes to it.

Tammy Afriat: 24:38

Yeah, I like to think about the body as a machine and then you just do prevention management, I guess. Like you don't wait for something to get broke. You do whatever you need to do to keep it going the best it could.

Karin Adoni: 24:52

Amazing. Thank you so much for having me.

Tammy Afriat: 24:54

Thank you so much for coming and for sharing the approach and the actual novel tips. It was so good. So thank you for coming.

Karin Adoni: 25:03

Thank you. Bye bye.

Tammy Afriat: 25:06

Bye.